Christmas in July Piano Practice

"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."  -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The question I like to ask my students is... "When do you practice?" Pretty much their response is after school or in the evening. So, we work with that and for sure I can hear their progress with the ones who diligently practice. However, what I found with homeschoolers and older adult students is that early morning practice is the best!

Here are a few important reasons why morning practice works:

• Sleep affects the learning of a fine motor skill in a very positive way.
• Morning practice is not as forgotten as our busy day unfolds.
• The discipline of morning practice establishes good proactive habits in other areas, too.
• You're mentally alert, in a better mood and have peace.
• Family members can hear you practice and make beautiful music.

What I have found to be true is doing a habit pattern over and over becomes built into the brain and you are more likely to keep up the new behavior... and that's a very good thing!

Here are a few approaches to practicing:

• Make the quiet parts of the song as quiet as can be and the loud parts real loud.
• Choose a song and count the rhythm quietly or aloud while you play.
• Pick the hardest part of the song and play it at least three times in a row.
• Play an easy song faster.

Some of my kiddos enjoy playing these chord progressions in their left hand:

FC /  GD /  AE /  CG

Perhaps you will combine notes from the D Minor 5 Finger Pattern with these L.H. Chords:

DA /  CG /  BbF /  CG

Another fun approach is having the right hand play a Pentascale while the left-hand plays the perfect octave interval as eighth notes. Start on C, move to F, back to C, then G to F. Try this in all the keys following the I - IV- V chords.

Congratulate yourself for having achieved what you set out to do! Now, let's take a look at an easy tutorial video on YouTube for Silent Night.

A great teaching video, Christmas Keys1, is a game changer. Here's what's inside:

Discover the power of "inversions" and how changing one note in your chord can totally alter the way a progression sounds!    Beginners: How to play an entire song with only three-fingered major chords (...also known as "major triads").    How to add fuel to your bass by understanding how "power" chords work in holiday music.    Discover the power of "walk-downs" with basic primary chords (...you'll learn this in "Silent Night")!    How to sneak in "filler 13th chords" on your right hand to keep your holiday songs sounding full at all times.

Happy Playing!

~ LadyD

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

How To Play Silent Night

This morning as I looked out over the land, I came upon a little bit of fog that had settled low in the valley. The town was still lit from last night with all its Christmas lights and in the distance, you can see a stream of headlights from the early morning commuters. The stillness reminds me of the famous Christmas song, Silent Night.

History

 "Silent Night" (German: Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. For more history, read here.

So, in 2008 I wrote a few arrangements to Silent Night and ways to learn how to play them. I received some nice emails from the post. Thank you, dear readers. Is this one of your favorites for singing and playing at Christmas?

As you can see, there's plenty of free stuff online. So, here you go... Have fun!

Free Music to Silent Night:

http://www.virtualsheetmusic.com/score/SilentFREE.html

http://www.gmajormusictheory.org/Freebies (Key of A)

Level 2 Silent Night

Silent Night: Late Elementary

Silent Night-Primer Level

https://www.8notes.com

Silent Night: Key of Bb Chord Chart with Lead Line

http://www.music-for-music-teachers.com

For choir and congregation.

Be sure and check out Hear and Play's ChristmasKeys 1.

You may be interested in Kelly Clarkson's Silent Night

Blessings,

-- LadyD

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

Primary Chords to Know

Photo Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Awhile back I wrote a post about three chords, the-chords-c-f-and-g. I thought I would elaborate a bit more since you've probably heard music teacher's say that you only need to know just a few chords to play any song. So, what are those chords? Here's a few points to know.

1. Every key has three chords known as primary chords.
2. They are groups of notes built on the 1st note of the scale, the 4th note of that scale and the 5th    note of the scale.
3. These notes occur more than any other chord in a song but remember there are more chords throught a song.
4.  Build the I Chord from C (in the Key of C) = CEG
5.  Build the IV Chord from F = FAC
6.  Build the V Chord from G = GBD
7.  Remember the I, IV, V is based on the scale of that particular key.

Absolute C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Absolute F

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Absolute G

Db Eb F# Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb F# Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

You need to know these 3 chords so that you can play and sing in every key, in addition to C.

Key / Chords

G: G, C, D

D: D, G, A

A: A, D, E

E: E, A, B

B: B, E, F#

F: F, Bb, C

Bb: Bb. Eb, F

Eb: Eb, Ab, Bb

Ab: Ab, Db, Eb

Db: Db, Gb, Ab

Gb: Gb, Cb, Db

By learning these 3 chords to any key, you can start off with Silent Night and then practice singing and playing this Christmas song in all the other keys. Are you familiar with the story of Silent Night? Here it is, www.wnyc.org.

For music instruction on learning piano chords, visit Chords 101 & 102 for the audio series.

Have fun with it. I think playing Christmas Carols is a great confidence booster to your piano playing!

If you find that you're an intermediate player, then check out the other silent-night-arrangements.

Order this DVD resource for ChristmasKeys1 to get a jump start on the season's music.

Blessings,







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

Good King Wenceslas

English: "King Wenceslas". Made by Hudson, Scott & Sons for Huntley & Palmers, 1913. Victoria and Albert Museum no. M.367-1983. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Historical Note

"The beloved Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas" tells the story of a real tenth-century king who was well known for his generosity and Christian spirit.

Vaclav Wenceslas was born in Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic. Born into the royal family, Wenceslas was raised by his grandmother to be a devout Christian. His father died when he was only thirteen years old, and five years later Wenceslas became king. Young King Wenceslas ruled the land fairly, gave aid to the poor, and sought to spread Christianity throughout Bohemia.

In 1853 John Mason Neale, an Anglican priest who lived in England, heard stories of the Bohemian king's kindness and wrote "Good King Wenceslas" to inspire children to be generous on Saint Stephen's Day (December 26). The music for the song comes from a spring carol that was first published in 1582.

The Christmas song portrays Wenceslas the way the people of his time knew him - a compassionate man who was especially kind to children, orphans, and slaves."

It's a very traditional Christmas song, here it is in the Key of F, played with 4/4 time signature. I like it because just about every word is associated with a chord change. Hope you like it, too.

L.H. / R.H.

F/ACF  Good

E/ACF King

D/ADF Wen-

C/BbEG ces-

FF/ACF las

FF/ACF look'd

AF/C out

BbF/BbD on

AF/C the

BbF/A feast

G/BbCE of

F/ACF Ste-

F/ACF phen.

F/ACF When

E/ACF the

D/ADF snow

C/BbEG lay

FF/ACF round

FF/ACF a-

AF/C bout,

BbF/BbD deep

AF/C and

BbF/BbD crisp

G/BbCE and

F/ACF e-

F/ACF ven.

FF/FAC bright-

FF/DFBb ly

FF/CFA shown

C/CEG the

FF/CFA moon

C/CEG that

DD/ADF night,

BbF/BbD though

AF/C the

BbF/BbD frost

G/BbCE was

F/ACF cru-

F/ACF el

F/AC When

E/AC a

DF/AD poor

C/BbCE man

Bb/BbDF came

A/ACF in

G/BbDG sight

FF/FAC gath-

FF/DFBb ring

FF/CFA win-

C/BbEG ter

FF/ACF fu-

FF/DFBb

FF/ACF el.

Silent Night

I was reading a beautiful picture book about how Father Mohr and Franz Gruber went to work in the final hours of the evening and came to write one of the world's best-known and best-loved Christmas songs - "Silent Night." It also tells how this simple song quickly spread from country to country and from language to language, and how its message of hope and peace continues to be shared throughout the world - even in times of war and strife.

 Here are the chords in the Key of Bb, with 6/8 time signature.

L.H. / R.H.

BbBb/DF Si-

BbBb/EbG

BbBb/DF lent

BbF/BbD night!

BbBb/DF Ho-

BbBb/EbG

BbBb/DF ly

BbF/BbD night!

FA/EbC All

FA/EbC is

FC/EbA calm,

BbBb/ DBb all

BbF/DBb is

BbBb/DF bright

EbBb/EbG Round

EbBb/EbG yon

EbG/GBb vir-

EbA/FA

EbBb/EbG gin

BbBb/DF mother

BbBb/DF and

BbF/BbD child!

Eb/BbG Ho-

EbBb/EbG ly

EbG/GBb in-

EbA/FA fant

EbBb/EbG so

BbBb/DF ten-

BbBb/EbG der

BbBb/DF and

BbF/BbD mild,

FA/EbC Sleep

FA/EbC in

FC/EbEB heav

FA/EbC en-

FC/EbA ly

BbBb/DBb peace

BbF/FD

F/DBb Sleep

F/DF

F/BbD in

FF/AF heav-

FF/AEb en-

FEb/AC ly

BbD/Bb peace.

Friday Freebie

If you're interested in free piano duet music, visit Natalie's blog, here

Perhaps you'd like your own free music copy of Sugar Plum Fairy

Improve Your Piano Playing
Access Free Piano Tutorials Here 

Warmly,






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

Related articles

• How To Play: Do You Hear What I Hear
• How To Play: Christmas Time Is Here
• How To Play Don't Grow Weary
• Silent Night: Jazz Piano

Silent Night Arrangements

Image by littlenelly (rare but there) via Flickr

 

 I love this gentle song, Silent Night, written by Franz Gruber.
Here are the chords arr. by Larry Minsky.

C6/9,  G13, C6/9, F6/9, C6/9 F6/9, C6/9

G13, C6/9, C6, G13, Abmaj7, Dbmaj7, Cmaj7.

While playing the melody notes with your r.h. in the Key of C,
l.h. plays:

EGAD, FABE, EGAD, ACDG...

The cool ending goes like this:

Abmaj7 = AbEb/GC

Dbmaj7 = DbAb/FC

Cmaj7 = CG/EGB

Chords: Silent Night

G                                D7            G
Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright,

 C                       G                       C                  G
'round yon virgin, mother and child, Holy infant so tender and mild,

 D7                      G                     D7           G
 sleep in heavenly  peace, sleep in heavenly  peace.



 G                                 D7                      G
 Silent Night, Holy Night,  Shepherds quake, At the sight.

 C                              G                    C                          G
 Glories stream from Heaven above,  Heavenly Hosts sing Alleluia,

 D7                        G     G             D7         G
 Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born!


 G                                D7              G
 Silent night, Holy night, Son of God, Love's pure light,

 C                                 G             C                        G
 radiant beams from Thy Holy face, with the dawn of re-deeming grace,

 D7                      G                 D7            G
 Jesus, Lord at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.

++++++++++++++

Bb                                     F7     F      Bb
Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright,

 Eb                       Bb                           Eb                  Bb
'round yon virgin, mother and child, Holy infant so tender and mild,

F7                          Bb                    F7            Bb
 sleep in heavenly  peace, sleep in heavenly  peace.

 ++++++++++++

C                                        G      G7    C     C7
Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright,

F                           C                           F                     C
'round yon virgin, mother and child, Holy infant so tender and mild,

 G          G7             C                    G7             C
 sleep in heavenly  peace, sleep in heavenly  peace.



 G                                 D7                      G
 Silent Night, Holy Night,  Shepherds quake, At the sight.

 C                              G                    C                          G
 Glories stream from Heaven above,  Heavenly Hosts sing Alleluia,

 D7                        G     G             D7         G
 Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born!


 G                                D7              G
 Silent night, Holy night, Son of God, Love's pure light,

 C                                 G             C                        G
 radiant beams from Thy Holy face, with the dawn of re-deeming grace,

 D7                      G                 D7            G
 Jesus, Lord at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.

++++++++++++


Bb    Dm    Cm7(sus4) F7 Bb Cm7 Dm/F    F7   Bb Gm/Bb
Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright,

 Eb   Eb/D  Cm7     Dm          Gm  Bb/F Eb Eb/D Cm7 Dm  Gm Bb/F
'round yon virgin, mother and child, Holy infant so tender and mild,

 Cm  Cm7 F7         G m  C9  Bb/F   Bb6/F  Cm(sus4) Cm   F7    Bb
 sleep in heavenly  peace, sleep in heavenly  peace.

+++++++++++++

[A] Silent night, Holy Night,
[E7] All is calm, [A] All is bright.
[D] Round yon virgin, [A] Mother and child.
[D] Holy Infant so [A] tender and mild,
[E7] Sleep in heavenly [A] peace,
Sleep in [E7] Heavenly [A] peace.

[A] Silent night, Holy night
[E7] Shepherds quake [A] at the sight.
[D] Glories stream from [A] Heaven afar,
[D] Heavenly hosts sing [A] alleluia.
[E7] Christ the Savior is [A] born;
Christ the [E7] Savior is [A] born.

[A] Silent night, Holy night,
[E7] Son of God [A] loves pure light,
[D] Radiant beams from thy [A] holy face,
[D] with the dawn of re [A] deeming grace,
[E7] Jesus Lord at thy [A] birth,
Jesus [E7] Lord at thy [A] birth.

 Take a look at this video to see if it could help with your practice, back pocket band video

Are you staying focused, pacing yourself and filling your home with music?

Keep playing,







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