These exercises are named after their creator, Charles-Louis Hanon, and were published in 1873. There is criticism that the exercises are not “musical” enough, but I think there is still a lot of value in them.

The exercise Cassi will be focusing on today is the very first one. It’s a simple pattern, but it’s one you can vary to help develop control, hand independence, rhythm, and dynamics.

<< Download the Hanon sheet music for FREE here >>

Hanon – The Exercise

The exercise itself is quite simple. It involves climbing up the keyboard one octave. There is one skip to begin with, but everything else is a simple stepping pattern.

You can see the first line here. Notice how there’s a skip between the first two notes of each measure, and the pattern simply repeats up the scale:

I would really encourage you to master the basic pattern and exercise before moving on to any variations.

Adjustment 1 – The Finger Lift

Once you can play the exercise comfortably, slow it down and lift each finger up before playing the note. What’s important here is to lift the finger with the natural curve that it already has. Do not curl the finger up even more, and do not straighten it either.

Don’t worry about speed here — focus on technique. This exercise helps with finger control and also the tone of your playing.

Adjustment 2 – One Hand Staccato, The Other Legato

This exercise helps improve hand independence, and it is definitely easier said than done.

Try playing one hand staccato (very short and detached) while you play the other hand legato (smooth with no breaks).

Again, take it slow. Many people find their fingers cannot keep up with their brains. To really challenge yourself, try switching hands as you go!

Adjustment 3 – Rhythms 

This one is a lot easier, thankfully, and is a fun way to practice rhythms. Instead of playing simple eighth notes, try adding a swing rhythm to the exercise, or try playing the notes in separate groupings.

There are lots of possibilities here to play around with. Try making up some of your own!

Adjustment 4 – Dynamics

Another difficult one, but this one will have a really big impact on your playing. I’ve said before that being able to control dynamics is the fastest way to go from a good player to a GREAT one. 

This exercise is a good next step up from that.

Try playing one hand softly, and the other hand loud. Then swap. Change the volumes around and try to change volume as you’re playing.

Final Thoughts

I hope you can see how one simple exercise can be expanded to create something much more valuable. Don’t expect to be able to do all of these exercises on the first go. There’s a lot to take in here!

I’d encourage you to change it as much or as little as you want.

Mix and match and have fun!

The post Hanon – The Most Versatile Exercise On The Piano appeared first on Free Piano Lessons Online | The Note | Pianote.

Cassi has some great tips for you on how to eliminate tension, especially when it comes to larger chords. There are three main tips that you should implement into your regular routine to stay pain-free and play more beautifully.

Put Your Wrist To Work

When we play larger chords we require tension in our hands in order to keep the shape. A great way to practice this is by playing octave scales. As you play, think of PULLING the notes down at the wrist. Let your wrist do the work, not your fingers.  

Each time you release the note, lift your hand up completely, as if there is a marionette string lifting you by the wrist up off the keys. Completely relax the fingers so they resemble a mop and give them a little shake! Then continue on to the next octave in your scale.

Piano Technique Made Easy

Technique is the foundation to piano playing. If technique has been holding you back from playing the songs you love, check out Piano Technique Made Easy with Cassi Falk. This course, free with your Pianote membership, will take you through all 12 major and minor keys as you master scales, arpeggios, chords, and more.

CHECK IT OUT

Reduce The Pressure

Oftentimes, after playing a note or chord we hold way more downward pressure than is needed to sustain the notes we’ve just played. Check to see if you can relax some of that downward pressure once you’ve played the notes while still pressing them down. You can also use your pedal to help with this so that you can get away with playing the notes and releasing them right away and allowing the pedal to do some of the work. 

Put Your Body Into It!

Use your body! We can use our WHOLE body when we play to get a bigger sound on the piano. You can lean in with your whole body rather than just using the force of your arms and fingers. It’s difficult to do this if you’re sitting too low, so make sure your piano bench or keyboard are adjusted to the right height. 

Final Thoughts

Too much tension and discomfort can really be disheartening as a piano player. It can mean that we can’t play for as long as we want or as fast as we want. But it doesn’t have to be like that, and if you start using these techniques, you’ll develop a looser, faster technique that will keep you pain-free.

Have fun practicing!

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What is cut time?

Cut time (also known as alla breve) is a time signature that essentially means two half notes per measure (or the equivalent of that in notes or rests).

Here is the time signature of cut time. The top number represents the number of beats per measure and the bottom number represents the type of note worth one beat.

Another way to represent cut time is with a “C” with a line through it.

How It Works

So what makes cut time different from common time or 4/4? After all, both time signatures can fit four quarter notes per measure.

The difference is that in 2/2, the beats feel larger.

In 4/4, the beats follow a strong-weak-medium-weak feeling; in 2/2, it’s strong-weak strong-weak.

STRONG-WEAK STRONG-WEAK

Count: 1 and 2 and

STRONG-WEAK-MEDIUM-WEAK

Count: 1 2 3 4

Alla breve can be confusing if you’re used to quarter notes equaling 1 beat.

So, it’s time to reset your brain! Start seeing half notes as equaling 1 beat. Everything kind of “halves” like this:

• Half note = 1 beat. Feels like a quarter note does in 4/4 time.
• Quarter note = 1/2 beat. Feels like an eighth note does in 4/4/ time.
• Eighth note = 1/4 beat. Feels like sixteenth notes in 4/4 time.

In a way, notes are “cut” in half from their value in 4/4.

How to Count Cut Time

You can count music in 2/2 like this:

• Half note = “one”
• Quarter note = “and”
• Eighth note = “e” or “a”

Here’s an example:

Try clapping and counting this beat with a metronome. Then, try playing and counting at the piano.

You’ll notice that because we have no sixteenth notes, music can look “cleaner” (and even less intimidating!) in 2/2.

If you’re ever in doubt, stop playing, count the rhythm, and write it down. We hope this lesson helps!

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What it really comes down to is learning how to count in a way that allows you to apply a syllable to each beat.  

If you were to count four quarter notes, it would sound like:

1 2 3 4

If you were to count four 8th notes you would count:

1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and

If you were to count four 16th notes you would say

1 e and a 2 e and a 3 e and a 4 e and a

Breaking down the rhythms to syllables that match them will make things SO much easier. Cassi breaks it all down for you in this lesson and provides you with some sheet music you can download to practice with at home.

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1) Touch

Having hand independence means you have control of not only what you are playing but how you are playing it. By using legato in one hand and staccato in the other you are developing hand independence skills by developing the control/touch with which you play the notes

2) Dynamics

Cassi walks you through how to change the pressure and volume between the hands. By playing one hand louder than the other you are further developing your hand independence and control

Piano Technique Made Easy

Technique is the foundation to piano playing. If technique has been holding you back from playing the songs you love, check out Piano Technique Made Easy with Cassi Falk. This course, free with your Pianote membership, will take you through all 12 major and minor keys as you master scales, arpeggios, chords, and more.

CHECK IT OUT

3) Balance

Play a waltz-like pattern with your left-hand while your right-hand moves up a major scale. This exercise gives the hands different tasks that will feel a little bit like a balancing act as you line up the different patterns and rhythms between the hands

4) Movement 

Arpeggios in the left hand will get you moving all over the keyboard while the right hand maintains a static-broken triad. This exercise feels a lot like rubbing your tummy while patting your head. Might take some time to get the hang of but it is possible!

5) Rhythm

Varying the rhythms you are playing in each hand is an amazing way to develop hand independence. This can be done using very simple scales or patterns so that you can focus more on the changing or opposing rhythms than the notes you are playing.

As you can see, this boot camp will help you to develop many aspects of your hand independence. Remember to breathe, keep a good sense of humor as you practice and don’t give up!

The post Hand Independence Boot Camp appeared first on Free Piano Lessons Online | The Note | Pianote.

1) Your Wrists

Your wrist is the shock absorber of the hand. If you utilize your wrist correctly as you play you will have more control in things like volume and sound so that you can create beautiful phrases. So before you play, try some wrists rotations to get warmed up and ready to go. We’ve got some great examples of wrist exercises in the video above.

Proper Piano Posture: Sit better and play better! Watch Lisa’s video with a chiropractor here for some expert piano posture tips.

2) Phrasing

Think of your phrases as a musical sentence. You want to gradually build to some intensity in the middle of your phrase and then diminuendo toward the end so be sure to think about the volume and intensity that you are using throughout the phrase. You also want to move smoothly between the notes. You can do this by thinking about the weight you are using in your fingers rather than by bouncing your wrist. You want to smoothly transfer the weight from finger to finger to get a smooth phrase.

3) Your Thumbs

Make sure your thumbs don’t get in the way. Practicing scales is really helpful for this. The thumb acts differently than the rest of your fingers so when you play it you want to make sure that you are in control of how it lands on the keys. You don’t want it to thump, and you don’t want to trip over it. The more scales you’ve practiced the more equipped you will be to navigate fingering changes and the thumb

When you put this into practice you want to consider each phrase before you begin so that you can plan how to get the most out of each and every note. Often, the phrases are shown on the music but you can create your own phrases based on when it feels natural to lift your hand, or where the music needs to pause or breathe. If you sing the melody, you will be able to find out where the phrases are based on where you’d naturally take a breath.

When you look at your phrase, consider the following:

The Time Signature

This is so that you can determine which beats are strong, weak or medium. Knowing this will help you to determine where to place an emphasis within the measure.

The Direction of the Notes

If they are moving up you will likely get louder, moving down you will likely become quieter. Determine where the highest note will be in the phrase and allow that to be your apex.

How the Notes Fit Under Your Hand

Are there fingering changes that will require you to pay attention to your thumb placement?

This is a lot to think about but you can begin by noticing just one of these at a time. Simply bringing awareness and intention to the way you approach your phrases will help you to connect to the beauty of the music you are playing and as a result the ability to express it.

Enjoy!

The post Tips For Playing The Piano Beautifully appeared first on Free Piano Lessons Online | The Note | Pianote.

We’ve got you covered with this lesson! Cassi will help you explore ways to warm up and strengthen the hands (you can do these anywhere, you don’t need a piano) as well as piano exercises that provide bursts of strength, skill building, and finally, relaxation for your fingers. You can think of this as a gym class for your fingers!

Remember, you never want to feel pain while you play. Take breaks as often as you need to and for as long as you need to. Taking breaks isn’t a bad thing at all, it means that you are listening to your body. Building strength and dexterity in your hands in an overnight skill. It is a process that takes time, dedication and patience. Enjoy the journey!

The post How To Develop Dexterity At The Piano appeared first on Free Piano Lessons Online | The Note | Pianote.

Let’s begin with defining what exactly a trill is. A trill is just a rapid back and forth movement between two notes. They can be slow or fast, long or short. Sometimes you see them written in note for note by the composer and other times it is up to the performer to create a trill based on what they feel would best compliment the music they are playing.

Trills are great not only because they sound fancy but because they present a fabulous opportunity to develop dexterity and build up your hand strength. A couple tips for developing your trill skills are:

Tip #1: Select your fingers. Sometimes the approach to the trill requires a very specific fingering. If you have the freedom to choose your fingering select the fingers that are closest in length. This will allow a better wrist rotation and help you to play faster without fatiguing. Your 2 and 4 fingers are usually close in length so they would make a great starting point to try your trills.

Tip #2: Use your fallboard or a flat surface to “play” your trills on so that you can get a feel for what feels best for you!

Tip #3: Relax and breathe. Don’t get stressed out about the trill because it will cause you to become tense. Try taking a breath BEFORE you play your trill so that you can begin the trill on your exhale which will help you to relax.

Tip #4: Practice trills slowly and work up your speed. Use that wrist to help with the movement!

Tip #5: Allow yourself to develop variances in speed as you play longer trills. You can start slow, build some speed and then taper off toward the end. This will make the trill sound more musical.

Happy practicing!

The post How To Play Trills and Embellishments appeared first on Free Piano Lessons Online | The Note | Pianote.

The first thing to make note of is the song’s key signature.  Just after the treble and bass clef symbols, you’ll see a single sharp on the top ‘F’ line of the staff in the treble clef and the second highest ‘F’ line in the bass clef.  This means that there’s only one sharp in the key signature.  Remember what you learned from the Circle Of Fifths.  The first key signature to feature an added sharp is G major, meaning that ‘Beekeeping’ is written in the key of G.  

The next bit of information you can get from the sheet music is the song’s Time Signature.   Looking at the two stacked numbers at the beginning of the sheet music will tell you how to count the song.  In this case, the song is written in 4/4 time.  The top number indicates how many beats per measure, while the bottom note indicates what each note’s rhythmic beat is worth.  So in this case, you have 4 beats per measure, and each rhythmic note equals a quarter.  

So now that you know what key and time signature the song is in, it’s time to look at the notation itself.  Remembering our guide notes from an earlier lesson, you can see that the melody starts on G, and then steps up in 2nd intervals for the first bar.  Notice how the next bar starts on the highest space note in the treble clef.  This means that instead of a 2nd interval step up, you have a major 3rd step.  Notice how the jump from C to E jumps from a space note to a space note.  That’s a great visual indicator for identifying a 3rd jump.  

The next bar has a jump up to the G note sitting at the top of the staff, and then it walks down in 2nd interval steps (again, notice how the notes move from space note to line notes).  The 4th bar only has one note, which is another lined note, indicating that you jump over a key to land on it.  

The next thing to look at is how each of these notes are counted.  Remember, this song is in 4/4 time, which means four beats per measure.  The first bar contains four quarter notes, which is simple enough to count:  for every beat in the measure, play one of the notes in the bar.  

The next bar contains both quarter notes and half notes.  The first two notes are quarter notes while the third note is a half note, which means it’s held for a count of two beats (or half the measure).  With the third bar you again have four simple quarter note, while the fourth bar has only one whole note, which is held for the entirety of the bar.

Now let’s take a look at the left hand notation.  Remembering that phrase ‘All Cows Eat Grass’ helps you remember the order of space notes counting up in the bass clef, you’ll find that the whole note in bar one is G.  The next note should be pretty familiar by now.  It’s Middle C.  the top note in bar three is an E, while the two chords in bar four are G major triads.  All triads in their root position will look like these chords.  It simply means that you’re building a chord by skipping a note in between each key played.   

Moving ahead a little in the song, let’s look at measure 28.  Measure 28 has the song’s first use of 8th notes.  8th notes are counted twice as fast as quarter notes.  The easiest way to ensure that you’re counting these notes evenly is by counting ‘1 and 2 and’ in between the count of four beats.  

As you can see, learning music theory doesn’t have to be boring after all!  Sure, it takes a little work and some patience, but if you just take the time to learn the fundamentals shown here, it’ll make learning music so much easier!  And best of all, this music theory is totally consistent across any genre, key, or other application.  

The concepts taught in these lessons are literally the rulebook that you can use to help you write great songs, learn songs easier, and gain a greater connection towards all music!

Thanks for taking this journey with us! If you’d like to go back and refresh your memory, or you just want to practice some more, you can find all the old lessons here:

Lesson 6 on the Circle of Fifths.

Lesson 5 on chords.

Lesson 4 on major and minor scales here.

Lesson 3 on music symbols here.

Lesson 2 on the Grand Staff here.

Lesson 1 on rhythm here.

The post Music Theory For The Dropouts #7 – How To Tackle A New Piece Of Music appeared first on Free Piano Lessons Online | The Note | Pianote.

So, the first thing’s first:  How do you read this thing?  If you don’t know how to make sense of it, it can be a little intimidating.  The easiest way to read the Circle Of Fifths is as though you’re reading a clock.  Starting at ‘12 o’clock’, you’ll notice that C major is the main key, containing no sharps or flats.  

If you follow the clock along, you’ll see the next key is a fifth above: G major.  G major contains just one sharp. F#.  If you continue along the clock, you’ll move up another fifth interval, this time landing on D.  The key of D major has two sharps, keeping the F# from G major and adding C#.  

Counting up five notes from D lands you on A, which keeps both F# and C# from the previous keys and adds G# as well.  Notice that every sharp we’re adding in this sequence is a fifth above the previously added sharp.  That’s one of the great things about the circle of fifths: it works on multiple levels.  Your next logical scale to learn will always be a fifth above your previously learned scale, and your next black key to add into that new scale will always be a fifth above the previously added one.  

You can also read the Circle Of Fifths in the other direction too.  If you go back to C major, and this time move one to the left, you’ll get to F major, a fifth interval down from C.  If you move down the left side of the Circle Of Fifths, it will show you the order of added flats rather than sharps.  

Since there is always a pattern for the adding of sharps and flats, I’ll simply write out the order here.  

Sharps are added in this order:  F, C, G, D, A, E, B.  If you want to use a phrase to remember this order, try this one:  ‘Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle.’  

Flats are added in this order:  B, E, A, D, G, C, F or the opposite order compared to the sharps.  

The final thing you should keep in mind when looking at the Circle of Fifths for the first time is the inner circle, which shows the relative minor keys.  Remember, these relative minors use the exact same key signature as their relative major counterparts.                   

Ready for your next lesson? You can learn how to tackle a new piece of music in the final Lesson of our series!

Missed any previous lessons?

You can find Lesson 5 on chords here.

And Lesson 4 on major and minor scales here.

And Lesson 3 on music symbols here.

And Lesson 2 on the Grand Staff here.

And Lesson 1 on rhythm here.

The post Music Theory For The Dropouts #6 – The Circle Of Fifths appeared first on Free Piano Lessons Online | The Note | Pianote.

First, let’s get down to the basics and define a chord.  Chords are made up of 3 to 4 notes (sometimes more).  In the language of music, you can think of them like you would a word in a sentence.  When you see the word ‘cat’, you don’t think of the individual letters, c-a-t.  You think of the whole system of letters that forms the word and makes you think of a cat.  That’s basically the idea with chords.  

To demonstrate this, we’re going to make a C-major chord.  This chord contains the notes C-E-G, all played together.  If you look at this chord written out, it looks like three stacked notes on top of each other, kind of like a snowman consisting of three lined notes.  

 Just like there’s a formula for creating a scale, there’s also a formula for creating a major chord.  The jump between C-E is called a major third, and the jump between C-G is called a perfect fifth.  If you count up every key between notes C and E, you’ll have 4 half steps.  If you count up every key between notes C and G, you’ll have 7 half steps.  

Pay attention to not only how the chord looks on the page, but also how it sounds.  This will really go a long way to grounding your understanding.  

So what about minor chords?  The minor chords have a much sadder, more melancholy sound to it, and all that you must change to create a minor chord is drop the 3rd note down one half step.  So the C minor chord will look quite similar as notation, except the E will become an Eb.  Everything else is the exact same.  If you want to be extra sure that you’re hitting a minor 3rd instead of a major 3rd, all you have to do is is count up only 3 half steps.  

You can test all this theory out by taking these steps and starting on D instead of C.  If you play D, count up 3 half steps, and then put a perfect 5th on top you’ll make the D minor chord which consists of D, F and A.  Wanna make that D minor chord into a D major chord?  Again, all you have to do is bump up that F note one half step, creating F#.  

So now that you have that formula down, the next natural thing to do is test it out on some other notes.  Go ahead and experiment with creating major and minor chords across the keyboard.  Have some fun with it!

Ready for your next lesson? You can learn all about The Circle of Fifths in Lesson 6 of our series!

Missed any previous lessons?

You can find Lesson 4 on major and minor scales here.

And Lesson 3 on music symbols here.

And Lesson 2 on the Grand Staff here.

And Lesson 1 on rhythm here.

The post Music Theory For The Dropouts #5 – Learning Chords Is Easy appeared first on Free Piano Lessons Online | The Note | Pianote.

Since we’re talking about different scales, let’s take a look at the major scale formula and how the order of note pitches defines the major sound.  So, walking up the C major scale ordering, you have these notes:  C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C.  But if you take a look at the spacing between these notes, you’ll learn even more about what makes a major scale sound like a major scale.  You can break down any scale by looking at the difference between whole steps and half steps.  The jump from C-D is called a whole step, because there’s a key in between the two notes.  

If you keep moving up the scale, you’ll see the notes D-E also have a black key in between, aka another whole step.  But in the space between E-F there is no black key.  That means it is only a half step jump from E-F.  Moving on, the notes from F-G, G-A, and A-B are all whole step jumps.  When you get to the B-C jump again, you’ll notice that you have another half step as there is no black key between the notes.  So, the entire major scale formula of whole steps and half steps looks like this:  Whole Step, Whole Step, Half Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Half Step.  

This ordering can be applied to any key to make a major scale.  Want to test it out?  Try using this same formula to make scales starting on G and F.  Remember, you need to always be using this formula if you want to make that major sound.  So you’ve got to add in the sharps and flats as needed to fit the formula.  In the case of G major, you’ll need to raise the 7th note of the scale, making it an F#.  And in the case of F major you’ll need to lower the 4th note, making it a Bb. 

So how does all this of this apply to the minor scale?  Well, the natural minor scale is actually made up of the exact same notes as the major scale, just starting at a different point in the sequence.  Go back to the G major scale, for instance.  Remember that the G major scale has one sharp in it, F#?  That’s very important for determining G major’s relative minor key.  To find that minor key, all you have to do is count up six notes in the major scale, landing on E.  Now, remembering the unifying key signature with F#, play from notes E to its high octave E.  This is the natural minor scale.  

Even though it contains the same notes as G major, it now sounds much more sad, and all you’ve done is change the order of the whole steps and half steps!  The new order to make a minor scale is this:  Whole Step, Half Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Half Step, Whole Step, Whole Step.  

Simple as that, you have two entirely different scales to work with, using the same key signature.  So next time you’re practicing your major scale, remember that you’re only 6 notes away from a whole different sounding scale!  

Ready for your next lesson? You can learn all about Chords in Lesson 5 of our series!

Missed any previous lessons?

You can find Lesson 3 on music symbols here.

And Lesson 2 on the Grand Staff here.

And Lesson 1 on rhythm here.

The post Music Theory For The Dropouts #4 – Major & Minor Scales appeared first on Free Piano Lessons Online | The Note | Pianote.

The first symbols we’ll look at are types of dynamic markings (meaning they indicate where you should be playing loudly or softly.)  Generally speaking, there are two symbols that indicate loudness or softness.  The loud symbols look like a stylized ‘f’’, while the soft symbols look like a ‘p’.  These two symbols stand for ‘forte’ and ‘piano’, respectively.  

You can modify these symbols by putting a stylized ‘m’ in front of the f or p (mf or mp). These modified symbols stand for mezzo-forte and mezzo-piano.  Mezzo is just a fancy word for ‘medium’, so all this symbol really means is you’re going to be playing at a medium loud or soft volume.  

Wanna get louder or softer?  Just start stacking ‘f’s or ‘p’s!  

If you want to start a phrases quietly and build it up with increasing volume, you’ll play something called a ‘crescendo’.  They look like long ‘<’ signs: as it widens the notes get louder.  The opposite of a crescendo is a decrescendo, which naturally looks like a longer version of ‘>’.  With a decrescendo, you start off loud and gradually grow quieter and quieter.  

The next symbols to look at are called legato and staccato.  These affect how each specific note is played.  A legato is simply a note that is connected together with another note.  It looks like a curved line that swoops underneath and ‘ties’ the two notes together.

A staccato is played more rhythmically.  Each note is played, but then you immediately release the key.  The staccato note looks like a regular note but with a little dot underneath it.  

There’s also the accent note.  An accented note is played a little bit louder than the other notes in the phrase.  It looks like a little sideways ‘v’ underneath the note.  

So, these notes are all examples of how a musical symbol and tell you dynamic or expressive information.  Without these symbols, you won’t be able to tell what notes should be louder or quieter, or how they should be played.  Music is SO much more than just playing the right pitches with each other.  

Now let’s take a look at what are arguably the two most important music symbols: the sharp and the flat. These symbols indicate whether you should be playing a note one semi-tone above (aka a sharped note) or one semi-tone below (aka a flattened note).  A sharp note is indicated by a ‘#’ symbol before the note, and a flat note is indicated by a stylized ‘b’ symbol.  

Determining a sharp or flat note depends on context.  If you take a C and play the black key immediately above it, you’re going to call that note C-sharp.  But if you take a D and play the black key immediately below, that note is called D-flat.  Even though they are physically the exact same key on the keyboard!  This will come into play once you start learning songs in different keys, as you make different keys by sharping and flattening different notes.

Ready for your next lesson? You can learn all about major and minor scales in Lesson 4 of our series!

Missed any previous lessons?

You can find Lesson 2 on the Grand Staff here.

And Lesson 1 on rhythm here.

The post Music Theory For The Dropouts #3 – Music Symbols appeared first on Free Piano Lessons Online | The Note | Pianote.

This lesson is about giving you some easy ways to read the pitches of notes on the grand staff.  Once you learn what to look out for on the grand staff, it’ll become much easier to absorb and use the musical information it gives you.  

So first thing’s first.  Each line and space on the grand staff corresponds to to a specific pitch on the keyboard.  If you’ve spent any time at the piano, you’re probably already familiar with Middle C as your home-base note.  On the grand staff, you can find the note right in between the Bass Clef and the Treble Clef.  It’s got a little line through it called a ledger line (more about those in just a minute.)   

From there, you can count up the lines and spaces in the treble clef, and each line and space equals another white key note.  So that means that the white space note directly above Middle C is D, then the first lined note on the staff is E.  From there it counts up the scale, with F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. 

Anything above that and you’re getting into ledger lines.  You can think of ledger lines as a continuation of the grand staff.  A lined note looks just like Middle C, with a line running through the note hanging above the staff.  A space note has the ledger line just below the note, with the note sitting on top.

And what about the Bass Clef?  The bottom staff is dedicated to the lower region of the piano, below Middle C.  The notes count down from Middle C.  So that means that the note sitting above the lines of the Bass Clef is B, and then they count down from there, with A, G, F, E, D, to C an octave below.       

If all of this seems a little overwhelming, don’t worry.  There are some useful tools you can use to help you remember the arrangement of these notes on the staff.  Rather than trying to memorize each note on the staff, you can use some helpful phrases instead.  The phrase ‘Every Good Boy Does Fine’ is commonly used to help memorize the lined notes written on the staff in the right hand.  If you want to memorize the space notes in the right hand, they spell out the word ‘FACE.’

You can use phrases to help memorize the notes in the Bass Clef as well.  If you want to memorize the space notes in the Bass Clef, you can use the phrase ‘All Cows Eat Grass.’  To memorize the lined notes in the Bass Clef, use the phrase ‘Good Boys Deserve Food Always.’

Using phrases like these is key to helping further your understanding of the grand staff.  But you don’t have to use these phrases specifically!  Music is all about self expression, so go ahead and see what unique phrases you can come up with yourself!

Ready for your next lesson? You can learn all about music symbols in Lesson 3 of our series!

Missed Lesson 1? You can find that here.

The post Music Theory For The Dropouts #2 – The Grand Staff Demystified appeared first on Free Piano Lessons Online | The Note | Pianote.

The first thing we’ll talk about are time signatures.  A time signature is a number that is displayed at the beginning of a piece that defines how many beats are in a measure and which type of note gets one beat.  The most common time signatures are 4/4 and ¾.  The first/top number tells you how many beats are in a measure, and the bottom number shows you the note value with the measure.  

The most important rhythmic note to learn first is the quarter note.  If you’re counting in 4/4 time, there’s going to be 4 quarter notes per measure.  The next rhythm note to look at is the half note.  Naturally, the half note is held for two beats, or one half of a measure.  You should also learn about the whole note, which is held for the whole measure.  So if you’re in 4/4 time, you simply let that note ring out for the duration of the bar.  

Another important element of rhythm is dotted rhythms.  Sometimes you’ll see a dot at the end of your note.  A dotted note contains that note’s rhythmic value plus half of that note’s rhythmic value.  So for example, a half note (regularly held for 2 counts) with a dot on it will be held for 3 counts instead. 

There are also corresponding rests for each rhythmic value.  You can think of a rest as the opposite of a note: instead of making a sound, you leave a designated beat silent. 

The other note that you need to learn is the fastest of the rhythm notes so far, the 8th note.  The 8th note is twice as fast as the quarter note, which means that you can fit 8 of these notes within one bar of 4/4 time.  The easiest way to count out 8th notes is to subdivide your count of 4, by putting an ‘and’ in between each beat of 4.  So rather than simply counting out a single bar as ‘1-2-3-4’, count out ‘1-and-2-and-3-and-4-and’ to give yourself a greater sense of timing, with an 8th note landing on both the main numbered counts of the bar as well as the ‘ands’ in between.  

Be sure to keep an eye out for these rhythmic notes in notation, so you can get a greater sense of how they work together with each other!  

Ready for your next lesson? You can learn all about the Grand Staff in Lesson 2 of our series!

The post Music Theory For The Dropouts #1 – Rhythm appeared first on Free Piano Lessons Online | The Note | Pianote.