Happy Fall everyone! <3 You’re sounding great, I’m lucky to have ears around you all.
Grace
To a Wild Rose – Start at last two lines of the song and practice hands separate a bunch to become fluent. Remember you do not need to maintain strict timing, at the climax of the piece at the top of page 2 you can slow down and place this chords with care
Chopin Prelude – Awesome !! Practice m16 by itself to secure RH trill over LH. Isolate ending cadence and repeat until you can play it with your eyes closed.
Liam
*New* Niimi Aandeg – Due to the syncopated nature of this melody, it kind of has to be learned slowly hands together. To make it simpler, I would reduce the entire LH into just As while doing this, and add the extra notes in later. Make note of which notes in the melody align with the LH, as there are few. Here is a recording at a slow practice tempo to use.
*New* Raiders in the Night page 1 – this is in 6/8. You want to feel 2 main pulses within each bar though to keep momentum going, not 6 little beats per bar. Be picky with the contrasts between staccato and legato, as well as dynamics, as early as you can.
Aria – nice work! Now put it hands together. Try to play the RH melody louder than the LH.
Great job with the scales! Be sure you are subdividing (feeling the 8th notes/16th notes) inside your head before you begin playing.
Jadon
Hot Potato – Ensure everything is light and bouncey, the hot potato is likely the piano keys which is why we don’t linger on them too long. Start slow and steady, then speed this up as fast as you can play in control.
Endgame – I’m glad you like this one! Show me whenever you have some progress :)
Warmup with your D Major scale to get your brain in that key before playing the piece.
Katarina
Landmark note worksheet – this worksheet reinforces the first (and most important) 3 notes on the piano you’ll ever learn. Bass F, middle C, treble G. Please complete it and bring it to lesson next week.
Muffin Man – this piece uses notes that say the note name inside of them. Focus on noticing the direction of notes and whether they step or skip.
Hot Air Balloon – this piece uses the 3 landmark notes that are in your worksheet. RH will play middle C with thumb, and finger 5 on treble G. Any finger in your LH can play F, the paper suggests finger 3. Remember to count 2 beats for half notes (the hollow ones).
Sara
Arpeggios – Keys to remember are, flip your hand quickly (limit time the hand is contracted), don’t pump your elbow up into the air, move laterally in a smooth manner. Tackle any of the keys that go White Black White, and go slowly.
Sonatina in F major – Work on the balance to the melody, so the accompaniment doesn’t drown them out. Really good job fixing everything else. Watch the LH when the RH starts the 16th note run, let go.
*New* Niimi Aandeg – Due to the syncopated nature of this melody, it kind of has to be learned slowly hands together. To make it simpler, I would reduce the entire LH into just As while doing this, and add the extra notes in later. Make note of which notes in the melody align with the LH, as there are few. Here is a recording at a slow practice tempo to use.
Victress Session – BEAUTIFUL! I loved hearing this today. Have fun polishing it up for one more week. I’d love to hear even more dynamics!
Maple Leaf Rag LH – your’re on the right track! Slow and steady wins the race.
See if the app “Chet” is in the Google Play Store. It will be very beneficial for ear training.
Marco
What Lies Ahead m21 – to end. The chord progression remains the same even when it becomes a rocking back and forth pattern rather than solid notes. Explore it hands separate for the first few times, then put it hands together.
C F G major scales – we will learn the minor ones next week. For now, just review these with both hands using consistent fingering.
*New* Zum Gali Gali – The rhythms and articulation are the star of this piece. It is in D minor and it is very bouncy and playful. Emphasize the contrast between staccato and legato sections. Count carefully, as the parts will need to slot together. (Remember, What Lies Ahead is your priority this week, but I still know you can handle this too!).
Daniel
*New* Niimi Aandeg (found in repertoire book 1) – Due to the syncopated nature of this melody, it kind of has to be learned slowly hands together. To make it simpler, I would reduce the entire LH into just As while doing this, and add the extra notes in later. Make note of which notes in the melody align with the LH, as there are few. Here is a recording at a slow practice tempo to use.
Final Countdown – Play the LH as written, and reduce the RH to just the top melody notes for now.
Bb major scale – The fingering can be found in this image>
Keep Zum Gali Gali playable, but it isn’t your prioirty right now. 80-90% of time should be spent on the other 2 pieces.
Marita
I think you would benefit from using a 5 minute timer for every piece. Put it on, and spend 5 minutes for each piece using your practice strategies like breaking it into chunks, different hands, going from the back to front etc. Let’s unleash all that potential on these awesome pieces!
Atacama Dessert Pg 1 – this piece is beautiful! Watch your F#s. Some repetition will really bring this to life, because you play it well once you’re in the groove.
On Your Mark – This piece is a lovely G Minor, that can be sped up.
Crazy Comics m1-8 – go slow and either count out the beats or say Right Left Right Left Together to teach your hands their choreography. You’re doing a great job of playing some notes smooth, and some staccato, which really brings the fun.
Greta
It is so nice to meet you! I didn’t state my pronouns today but they’re He/They.
You’re working on After the Battle – When playing it the first few times, go hands separate, noticing the F# in the key signature. When you’re comfy with both parts, try hands together slowly. A recording and a backing track can be found by clicking the links.
We’re going to have a great time together! Thanks for being open and honest with my getting to know you questions :) This first month we’ll be exploring Halloween music and some other supplemental stuff as we learn more about where you’re at, but then you can go ahead with purchasing the RCM level 1 books.