Happy Valentine’s Day!

Emet

For your warmup this week, please play D major triads. The difference between these and your previous D minor triads is that F is now sharp. All fingerings should stay the same; just slide your hand further into the keys so it’s easier for thumb and finger 5 to reach the sharp.

Piano Man – Let’s play up until bar 17 hands separately. RH sometimes has two voices in one hand, which means there will be notes with stems going up and going down in the same bar. Make sure to hold all notes full value even when this is the case (for instance bar 6 that half note should continue to hold as the top note changes, etc.). LH watch the slur articulation – beat 1 is connected to beat 2. LH may continue to read on to page two, since there are patterns that repeat. RH’s part is much more involved, so only do the first page this week.

Please still practice Hunting Song, as we will start with that this week

Nathalia

For the warmup this week we are doing the G major scale hands separately. The fingering is the same as with C major, the one difference is we have an F#. If you feel comfortable as the week goes on, you may try it hands together.

Bye, Bye Love – This week play the entire verse hands together (so up until bar 18). RH do be careful with following the written finger numbers – they are there because it’s the easiest way to reach the notes. Like we did in lesson today, go back and forth between the two chords in bar 16 and 17 to get them feeling really comfortable. Please do still play the chorus hands separately, noticing what sixths look like on the music. 

Kollel

This week our scale is E major (4 sharps – F#, C#, G#, and D#). Let’s actually go hands separately so that LH can be extra careful with crossing fingering.

Pachelbel’s Canon – The first 4 lines can absolutely be played hands together, as well as with pedal. Adding the pedal as soon as possible helps LH feel more legato even when there are big jumps in the part. RH, in line 4, try to stay up into the keys for the entire phrase as opposed to coming down for the thirds with 2 white keys, then having to slide back up every time there’s a sharp. This week let’s add line 5 in (hands separately). LH’s part in lines 5 and 6 is identical, so it’s only necessary to play the one line. LH notice your pattern: it’s always 1-5-1-3 (triad degrees) for each chord. RH, do your best to land on the finger numbers we wrote in for beats 1 and 2 in this line. As always don’t forget your key signature! F and C are sharps regardless of the octave.

Etude in G – The middle section could use some extra attention; play it a couple of times isolated before playing the whole piece through. RH be careful to still do the staccatos on beat 1 even if LH has the held dotted half note (this happens in bars like 11, 12, 20).

Next week we will pick a new studies piece.