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Technical Drill Left Hand Thirds:
The letter names of the notes can be seen in the note heads which will helpful in learning the note positions in Read More...
Technical Drill Left Hand Thirds:
The letter names of the notes can be seen in the note heads which will helpful in learning the note positions in this chromatic exercise.
Why practice thirds?
To strengthen the fingers - particularly the weaker 4th and 5th fingers.
Practicing thirds is a very good way to develop legato playing.
Thirds have a context in performance pieces and musical composition in general.
Tips:
Keep the fingers near to the keys.
Understand:
Imagine the weight of the hand goes downwards through the fingers and to the keys.
How to practice:
The play back tempo is 100 quarter notes beats to the minute but do not be afraid to start at a slower tempo.
Play the right hand and left hand separately starting in different octave ranges of the keyboard or piano.
If the fingers and hands get tense - stop! Relax the hands and arms by your side and start again.
Aim for legato playing (smooth - no gaps) and keep to the specified fingering.
Remember:
that for both the left hand and right hand fingering is the same in piano playing
thumb = 1, index = 2, middle = 3, ring = 4 and 5 = the little finger.
Further Study:
When you are confident with what you extend the exercise and give more work to the weaker fingers.
Develop some rhythmic variants of the patterns.
You can always record and send them as an an mp3 to PlentyMusic and these can perhaps be shared.
Listen:
Composers such as Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninov and Kapustin have explored the intervals of a third in technical studies known as Etudes which exist as important and often challenging repertoire for the pianist. Close
Added: 26th January, 2021 09:01 AM |
Views : 113 |
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This is another improver level arrangement for piano or keyboard with the melody being played by the left hand whilst the right plays an accompaniment Read More...
This is another improver level arrangement for piano or keyboard with the melody being played by the left hand whilst the right plays an accompaniment. The intention of the arrangement is to encourage balanced in the hands with the right hand playing quietly and the left hand playing out the melody so that it is clearly heard. It is an ideal piece of music for the improver level keyboards player as the melody is both familiar and quickly internalised. Do pay attention to the rhythmic detail and particularly the dotted notes. The realisation plays back at 66 half note or minim beats to the minute. There is suggested fingering in place on the sheet music score and keyboard players should be aiming for rhythmic playing with a legato touch. The time signature is 2/2 often referred to as “cut time” meaning that there are two half note or minim beats to the bar. Country Gardens is a traditional English folk tune that was collected (notated) by Cecil Sharp in 1899 from the concertina playing of William Kimber who was the musician for Headington Quarry Morris Men. The chords are also notated above the treble clef stave using letter symbols simply to get players used to understanding how these these symbols are used particularly in the playing of folk and popular music. Close
Added: 9th July, 2020 12:07 PM |
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Country Gardens is a traditional English folk tune that was collected (notated) by Cecil Sharp in 1899 from the concertina playing of William Kimber w Read More...
Country Gardens is a traditional English folk tune that was collected (notated) by Cecil Sharp in 1899 from the concertina playing of William Kimber who was the musician for Headington Quarry Morris Men. There are many variants of the tune and this is an improver level two part arrangement for piano or keyboard. It is an ideal piece of music for the improver level keyboards player as the melody is both familiar and quickly internalised. Do pay attention to the rhythmic detail and particularly the dotted notes. The realisation plays back at 72 half note or minim beats to the minute. There is suggested fingering in place on the sheet music score and keyboard players should be aiming for rhythmic playing with a legato touch. The time signature is 2/2 often referred to as “cut time” meaning that there are two half note or minim beats to the bar. Close
Added: 8th July, 2020 10:07 AM |
Views : 335 |
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Frankie and Johnnie is an improver level piano solo exploring the 12 bar blues in a swing style requiring it to be played with a triplet feel. The con Read More...
Frankie and Johnnie is an improver level piano solo exploring the 12 bar blues in a swing style requiring it to be played with a triplet feel. The convention as far as notating swing rhythm can vary and be confusing. Listen to the realisation score and understand the conventions involved in the notation of the rhythmic shapes. The original text of the song is about jealousy and murder and likely to be in part true. There are hundreds of recordings of the song representing a great range of musical styles. The realisation plays back at 120 dotted quarter (crotchet) beats to the minute although the closing section is played at a slightly slower tempo. The music needs to be played in a relaxed manner and there is opportunity to explore the articulation of the melody notes. The best advice when playing this type of music is to essentially make a performance your own. Close
Added: 30th June, 2020 13:06 PM |
Views : 334 |
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The aria or song is taken from the opera Rinaldo which first appeared in 1711 and was revised in 1733.
It is in ABA form and based on the sarabande rh Read More...
The aria or song is taken from the opera Rinaldo which first appeared in 1711 and was revised in 1733.
It is in ABA form and based on the sarabande rhythm which has the stress on the second beat of the three beats in the bar. When sung the Da Capo section would be an opportunity for the soloist to improvise and ornament the melody and this is option available to the organists although it is important to keep to the style and mood of the piece. This is very appropriate music for a solemn processional in an organ playing context. The use of three registrations is suggested and are indicated in the score. Rests have been indicated in all parts so that players have a clear understanding of the voicing. It is also a movement that invites interpretation and playing in different contexts. The arrangement is in the original key of F major although the tempo for the organ solo is more Larghetto than Largo which was the tempo indication in the opera. The video score plays back at a tempo of 66 half note or minim beats to the minute. Rests are indicated in the score enabling players to have a clear understanding of the voicing of the musical lines.
Moskowski has also arranged the aria for piano. Close
Added: 24th June, 2020 17:06 PM |
Views : 3610 |
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It is intended to introduce keyboard players to “swing” playing. This slow blues has a simple two part texture. Whilst swing music has a triplet f Read More...
It is intended to introduce keyboard players to “swing” playing. This slow blues has a simple two part texture. Whilst swing music has a triplet feel to it players need to appreciate that the conventions involved in the notation of the rhythm of swing style can vary and be confusing. Listen to the playback score and understand the conventions involved in the writing of swing music by studying the score notated in common time and the appended score in 12/8. Appreciate that swing music can be notated in more than one way. The notation convention in the edited music score with suggested fingering is how this music would normally be presented to the music reading musician. The form of the 32 piece can be represented by the letters A A B A with each section being 8 bars long. Keyboard players should be aiming for fluidity in their playing. The realisation plays back at 110 dotted quarter (crotchet) beats to the minute.
As a warm up to playing the piece the music editor suggests playing through through the following blues upwards and downwards slowly simply to become familiar with the sound of each scale.
Eb major Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb blues Eb Gb Ab Bbb Bb Db Eb Eb minor Eb F Gb Ab Bb Cb D natural Eb
Instrument players interested in this style of music will need to become familiar with terms like blue note and blues turnaround and spend time listening to blues style piano players particular from the New Orleans area. Close
Added: 24th June, 2020 13:06 PM |
Views : 328 |
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It's A Date is a beginner level piano/keyboard piece based on a 12 bar blues. As a beginner score the letter names of the notes appear in the note hea Read More...
It's A Date is a beginner level piano/keyboard piece based on a 12 bar blues. As a beginner score the letter names of the notes appear in the note heads and suggested fingering is in place. The tempo of the playback on the video score is 84 half note or minim beats to the minute.Players need to take notice of the accent signs marked in the score and keep their hands as light as possible. Playing a blues structured piece of music does encourage fluent playing and the development of musical memory. The 12 bar blues forms the basis of much popular music of the 20th century. Close
Added: 8th June, 2020 13:06 PM |
Views : 3697 |
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The One Ten Blues is an improver level piano solo exploring the blues idiom at a medium tempo
Formally it can be represented by the letters A B A with Read More...
The One Ten Blues is an improver level piano solo exploring the blues idiom at a medium tempo
Formally it can be represented by the letters A B A with A having a standard 12 bar blues structure and B being a middle 8 bar section. A percussive approach to playing the keyboard is appropriate for this piece and the rhythm needs to be played in a straight manner. The realisation plays back at 110 dotted quarter (crotchet) beats to the minute. As a warm up to playing the piece the music editor suggests playing through through the following three blues scales upwards and downwards slowly simply to become familiar with the sound of the scale.
C Eb F Gb G Bb C F Ab Bb B (natural) C Eb F G Bb C Db D F G
For those wishing to connect blues music with rock and roll and rhythm and blues spend time listening to recordings by Louis Prima, Big Joe Turner, Louis Jordan, Fats Domino and others. Close
Added: 8th June, 2020 11:06 AM |
Views : 327 |
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The Wild Horseman is an improver level piano solo and an ideal piece to encourage fast playing. In ternary form ABA the music comes from the collectio Read More...
The Wild Horseman is an improver level piano solo and an ideal piece to encourage fast playing. In ternary form ABA the music comes from the collection that Schumann composed in 1848 for his three daughters. It is in A minor and is an excellent piece for developing arpeggio playing. It should be played at a fast tempo whilst the realization plays back at 110 dotted quarter note beats to the minute. The Album for the Young is one of the great collections of piano literature for the young player. Close
Added: 1st June, 2020 10:06 AM |
Views : 298 |
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This is a short concentrated movement having a lightness of mood often associated with final movements of musical works in the classical period. The m Read More...
This is a short concentrated movement having a lightness of mood often associated with final movements of musical works in the classical period. The melodic material is both appealing and chromatic scale passages can be described as transition preparing the way for a return to the opening theme. The final 12 bars can be described as a coda or closing section. The realization plays back at a tempo of 80 dotted quarter notes beats (dotted crotchet) to the minute. A lightness in the hands is essential to play this music at tempo. As an adult player revisiting a student piece it becomes much clearer what two techniques need to be practiced in order to become a competent keyboard player. Firstly, thumb under technique and fourth finger over technique (encouraged by practice of scales). Secondly, changing the finger on a repeating note encourages a lightness in the hands when playing music at this tempo. There is an edited sheet music score available which has suggested fingering available as a free score from the PlentyMusic website. A plain sheet music score is also appended. This particular movement is also excellent for exploring the full range of the piano. Friedrich Kuhlau (1786 – 1832) was a Danish composer and pianist of the late Classical and early Romantic time who along with a group of composers that includes Muzio Clementi (1752 -1832), Jan L. Dussek (1760 – 1812) and others produced piano music that is has become valued repertoire for the developing pianist and much of it has been used for teaching purposes. Close
Added: 31st May, 2020 10:05 AM |
Views : 314 |
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A quite charming and beautiful movement perfect for developing and combining legato playing with a sound piano playing technique. The repeat is not pl Read More...
A quite charming and beautiful movement perfect for developing and combining legato playing with a sound piano playing technique. The repeat is not played in the realization. The music editor has been quite minimalist as far as score detail is concerned simply because too many edited copies of this sonatina have score detail that is irrelevant when playing on a modern piano or keyboard. There is an edited sheet music score available which has suggested fingering on the website. This also has a plain sheet music score attached. The principle of contrast so essential to the classical composition is evident in this movement. Friedrich Kuhlau (1786 – 1832) was a Danish composer and pianist of the late Classical and early Romantic time who along with a group of composers that includes Muzio Clementi (1752 -1832), Jan L. Dussek (1760 – 1812) and others produced piano music that is has become essential repertoire for the developing pianist. Close
Added: 21st May, 2020 16:05 PM |
Views : 378 |
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A movement from Schumann’s “Album for the Young” Opus 68 (1848) for improver level piano. The piano collection which was composed at a very happ Read More...
A movement from Schumann’s “Album for the Young” Opus 68 (1848) for improver level piano. The piano collection which was composed at a very happy time in his life has many delightful pieces of music to discover. The edited music score has clearly specified fingering. This is an excellent piece for developing a singing legato line in the left hand. The realization plays at a tempo of 110 quarter note beats (crotchet) to the minute. It is also the ideal movement for developing two important piano /keyboard techniques: i) slipping the thumb down from one note to another (bar 4 left hand) and also changing the finger on a note. Both techniques encourage good legato playing. Close
Added: 2nd August, 2019 12:08 PM |
Views : 557 |
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Another movement from the rich treasure trove of Clementi's Opus 36 Sonatina's for piano. This is a slow Andante movement having a legato melody accom Read More...
Another movement from the rich treasure trove of Clementi's Opus 36 Sonatina's for piano. This is a slow Andante movement having a legato melody accompanied by a triplets. Ornaments have been written out and the score detail includes specified fingering. A tempo of 54 quarter (crotchet) note beats to the minute is suggested and the music editor advises minimal use of the sustaining pedal. Clementi spent much of his professional life working in England as a composer, performer and teacher although he also diversified into music publishing and the manufacture of pianos. His sonatinas are well known attractive pieces especially suited to the improver level player. He was one of the first composers to create works specifically written for the piano. Close
Added: 27th July, 2017 11:07 AM |
Views : 773 |
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This is a very attractive piece which has in the recent past been used as the basis for a pop tune. It was composed by Clementi who was known in his o Read More...
This is a very attractive piece which has in the recent past been used as the basis for a pop tune. It was composed by Clementi who was known in his own time as a teacher, composer, performer and even as a manufacturer of pianos spending most of his adult life living in England. His Opus 36 Sonatinas are excellent pieces for improver pianists and keyboard players. Performance detail including specified fingering is marked in this score and a tempo of 120 quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute is suggested and used in the realization. A rondo is a piece with a recurring theme. As a relatively fast piece a light playing touch will be needed. Close
Added: 27th July, 2017 11:07 AM |
Views : 649 |
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A movement taken from one of Beethoven’s Sonatina’s for piano that are catalogued in the appendix of his compositional output. This is a charming Read More...
A movement taken from one of Beethoven’s Sonatina’s for piano that are catalogued in the appendix of his compositional output. This is a charming piece of music in 6/8 time and is suited to being played by a number of different instrument combinations although its origins are as a piano piece. A tempo of 66 dotted quarter beats to the minute is recommended and performance detail has been added to the score and fingering is clearly specified. Possibly more could have been made more of the pause marks in the realization. A sonatina is literally a small sonata derived from a word sonare that implies something to be sounded or played. Close
Added: 27th July, 2017 11:07 AM |
Views : 742 |
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Clementi spent much of his professional life working in England as a composer, performer and teacher although he also diversified into music publishin Read More...
Clementi spent much of his professional life working in England as a composer, performer and teacher although he also diversified into music publishing and the manufacturer of pianos. His sonatinas are well known attractive pieces especially suited to the beginner player. This particular piece has been selected to encourage fast playing and in the piano copy suggested fingering is clearly indicated in the score. Players will need to keep their fingers close to keys to achieve a tempo of 72 dotted quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute as in the realisation. Vivace is Italian for lively. Close
Added: 27th July, 2017 11:07 AM |
Views : 777 |
Downloads : 1