BEGINNER TUTORIAL

BEGINNER PIANO TUTORIAL

(3DFINGERS)

Starter Studies

Lesson 1 - Section 1

Welcome to De-Sam's PIANO Tutorial

First Look at the Piano Keyboard

As you first look at the piano keyboard (see image), it looks like there are lots and lots of notes to learn. Not so! You only need to learn 12 notes. The shaded area on the keyboard in the image shows the 12 notes you will need to learn. Notes on a piano are grouped in sets of 12 notes.

Each group has 7 white keys and 5 black keys. Look at the keyboard above and count the 7 white keys and 5 black keys in the shaded area. This is one group. This group is repeated over and over, up the keyboard and down the keyboard. Each group starts with a “C” note. See the note labeled “C” above? On any keyboard, “C” is always the first white key that is to the left of two black keys.

Lesson 1 - Section 2

More "C" Notes

Here are more “C” notes. See how they are all located next to two black notes? Good job. . . you have learned where “C” is on the piano. This is a big step because you will always need to locate “C” before you begin to play a song on the piano.

To make this even easier, you only need to locate one “C.” This special “C” is called middle C. It’s called middle C because, when you sit down at the piano to play, it is the “C” that is straight in front of you and in the middle of the keyboard. Look at the picture of the keyboard again. You will see some lines, symbols, and numbers. This is called a Staff. Middle C is also in the middle of the Staff.

The Staff is Where the Language of Music is Written

The Staff is where the language of music is written. Yes, music is a language just like any other (English, French, Spanish). It has rules and special characters and so forth. This language tells you what to play and where to play it on your instrument. There is only 1 note currently shown on the staff above (the circle with a line through it). This note is middle C. Let’s learn some more notes on the staff and how they relate to the piano keyboard.

Lesson 1 - Section 3

How "C" Notes Look on the Staff

Here are some other “C” notes and how they look when they are written on the staff. See middle C in the shaded area? Go to the right and look at the next “C” above middle C. Now go to the left and look at the next “C” below middle C.

Count the keys on the keyboard (including the black keys) and you will find that there are 12 keys (notes) between each “C” on the keyboard. On the Staff, above the keyboard, count the lines and spaces between two “C” notes and you will find that there are a total of 8 lines and spaces between two “C” notes.

Learning About Octaves

This spacing of 12 half steps (includes white and black notes) on the keyboard or 8 (includes lines and spaces) on the staff, is called an Octave. In the image, you are looking at Octaves on the staff and on the keyboard, (from one “C” note to the next “C” note). You will eventually learn all the notes in 1 octave. The octave we will concentrate on will include middle C.

For now, go ahead and find all the “C” notes you can on your keyboard.

NOTE: Keyboards come in different widths so don’t worry if you end up with more or less “C” notes than the keyboard shown in the image. Look for two black keys and then the first white key to the left of these black keys. This white key will always be a “C” note.

Now that you’ve mastered “C” notes, it’s time to learn the other 11 notes in 1 octave.

Lesson 1 - Section 4

Notes Written on Lines

Let’s start with the lines on the staff above. The notes that are written on the lines in the staff are “C,” “E,” “G” and “B“. You can make up a fun sentence to help remember the names of the notes that are written on the lines in the staff. Example: Cows Eat Glue Buckets. Make up one for yourself and write it down somewhere. Keep it close to your keyboard for reference.

Lesson 1 - Section 5

Notes Written on Spaces

Now let’s look at the spaces on the staff. I’ll leave the “C” note in just for reference only. It is not on a space. The notes that are written on the spaces in the staff are “D,” “F” and “A“. You can make up a fun sentence to help remember the names of the notes that are written on the spaces in the staff. Example: Dogs Find Apples. Make up one for yourself and write it down somewhere. Keep it close to your keyboard for reference.

Lesson 1 - Section 6

Congratulations!

Give yourself a pat on the back and a final look at the notes you’ve learned today. You have now mastered the white notes on a keyboard. Next we will learn the black notes. Both white and black notes are important to learn if you are intent on learning to play the piano in more than one key. For now, look over this lesson and play these notes on your keyboard. Say each note in your head as you play it. Practice. No one learned anything without practice. Now how about taking a short quiz to test yourself?

REFERENCE PICTURES

Starter Studies

Lesson 2 - Section 1

Learning About Black Keys

Welcome to lesson number Two. In lesson number one you learned how to find “C” on the piano and to locate middle C. You also learned the other notes on the white keys. Now it’s time to learn about the black keys.

The notes on a piano are divided into Half Steps. Locate middle C. Now move up the keyboard (to your right) to the first black key. The distance between middle C and the first black key is 1 half step. Now move up the keyboard, from the black key, to the next white key (which is “D“). The distance between that black key and “D” is 1 half step.

The reason we are learning this, is to build a foundation for you to learn about Sharps and Flats. The names of the black notes will end with the word sharp or flat.

Now, go to “E” on the keyboard. Move up the keyboard from “E” to “F.” The distance between “E” and “F” is also 1 half step. This can be confusing since you are not moving from a black key to a white key. To clear up the confusion, just remember that any time you are moving from one key to the next (which includes the black keys), you are moving 1 half step.

This is all you need to learn here. The point is to learn how to move 1 half step.

Lesson 2 - Section 2

Learning About Sharps

Now that you have learned half steps you are ready to learn about Sharps.

The word Sharp is like shorthand in typing. It’s a short hand way of saying that you are to move 1 half step up the keyboard.

As an example, go to middle C on the keyboard. Move up to the first black key (1-half step). You are now on the Sharp of “C.” Another way of saying this is that you have Sharped “C.”

Hence, the name of this black note is C Sharp. Now go to “G” and move up 1 half step to the nearest black key. The name of this black key is G Sharp.

Whenever you see the symbol “#” on the staff next to a note, it means that the composer wants you to play a note that is 1 half step up from the note he or she has shown on the staff. Let’s look at how that is written on the staff. Go to the next section.

Lesson 2 - Section 3

More About Sharps

Look at middle C on the staff. You’ll notice that it has a “#” sign next to it. This means that the composer wants you to play a note that is 1 half step up the keyboard from “C.”

Go to each white note within 1 octave and locate all the Sharped notes. There are five total (1 for each black note). Their names are:

C# – D# – F# – G# – A#

You are done. Congratulations. You have now mastered Sharps.

Before you go on to the next section, I need to clear up another confusing issue. All the black keys have two names. As you have just learned, they have a Sharp name. In the next section of this lesson, you will learn that they also have a Flat name. Don’t worry. This is not difficult once you see what a Flat is.

Lesson 2- Section 4

Learning About Flats

Now that you have learned Sharps you are ready to learn about Flats. This is the black note’s other name.

The word Flat is also like short hand in typing. It’s a short hand way of saying that you are to move 1 half step down the keyboard.

As an example, go to “E” on the keyboard. Move down (left) to the first black key (1-half step). You are now on the Flat of “E.” Another way of saying this is that you have Flatted “E.”

I think of it as bending the note downward to make the note sound lower or trying to flatten it. And, sharping the note makes the note sound higher.

Hence, the name of this black note is E Flat. Now go to “A” and move down 1 half step to the nearest black key. The name of this black key is A Flat.

Whenever you see the symbol “b” (looks similar to a lowercase b) on the staff next to a note, it means that the composer wants you to play a note that is 1 half step down from the note he or she has shown on the staff. Let’s look at how that is written on the staff. Go to the next section.

Lesson 2 - Section 5

More About Flats

Look at “E” above middle C on the staff above. You’ll notice that it has a “b” sign next to it. This means that the composer wants you to play a note that is 1 half step down the keyboard from “E.”

Go to each white note within 1 octave and locate all the Flatted notes. There are five total (1 for each black note). Their names are:

Db – Eb – Gb – Ab – Bb

You are done with this lesson. Congratulations! You have now mastered Flats.

Quick Review

“C” Sharp is the same black note as “D” Flat

“D” Sharp is the same black note as “E” Flat

“F” Sharp is the same black note as “G” Flat

“G” Sharp is the same black note as “A” Flat

“A” Sharp is the same black note as “B” Flat

This # symbol stands for Sharp and this b symbol stands for Flat.

Remember to practice at least 15 minutes every other day until you start to play and practice songs. Practice by looking at your keyboard and identifying the name of each note as you play it and hear how it sounds. Also remember that each black note has two names (and some white notes too). How about a quiz to check your progress?

REFERENCE IMAGE

Starter Studies

Lesson 3 - Section 1

Music is an Art and a Way of Thinking

You have come a long way now. “Good for you!” Music is a language that all people understand. It reaches into the soul and speaks a special message to each person. It helps to relieve stress and you can talk to someone through instrumental music when the words are just not there.

It is an art and a way of thinking. Did you know that it also teaches problem solving? Music is a type of math. And, it is a science too! Playing in a band of musicians can teach a person how to work in a group of people and how to get something done together. In other words, work toward a common goal in a creative way. Performing music in front of an audience can teach a person how to give a presentation in front of a group of people.

Well the time has come to learn about beats and measures. You have all the tools you need to play any note on the piano and to tell someone which note you are playing. Right? You know the white notes. And you know both names for the black notes (and some of the white notes). So now it’s time to learn how long to play a note. In other words, make a little music!

Lesson 3 - Section 2

Music and Maps and Math

In order for someone to play music, and not just the notes in a random way, they will need a kind of map to tell them which note to play, when to play it, and for how long. It is like a hiker on a trip. The hiker’s map tells them where to go, how to get there, where to rest, and how long (or short) to stay if they want to get to the end of their journey on time. Reading a piece of music is a kind of hiker’s map. And if more than one person is playing the same music with you, you will both need a map to tell you which note to play, where to rest, and how fast or slow to go so that you both end your journey at the same time. This is what measures and beats do for you. They are the directions on a map to play music . . . a musical map.

These map directions are written on the Staff. The staff is divided into very small parts of a journey. These parts are called measures, and the measures are divided into even smaller parts called beats.

This is where the math of music begins. If you add all the beats together in 1 measure, they need to equal the size shown for that measure.

As an example, let’s say that we have a measure size of 1. Let us also say that we have 4 beats divided equally within that measure.

Questions and Answers

Q: What size do 4 equal beats need to be to equal 1 when they are all added together?

A: 1/4 each. . . If you add 4 quarters together you get 1.

Q: What size do 8 equal beats need to be to equal 1 when they are all added together?

A: 1/8 each. . . If you add 8 eighths together you get 1.

Q: What size do 16 equal beats need to be to equal 1 when they are all added together?

A: 1/16 each. . . If you add 16 sixteenths together you get 1.

Q: What size do 2 equal beats need to be to equal 1 when they are all added together?

A: 1/2 each. . . If you add 2 halves together you get 1.

Q: What size does 1 equal beat need to be to equal 1?

A: 1 each. . . If you have 1 whole you have 1.

Lesson 3 - Section 3

Let’s Review

We have beats in each measure that equal this portion of the measure:

one Quarter

one Eighth

one Sixteenth

one Half

one Whole

When you describe a note in music, there are at least two parts to the description. The first part, as you have learned in previous lessons, is its Melodic name. Its melodic name is determined by its location on the staff. There are “C” notes, “D” notes, “F#” notes and so forth. And now, we are going to learn its Rhythmic name.

Its rhythmic name tells you how long (or short) to play a note you see written on the staff.

Rhythmic Names include (from our study about beats):

Quarter notes

Eighth notes

Sixteenth notes

Half notes

Whole notes

So when describing a note in music, we can have a “C” note that is a Quarter note. Or, we can have an “A#” note that is a Half note.

Just remember that there are two parts to describe each note that you see written on the staff. And that when you add all the notes together in 1 measure, they need to equal 1 Whole measure.

Lesson 3 - Section 4

Music Notation

As you look at musical notes, what we call notation, you will see that a note can have a solid black circle or a black circle with a hole in it.

You will also notice that some notes have a line that extends upward from the note. In some cases, these lines have a little flag at the top of them. The line that extends upward from the note is called the Stem. The flag that trails off from the stem is called a Flag. The note is being flagged to tell you it’s Rhythmic name. Let’s look at some of the different kinds of Flags in the image.

To summarize, notes have at least two parts to their description. And if they are a sharped or flatted, they can have three parts.

Melodic part of the name

Rhythmic part of the name

Sharp or Flat part of the name

Well Done! You are on your way to being able to read and play what you read on the piano. In our next lesson we will learn more about Rhythm and the part it plays in the language of music. Again . . . well done! Ready for a quiz?

REFERENCE IMAGES

Starter Studies

Lesson 4 - Section 1

Beats Per Measure (size) and Clefs

Look at the quarter notes in the image for this section. They are all F note quarter notes. There are 4 quarter notes showing in one measure. Remember that all the notes in 1 measure, when added together, need to add up to the size for that measure? Well we are going to learn about how to tell what size a measure is.

Look at the first measure. It has some strange signs at the beginning of it and it has some numbers. We will be looking at the numbers for now. The numbers tell you what size the measure is. First let’s learn a little more about the different parts of the staff before we learn more about the measure size.

Look at the staff again. Starting from the top of the staff, there are five horizontal lines. Count these five top lines. These top five lines in the staff are called the Treble Clef. The Treble Clef shows the notes that you will be playing with your right hand on the piano. The Treble Clef has it’s own label so that you know it’s a Treble Clef.

Look at the object that looks like a strange violin on the left side of the Treble Clef . . . it is next to the 4/4 numbers. This is the sign (or label) for Treble Clef. In fact it is called . . . a Treble Clef.

Look at the staff once more. Starting from the bottom of the staff, there are five horizontal lines. Count these five bottom lines. These bottom five lines in the staff are called the Bass Clef. The Bass Clef shows the notes that you will be playing with your left hand on the piano. The Bass Clef has it’s own label so that you know it’s a Bass Clef. Look at the object that looks like a backwards letter C on the left side of the Bass Clef . . . it is next to the 4/4 numbers. This is the sign (or label) for Bass Clef. In fact it is called . . . a Bass Clef.

Now back to measure size . . .

The measure size is shown in two places on the staff above. It is shown once on the Treble Clef and once on the Bass Clef. The measure size is shown by using the 4/4 numbers (number 4 over number 4). The top number 4 in either the treble clef or the bass clef tells you that there are going to be FOUR NOTES that when added together are going to equal one measure.

The bottom number 4 in either the treble clef or the bass clef tells you the Rhythmic name of the FOUR NOTES. In the preceding lesson you learned about Rhythmic names for the notes. Which Rhythmic name had the number 4 in it?

The answer is a Quarter note.

So in the staff above there will be four (4) quarter (1/4) notes that when added together will equal the size of one measure.

Another way of saying this is that each measure will be 4 quarter notes long.

A measure can have any combination of rhythmic notes (quarter, eighth, sixteenth, half) as long as when you add them all together, they equal 1 measure or they equal 1. Yes, it’s mathematics again. Let’s go to the next section and learn more about the math in music . . . Fractions.

Lesson 4 - Section 2

Fractions and Time Signature

The 4/4 actually represents a fraction. Four quarters (fourths) added together equal 1. Let’s look at some examples below.

* 1 = 1 (1 whole note equals one measure).

* 1/2+1/2 = 1 (2 half notes added together equal one measure).

* 1/4+1/4+1/4+1/4 = 1 (4 quarter notes added together equal one measure).

* 1/8+1/8+1/8+1/8+1/8+1/8+1/8+1/8 = 1 (8 eighth notes added together equal one measure).

* 1/16+1/16+1/16+1/16+1/8+1/8+1/4+1/4 = 1 (4 sixteenth notes, 2 eighth notes, and 2 quarter notes added together equal one measure).

As you can see, any combination of fractions that equals one is fine.

One last thing to learn . . .

The fraction (4/4) that you see at the beginning of the treble or bass clefs is called the Time Signature.

When I ask you to refer to the Time Signature in future lessons, you will now know to look at the fraction at the beginning of either clef.

In future lessons we will also learn about Key Signatures. Both of these signatures will tell you the important information you will need to know to play any song.

That’s about it for this lesson. Give yourself a great hug for getting this far. You now have all the tools you need to read and play music.

In the next lessons we will put the tools to work. Let’s review the tools you have now.

Review

* Melodic Names (including sharps and flats) of the notes on the Keyboard.

* Melodic Names (including sharps and flats) of the notes on the Staff.

* Rhythmic Names of the notes on the Staff (quarter, eighth, sixteenth, half, and whole).

* The length (size or time signature) of a measure and how to figure it.

* Treble Clef (to be played by your right hand).

* Bass Clef (to be played by your left hand).

REFERENCE IMAGE

Starter Studies

Lesson 5 - Section 1

Learning About Tempo

As you have already learned, the Time Signature at the beginning of the staff will tell you what size a measure is. Now you are ready to learn how fast or how slow to play a measure. This is called the Tempo. Please play the mp3 file posted under the image and adjust your speakers or earphones as needed. Not too loud!

You are listening to the Tempo of the song shown in the staff above. The Tempo for a song is expressed in beats per minute. Each click you hear represents 1 beat.

These beats are playing at a rate of 1 beat per second. Since there are 60 seconds in a minute, this would mean that the Tempo you are listening to is:

60 beats per minute or 60 BPM.

Lesson 5 - Section 2

Time Signature and Tempo Working Together

The Time Signature tells you that the size for each measure will be four quarter notes long.

The Tempo tells you how fast to play each quarter note.

Please play the mp3 file posted under the image in this section.

Listen to the “click” sounds that are being played.

Each click represents one quarter note.

Tap your hand on your thigh and match the speed of each click heard with one tap of your hand.

As you do this, look at each quarter note (reading from left to right) on the staff.

Let your eyes move from one quarter note to the next as you hear each click and perform one tap with your hand.

When your eyes run out of quarter notes, go back to the beginning of the staff and begin again.

Continue to repeat this exercise over and over for at least 3 minutes.

When you are done, go to the next section.

REFERENCE IMAGE

Starter Studies

Lesson 6 - Section 1

Beginning to Sight-Read

You will need your piano keyboard for this next lesson. When you are ready, please play the mp3 file under the image in this section.

Instead of hearing a “click,” you are now listening to the sound of a piano. Each piano sound you hear represents one “click.” The sound you hear is the note “F” above middle C.

Place the ring finger of your right hand on the “F” note of your keyboard. Remember to find middle C on your keyboard first, then go up four white keys to “F.” If you need a refresher, go back to Lesson 1 and re-read that lesson.

Begin tapping the “F” note to match the “F” note being played by the mp3 audio file. Continue to play the “F” note along with the slider bar for 3 minutes. As you do this, let your eyes move from one “F” note to the next “F” note on the staff above. Repeat as needed. You are practicing your Read and Play music skill, also known as sight-reading.

Lesson 6 - Section 2

Sight-Reading and Fingerings

Look at the staff in the image for this section. There are now two different notes shown. In each measure, middle C is shown twice then “F” is shown twice. Please play the mp3 audio file under the image.

Place the thumb of your right hand on middle C of your keyboard. Now, place the ring finger, of your right hand on the F note above middle C. Play middle C twice with your thumb and then play “F” twice with your ring finger. Alternate back and forth from middle C to “F” as shown on the staff. As you listen to the mp3 file, you’ll notice that it is playing the same two notes that you are.

Lesson 6 - Section 3

Congratulations!

Congratulations. Now you are not only reading and playing music, but you’ve just finished playing your first Duet. A Duet is two people (or in this case 1-person and 1-computer) playing music together at the same time.

Your journey into the world of music is approaching a better understanding and appreciation of music, more then ever before. Blessed are the makers of music. May your continued journey be full of blessings and fun.

Okay, back to work . . .

In each Sight-Reading lesson that follows, you will learn in the same order

That’s it for this lesson. Good job. You’ve really done well.

REFERENCE IMAGE

Lesson 7 - Section 1

So Many Fingers . . .

In order to play notes on the piano and not trip over your own fingers, there are methods shown on the staff to help you know which finger (or thumb) to use to start playing the notes you see written.

Hold your hands up in front of you (palms pointed away from you). Spread your fingers apart. Look at your left hand. Beginning with your little finger, this finger is called #5.

Now look at the thumb of your left hand. The thumb is called #1. There are five fingers and five numbers, one for each finger (or thumb). What number would you guess would be assigned to your pointer finger?

Answer: #2

How about your ring finger?

Answer: #4

And, how about your middle finger?

Answer: #3

Do the following exercise:

1- Wiggle your #5 finger.

2- Wiggle your #1 finger.

3- Wiggle your #2 finger.

4- Wiggle your #3 finger.

5- Wiggle your #4 finger.

It takes some practice for any student learning to play the piano to do this. It’s not easy to think about wiggling one finger at a time and having your brain tell the nerves for just that one finger to move (wiggle). With some practice, you will be able to do this without having to concentrate on doing it.

Now look at your right hand. It is also numbered in the same way as your left hand.

Thumb is 1

Pointer is 2

Middle is 3

Ring is 4

Little is 5

Repeat the left-hand exercise above using your right hand now.

Lesson 7 - Section 2

Wiggle Those Fingers . . .

For the final part of this lesson, we are going to practice wiggling fingers by typing.

Open an application on your computer that you can type in. Place your hands on your computer keyboard. With your left hand, place your fingers accordingly.

Put #5 finger on letter key A.

Put #4 finger on letter key S.

Put #3 finger on letter key D.

Put #2 finger on letter key F.

Put #1 finger (thumb) on the space bar.

Now add your right hand to the keyboard in the following way:

Put #5 finger on ; (semicolon).

Put #4 finger on letter key L.

Put #3 finger on letter key K.

Put #2 finger on letter key J.

Put #1 finger (thumb) on the space bar.

Type the following sets of characters and when you see the letter “X”, hit the space bar with your left hand thumb. Also, when you see the letter “O”, hit the space bar with your right hand thumb and do not type any of the spaces shown between these sets of characters.

Begin typing and continue for three minutes:

AAAA XXXX SSSS XXXX DDDD XXXX FFFF XXXX

JJJJ OOOO KKKK OOOO LLLL OOOO ;;;; OOOO

That’s it, you’re done.

Bookmark this page (add to Favorites) in your browser and practice Lesson Seven from beginning to the end for five days. Don’t skip anything. The purpose of this lesson is to train your brain to respond to moving any one finger at a time. It takes about ninety days for your brain to strengthen a nerve pathway from itself to 1 finger of your choice.

Doing this exercise for five days will help strengthen the pathways and get you a good start on finger control.

Remember, “Practice does not make perfect, but it does give you more confidence.” And, confidence is nice to have . . .

Starter Studies

Lesson 8 - Section 1

Well it’s Show Time!

In this lesson we are going to put it all together. Don’t panic!. We will go slow and explain fully.

Look at the staff in the image for this section. You will be playing with your left hand first in measure number 1. In measure number 2, you will be playing with your right hand. Then in measure 3 you will be playing with both hands together. Finally, in measure 4 you will be ending with both hands together.

Play the mp3 audio file under the image to hear how this song sounds. The player is set to loop so you can just let it play for few minutes until the song becomes familiar to you.

BTW, the name of this song is the “Climbing Song.” I wrote it . . . so don’t laugh . . . *grin*.

Place the 5 th finger of your left hand on low C of your keyboard. Low C is 7 white keys below (to the left of) middle C. Look at the keyboard above to help you find low C. It is marked with a number 5.

Now, place the number 1 finger (your thumb) of your right hand on middle C. It is marked as always and also with a number 1. Your hands are now in the correct starting position to play this song.

Notice in measure 3 that you will need to adjust both hands to the right to change to new finger positions. The number 1 finger (thumb) of you left hand will start on note “A” below middle C. The number 3 finger of your right hand will start on note “A” above middle C. The whole purpose of finger positioning is so you don’t run out of fingers when you get to measure number 4. If you try and keep your fingers in the position as when you started playing the song (you can see by trying it yourself), that you would run into problems trying to play measure numbers 3 and 4.

If you haven’t already done so, push the stop button on the mp3 audio file player.

You have heard how the song is played, now give it a try for yourself. It’s time to go it alone.

It is fine to stop and listen to the song again if you need to.

Continue to play the song for 5-10 minutes. This will help you to continue to develop LH and RH coordination.

Lesson 8 - Section 2

Beams

Congratulations! You are in the BIG leagues now, you are using both hands to play the piano. You’ve also learned the importance of finger placement. Now let’s take a look at some more interesting ways in which music is written to help the player play.

Look at the “Climbing Song” above. Do you notice anything different? It is the same song and will be played the same way, but as you can see there are some new looking notes on the staff. Look at the eighth notes and you will see that they are all connected now. This is a helping aid for the player of the song. “That’s You.” A composer will group notes per beat by adding a Beam to them. This beam groups notes together for each beat. And, it is also used to help keep track of the first half of a measure and the last half of a measure.

You will see eighth and sixteenth notes grouped together with a Beam as a general rule. This also helps the notes on the staff to be less confusing when there are lots of eighth notes or sixteenth notes used in a single measure.

It is time now for you to use your music notebook with the blank staff paper. If you have misplaced it, you can go back to Lesson 4 and then return here.

Copy what you see on the staff in the image for this section into your notebook and label it the “Climbing Song.” The correct way to draw notes is to first make the circle part of the note on a line or a space. Then draw the stem. Then add the Flag or Beam as needed. When you are done, go to the next paragraph.

A Quick Note about Stems and Beams

As you have learned there are five lines drawn for either the Bass Clef or the Treble Clef on the Staff. Look at the middle (3rd) line in either clef. If a note falls below this line, then the stem is drawn pointing upward. If a note falls on or above this line, then the stem is drawn pointing downward. Look back at Section 1 of this lesson, before beams were added to the eighth notes and you will be able to see this more clearly.

Lesson 8 - Section 3

Rests

Now it is time to rest. I don’t mean you rest. I mean it is time to learn about Rests. Look at the “Climbing Song ” again.

There used to be blank measures where no notes were written and now something new occupies the blank measure. This is called a Whole Note Rest.

In the next lesson we will go into Rests in more detail. Until then, it has been a pleasure teaching you. To you I say, “GOOOOD JOB.” Well Done. Give yourself another one of those big teddy bear hugs. You deserve it.

If someone were to ask you now, “Do you play the piano?” you could now officially say, “Yes, yes I do play.”

REFERENCE IMAGE

Starter Studies

Lesson 9 - Section 1

Rests, The Silent Note

To begin with, go to your music notebook and make yourself a table like the one shown in the image for this section.

In the table, to the left is each Note and to the right is its Rest partner. The Note value and the Rest value are the same.

To understand Rests, I think it helps to think of a Rest as a silent Note.

The count or beat for a quarter note is the same for a quarter note rest.

The count or beat for a half note is the same for a half note rest.

The count or beat for a whole note is the same for a whole note rest.

The count or beat for a eighth note is the same for a eighth note rest.

The count or beat for a sixteenth note is the same for a sixteenth note rest.

Rests are used by composers to show you where NOT to play in a song. The beat continues during a rest but no sound is made during the Rest.

Let’s look at and play some examples.

Lesson 9 - Section 2

Setting the Beat

In the image for this section is a typical example of using quarter note rests.

Let’s call this the “Kangaroo” song. Note that the time signature is 4/4. Play the mp3 audio file below the image to hear how the “Kangaroo” song sounds.

I’ve added something new as you might have already heard. There are now “clicks” that can be heard before the song starts playing. These “clicks” tell the player what tempo to use to start playing the song. This routine is called Setting the Beat. Every musician needs to know what the Tempo will be in order to start to playing a song. At the bottom of the page are more terms or phases that are used to describe the same routine of Setting the Beat.

Listen to the "Kangaroo" song and then play along with the mp3 file. Do this for 5 minutes. Then push stop on the player and play the song without the help of the mp3 file. Do this for 5 minutes. When you are done practicing, go to Section 3.

Other terms used to describe the routine of “Setting the Beat.”

Counting Off

Giving you one measure

Finding the beat

Finding the tempo

Determining the beat or rhythm

Ana 1 Ana 2 . . . Mr. Welk

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR . . . Rock n Roll

Giving you 4

Begin counting or tapping

There are more of these, but these are the ones you’ll hear the most.

Lesson 11 - Section 2

Exploring the Grand Staff

In your music note book, you are about to make a chart. This chart will show all the same name notes and their location on the staff.

Look at the example in Figure One in the image for this section. Figure One shows all the “F” notes.

We will be making a chart for only the notes that are between the lowest and the highest note shown below on the Grand Staff (see Figure Two).

When making your chart, be sure and draw in the Treble Clef and the Bass Clef for each set of notes. You may choose your own Time Signature for each set.

The “F” notes are already drawn for you in Figure One. Copy this set of notes to your music note book (as shown in Figure One).

Now finish the chart in your music note book with the following:

Make a set for all the “G” notes shown on the Grand Staff (Figure Two).

Make a set for all the “A” notes shown on the Grand Staff (Figure Two).

Make a set for all the “B” notes shown on the Grand Staff (Figure Two).

Make a set for all the “C” notes shown on the Grand Staff and also labeled “middle C” (Figure Two).

Make a set for all the “D” notes shown on the Grand Staff (Figure Two).

Make a set for all the “E” notes shown on the Grand Staff (Figure Two).

When you have found all the notes with the same note name and grouped them into a set in your music note book, proceed to Section 3.

Lesson 11 - Section 3

Proper Hand Posture

Lots of work in this lesson? Yes there is. This is the next to the last section, so hang in there.

We need to talk about technique. Remember our discussion on assigning each finger a number? This was a way to help you so that your fingers don’t trip over each other. There is another part to this problem. It is called Hand Placement or Hand Posture. Your hands need to be in the correct position in order to work with the finger numbering system.

Look at the image for this section. Figure 1 shows the correct placement for your hand. Figure 2 shows the incorrect placement of your hand. The top of your hand should be parallel with the keys on the piano. The yellow line shown in each figure is parallel with the keys. Place your hand on your keyboard as shown in Figure 1. Notice that your forearm is now also parallel with the keys on your keyboard. When you are ready to strike (play) a note on your keyboard, keep in mind that your wrist is the hinge point. Your elbow is not a hinge point. And, your knuckles are not hinge points. The only movement used to strike a note is at the wrist and of course, your finger joints. The action is similar to scratching the top of your leg. Try it.

Here are some other tips for body technique in relationship to playing the piano:

Your fingers should remain slightly curled under your hand.

You should sit up straight similar to sitting and typing a letter.

You arms should be generally relaxed at the elbows.

Your right foot should be placed ahead of your left foot (your heel helps support your back).

Lesson 11 - Section 4

You are Truly Wonderful!

This lesson is over with . . . done, complete, end, finished. Good job. I admire your desire to play the piano. If you have come this far on your own without a teacher being in the room with you and pushing you, it is obvious that you do

Some day you will need a mentor, teacher, or tutor to help you sharpen the skills you are learning in this online course. Remember that each person has some wisdom to impart to you. You will not learn to play the piano from only one person or place. Learning to play the piano is a journey and NOT a single event.

I wish you much luck and success in your journey. There will always be high points and low point along the way. I don’t know about you but, when I go on a journey (such as going for a drive in the car), I’d rather drive on a road with hills and curves than a road that is flat, boring, and straight.

“Blessings to you on this day and each day after.”