LESSON PAGE. SHEINBERG
Sept 27. UPDATED SEPT 28 (scales)
Scales. Levine Curriculum Level Seven
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Classical style pieces
IN PROGRESS: French Suite in G Major by J.S. BachSept 27
Allemande: Very well prepared Good notes. Good counting. Good trills. Next goal is steady pulse. Metronome practice slower than usual, to allow you to look ahead and prepare ahead. Goals of minimum errors to obtain natural flow. Courante: Notes: Good. Counting: Good. Pulse: could be better. Since this movement has two voices and no chords, you will not have to worry about voicing, just focus on keeping a steady pulse and gradually go a bit faster. |
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PASSED: SERENITYMarch 29
m 38 to 41 RH needs further practice. Still doesn't flow free enough Watch counting at m 35. It feels like it went back to old habits IN PROGRESS: AWAYSept 27
Great job with chord analysis. Thank you for doing that effort. No hurry to play fast yet Longer pedal to connect all the arpeggios in a given measure. Don't put it off too soon. Attention: meas. 45: LH beat 1, the 8th note needs to be held longer than the 16th notes. |
You can find audio files of these two pieces at this link. Scroll down once you get to the page.
Link to audio files New version of the score
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| AWAY with D Major key signature |
Jazz, show tunes and popular styles
IN PROGRESS: "Take the A Train", by Duke EllingtonSept 27
Working on techniques 1 and 2. We will wait a bit to start 3. This technique can be applied to the next two songs. 1- LH chords, RH melody 2- LH bass and chord, RH melody 3- (optional) LH bass, RH melody and chords |
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NEW: "I Could Write a Book"NEW: "My Romance" |
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Jazz style -fully written-: GREENSLEEVESFeb-15
End the piece at the end of the 3rd page. No need to learn the improvisation. |
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Jazz style -fully written-:
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Jazz style -fully written-:
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Jazz Fake Book with lyrics
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Here is a copy of a jazz fake book that includes the lyrics.
Not all titles are included here, for example "Night and Day" is not in this book, but perhaps you can find the lyrics on the internet. | ||
Chords with 7th (four-note chords), open and close voicings
3/23
Most of the chords we may have used were three-note chords. These chords were formed by the root (1st), 3rd and 5th. Some were four-note chords, which feature 1, 3, 5 and now the 7th, which can also be major or minor.
Here are the pages of a book that explains very methodically the basic concepts of the four-note chords. Read through these pages slowly and take as many notes as necessary. I will explain further at our next lesson and we will place all these concepts to practice with some of the songs we are playing, like "If Ever I Would Leave You", or if you find it easier, we could choose instead some of the older songs you played before, which you may find more familiar and easier to play with the new concept. Whatever works best for you.
Most of the chords we may have used were three-note chords. These chords were formed by the root (1st), 3rd and 5th. Some were four-note chords, which feature 1, 3, 5 and now the 7th, which can also be major or minor.
Here are the pages of a book that explains very methodically the basic concepts of the four-note chords. Read through these pages slowly and take as many notes as necessary. I will explain further at our next lesson and we will place all these concepts to practice with some of the songs we are playing, like "If Ever I Would Leave You", or if you find it easier, we could choose instead some of the older songs you played before, which you may find more familiar and easier to play with the new concept. Whatever works best for you.
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To listen to the examples mentioned in the book, login to:
www.halleonard.com/mylibrary Enter code: 6133-3573-1227-6632 | ||
NEW: Jazz -chart: IF EVER I WOULD LEAVE YOU |
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3/23
Following the chart included in the pages form the book I sent, extract how you would create the chords that appear in this song.
Mainly focus on major and minor chords, and chords with 7ths. Notice some will be:
Major chord, major 7th
Major chord, minor 7th
Minor chord, major 7th,
Minor chord, minor 7th
Chords without 7th, just major or minor.
After you read the pages from the book you will learn about open shell position and closed shell position. Ok to start with all chords in closed position if you feel more comfortable, and we will work on how to alternate open/close shell positions for a very efficient left hand accompaniment.
Following the chart included in the pages form the book I sent, extract how you would create the chords that appear in this song.
Mainly focus on major and minor chords, and chords with 7ths. Notice some will be:
Major chord, major 7th
Major chord, minor 7th
Minor chord, major 7th,
Minor chord, minor 7th
Chords without 7th, just major or minor.
After you read the pages from the book you will learn about open shell position and closed shell position. Ok to start with all chords in closed position if you feel more comfortable, and we will work on how to alternate open/close shell positions for a very efficient left hand accompaniment.
NEW: MUSICAL THEATRE STYLE
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3/23
Preparing this one with the score in D-flat , but if the key signature is too difficult, check the one you are using with the choir, the piano accompaniment may be easier to read.
Preparing this one with the score in D-flat , but if the key signature is too difficult, check the one you are using with the choir, the piano accompaniment may be easier to read.
PREVIOUS REPERTORY |
NEXT REPERTORY |
ANDY LA VERNE Shoah
COLE PORTER Night and Day
SAM POST Mournful Rag
ALBENIZ Granada
GRANADOS. DANZA Nr. 5
BOLCOM. Graceful Ghost Rag
MOZART. Fantasy in D minor
FRENCH SUITE IN D MINOR
ALLEMANDE
COURANTE
SARABANDE
MENUET 1 Bach/Pezold
MENUET 2 Bach/Pezold
GIGUE
COLE PORTER Night and Day
SAM POST Mournful Rag
ALBENIZ Granada
GRANADOS. DANZA Nr. 5
BOLCOM. Graceful Ghost Rag
MOZART. Fantasy in D minor
FRENCH SUITE IN D MINOR
ALLEMANDE
COURANTE
SARABANDE
MENUET 1 Bach/Pezold
MENUET 2 Bach/Pezold
GIGUE
| GRANADOS Danza Nr.5 |
| graceful_ghost_rag_by_william_bolcom.pdf |
| ALBENIZ - GRANADA. 8/25/2020 |
| mournful_rag.pdf |
PASSED: Chart reading and Improvisation. Autumn Leaves12/1
Focused on the first two lines. 1- play through the melody 2- improvise based on the melody 3- improvise completely independent from the melody. Don't overplay too many notes on the RH, or it will become too difficult. Create nice melodies that are easy to remember You can improvise using notes from the G Major scale and other time, notes from the E Minor scale. Attached here below is a chart with the indications on when to use G Major and when to use E Minor.
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PASSED: Replacement piece in jazz style: Night and Day by Cole Porter
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12/1
JURY PIECE CANDIDATE |
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PASSED but not polished enough for jury: Take Five, by Paul Desmond |
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3/23
Thank you for the recording. This piece is ready to pass, but still had rhythm problems, so it will not be a choice for the juries. It is one of those pieces with strange meter that will likely need you to listen to a lot of jazz to "get" the rhythm. 3/9 The rhythm of the intro is close but still not exact. Count all beats as equal rather than counting "one" longer than the others. To hear this clearly, record yourself playing, then watch it or listen to it and act as if you were the teacher. Check if you are counting all beats equally long or if you are counting some beats longer than others. Once the melody starts, your rhythm is correct. On 2nd page, m13, you lose the rhythm. The ending, similarly to the intro, doesn't have the counting right. |
Recording fastRecording slow with metronome
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PASSED: JAZZ STYLE -fully written piece-
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4/20
Counting is the main aspect to be reviewed. notes are fine.
Counting loudly while you play.
Before you start, make sure you understand the counting for the first two measures. Even play them separate hands until you are ready to start.
Counting is the main aspect to be reviewed. notes are fine.
Counting loudly while you play.
Before you start, make sure you understand the counting for the first two measures. Even play them separate hands until you are ready to start.
PASSED: SAM POST. Humidity3/9
m2 triplet m10 and on: clarity m20 beats 3-4 count m24-25 counting Send me the very best recording you can, so we can call it passed and add it to our jury list for the spring juries. 2/23 Goal: beginning to end in the same level of accomplishment. m5 triplet more like a triplet and less like a 16th-16th-8th. Think of it as a lazy triplet and it will sound right. m9. Same feeling. relax the triplet. m26-27 Clarity on the rhythm and pulse |
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JURY PIECES: ENRIQUE GRANADOS. Vals Noble 1 through 6.
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November 30
1 Very good feeling. Watch to control the sound of the notes, so that you don't have some notes unintentionally playing very loud and others very soft. The theme from the LH needs timing accuracy. The rhythm is identical to the rhythm of the main melody 3 Notes sound very good. Now they need more phrasing and more expression. Help the notes by emphasizing the written dynamics. When dynamics are not written, give shape to the phrase adding crescendo when they go up and decrescendo on the way down. 4 First section. Very good. Second section: you play it with a tempo that is very different to the first section, much slower. We may need to speed it up a little, or slow the beginning. 6 Nice mood. Sometimes you need to be a bit more careful to separate the harmonies with the pedal so chords don't mix. Second section. More right hand. Don't be shy, otherwise the LH covers it up. |
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LISTZ. Consolation No. 3November 16
Most of the 2 against 3 are ok, sometimes you will need to record yourself and listen because there are instances when the sync is not there. When you have 4 against 3, that is far more difficult and we are approaching it by approximation. In general the piece sounds like it has lost some of the ability it used to have, so probably you had not played it in a long time and may take a few practice days to return to the way it used to sound. Don't be in a hurry to play it fast, it gives you not enough time to read the notes on the page. |
4 agains 3 exercise | ||||
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ON RESERVE: LISTZ. Consolation No. 4
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PASSED: McDOWELL to a Wild RoseNovember 16
Since the notes are not difficult to read and play, go ahead and shape the phrases. Every time you have two identical notes, be sure not to play them with the same intensity, either grows louder or softer. Mark your score to be consistent with your interpretation from one practice session to the next. Remember to voice chords by bringing up the top note. |
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JURY: Jazz style:
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Jazz style -chart-: ALL OF ME |
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March 1
Today we played the song as it would be in a jazz jury: 1- main theme for the entire page 2- one round of improvisation 3- alternating lines 4- playing the theme of the song for the last time To practice, go through each one of the chords and doodle around creating little melodies with the notes of each chord. When you feel secure, play the video recording and play along me on the video. |
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JURY PIECE: BACH from Well-Tempered Klavier Vol.1
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PASSED: CHOPIN: Mazurka in A minor, Op. 67, No. 4 (Posthumous)May 17
Very good flow on the main theme. The notes feel like you have already learned them very well. The triplets still need work, they still precipitate the first two notes and wait at the third note. "Ritardando" can be more gradual, rather than a sudden stop. Very well prepared, ready to play when you have an opportunity to play for a public. |
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