Scale speed benchmarks (1 octave)
| Level | BPM | Time |
|-------|-----|------|
| Beginner | 60 | 8 sec |
| Intermediate | 100 | 5 sec |
| Advanced | 140 | 3.5 sec |
| Pro | 180+ | <3 sec |
| Concert pianist | 240+ | <2 sec |
15-min daily routine
Warm-up (3 min)
- C major slow at 60 BPM
- All fingers
- Focus on evenness
Speed building (8 min)
- Metronome 60 BPM → comfortable
- +5 BPM → practice 1 min
- If errors → -5 BPM
- Goal: +5-10 BPM/week
Variety (4 min)
- Major scales (C, G, D, A, E, B…)
- Minor scales
- Chromatic
- Pentatonic
Proper technique
Posture
- Back straight
- Wrists level — not dropped, not raised
- Thumb under fingers
Fingering (C major right hand)
- 1-2-3-1-2-3-4-5
- Numbers = finger (1 = thumb)
- Build muscle memory
Tips
- Slow before fast — always start 60 BPM
- One hand first — right → left → together
- Eyes closed sometimes — feel the keys
- Video yourself — check posture
3-month goal
| Week | BPM | Quality |
|------|-----|---------|
| 1 | 60 | Even, no errors |
| 4 | 80 | Smooth transitions |
| 8 | 100 | All major keys |
| 12 | 120+ | All minor keys |
Daily 15 min > 2 hrs weekly