In addition to learning the basics about playing the piano (like which finger plays which note, etc.), I hope to be able to play Fur Elise by Beethoven by the end of the project. Originally, I wanted to learn how to play Moonlight Sonata, which is my favorite classical music piece, but after looking over the music, I decided it was much too difficult and long for a beginning pianist like myself. Hopefully, the skills I learn from this project will eventually help me be able to play Moonlight Sonata in the future!
For the first week of this project, I will practice scales and fingerings. For the second, third, and fourth weeks, I will learn three songs each week from the learn to play piano book that I have. Each song will be more difficult as I progress through the book. For the fifth and sixth weeks, I will focus solely on learning Fur Elise, which will be my end product. I will also be practicing a little bit of Fur Elise each week so I am not crammed in learning to play an entire song in just two weeks.
So far, I have read A LOT of different music that I was thinking about playing for my final product. Reviewing this music also helped me to get familiar with general piano music, and familiarize myself with the clefs, the notes, etc. I have also read some learn to play piano books and tried to complete some of the lessons to play the simple song for that lesson. These readings have helped me to get a basic idea of piano music.
Overall, I am really enjoying this project so far, and I cannot wait to continue and watch myself progress as a piano player!
D'Auberge, Alfred. The Alfred D'Auberge Piano Course. N.Y.: I. E. New York] : Capri Music :[c19., n.d. Print.
Schirmer, G. Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics: Preparatory Exercises. Vol. 434. N.Y.: n.p., 1922. Print.
Arielle, I am proud of you for taking the path to the piano land! You can always come to me if you have any questions about fingerings, notes, or anything piano-related. I remember having so much difficulty with the fingerings, but practice is the key for piano. I can relate you with the fingering part the most, because my sister, who played violin for 4 years, tried to learn piano, but got confused with different fingerings. I suggest pretending to play in the air, or on the desk, because it helps you to build strength for your fingers, and with the fingerings. One question I have for you is what you'd be doing through the 7 weeks. Are you just going to practice one song for 7 weeks, or practice with easier music pieces first. Overall, I think it is very brave of you to try playing piano, and I think you'll be able to achieve your goal! I wish you luck!
ReplyDeleteIn response to your question about the easier pieces of music, yes, I will be practicing some easier music from a learn piano book that I have. Each week, starting next week, I will try to learn three new songs from the book. All of these songs will help me learn to read piano music and play the piano at the same time, which will lead up to my finished product: playing Fur Elise on the piano.
DeleteI really like the fact that you choose to do something similar to something you already enjoy and play piano. I used to play piano when I was younger and I ended up giving it up about a year later because I turned out to be not a musical person. I admire you for trying to learn something like this in seven weeks. I would like your timeline, though. How exactly will you measure your project and show that you are improving every week? Will you have a new learn a new, increased difficulty, song each week or will you learn different parts of your final song each week?
ReplyDeleteIn response to your question about my timeline, I will be learning new songs, with increased difficulty, as I progress through the learn piano book I will be using. Each week, I will also learn parts of my final song, because it would be unreasonable to play a "real" song (as opposed to the little songs I have in the learn piano book) well if I just learn it in one week.
DeleteArielle, I used to take piano lessons, so if you need any music, I have tons of books. I saw that Kara was concerned about measuring your progress, but I think it's easy to make weekly progress. Something that has always helped me learn new music is to start out by just playing the first line of the song over and over again until I can do it without difficulty, and then try playing the first two lines and so on until I can play the whole song. This can take anywhere from a day or a week or so, depending on how much you practice. Playing the piano is a fun and rewarding experience, so I wish you luck on accomplishing your goal!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your practicing advice! I will be sure to take it into consideration when I start learning songs that are more than two lines long!
Delete