|
Choose one key. For example: C Major
Practice the elements on the right column. Then practice all three diminished chords: Starting with C Starting with C# Starting with D |
C Major scale
C Major arpeggio C Major chord and all inversions C minor chord and all inversions C7 (C Major chord + minor 7) and all inversions CM7 (C Major chord + Major 7) and all inversions Cm7 (C minor chord + minor 7) and all inversions C dim (C diminished chord) and all inversions |
|
January 10
Building Major and minor chords in root position, Create a diagram that shows the distance between the root, third and fifth for major and minor chords. |
|
SCALESNovember 23. Review B Major scale
B Major scale (it uses all the black keys, plus the notes B and E) Practice playing all 3 black keys, or all 2 black keys at the same time, so your hand remembers the fingering better. |
Fingering for the scales can be found in the book below:
| ||
|
October 26
This week work on inverting the C diminished to every possible position. Only the C diminished chord. |
|
|
6/29
VISUAL LEARNING OF THE C AND C# DIM CHORDS C dim is a frowning semi-circle C# dim is a smiling semi-circle See pictures below. Click on the pic to enlarge.
|
|
NEW: "Dance" by Bela Bartok
|
| ||
IN PROGRESS: "Polka" by Michael I. Glinka
|
IN PROGRESS: "Morning Song" by Cornelius Gurlitt
May 17
Well done. Slowly but going steady. Remember to use "creative practice" and practice the same sections in different ways. I suggest for line 2 to practice playing the top line and the bottom line as a way to stimulate your thinking and learn it gradually. May 10 Trick to learn the fast chords. 1- Start with one note 2- Then play them as 6ths (the first 6 moves are all white keys, ...easy) 3- Then figure out what is happening inside the chords and build the entire chord 4- repeat operation also w LH |
| ||
|
May 17
LEFT HAND: LH plays any note except B. Duplicate the octave and add a fifth. Example: C - G - C Do the same pattern for other notes, for example A - E - A F - C - F E - B - E etc. RIGHT HAND Play using the white keys. alternate playing with the LH and the RH and use pedal to make it sound more comfortable. See example on the right margin Example of chord progressions: C - A - F - G or C - F - G - E - A - F - D - G |
|
IN PROGRESS: "I Don't Know How to Love Him" by Andrew L. WebberMay 17
Repeating section: Choose between repeating or not repeating. If you are not, then skip box Nr. 1 and move unto box Nr. 2 directly. Practice with the intention of developing your muscle memory, learning concepts, not just notes, and learning transitions. This type of practice involves the following:
|
Learn groups of notes that represent chords as block chords first. Identify what chord they are.
Parallel notes, identify where those happen. | ||||||
IN PROGRESS: "Send in the Clowns" by S. SondheimFeb-15
Very good indeed. You are ready to now apply a touch of pedal through the song. m19 F is not sharp The difficult section you played it slowly but correctly. Page 4 is getting there. Attention to the two last lines with repeat signs at the end of the piece. |
Recording below of the first section of the song
| ||
PASSED: "Little Piece" by Robert Schumann
|
| ||
IN PROGRESS: "Impossible Dream" from Man of LaManchaApril 26
Count 1-2-3 1-2-3 1-2-3 with your voice and you play the music. This will keep the pulse steady. April 11 Counting is fixed. Now it is proportional from one section to the next. Nevertheless it still needs a little more time to feel that you are assimilating it. Attention to flats that appear in the beginning of the measure, and affect the rest of the equal notes. You always do it correctly, but not in the measure below: 
|
Here it how it sounds when played slowly:
| ||
PASSED: "La Candeur" by F. BurgmullerApril 11
Pretty good. Attention to this passage here. Keep 8th notes straight 
|
| ||
DONE: "THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE" |
| ||
IT HAD TO BE YOUNEW SCORE OF "IT HAD TO BE YOU" WITH SIMPLIFIED RHYTHM
3/9 Here above is a version of the score with markings to help you see where the 1st and 3rd beats are.
You can then assign bass-chord or chord-chord as you need it. |
| ||||||||||
JAZZ FAKE BOOK
305 Put on a Happy Face
March 1
bass-chord is fine although very slow. Let's see if a different technique allows you to play it a bit faster: Try repeated chords played short and light to give the song a bit of spark. 406 Unforgettable
March 1
Bass-chord and block chord technique is fine in the song. Just play the chord sooner and repeat bass-chord in the next measure even if there is no chord indicated. IN PROGRESS: 422 What a Wonderful World
December 7
Sync is good. Line up 8th notes in the LH with the RH and you will have the hands lined up easily.
IN PROGRESS: 247 Some Enchanted Evening
November 23
You are still trying to fit too much Continue exercising the LH diversity plan: 1 chord per measure: bass-chord 2 chords in one measure: just play them both as chords, there is no room to elaborate much more. Summertime. NEW VERSION
|
145 Hello Dolly
March-15 Duplicate the root on every chord you play as a start to eventually introduce the 7th Feb-22 Well done as bass-choir system. Remember that 2-chords in the same mesure we play them as block chords, rather than "bass-chord+bass-chord" 153 I Could Have Danced All Nightes
4/13
This one is also measure = bass measure = chord rather than bass-chord in one measure. Keep in mind when distributing bas and chord, especially if you play it after a song that is bass-chord in one measure. 
199 Jingle Bell Rock
4/13
Playing the simplified version. SIMPLIFIED SCORE BELOW:
IN PROGRESS: 44 Amazing Grace
November 23
Pedal: Very good. Alternating chords: Very good. 59 Bill Bailey
2/16/21
Very good application of the chords, by playing them more frequently at every measure. More jazzy: Play BASS on the 1st measure, CHORD on the 2nd measure, and so forth. Click on the picture below to enlarge. 
IN PROGRESS: 138 Greensleeves
December 7
Good sync except on the measures with dotted quarter note.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||
|
|
|
SomewhereJan-25
Very good. Other than the natural fluency from playing it more often, all notes are fine, and the song is recognizable when you play it. |
| ||||
|
6/8
Let's give the LH more motion by playing it as bass-chord. bass is a quarter note, therefore you have to fit it with any matching quarter note on the RH if there is one. Below is the outline, and on the right is the video 
|
| ||
BORN FREE1/12
Still a work in progress when the LH is played in separate notes. Since you can play very well the song as block chords, play it like that for fun, and as separate notes when you are working on the song to learn this technique.
|
| ||||||||
Song review: ALL OF ME |
| ||
|
1/12
It needs a bit more consistent use of the lower note bass and the chord. Sometimes you don't play the bass at all. 12/8 Melody and block chords. Good! Let's add a challenge: First beat play a bass note an octave lower than the chord. then place the chord wherever you feel it fits. The video example plays the first half as we worked at the lesson. the second half is a bit of a show off so you can see what a more complex arrangement would sound like. |
|
Irving Berlin's "ALWAYS"
1/12
Very well played with the 3/4 waltz LH accompaniment. 12/1 No problems on this song. Plays well, counting is intuitive, sometimes just resist being too impatient while holding long notes. |
|
| ||||
THEY CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME (transposed to F Major)
1/19
Practice the rhythm above. Right now it sounds approximate but not recognizable. See video example of the rhythm that gave us problems: 
|
| ||||||||
Pieces already worked on:DUNCOMBE Sonatina p 57
BEETHOVEN German Dance p.89 DIABELLI Bagatelle p 98 DUNCOMBE Fanfare p 55 JAMES HOOK Dance p 58 Ecossaise p ? p96 GERMAN DANCE by L. van Beethoven FUR ELISE p76 MINUET by W.A. Mozart (in F Major) p57. Sonatina by William Duncombe MINUET by Lully PASSED MINUET IN G CAREFREE P. 59 MINUET by Leopold Mozart
How High the Moon
Someday My Prince Will Come The Shadow of Your Smile Michelle Yesterday Let It Be A Fine Romance I Could Write a Book Don't Get Around Much Anymore Autumn Leaves MOON RIVER SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW. Level 3 OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW. Level 3 EDELWEISS HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG TURK Arioso MOZART minuet p 69
|
Future songs and pieces:NUMBER? All in love is fair (check difficulty)
427 They can't take that away from me (in E-flat) Transpose to G Major 105 DAYS WINE AND ROSES in F Major DUNCOMBE. Sonatine. page 57 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
PUT ASIDE TEMPORARILY: THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA (Chorus only)12/8
Very difficult song to play, even for professionals. Still in the stage of set-up by playing the melody and the chords, and paying attention to the flats and sharps. Some chords are difficult. |
| ||||
320 Night and DayTime to add a couple new songs:1/26
Please let me know before I start searching for songs, if there are a couple songs you already find familiar that you may want to learn. Some of the cole Porter above would be ideal since I already located them in one of the books I have, but other songs will work just fine as long as I can find the sources. You can also instead use the Jazz Fake book below: |
Working on Night and Day 320
1/5
Very well played as chord blocks. Stay in this format. Raising this song to a more complex format requires a much more difficult technique, so we will keep it like the for a little while. | ||||||||||||
|
2/9
Attached is a video recording ---> |
|
|
2/9
Good progress. Good staccato (short notes). It is still a bit slow and there is a lot of thinking involved, but with time playing it, the piece will become more fluent. Ready to pass and move onto a new one New piece below: "Arioso: by Turk. |
| ||
|
2/23
I will assign you a new piece in place of this one: p89 German Dance by Beethoven 2/16 Demo recording of the piece. ---> |
|
The Flintstones. Arranged by Gabriel
|
| ||
PASSED: BEETHOVEN German Dance p 89Sept-28
Next week will be the last time before we pass it and assign a new piece. Smaller practice sections to obtain more muscle memory |
| ||
PASSED: DUNCOMBE Sonatine p 57 |
First two lines on a loop
First two lines for listening and practice
| ||
PASSED: "Arabesque" by F. Burgmuller p 104 |
| ||
COMPLETED: "Innocence" by F. Burgmuller |
| ||
COMPLETED: "Pastorale" by F. BurgmullerMay 17
This piece is passed and it is now in your repertory |
| ||
