Learn Piano Online - By Jan Durrant · 2019. 7. 12. · Mrs. Durrant has a Master's Degree in Piano...

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Learn Piano Online - By Jan Durrant

Transcript of Learn Piano Online - By Jan Durrant · 2019. 7. 12. · Mrs. Durrant has a Master's Degree in Piano...

Page 1: Learn Piano Online - By Jan Durrant · 2019. 7. 12. · Mrs. Durrant has a Master's Degree in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She has been teaching piano

Learn Piano Online - By Jan Durrant

Page 2: Learn Piano Online - By Jan Durrant · 2019. 7. 12. · Mrs. Durrant has a Master's Degree in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She has been teaching piano

Learn Piano Online by Jan Durrant

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Making Music Now was founded by Jan Durrant in 2003 and is located in The

Woodlands, TX.

Mrs. Durrant has a Master's Degree in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Texas at

San Antonio. She has been teaching piano students for 25+ years in both private

studio and her commercial studio, Durrant Music Studio, formerly located in Columbia,

South Carolina. Jan Durrant has also taught classroom music in both private and

public schools. She is a current member of the Texas Music Teachers Association and

the Music Teachers National Association.

Making Music Now provides high quality piano instruction courses for new musicians,

great customer support, and competitive pricing.

Through our commitment, experience, and expertise Making Music Now has

established a business relationship with our customers that will last a lifetime.

Disclaimer: This ebook may not be copied or duplicated.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION A 6

PIANO INSTRUCTIONS 6

Introduction 7

Some Practical Considerations 8

Should I Use A Piano Or A Keyboard? 8

Selecting The Best Place To Learn In Your Home 9

Practice Guidelines 10

Musical Terms 11

Each Finger Has A Finger Number! 12

Use Curved Fingers At The Keyboard 12

Curved Finger Exercise 12

Learning The Black Key Groups 13

First Finger Exercises 14

Introduction To The White Keys 17

Treble Clef Note Names 19

Treble Clef Notes 20

Bass Clef Note Names 21

Bass Clef Notes 22

Learning The Note Names Of The White Keys 23

Basics Of Rhythm 25

Note Value Table 26

Rest Value Table 27

Half Note And Half Rest Holiday 28

What Is A Melody? 29

Making Your Own Melody 29

All About Intervals 30

Interval Of A Third 32

What Is Harmony? 35

Chords 36

Dynamic Markings 37

Tempo Markings 38

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SECTION B 39

PIANO PIECES FOR YOU TO PRACTICE 39

Practice Techniques To Follow Daily 41

Introductory Piano Pieces 42

C-D-E Waltz 42

Learning Left Hand C-D-E 43

F-G-A-B Discovery 44

Fun With F-G-A-B 47

White Keys C-D-E-F-G 48

Marching Patterns For Left Hand C Position 50

Interval Pieces 51

Grand Staff Intervals (2nds And 3rds) 52

Thirds With 1-3-5 (C Position) 53

Mixed Up Intervals In The C Position 56

I Know, Let’s Play Two Notes Together! 57

Chords 58

C Major Block Chords 59

Challenge Pieces 61

The Can Can 62

Some Night Music 65

Seven Stars From Heaven 67

Moonlight Melody 69

First Sonatina In Classic Style 71

Theory Worksheet Section 73

Theory Worksheet Answer Keys 76

Practice Record 79

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* Special Instructions for using this book *

1. First Read Pages 6-38.

2. Print Pages 39-79.

3. Print Theory Worksheets on Pages 72 -73.

4. Check Your Worksheets Using the Answer Keys Provided on Pages 75 – 76.

5. Send An Email To [email protected] to Arrange For Your Private One

Hour Of Telephone Or Email Music Consultation With Jan Durrant.

6. ENJOY YOURSELF AS YOU LEARN TO PLAY PIANO NOW!

7. You may access audio instructions by visiting the link below:

http://www.makingmusicnow.com/audioclips.html

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SECTION A

PIANO INSTRUCTIONS

INTRODUCTION

Hello! Welcome to the wonderful world of music. Have you always dreamed of being

able to learn how to play the piano or keyboard? Well, your dream is just about to

come true with this piano course. This dream of yours is not something so far away

that it cannot become a reality in a very short while.

This is not rocket science but it does take a genuine commitment on your part to

devote at least 20-30 minutes a day to this endeavor in order to make progress. Take

out your calendar and schedule those minutes during a convenient time for you and

then STICK WITH IT! Take your time as you progress through this course or power

your way through in record time. The choice is yours.

Make it a point to pace yourself. The course has been written with the intention of

going straight through it, one chapter building on the next. Now that you have laid the

groundwork for your plan, let us begin! Before we begin our piano course, take a

moment to learn a very brief history of keyboard instruments. You have begun a

journey that will last the rest of your lifetime.

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You are also participating in a very important cultural aspect from around the world

which has been going on for centuries. Did you know that pianos in some form have

been around for over 500 years? Some of the first instruments of this kind were called

clavichords. They had a very light, metallic sound because the small hand-pounded

'hammers' were made of very light weight metal-like material. These hammers struck

strings of varying lengths to create different tones or pitches.

The next cousin to the clavichord was the harpsichord invented by Cristofori in Italy

around 1450 A.D. This keyboard instrument had a mechanism in it called the

plecktrum which 'plucked' the strings and produced a slightly stronger sound than its

predecessor.

Whether you are playing an acoustic instrument, which is the closest relative to the

history just mentioned, or an electronic keyboard, you are now participating in a

centuries old musical art form. Enjoy!

SOME PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

SHOULD I USE A PIANO OR A KEYBOARD?

Does it matter if you have a keyboard or a piano? It most certainly does not. The only

real difference is that a full size piano has 88 keys (counting both the white and black

keys). Keyboards come in several different sizes. Some have 60 keys, some even less.

There are also 88 key electronic keyboards and digital pianos that produce very

realistic acoustic sounds. Whichever size your instrument may be, remember that the

ARRANGEMENT of the keys and the ORDER of the KEY NAMES is the same on both

instruments. Rest assured that your basic knowledge of the fundamentals of music

can be learned quite effectively either on a keyboard or a piano. The only missing

ingredient is your own persistence and determination to persevere through the

entirety of the material in this course with regular practice sessions. Do that and your

success is assured!

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SELECTING THE BEST PLACE TO LEARN IN YOUR HOME

Please take a moment and give serious consideration at to WHERE you practice in

your home. Make sure that you are not within earshot of the television. Even if you

are used to 'watching TV with your ears' while you do other things, it will definitely be

a roadblock to your learning to Play Piano Now! Also, make sure that you can sit down

at your piano or keyboard comfortably. If you have a piano and a bench which came

with it when you bought it, then you are in great shape.

Seating at a keyboard can prove a little more difficult. Just make sure that you are not

reaching too high up or stooping down too low for the keyboard. Finding a chair that is

the right height is the key. The right height chair will allow your arms to be at an

almost perfect right angle (45 degree) from your body to the keyboard. Don't worry

too much about this. If you have the wrong height of chair your back will start

screaming at you to change your position!!! Please make any adjustments to keep

your back straight and your arms at a 45 degree angle and you will be able to enjoy

hours of music in one seating.

PRACTICE GUIDELINES

Please practice as long and as often as you like. I am not going to recommend a

particular practice schedule for anyone. You will find your own pace. Sometimes

people ask me how long it will take to learn to Play Piano Now. I simply answer with

the question of how much time are you willing to put into it on a daily basis. Since

this is an introductory piano course for beginners, I think it would be very effective to

work at 30 to 45 minute intervals on a daily basis. The longer you put in, the more

quickly you will learn and progress.

However, your mind needs a while to 'soak up' the information and will work best

when you have some hours or a day or so in between practice sessions. The main

thing is to make up a schedule and stick to it! The longest journey begins with the first

step!

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As a convenience for you I have created a practice chart and placed in the last chapter

of this book. Please feel free to make copies of this practice chart and use it daily. As I

am sure you have heard before, a habit of doing anything takes root much better

when we write down the thing that we are doing on a daily basis. Take advantage of

this practice chart by placing it beside your piano or keyboard and filling in your

practice times on a regular basis.

MUSICAL TERMS

BAR LINE A vertical line which separates notes into groups

DOUBLE BAR LINE A set of two (2) vertical lines which stand for the end of a

piece of music

REPEAT SIGN Double bar with two dots at the end of a section or piece of music

which indicates that section is to be played twice

MEASURE The distance between two bar lines

TREBLE CLEF The S-shaped symbol which stands for notes played with the right

hand

BASS CLEF The reversed C-shaped symbol which stand for notes played with

the left hand

STAFF The five lines and four spaces of both the bass and treble clefs

QUARTER NOTE Musical symbol with solid note head and stem which gets one

count

QUARTER REST Musical symbol resembling a sideways W which gets one count

HALF NOTE Musical symbol with hollow note head and stem which gets two

counts

HALF REST Solid half block sitting on third line of the staff which gets two

counts of silence

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DOTTED HALF NOTE Musical symbol with hollow note head, dot and stem which

gets three counts

WHOLE NOTE Musical symbol resembling a circle on the staff which gets four

counts

WHOLE REST Solid half block hanging from the second line on the staff which gets

four counts of silence

CHORD Two or more notes played together

BLOCKED CHORD Two or more notes played at the same time

BROKEN CHORD Two or more notes from the same chord played in sequence

EACH FINGER HAS A FINGER NUMBER!

5 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5

LEFT HAND RIGHT HAND

THE THUMB OF EACH HAND IS FINGER #1

THE INDEX FINGER OF EACH HAND IS FINGER #2

THE MIDDLE FINGER OF EACH HAND IS FINGER #3

THE RING FINGER OF EACH HAND IS FINGER #4

THE PINKY FINGER OF EACH HAND IS FINGER #5

USE CURVED FINGERS AT THE KEYBOARD

It is very important to use curved fingers while playing any keyboard instrument. This

simply means to try and play on the finger tips instead of on the finger pads. Keep the

fingers relaxed while slightly rounding them as if holding a soft ball in the palm of

each hand. Hold the ball gently and keep your arms and hands as relaxed as possible

while playing.

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CURVED FINGER EXERCISE

Are you ready to play your first piano piece? Let’s start with a right hand finger

exercise. Place your right hand thumb on any white key in the middle of your piano or

keyboard. Then simply place each finger numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5 (pinky finger) next to

each other on the next white key. Each finger should have a key of its very own to

strike.

Never put more than one finger on a key. Now start with your thumb and plan the

white keys in sequence. Say 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 – 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 – 1 as you play each of those

fingers. Repeat this pattern three times.

Now place your left hand thumb on any white key of your piano or keyboard and go

through the same exercise. Be sure to say the fingers number as above. Say the

finger numbers reinforces the fact that thumbs are one and pinky fingers are five. This

will especially helpful to you later as you will be saying counts instead of finger

numbers.

LEARNING THE BLACK KEY GROUPS

Take a look at your keyboard and notice the pattern of two black note groups and

three black note groups repeating itself all up and down your keyboard instrument.

This is the same way that these black note groups look on your piano or keyboard.

Please take a moment to look at each of these two and three black note groups on the

diagram keyboard below now:

2 Black 3 Black 2 Black 3 Black 2 Black 3 Black 2 Black 3 Black

(bottom of keyboard) (top of keyboard)

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When I refer to the 'bottom' of the piano please go down to the left-hand side of your

instrument. Obviously, when I refer to the top of the piano please go all the way up to

the right hand side of the piano. Using the diagram above, go to your keyboard and

practice moving in both upward and downward directions.

FIRST FINGER EXERCISES:

USING THE TWO AND THREE BLACK NOTE GROUPS

Following are two finger exercises. The first exercise will introduce the two black note

group. Please use finger numbers two and three. Remember that your right hand

index finger is Finger #2, and your right hand middle finger is Finger #3.

Repeat the words written under each note or just say the finger number that you are

using at that moment. Play evenly.

The second exercise will introduce the three black note group. Use finger numbers 2,

3 and 4 on this exercise. Again, be sure to whisper the finger number as you play and

keep an even rhythm.

Even though these are just finger exercises, it is still very important to practice evenly

and clearly without rushing through. Use these two exercises daily to warm up your

fingers and develop finger independence and strength.

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TWO BLACK NOTE GROUP STUDY

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THREE BLACK NOTE GROUP STUDY

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INTRODUCTION TO THE WHITE KEYS

TREBLE CLEF NOTE NAMES

There are only seven letter names used on the piano:

A B C D E F G

It is interesting to note here that no matter what instrument you play, whether it is

piano, tuba or violin, ONLY the seven letter names above are used in the entire realm

of music!

There are two very easy ways to visualize and remember the names of the white keys

on your piano and keyboard. Remember, the note names on an electronic keyboard

are the same as on the acoustic piano.

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Notice that the Big C above represents Middle C. Find the C that is exactly in the

middle of your keyboard or on your piano. We will refer to it as Middle C from now on.

Middle C Position refers to both of your thumbs resting on and sharing Middle C. Go

to your keyboard now and start to play all of the C-D-E groups from the lowest

(bottom left) to the highest (top right) on your keyboard. Say C - D - E as you play

each key. Now do the same with the F-G-A-B groups from the lowest to the highest.

Now you know ALL of the white key names on the piano!

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TREBLE CLEF NOTES

TREBLE CLEF LINE NOTES

Use the diagram on the next page to memorize your treble clef line notes.

The letter names of the line notes in the Treble Clef are as above. Always start on the

bottom line and move upward on the staff.

Think of this nifty little sentence to remember them:

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

or

Every Girl Buys Delicious Fudge

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TREBLE CLEF SPACE NOTES

Treble Clef Space Notes are very easy to memorize, because they spell the word

FACE. Also, notice that the last note on the second line is D.

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BASS CLEF LINE NOTE NAMES

The letter names of the line notes in the Bass Clef are as above. Always start on the

bottom line and move upward on the staff.

Use this mnemonic device to help you memorize them:

Great Big Dogs Fight Animals

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BASS CLEF SPACE NOTES

Just Remember:

All Cars Eat Gas Because

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LEARNING THE NOTE NAMES OF THE WHITE KEYS

Now that you have mastered the general layout of your keyboard, let us go onto the

names of the white keys and make some music with them! Looking at your keyboard

now let’s review that there are two main white key note groups to learn:

C-D-E and F-G-A-B

The C-D-E group is located directed under the two black note groups all up and down

the keyboard. The ’D’ is located exactly between and below the two black note groups

with C being to the left of D and E being located to the right of D.

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The F-G-A-B white keys are located directly underneath each three black note group.

F is the key located directly to the left of the first of the three black keys. G, A, and B

are located immediately after F, in that order.

Now go to the theory worksheet section in back of this book to pencil in note

name worksheets. An answer key is provided at the end of the theory

worksheet section.

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BASICS OF RHYTHM

Quarter Note Quarter Rest

Both the Quarter Note and the Quarter Rest get one beat.

The symbol above labeled 'Quarter Note' has both a note head and a stem. This

symbol stands for a note that is played for the length of one beat. In other words,

play any note on your instrument right now and simply hold it down while you say

'one'. It is what we would call a short note.

The other symbol above looks kind of like a bird flying sideways (make up your own

idea here) and is called a 'Quarter Rest'. This musical symbol stands for one full beat

of silence. In other words, beats of silence in music are counted just like beats of

sound. The only difference is that there is complete silence during a rest in music.

Start off your experience in rhythm by simply clapping the rhythm pattern of quarter

notes and quarter rests in the following exercise. Make sure that when you say “ONE”

when you ARE clapping and when you say “REST” when you ARE NOT clapping.

BE SURE TO SPEAK THE WORDS BELOW EACH BEAT IN THE EXERCISE BELOW.

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NOTE VALUE TABLE

The basic note values you will be learning from this piano course are shown on the

staff above. It is important that you memorize each of these note values and the way

they look on the staff.

Quarter Note Get One Beat or Count

Half Note Gets Two Beats or Counts

Dotted Half Note Gets Three Beats or Counts

Whole Note Gets Four Beats or Counts

REST VALUE TABLE

Rests are an important part of music. Each rest stand for a measured period of time

filled with silence. Study the three basic types of rest above. These are the only three

rests used in this piano course.

Quarter Rest ‘Wavy’ looking rest that gets one beat or count

Half Rest ‘Hat’ looking rest that sits on middle line and get two beats

Whole Rest ‘Hat’ looking rest that hangs from the line and gets four beats

The following exercise is designed to Whole Notes, Half Notes, and Half Rests. Say

each. Count out loud as you play the notes.

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HALF NOTE AND HALF REST HOLIDAY

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WHAT IS A MELODY?

A melody is nothing more than a string of notes played one after the other to create a

tune or melody. How many times have you asked someone how a tune goes? Please

whistle that tune for me... Well, that, my friend, is a melody.

When you played your first white key performance pieces you were actually playing

short melodies or tunes. The next section of this piano course will explore melodies a

step further.

MAKING YOUR OWN MELODY

Just for fun, use the staff ruled area below and pencil in any of the white key notes

you have learned thus far. The bar lines have already been put in. All you need to do

is put four beats worth of notes in each measure. How can you tell if you have four

beats per measure? Just remember that a quarter note (review the last chapter) gets

one beat, a half note gets two beats and a whole note gets four beats. The first few

measures have been done for you.

Simply follow the example using the notes of C, D, E, F, G, A or B and then, Voila!

You’ve composed your first piece!

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ALL ABOUT INTERVALS

An Interval is defined as the distance between two notes (See Musical Terms– pg. 9).

The first interval to consider is the interval of a Second, notated as ’2nd’. The second

is also referred to as a ’STEP’ in music reading because it is the distance you can

travel on your keyboard or piano from one key to the very next key.

It is important to learn to read music by INTERVAL rather than by FINGER NUMBER

because the fingerings will not be available on all pieces of music that you encounter.

Also, learning to read music by interval enables you to be a more of a well rounded

pianist because you can start on any given note and read your way through any piece

of music. If you concentrated too much on just C Position or Middle C Position, you

would soon diminish your ability to read notes in other areas of the staff.

Now look at the C-D-E Waltz on Page 42. Notice that all of the Intervals

(distances between the notes) are '2nds'. That means that each note is right moves to

a notes immediately next to the note you started on. You will not be skipping any

notes here as you move either in an upward direction or a downward direction. From

one line note moveing up to the next space note is a '2nd' or 'Step Up'. Similiarly,

from one space note moving up to the next line note is also a '2nd' or 'Step Up.

If you were moving in a downward direction from a line or space note you would say

'2nd down' or 'Step Down'. Be sure to practice this exercise two different ways:

1. Say the Letter Names as you play. (C-D-E, etc.)

2. Say ’Step up’ or ’Step Down’ as you play each note.

REMEMBER

1 Intervals of Seconds Involve Two Notes

2 One Note is a Line Note and the Other Note is a Space Note

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INTERVAL OF A THIRD

The next interval we will learn is the interval or distance of a third or 3rd. This is also

referred to as a 'Skip' because we are actually skipping a note on the piano when we

play an interval of a third.

Intervals of thirds can be identified easily because they reach from one line note to

another line note. They can also be from one space note to another space note. In the

following space note exercise you will notice that ALL of the intervals of thirds are both

either line notes or both space notes.

Turn to Page 53 and look a the 'Thirds with 1-3-5 (C Position)' Piece.

Practice the exercise one Page 53 using thirds the following three ways:

1. Place your right hand in the C Position (RH thumb on Middle C)

2. Say the Letter Name of each note as you play (first note is E)

3. Play again and say ‘Skip Up’ or ‘Skip Down’ as the music indicates.

Challenge yourself to say the letter names on your own. Please refer to the Treble Clef

(pg. 18) and Bass Clef (pg. 19) Note Name Keys at the beginning of Chapter IV to

refresh your memory of the note names.

INTERVALS OF FOURTHS AND FIFTHS

Intervals of fourths and fifths are each explored further in the

second section of this course. Continue your study of Intervals by listening to the

Audio CD recording of P. 55. The Title is Fourths and Fifths Too!

Also, feel free to study this section right now if you prefer. You can always come back

to this point and take up where you left off without interrupting the sequential nature

of the teaching material.

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Keep in mind that intervals of fourths and fifths can be identified by the larger

distance between these two note intervals. The interval of the fourth (4th) involves

one line note and one space note with a larger distance between them than you found

in the similar interval of the second (2nd). The interval of the fifth (5th) involves

either two line notes or two space notes. Again, this interval of a fifth is similar to a

third except there is a greater distance between the two notes than there was

between the intervals of a third.

WHAT IS HARMONY?

Harmony is simply defined as notes, chords or other arrangements of notes that

accompany a melody to make a fully developed piece of music. If one person sings a

vocal solo, that would be a melody. If two people sing a duet, the second person

singing would be creating harmony with the melody of the first vocalist. So it is in any

other musical ensemble. The melody is the part of the music that we remember the

most and even sing to ourselves later.

One of the most basic forms of harmony in piano music is the chord. A chord consists

of two or more notes played together in either hand which can create harmony when

played along with any given melody. You will notice that either hand can play the

harmony, just as either hand can play the melody. In the Challenge Pieces Section

toward the end of this book is a piece entitled ‘Moonlight Melody’. The melody starts

out in the right hand, then goes to the left hand in the middle section and, finally,

ends up in the right hand again to end the piece.

CHORDS

A chord is as two or more notes from a scale played together at the same time.

Chords may be played in either blocked chord form or broken chord form. The first

chord we will study in the C Major blocked chord. The notes of the C Major blocked

chord are C, E and G. The C Major Chord Exercise on the following page involves

playing C, E and G all at the same time first in the right hand, then in the left hand.

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You will be placing your hands on your keyboard or piano in the C Position (right hand

thumb on Middle C, Left Hand 5th finger on the first C below Middle C. Use fingers 1,

3 and 5 of each hand to press down all three notes at the same time. Remember,

stems up mean the right hand is playing and stems down mean the left hand is

playing the chord.

Please practice this C Major Chord Exercise in the following two

ways:

1. Say counts as you play each chord

2. Say 1-2 for half notes and 1-2,3,4 for whole notes

RIGHT HAND C MAJOR CHORD: C-E-G

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DYNAMIC MARKINGS

The vehicle for expression in music comes through the context of dynamic markings.

Since the Italians were the ones to first write marks of expression in their music as

well as print the first music manuscripts on paper, all of the marks of expression or

dynamics are from Italian words. Please look over the list of dynamic markings below

and familiarize yourself with them.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Only those basic symbols are included here

that pertain to the pieces within this course.

Piano Italian Word for Soft. Symbol used in music: p

Mezzo Forte Medium Loud: mf

Forte Loud: f

Fortissimo Very Loud: ff

Fortississimo Very, Very Loud: fff

Crescendo Gradually Getting Louder: cres.

** Dynamic Markings Start With Soft And Go To Loudest **

The dynamic markings in any piece of music help to give that piece of music color,

depth, and emotion. Without changes in softness and intensity in music, it would be

nothing more than a mechanical exercise.

Please pay special attention to the symbols above to help give your music a more

human and emotion quality.

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TEMPO MARKINGS

There are many words and symbols placed in music that represent the tempo or

speed of a piece of music. Look at the musical example above. The word ‘Allegro’

placed over the first note is an Italian word which means to play fast. The abbreviation

Rit. in the fourth measure means to slow down. The curved line and dot placed over

the last note means to hold the note longer than its given value.

Listed below are a few other Italian words referring to tempo. You will see used in

some of the music in the Challenge Pieces section.

Andante walking tempo

Allegro fast

Allegretto slightly slower than Allegro

Moderato medium tempo

Vivace very fast

Lento very slow

Grave very very slow

Ritardando (Rit.) gradually slowing down

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SECTION B

PIANO PIECES FOR YOU TO PRACTICE

* Special Instructions for using this book *

8. First Read Pages 6-38.

9. Print Pages 39-79.

10. Print Theory Worksheets on Pages 73 - 74.

11. Check Your Worksheets Using the Answer Keys Provided on Pages

77 – 78.

12. Send An Email To [email protected] to Arrange For

Your Private One Hour Of Telephone Or Email Music Consultation

With Jan Durrant.

13. ENJOY YOURSELF AS YOU LEARN TO PLAY PIANO NOW!

14. You may access audio clips by visiting the link below:

http://www.makingmusicnow.com/audioclips.html

PRACTICE TECHNIQUES TO FOLLOW DAILY

Please use the following method to practice each new piece or exercise:

1. Say the letter names if written on the music

2. Say the counts (usually 1-2-3-4 OR 1-2-3) if written on the music

3. Practice each piece at lease three times per practice session using the above

methods.

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Once you have mastered a piece or exercise, try to remember to play evenly and

slowly. Practicing TOO FAST is a common problem for new piano students. Be aware

that slow and even practice will benefit you now and later on in developing a solid

foundation for rhythmic and unrushed playing.

** Special Instructions for Performance Pieces throughout this book **

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO SPEAK THE WORDS, LETTERS OR COUNTS THAT ARE

WRITTEN IN THE MUSIC. Speaking (or whispering is fine) the letter names reinforces

the memorization of the letter names of each key.

You may access audio clips by visiting the link below:

http://www.makingmusicnow.com/audioclips.html

INTRODUCTORY PIANO PIECES

Piano Pieces with C-D-E

Piano Pieces with F-G-A-B

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C-D-E WALTZ

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LEARNING LEFT HAND C-D-E

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F-G-A-B DISCOVERY

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FLOATING F-G-A-B

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FUN WITH F-G-A-B

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WHITE KEYS C-D-E-F-G

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MARCHING PATTERNS FOR LEFT HAND C POSITION

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INTERVAL PIECES

2nds, 3rd, 4ths and 5ths

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GRAND STAFF INTERVALS (2nds and 3rds)

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THIRDS WITH 1-3-5 (C POSITION)

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FORTHS AND FIFTHS TOO!

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MIXED UP INTERVALS IN THE C POSITION

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I KNOW, LET’S PLAY TWO NOTES TOGETHER!

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CHORDS

Pieces with Chords

Blocked Chords

Broken Chords

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C MAJOR BLOCK CHORDS

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C MAJOR BROKEN CHORD PATTERN

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CHALLENGE PIECES - THE CAN CAN

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SOME NIGHT MUSIC

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SEVEN STARS FROM HEAVEN

By Jan Durrant

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MOONLIGHT MELODY

By Jan Durrant

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FIRST SONATINA IN CLASSIC STYLE

By Jan Durrant

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THEORY WORKSHEET SECTION

Before moving on to the worksheets, take a moment to review the following pages to

refresh your memory on Notes, Letters, Fingers, and Intervals. The information can

be found in Section A, pages 11 – 38. An answer key has been provided for each

worksheet at the end of the section.

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(Answer Key Provided On Page 77)

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THEORY WORKSHEET ANSWER KEYS

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Week of 20Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

min min min min min min min

Week of 20Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

min min min min min min min

Week of 20Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

min min min min min min min

Week of 20Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

min min min min min min min

Week of 20Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

min min min min min min min

Week of 20Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

min min min min min min min

Week of 20Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

min min min min min min min

Week of 20Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

min min min min min min min

Practice Record

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We are always striving to improve our music learning resources.

Please send any questions or comments to:

[email protected]

For more Music Learning Resources

Please Visit us at:

http://www.MakingMusicNow.com

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