LadyDpiano: Beginner Music Steps

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Beginner Music Steps: Rhythm

Rhythm

Music is composed of pitch and rhythm. While there are finer elements that come into play later on, such as dynamics and expression, music can be made by knowing simply this: which note and how long to hold it. Without rhythm, people couldn't fully read music. For a basic understanding of note value, yYou can read a short article about Rhythm in Music.

Rhythm is music's way of setting the duration of a note. Music accomplishes this task by varying the appearance of the notes that sit on the staff. Different rhythms indicate different note lengths. To get rolling, you need to hear about an essential concept; beat. Have you ever noticed how everyone claps together in a steady pattern? Did you ever wonder how 30,000 people could possibly agree on anything? If you have been to a dance club, you may have noticed that there is always a steady drum beat or bass line, usually up-tempo, to drive the music along. Those are examples of pulse and beat in music. Rhythm is a primal element and pulse and beat are universal concepts.

Basic Rhythms

In music, changing the appearance of the notes indicates the rhythm. As you will remember, the location of the notes is fixed on the staff, which will never change. The appearance of the note varies, indicating how long that note should be held. For a more complicated look at rhythm, take a look at Syncopation-Workshop of Rhythm.

Now, let's go through all the basic musical symbols for rhythm.

Quarter Notes

A quarter note, which is signified with a filled-in black circle (also called a notehead) and a stem, is the simplest rhythm to talk about. Quarter notes receive one count; their duration is one beat.

Half Notes

The next in our series of simple rhythms is the half note. As you can see, the half note looks similar to the quarter note, except the circle is open and not filled in. Like a quarter note, it also has a single stem that points either up or down. The half note receives two counts; its duration is two beats. In relation to the quarter note, the half note is twice as long because it receives two counts.

Whole Notes

A whole note is a rhythm that receives four beats. It's twice as long as a half note and four times as long as a quarter note - count to yourself: one, two, three, four. It is represented as an open circle without a stem. The whole note is probably the single longest rhythmic value that you will come across. Whole notes are easy to spot because they are the only notes that lack a stem.

Eighth Notes

The smallest rhythm you have encountered thus far is the quarter note, which lasts for one beat. Chopping up this beat into smaller divisions allows musicians to explore faster rhythms and faster passages. Chopping the quarter note in half gives us the eighth note, which receives half of one beat.

Sixteenth Notes

The beat can be broken down even smaller for the faster note values. The next rhythm is called the sixteenth note. A sixteenth note breaks the quarter note into four equal parts and the eighth note into two equal parts.

I'll be talking about Triplets Vs. Eighth Notes next time!

Are you familiar with the Hear and Play software that keeps a steady beat? Check out, BackPocket Band Video. Learn about Back Pocket Band Software and you can order, here.

-- LadyD

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Beginner Music Steps: Learn Intervals

LadyDpiano: Beginner Music Steps l Intervals

The most elemental part of music theory is understanding the relationship between single notes. The distance between those notes is an interval, which will serve as the foundation for practically every single concept throughout this book.

So an interval is defined as the distance from one note to another. Intervals are going to provide the basic framework for everything else in music. Not only is knowledge of intervals as a subject itself important, but intervals are used everywhere. Small intervals combine to form scales. Larger intervals combine to form chords. Intervals will aid you in voice leading, composition, and transposition. There are virtually no musical situations where intervals aren't used, and even in some dissonant music of the twentieth century, intervals are still the basis for most composition and analysis.

There are five different types of intervals:

Major Intervals
Minor Intervals
Perfect Intervals
Augmented Intervals
Diminished Intervals

Photo Credit: Keyseeker

You've got to learn intervals!

melodic intervals.

harmonic intervals.

In the Key of C Major:

Perfect Unison.

Perfect Octave.

Major Second.

Major Third.

Perfect Fourth.

Perfect Fifth.

Major Sixth.

Major Seventh.

Notice that some names get a "major" put in front and some get a "perfect" put in front. This would be a big deal if you were taking a music theory test tomorrow, but for now, we just want to focus on the numbers.

As a reference:

Unison, octave (which, in C major would be "C") get to use "perfect" along with the fourth and fifth intervals.

So, 1, 4, 5, and 8 use the name "perfect."

Second, third, sixth, and seventh use the name "major."

For playing by ear, the importance is that you start mastering a major second sound or a major third sound both as melodic intervals (played as separate notes going from one to the other) and as harmonic intervals (played together).

If I played "C" on the piano and asked you to listen to it and then hum the main tone along with me, since you know that C is the reference point, you should be able to hum any interval from C.

* If you know the starting note, with relative pitch, this is all you need! *

For example, If I play "C" on the piano, you should be able to sing "D." From C, you might be able to sing E and from E, you probably can sing Eb because Eb is one-half step below E. Once you have Eb, try to sing Ab.

Exercise:

1. As you study intervals and build your ear skills, have someone play any first note and tell you what it is.

2. Then have them play the second note (start off easy and make sure it's a note from the same major scale). Start in the key of C major.

3. Make sure after the first initial note, they don't tell you what note they are playing.

4. Based on your understanding of intervals, attempt to guess what note is being played. If you get the note right, have them play another note from that note.

5. This will really get you to hear second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh intervals.

6. The easiest ones to guess are the fifth intervals. Think of C going to G and then back and forth...
C-G-C-G-C-G. Does that sound like a tuba player in the orchestra warming up? Perhaps circus music or intro music for a clown.

7. Make a habit of doing exercises like this so that you are constantly testing yourself.

Two resources you may be interested in are:

Jazz, Rags & Blues, Bk 1: 10 Original Pieces for the Late Elementary to Early Intermediate Pianist, Book & CD, and PITCH Ear Training Software

I hope you'll leave me a note and let me know if this helps. How is your piano playing coming along? I'm thinking about getting ready for back to school... not yet but it's a-coming real soon!

-- LadyD

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Beginner Music Steps: Clefs and Time Signatures

Tuesday Teaching: Clefs and Time Signatures l LadyDpiano.com

Clefs

A clef is a symbol that sits at the beginning of every staff of music that you look at. A staff contains five lines and four spaces. How do you know where the note A or the note C is? The missing element needed is the clef. The clef defines what notes go where functioning a lot like a map. Placing a treble clef at the start of the staff defines the lines and spaces with note names.

The treble clef circles around the note G. This is why it's commonly called the G clef. As for the notes, there is an important pattern. Look at the lowest line, which is designated E. Follow the musical alphabet to find where the next note is. The F is in the space just above the E. The staff ascends in this fashion - line, then space, then line - as it cycles through the musical alphabet (A-B-B-D-E-F-G).

Even though you may understand the notes on both clefs, the only way to get proficient is to read other clefs as often as you can. Set aside a few minutes a day to look at other clefs so you can easily identify their notes. Since clefs define notes, you can almost think of being able to read in many clefs as a kind of musical literacy.

The bass clef is a different clef than the treble and identifies not only different note names but also notes in different ranges. The bass clef is used for instruments that have a lower pitch, like a bass guitar. Even though the bass clef sits on the same five-line staff, it defines very different note names. Many musicians read treble clef because it is the most common clef. Because of this, too many musicians have a greater difficulty reading bass clef than reading treble clef. In order to progress your understanding of theory, you will need to be adept at reading all clefs.

Moveable "C" Clefs

The last type of clef is called the C clef. Typically, you see this clef associated with the viola because it's the most common instrument that reads in that clef; however, more instruments than just the viola read it. When the C-clef is used with the viola, it is called the alto clef. Thankfully, this clef is very easy to read because the symbol for the C clef has two semicircles that curve into the middle of the staff and basically "point" toward the middle line, which is a C. It's not just any C, it's middle C.

Alto Clef

Since this is a movable clef, you can place the clef anywhere you want, and whatever lines its two semicircles point to become middle C. Some very old choral music uses a different movable C clef for each part (tenor clef, alto clef, and soprano clef). Just as long as you know that the clef always points toward middle C, you will be able to decipher the notes in this clef.

Point to Consider

When notes use ledger lines that are extremely high or extremely low, they can be difficult to read; it's much easier to read notes that sit in the staff you are reading. Using different clefs allows you to move the location of middle C in such a way that the majority of your notes are in and around the staff.

Time

Time is a fundamental aspect of music theory that is often left out of the formal music theory study. Time has more to it than just measures counting beats and bars. Time can dictate the feel and flow of a piece, and even harmony has a rhythm to it, aptly called "harmonic rhythm."

Time Signatures

Music is divided into bars, also called measures, for reading convenience and for musical purposes. Most music adheres to a meter, and that affects the phrasing of the melody. If you don't have a lot of experience with reading, rhythm can be a very difficult concept to grasp.

The most standard time signature is 4/4 time, which is also called "common time" and is abbreviated by this symbol c.

Common time looks like a fraction and it signifies two things. First, the top number 4 means that every measure will have four beats in it. The bottom number 4 indicates what note value will receive the beat; in this case, 4 stands for a quarter note. So common time breaks up each measure into four beats, as a quarter note receives one beat. You can, of course, further divide the measure into as many small parts as you feel like, but in the end, it must add up to four beats.

So, I just wanted to introduce you to a few "Beginner Music Steps" for Tuesday Teaching with LadyD!

For more Beginner Music Steps, visit:

Wheels On The Bus

Beginner Piano Lessons

Beginner Steps To Success

Beginner Corner: Ledger Lines

Discover how to play by ear. Over 20 chapters in the 300pg Course Book

Blessings,

-- LadyD

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

10 Quick Tips About Piano Practice

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Mailbox Monday

Question: The children don't know how to practice their songs. Can you help?

Yes, thanks for asking this frequent question that is so common with many households.

I have written at least three articles on the subject. So, without copying and pasting all the information here in this blog post, I thought I'd share the links with you to look at in your free time.

I hope they will be helpful in your discipline as an artist to visit the piano each day and make the most of your piano lessons at home.

In 2005 I wrote: How To Practice The Piano In Five Easy Steps

In 20011 I wrote: Practice Tips

In 2015 I wrote: 10 Quick Tips About Piano Practice

I decided to share the latest one with those in the beginner's corner.

1. Practice warm-ups first. When your hands are warmed-up properly, you will be able to approach a new song with greater ease and with less mistakes. Lack of tension produces more beautiful tones. Use scales and finger exercises for your warm-up. Always use curved fingers.
2. Practice slowly. Your brain cannot retain music information in detail when you play fast. It is necessary to play slowly and carefully at all times. Don't push your speed. Take it slow and steady. Play each warm-up slowly at first. When you can play smoothly and evenly you may gradually increase speed.
3. Practice short passages. Each day practice just one passage, and practice it very carefully and thoroughly. In the long run, this makes for a better practice session. When you have a short piece or song to work on, you will not feel overwhelmed.
4. Practice at the same time. First thing in the morning you are refreshed and ready to go. For others, school and homework come first. Follow up with a practice session in the afternoon or early evening.
5. Practice chart. A practice chart or journal is a record of your practice sessions, including what you practice and for how long. At the end of each practice session, write down exactly which piece you studied and the number of minutes spent on it. Make a specific list, set goals and try to meet them. Check each goal as you complete it. Make practicing a game or challenge.
6. Practice with correct fingering. Learn a song with the sequence of notes stepping up and down the keyboard. Learn the form of the movements to play the piece comfortably. Learn to be fluent in responding to finger numbers. If you are consistent with your fingering, you will be very secure and confident when playing in front of others. I can't emphasize good posture enough because it makes playing easier and enjoyable.
7. Practice right where you left off when you made a mistake. Students always start from the beginning of a song. They become very good at playing the beginning of a piece, but tend to be less proficient towards the end. Start over at the measure where you hit the wrong note.

8. Practice counting out loud. Counting out loud is good advice for the beginner student, especially during slow practice in the early stages of learning a song. It is an effective way to develop your sense of rhythm. Hearing your voice and your hands helps you with coordination between two hands as well as the timing of the piece. Counting the beat will help you play rhythms correctly. Counting out loud gets much easier with practice.
9. Practice each hand separately to the end. Take a few measures and within that segment play the Left Hand several times until you can play it comfortably with a rounded hand. Do the same with the Right Hand. Next play both hands slowly until you can play the segment comfortably before advancing to the next section. Decide if you want to practice each line or a couple of measures 2-3 times. Use a little weight when dropping into a key to make louder tones.
10. Practice looking at the music. As much as possible, try not to look down at your hands but look at your sheet music. It's fine to occasionally look down at your hands, especially after the piece has been learned. When you look at your hands just try to remember where you are on the sheet music, and do not move your head. Just move your eyes. When you look back up at the sheet music it will be easier to find your place on the sheet music.

All the best,

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

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3 Quick Tips About the Earliest Age

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Monday Mailbox

"Please advise me what you think is the earliest age at which a child may begin to study the piano."

Teacher Talk

No age is too early to begin piano lessons. I say the earlier the better! It's a green light to begin if the child is musical and eager to learn, and if the teacher is stimulating and imaginative enough.

But one must realize:

That expression at the piano during the preschool years is purely physical - the joy of swing, movement and sound; therefore all stiffness and conscious striving must be guarded against. After all, they're just kids and their tiny hands are not fully developed. Plus, their attention span is limited.

That music existed before notes - therefore the child must, for a time, be unhampered by the printed page. Rote or ear-playing should be the rule until the piano is thoroughly explored, and the approach to it is confident and easy. Note reading should of course be taught, but not simultaneously with the playing of "pieces," however short. The length of this rote period, depends, naturally upon the child's ability.

That all music played should be short, often less than a four measure phrase, for even that much may be too complicated technically for the preschool child. Such motives as the following may be played all over the keyboard and in many keys.

Bass notes: left hand plays C and right hand plays F (two times)
Treble notes: left hand plays Bb, Ab, Gb and right hand plays Bb

The idea in each case is complete, yet simple enough to be expressed happily and musically. Any teacher can "make up" dozens of these short, amusing figures for the beginner.

There is so much excellent material for beginners available to teachers and parents. Here's a list of a few that I use and am familiar with. These are helpful for kindergarten and early elementary kids.

Beginner Books: Primer Level

10 Easy Lessons Piano Young Beginner

A Charlie Brown Christmas: Beginning Piano Solos

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"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Back To School: Piano Lessons

Cover of "Alfred's Basic Piano Library: L...

Cover via Amazon

I'm getting ready to head up a new school year of teaching piano to home school students, as well as those who attend public and private schools. Oh, and I love to teach adults because I enjoy spending more time with them at a slower pace. Usually an hour lesson provides lots of learning time and the younger ones enjoy a fast-paced half hour time slot.

Beginner's Corner

As you've probably gathered online as well as from your own personal experience, all piano teachers use different methods, piano books and teaching approaches with their lessons. I am always being asked, "What books do you use?" and my answer usually is... 'it depends.'

For beginners, I like these four little pink books!
Bastien Piano Basics Primer Level - Learn to Play Four Book Set - Includes Primer Level Piano, Theory, Technic, and Performance Books

Music Theory Primer Level:

1. Rhythm in Music
2. Music Alphabet
3. Time Signatures
4. The Staff
5. The Grand staff
6. Clef Signs
7. Dynamics
8. Measuring Intervals
9. Slurs and Ties
10. Chords
11. Sharps and Flats
12. Middle C Position, C Position and G Position

LadyDpiano: Alfred's Basic Piano Library

When my students finish these books, which usually takes them the entire school year, they then move on to Level 1B. Keep in mind that I supplement their notebooks with free music sheets, music games, work sheets and ear training. Lots to do in such a short amount of time.
Alfred's Basic Piano Library: Lesson Book Level 1B

Music Theory - Level 1B

1. C Position Review, G Position Review and Middle C Position

2. Review Melodic and Harmonic Intervals

3. Incomplete Measure

4. Review Dynamic Signs

5. Accent Sign

6. Tempo Marks

7. Eighth Notes

8. New Time Signatures and New Concepts

9. Damper Pedal

10. Eighth Rest

11. Measuring Half Steps and Whole Steps, Tetrachords

12. Major Scale

Young students and adults who are ready to move on will enjoy a new learning experience with

Alfred's Basic Piano Library Lesson Book: Level 2

Music Theory: Level 2

1. Time Signature Changes and Tempo Changes

2. New Rhythm Patterns

3. Shape of Intervals

4. Playing 6the in G Position

5. Fluency in a piece that changes registers frequently

6. Moving hands to 8va position and more frequent left hand positions

7. Harmonic 6ths moving stepwise

8. Blues Scales, Major Scales ascending, descending and contrary motion

9. Measuring 7ths, Playing Harmonic 7ths

10. Reviewing tetrachords and major scale patterns

11. Triad Vocabulary, Blocked and Broken Chords, V7 chord

12. Chord Progressions

Another resource I recommend, 300pg Piano By Ear Home Study Course
Adults, College kids and High School students like this reference book. It's a great theory reference guide to have on hand. You'll be filling in the blanks with pencil a lot!

Hope you have a great school year with many blessings and opportunities for you to share your talents and musical gifts!

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Keep in touch with me on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube and Pinterest, too!