Memory Patterns are a series of skill-sets trained into the muscle memory for touch and dexterity. In Course 3, the new Memory Pattern is Double Note Drop. This is a repeating pattern landing double notes hands together with fingers 2 and 4 and 1 and 3. We teach students to pull their fingers towards the palm like holding a ball while lifting the whole arm. Students must keep their hand shape on the landing; and not reach with their fingers, fly up, or push the keys. In this exercise, students also learn to change the weight of their arm on the landing so the short notes tap light and the long notes hold heavy.
Double Note Drop. Read Double Notes.
More often than not parents and students do not know what they should expect from music lessons and don't know how to get their money's worth. When studying music you do not have all the time in the world. In music lessons time is money. These are some ideas of what you should expect to learn while taking lessons.
Music is a subject that should be taught as clearly as possible with progressive goals similar to working out in sports or academic study. In music, these are three goals to work on simultaneously at lessons:
- Just as in learning a language, the ability to read music must begin right away and develop at a steady pace from simple music to more complex.
- Just as in sports and dance, technique training must begin in specific skills for a quality performance. No one can read what their fingers will not do.
- Just as any subject, the goal is to increase musical interest by knowledge. There is no end to the accumulation of tunes, dances, classic melodies, and delightful literature for piano.
Assess the results of lessons.
1. Are you learning to read? - Reading music is the ability to convert musical, notation, characters and signs to be heard on an instrument. Reading musical is more difficult for those who can naturally play by instinct, ear, or by memory. This problem may only become apparent when students reach a level of music that is too difficult for them to imitate or remember, and is the way many musical people never learn to read music. Look at these signs for poor reading comprehension:
- Learning from a method that names positions to get ready instead of naming the first note and fingering.
- Wanting to play a piece fast, before it has been practice slowly and deliberately.
- Looking up and down or around while playing, which causes desorinetation.
- Memorizing music to avoid reading.
- Writing finger numbers or letter names against the notes to help reading.
- Seeking familiar tunes because they are easier and more fun.
2. Are you developing technically? - Technique is achieved by demonstration and by coaching cues while playing. Some words for coaching are: "Pull" to keep the joints strong and to prevent flying fingers. "Lift" to lift the fingers from the knuckle in a hammer action. "Drop" to lift and drop the whole arm from the shoulder. "Hold" to hold at the key bottom or to connect. "Long" for longer values. "Short" for shorter values. "Connect" to play legato. "Press" to emphasize holding. "Slide" to change octaves in key contact. "Swing" with a loose and relaxed arm. "Arch" to cross arms. Look at these signs for poor basic technique:
- Collapsing and wobbling the finger joints.
- Flat fingers instead of lifting from the knuckle.
- Fingers flying up or falling off the keys.
- Bouncing the arm on every note to help depress the keys
- Detaching all notes to avoid holding the keys down.
3. Is your interest increasing? - Teachers must guide their students to become acquainted with the huge amount of delightful literature for beginners. If teachers fail to inspire their students with new music, they will fill the void with wanting to play what is familiar to them. When students are learning new things, this desire disappears. Students cannot choose for themselves what to play in a subject they know nothing about. There is a wealth of famous melodies and literature available for beginning students that are loved once they are learned. Those who study piano should, right from the start, become familiar traditional songs from around the world and with composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and many others. This music is classic and has proven to not be boring since it has stood the test of time. - In Course 3, students are ready to pick a piece from the list of solo pieces.
. . . . .Every student is a good student. Every lesson is a good lesson.
The Hokey Pokey is a traditional dance that is popular around the world. You will recognize it right away. However, it is not always called the Hokey Pokey. In England it is known as the Hokey Cokey. In New Zealand it is usually called Hokey Tokey. In the Phillipines the dance is known as the Boogie Boogie. In this piece, we work on pulling and lifting the LH high from the knuckle and play legato. We also work on the new double note skill, lifting the double notes in a whole arm drop.
The folk song, Paper of Pins is from the United Kingdom. Many folk songs are international and sung all over the world. This is an old folk song from Northern Ireland. In the RH we learn to play the fingering in three distinct touches. We tap the repeating C light with R1 (thumb). We pull and lift R3 and R5 high from the knuckle and play legato (middle and pinkie). And we lift the whole arm to play R2 and L2 (pointer) repeating together.
The LH double notes are the accompaniment. Accompaniment doesn't make sense on its own. So, at lessons students play the LH double notes as we play the RH melody. This is called a duet when two players combine to play the same piece. We play pieces as duets to give students an idea of how the parts fit together before they try on their own. Piano is the only instrument that requires such coordination between hands. For example, in Trotting one hand is played legato or connected and the other hand non legato in a whole arm drop. At the same time, one hand is played heavy and the other hand light.
A Jolly Dance is written by Alexander Goldenweiser who was one of the founders of the Russian Piano School establishing a system of teaching piano that created many successful concert pianist. We use much of the music from the Russian School. Goldenweiser was a student of Tchaikovsky, who composed the Nutcracker Suite which is so popular at Christmas time. The Jolly Dance by Goldenweiser is suitable for our Course 3 students. The RH athletically plays with a whole arm drop, which changes to alternating notes. This movement is very fun and feels like spinning in a tileawhirl.
This little piece has been arranged in many ways. You probably won't have it assigned at the lesson, but you can play it at home anyway for fun. Students can play the LH melody as someone else plays the RH accompaniment. Or students can play the LH melody as someone makes a fist and gently plays the white keys in clusters with a steady beat.