0242pb

Global View - Learning The Piano(C0242)

Charles: Hi Cody, how did practicing go this week?

Cody: Well I had several tests and an oral presentation this week so I didn't get a chance to memorize the second page, but I think I mastered the tricky section.

Charles: Great! Warm up with some scales and arpeggios first. Good, good. This week, work on keeping the rhythm steady when you play the last part with the sixteenth note . Now let's take a look at this tricky section.

Cody: Charles? Before I start I was wondering if it was ok if I put a small crescendo in here and then decrescendo back to pianissimo again over here?

Charles: It might work. I'll have to hear it . Show me what you've done. Not bad , not bad .

Cody: It was horrible! I played play it much better at home!

Charles: It's just nerves. Just play the right hand for now. One two three four five six, ta ti tri-ple-ti. Good, good. Don't forget the accidentals! The key signature says that note should be a G-sharp but now it's a G-natural. Now add the bass clef. You're going too fast. Remember the tempo for this piece is andante.

Cody: Is that better?

Charles: Yes, much better. Watch where you lift your foot off the pedal. What was that?

Cody: Sorry! The stretch for that octave is always hard to make.

Charles: That's ok, keep going, you're moving ahead by leaps and bounds . Watch your dynamics! Keep your elbows lifted. Remember to stroke the keys, don't pound. That's better! Remember that as a pianist or any other musician, your technique will be what separates you from the pack just as much or more so as your musicianship.

Key Vocabulary

tricky ; None ; requiring skill or caution

scale ; None ; a series of musical notes

tempo ; None ; the speed at which a musical piece is played

by leaps and bounds ; None ; very quickly

musicianship ; None ; the skill of performing music

note ; None ; a specific musical tone

dynamics ; None ; changes in how loudly a piece of music is played

key ; None ; A button depressed with fingers to produce sounds

Supplementary Vocabulary

hammer ; None ; a wooden piece which strikes the strings

string ; None ; wires that when hit by the hammer produces sounds

plate ; None ; the iron frame which holds the strings in place

hitch pin ; None ; a metal screw that holds one end of the string

grand piano ; None ; a specific type of piano