(1) Page turning. Stick a post-it note to the other side of the page and fold it over to provide a helpful tab on which to pull. Trim with scissors.

(2) Left hand leaps. Say you're aiming for a low note with your little finger and you need to look down from the music, but you're in a hurry. Look at your left thumb rather than the little finger. You can then work out where the little finger is. It saves time.

(3) Leger lines. To memorise the upper leger lines, practice playing the chord A-C-E-G-B where the 'leger notes' are. Or just A-C-E-G if you prefer. I have found it helpful (although that might just be the way my mind works.)


Please add your own random tips! Or tell me why mine are silly

-- undividedself

My piano pieces aren't long enough to make use of this tip, but I shall find it very useful for the song music I play on my clarinet - thanks!

I haven't done G1 yet on piano so my tips are a bit limited, but I something I find useful to do when I'm starting a new piece is to play each note of a chord separately for a few bars. Doing this makes it clearer to me that, for instance, one finger might be staying in the same position whilst another is moving up one note at a time.

The page turning tabs is a brilliant idea as the folded edges get very feathery-thin after a while and I had one come off in my hand once while accompanying a very fast piece...

That sounds terrifying, I think I would have burst into tears if that happened to me!