Scales are important: Why Piano Practice is Like Football Training

Why your child is not progressing: for Dads who skip scales - and only focus on pieces

Let’s talk about football practice. You don’t learn to play by just showing up on Saturday and trying to win the cup final. Nor do you win, without running laps, passing the ball, drills and kicking the ball practice throughout the week.

It’s a process: a mix of foundational drills, skill-building, applying it all in a game scenario - everyday.

And that's exactly the same with piano! For many dads helping their kid practice piano at Grade 1 level, the mistake is similar. You sit down once a week and try to "win the game" by brute-forcing your way through a piece, only to end up frustrated.

Or you practice a little bit everyday, only focusing on pieces and wonder why all of a sudden your son or daughter is 'getting worse'.

The secret to success in both fields isn't heroic, once-a-week effort or 'games only' practice. It's a smarter, more consistent strategy grounded in a simple principle: spaced repetition.

Part 1: Building the Foundation (The Daily Training Regime)

A footballer doesn't become a star by kicking a ball against a wall for four hours every Sunday. They train consistently, with purpose, focusing on different skills each day. This is where the real work happens.

The Wrong Way (The Weekend Warrior):

• Football: One intense, exhausting scrimmage on Saturday. Result: Poor technique, fatigue, and increased risk of injury.

• Piano: One long, frustrating practice session a week. Only learning pieces. Result: Stiff fingers, mental fatigue, and little progress. You forget most of what you "learned" by the next session.

The Right Way (Spaced Repetition):

This is the core of effective training. Spaced repetition means doing a little bit, often, with rest periods in between to allow your brain and body to absorb the skills. It’s the daily habit that creates lasting change.

• Football: Training for 90 minutes, 4-5 days a week. Each session includes running, passing drills, and set pieces. The daily practice builds muscle memory and fitness.

• Piano: 20-60 minutes at the piano, every single day. Beginners 20-30mins. Grade 0/Preliminary/Grade 1 40-45mins. Each practice includes Muso Flash Cards, scales, Hanon, Czerny and pieces. First day and second day piano practice example:

  • (2mins) Muso Flash Cards: Day 1 - Review 4 octaves and do stop watch challenge. Day 2 - Same. Try to beat the record from the day before.

  • (5mins) Scale: Day 1 - 2 octaves left hand 3 times, right hand 3 times, both hands 3 times. Day 2 - Same. But you notice you can go a bit faster and it's easier. 

  • (5mins) Hanon: Day 1 - First 2 bars left hand 5 times, right hand 5 times, both hands 5 times. Day 2 - Same. Again, notice you can go faster. Perhaps you can now complete the first 2 lines.

  • (5-10mins) Czerny: Day 1 - First 4 bars left hand 5 times, right hand 5 times, both hands 5 times. Day 2 - Review first 4 bars and add the next 4 bars. Again, notice you can go faster with the first 4 bars. 

  • (5-10mins) Piece 1: Day 1 - First 4 bars left hand 5 times, right hand 5 times, both hands 5 times. Day 2 - Review first 4 bars and add the next 4 bars. Again, notice you can go faster with the first 4 bars. 

  • (5-10mins) Piece 2: Day 1 - First 4 bars left hand 5 times, right hand 5 times, both hands 5 times. Day 2 - Review first 4 bars and add the next 4 bars. Again, notice you can go faster with the first 4 bars. 

  • (5-10mins) Piece 2: Day 1 - First 4 bars left hand 5 times, right hand 5 times, both hands 5 times. Day 2 - Review first 4 bars and add the next 4 bars. Again, notice you can go faster with the first 4 bars. 

This daily "touch" is what flattens the forgetting curve. You’re not starting from scratch each time. You’re building momentum.

From the Pitch to the Piano: The Pyramid of Skills

Think of legends like David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. When they were kids, their training wasn't just about playing matches. It was built on a pyramid of skills. They spent countless hours on the fundamentals: running for endurance, passing drills for accuracy, and goal kicks for power. Only after mastering these did they seamlessly apply them in practice games.

In music, this pyramid is exactly the same:

• Running = Scales: This is your baseline fitness. Scales build finger strength, dexterity, and familiarity with the keyboard—the fundamental endurance every pianist needs.

• Passing Drills = Junior Hanon: These are your targeted skill exercises. Hanon exercises are like practicing precise, repetitive passes to a teammate. They isolate specific technical challenges, like finger independence or evenness, training your hands to work with accuracy and control.

• Goal Kicks = Czerny: These are your power and precision drills. Czerny studies are like taking set pieces. They are more musical than Scales and Hanon, the focus on building speed, articulation, and the ability to execute a bit more musical passages. You will find that executing pieces become easier, thanks to Czerny exercises.

• The Practice Game = Your Pieces: This is where it all comes together. The piece you are learning is the Saturday match. It’s the application of all your drilled skills (scales, Hanon, Czerny) into a musical, expressive goal. You can't perform well in the game without the drills, and the drills are meaningless without the game.

Part 2: Match Fitness (Preparing for Performance)

Here’s the truth every athlete knows: you can't stay "match fit" without playing. You can have all the skills, but if you don't use them under pressure, they fade.

The "I've Got It" Fallacy:

• Football: You peak for the cup final, then take a month off. When you return, your first touch is gone, and your stamina has vanished.

• Piano: You finally nail your piece. You feel great! You don't practice it for two weeks because you "know it." or you go on holiday. Then you sit down to play for your family… and your fingers freeze. The memory is fuzzy.

The Maintenance Mindset (Staying Match Fit):

Once you’ve learned your piece, the goal shifts from learning the skill to preserving it under performance conditions.

• Football: To maintain match fitness, you train regularly and play practice matches to simulate the pressure of a real game.

• Piano: To keep a piece "performance-ready," you need strategic maintenance:

  • The "Run-Through": A few times a week, play the piece all the way through, as if you're on stage. This is your practice match.

  • Focus on the Weak Spots: Isolate the tricky bars—the musical equivalent of a difficult corner kick. Drill them slowly and perfectly. Muso Method 5 times rule, separate hands and both hands.

  • Mental Rehearsal: Visualize playing the piece perfectly, away from the piano. This engages the same neural pathways without physical fatigue.

The Final Whistle

The dream of playing piano isn't about finding one big block of time. It's about consistent, smart training.

1. Forget the Cramming Sessions. Daily Consistency beats intensity.

2. Embrace Spaced Repetition. Short, daily sessions build skills faster than weekly marathons.

3. Drill for the Game. Use scales, Hanon, and Czerny as your training ground, so you're ready to perform in your pieces. Don't skip them just because you have a competition around the corner!

So, stop trying to win the cup final on day one. Commit to your daily training regime. Show up for your drills, and soon you'll be ready to play the game.

Isabelle Ng