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Lesson no. 1-5 (November/December 2014)
General aims:
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structure and mechanism of a piano
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correct posture (distance from the piano stool, suitable height of the stool and position of the stool)
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hand position (freedom in controlling the arms, elbows and wrists)
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performing and singing back simple tunes by ear
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playing the notes in a treble and bass clef based on a five-finger exercises using different articulation (portato, non legato, legato, staccato)
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dynamics (piano, mezzopiano, mezzoforte, forte)
Problems faced:
Performing and singing back simple tunes by ear
Oliver found this task very difficult, especially singing-back exercises. We started with just one or two notes but it has taken a few lessons for him to be able to sing them back. I gave him lots of exercises consisting of playing a single note from a melody and trying to sing it afterwards. The next stage was to sing the note (moving only a major/minor second up/down) and then checking its correctness on the piano. I also asked Isabel (Oliver’s sister) to work with Oliver and help him. I found that Oliver was very motivated by the fact that he had his younger sister correcting him.
Pieces from Pauline Hall’s ‘Piano time pieces’ Book 1:
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Morning has broken
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Brave knight
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The polar bear
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See what I told you
All the material that I’ve planned to introduce during the first few lessons was covered and understood during lesson no. 1 and 2. To my original plan I had to add a few more tasks:
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dynamics (crescendo, diminuendo)
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introducing C major, F major and G major scales (correct fingering, connecting the notes by using the 1st finger underneath and playing without moving on the stool)
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analyzing new pieces (with and without playing them) – key and time signature, structure, articulation, dynamics and melodic and rhythmic patterns
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using different articulation in both hands
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developing a physical feeling of pulse
Pieces from Pauline Hall’s ‘Piano time pieces’ Book 1:
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Cheerful Cha-cha-cha
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Easy going
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Polly wolly doodle
Grading pieces:
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Clementi ‘Arietta’
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ability to play and sing the melody of the right hand fluently (without omitting the rests)
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applying dynamics to the phrases (dynamic changes happen in both hands and the accompaniment has to support the melody) and playing the ending phrases using diminuendo
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sustaining the speed during the piece
Are you looking for piano teacher for your child? Edyta Lajdorf – classical pianist and experienced piano teacher is available for piano lessons London.
Problems faced:
Developing a physical feeling of pulse and sustaining the speed during the piece
Oliver loves to play everything as fast as possible. Sometimes the speed is so impossibly quick that his brain can’t follow the fingers. I usually ask my students to use the metronome to check the speed of the piece or to play through the piece in order to find places where they unintentionally change the speed. With Oliver, we spent a significant amount of time working with the metronome. I asked him to play small sections and phrases of the piece because he couldn’t concentrate on listening to the device for longer than 5-10 seconds. We clapped and tapped the rhythm of both hands’ lines in the pieces (separately and at the same time). I also recorded single phrases of the piece so that he could listen to them and play them after the recording without speeding up. All the work we’ve done made a difference but I think it’s a long process before a physical feeling of pulse becomes natural.
Edyta Lajdorf – Head Piano Instructor Piano Lessons London at Lajdorf Piano Academy.