There is really only one way to improve your timing and rhythm, and that is through hours and hours of practice. You can read books on music theory, listen to teachers explain how to play a waltz or samba rhythm, but unless you put in hours of practice, you won’t make the technical connection between what your head knows and how your fingers work.
However, that does not mean that you are completely alone. One of the greatest assets a pianist can have is a metronome. This will allow him to understand how fast or slow the music he wants to play is supposed to play. Select the appropriate time as shown in the manuscript of the music you want to play, and then listen. Don’t try to play the first time, just listen to the soft tick of the metronome as he plays the rhythm that he needs to recreate when he starts playing. Now try to play it at that speed.
Keep the metronome ticking and see if you can keep up. If you’re trying to play a slower piece of music, you’ll probably have more initial success keeping time with the metronome than if you’re trying to play a fast-flowing Mozart composition. If the piece of music you have chosen is livelier and you find that you cannot play at the required speed, go back to the metronome and set it to a slower speed. Once you can play the music at that speed, gradually increase the metronome speed until you can confidently play it using the correct timing.
Rhythm is something you can improve by listening. Learn how various musical forms are performed, such as the tango and the waltz. Learn where the main downbeats are in each measure. Once you have an idea of what the music is supposed to sound like, look at your sheet music and identify where the rhythm shows up: is it captured in the melody or is it solely in the harmony?
In a waltz, for example, you will typically find that the left hand produces the constant full pitch waltz rhythm, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, while the melody stays in time. but it doesn’t always fit into a consistent basic pattern of 1 2 3. In general, you’ll find that the right hand is busy with many half, fourth, or even fewer tones, but the integrity of the waltz is maintained by the harmony on the left. By listening to the correct rhythm before you start playing, you will be more aware of maintaining the correct time structure to keep the rhythm right.
Commitment to practice will greatly improve your piano playing technique, but especially with regards to timing and rhythm which require you to listen to the music and play it, practice is absolutely essential. And of course there are piano rhythm courses you can take that will certainly help you. Add regular use of a metronome to this commitment and you’ll soon feel more confident that he’s playing the music with the correct speed and rhythm.
