Czerny's School of Velocity for Piano

Speed at the piano seems to be one of the great obsessions of students learning this remarkable instrument. 

That said, reaching a solid level of speed and clean playing isn't as easy as many would like. 

In fact, achieving a decent balance of speed and clarity in your playing is the hardest part of all. 

That's why we're going to share one of the most important resources for developing your speed at the piano, though we'll warn you up front that it will take some extra effort, because it's anything but easy. 

Then again, what in life is easy? We know that very few things are. And that's exactly why playing fast at the piano will be one of your new challenges. 

Carl Czerny 

If you want to learn how to develop your speed at the piano, you won't get there just by listening to Jordan Rudess or Valentina Lisitsa play Paganini's La Campanella. 

The best way to build speed at the piano is with the study method developed by Carl Czerny, titled “The School of Velocity.”

There's no surer path to it, which is why his method will be your nemesis, but also your ally. 

We know you may end up with a love-hate relationship with this method, but without a doubt, it's the best one for reaching your goal of playing fast. 

Speed and Control

Tons of notes, fingers moving so fast you can barely see them, but a sound that comes out muddy because the playing has everything except clarity. 

This is very common among young pianists who want to play fast at the piano and become obsessed with it. 

For that reason, it's vital to keep growing as a pianist while understanding that speed and control must go hand in hand. 

Don't treat these two as separate things — both should be your aim, because otherwise you'll be wasting your time and it will all be for nothing. 

The Book: Czerny's School of Velocity for Piano

In this School of Velocity book you'll find forty studies that combine chords, chord inversions, and ascending and descending arpeggios. 

All of this is built on subdivisions down to sixteenth notes so you can get comfortable with the rhythmic figures, the reading, and the arpeggios. It's also the best way to develop muscle memory. 

So you'll need to be disciplined when practicing these studies for piano speed. 

Arpeggios

What we love about Czerny is that he guides you through every key signature, so you end up learning all the keys. 

This is fantastic because your fingers get trained across every scale, chord, and arpeggio. 

Scales

You'll learn to play and read every scale — major, minor, harmonic, and melodic — in all keys. 

As a result, by the time you finish the studies you'll have a level of theoretical and practical knowledge that few young pianists can match. 

Fingering

For Carl Czerny, fingering is the key to developing real speed at the piano. That's why every study marks the finger number used for each note. 

These finger movements will be crucial for reaching the level you're aiming for. 

Tips for Improving Your Piano Speed

Whenever you practice, always pay attention to the following: 

• Aim to play fluently rather than chasing raw speed.
• Use a metronome.
• Control matters more than speed.
• Fingering is the first step toward playing faster.

Keep these tips in mind so you can get the most out of the studies. 

Finally, download the book so you have the sheet music in front of you. You can also search YouTube for videos of people performing each of these speed studies at the piano.