Melrain

Youtube Playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxU_OGndc5q9hK2FFEtmIP7fM_au6UnRF

Google Drive

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GbNIqlSzRukUZClLkFZNKvI4laH-50O-?usp=sharing

Long term goal

  • grade 7

Aural 4 Melrain

Cadences - Music Theory Academy - Perfect, plagal, imperfect, interrupted

25 July

Yellow Brick Road

  • focus on 4th and 5th page

I giorni

  • aim for end of 3rd page again

18 July

I giorni

  • aim for end of 3rd page

Yellow Brick Road

  • start from 3rd page onwards when practicing
  • good places to start
    • start of 3rd
    • start of 4th
    • start of 5th page
      • then line by line

8 Dec

Howl

  • try to reach the end of 2nd page
  • phrasing
  • rubato
  • balance
    • LH soft

21 Oct

Seasons

  • count long note at the end
  • pedal correctly at the end

Nuvole

  • don’t max out speed
    • ‘singable speed’

Comptine

  • do rubato

Goodbye

13 Oct

Seasons

  • phrase harder in middle section

Comptine

  • keep solid 170 speed, but apply rubato as well. Mastery is the main challenge here, failure to do so will have heavy penalties

Nuvole

  • 35 onwards at 80% speed, leave some room for error.

6 Oct

Watch your pedalling

STABLE SPEEDS

Need a recording for next week, compulsory, for review

Seasons of Love

  • ‘laidback tempo’ (steady)
  • less pedal rather than more
    • make sure pedal changes with chord change
  • overall could be softer
  • slow practice might help

Nuvole

  • watch pedalling
  • ending might need technical rubato
  • recommend going slower at the end, doesn’t need to be 100% power

29 Sep

Seasons

  • rests here are still sometimes missing
  • pretty good expression
  • rhythm bar 19
  • swap around hands bar 23
  • watch rhythm LH bar 25
  • rhythm bar 26
  • bar 31 rhythm
  • bar 39, missing G RH
  • bar 50, wait longer

Comptine

  • avoid repeated rubato patterns
  • some sections should have no rubato
  • phrasing can be more (like goodbye for now)
  • make sure pedal lifts are clean

Goodbye

  • phrasing could be sometimes more logical
  • bar 32, needs a larger pause
  • allargando last line, bigger dynamics

Nuvole Bianche

  • 35 bigger difference between accented note and non-accented note
  • even in f, make sure it is light, in LH

22 Sep

Comptine

  • focus on getting softer towards the end and start of phrases
  • rubato can be put anywhere
  • phrasing can be put anywhere
  • but keep it in context

Seasons

  • watch for rests
  • when doing broken chords

Goodbye

  • bar 32, pause
  • allargando bar 37, slow down
  • last chord, octave lower

Practice:

  • start from the middle
  • perfect runs
  • go through it like a rehearsal

Order:

  • seasons
  • comptine
  • goodbye
  • nuvole

15 Sep

Seasons of Love: record next lesson

  • how to get lighter?
    • less pedal
    • less LH
  • 13 subito p. More RH in f section
  • 21 both hands get involved
  • 29 mp, don’t need to voice RH, just have LH really soft
  • 47, one large pedal

Nuvole Recording Review

  • needs to be more exciting
    • faster tempo
    • more phrasing
    • more instinctual

Comptine

  • play the second half slower (i just mean with more rubato) and softer
  • phrase every 2nd and 4th bar. 2nd goes louder, 4th goes softer
  • sometimes don’t phrase
  • base your speed off the fastest section

8 Sep

Nuvole

  • texture #1
  • rhythmic rigidity
    • just keep in mind
  • phrasing at 21
  • page flip: don’t do it
  • mistake avoidance bar 35 onwards
    • slow practice, no hesitation requirement

record this week

Seasons of Love

  • when doing long split chords, don’t delay rhythm
  • think: do I really need pedal here
  • don’t pedal through rests, especially in all of these spots
  • 27-28, don’t slow down
  • listen careful about rhythm

Comptine

  • technical rubato can help with notes

1 Sep

recording: Nuvole

Goodbye: Recording review

  • slower, sentimental tempo
    • phrasing will better slow anyway
    • take rubato opportunities to go slow
    • watch out for pause in bar 32
  • allargando, slow down as well

Nuvole

  • bars 1-4, much slower. Don’t split up chords
  • watch out for extra notes 9-12
  • bar 15, check coordination
  • watch for awkward pedalling
    • bar 29
    • 43
  • 35, thinner texture with pedal
    • fix mistake in LH bar 44
  • pauses!!!!!

Seasons of Love

  • not too overpowering
    • LH softer (when it isnt one of the loud chords)
  • steady speed!
    • should allow you to phrase better
    • don’t have speed affected by volume
  • don’t overpedal

25 Aug

Record: Nuvole

Goodbye

  • add rubato
  • check rhythm here bar 14
  • allargando – slow and loud
  • check rhythms of ta ta ta

Nuvole

  • check LH bar 14
  • bar 21, smaller phrasing, softer overall
  • bar 29, can start get to get louder
  • bar 43, watch notes

Seasons

  • watch for overpedalling
  • check rhythms
  • learn last 4 bars that are poopy

Comptine

  • slower and more expressive rather than difficult

18 Aug

Seasons of Love

  • double check bar 48

Goodbye

  • higher standards for mistakes during no mistake practice
  • when phrasing softs are very soft, so that you can have contrast without going too loud
  • slow practice, combines both of the above ideas

Comptine

  • second time around, go softer
  • maximise phrasing
  • slow practice may still help

11 Aug

Seasons of Love

  • must finish this week
  • make sure fingering is correct bar 39
  • phrasing, bar 21, low parts nearly like p
  • pedal clearly, pedal every time the chord changes
  • nearly every part should have phrasing

Theory

Q 8/9/10, from chapter 2

4 Aug

  • not too loud here
  • follow dynamics carefully
    • don’t change dynamics randomly (unless phrasing)
  • don’t break chords, unless it says

21 July

Seasons of love

  • check notes LH bar 3. Thumb crush bar 4
  • dynamics are important to be followed
  • bar 18, note goes in between
  • goal first two lines of page 2

Comptine

  • refresh pedal more
    • or maybe LH softer
    • just needs overall softer texture
  • make sure

14 July

Seasons of love

  • finish first page

Goodbye for now

  • we need to be always able to hear the melody. play top notes louder.
    • think can I hear all the melody notes?
  • more phrasing

7 July

Scales

  • all scales revise!
  • 4th finger rule
  • ALL scales completed this week

Goodbye for now, but not forever

  • go slower, but phrase more
  • rubato when you get louder for expressive effect
  • general tip: can you start from the middle
    • can i get it 3 times perfect

Comptine

  • don’t start too fast
  • phrase a lot (use pedal to gather sound)
    • RH needs to get louder when phrasing

Nuvole Bianche

  • start slower
  • lower notes don’t play loud

9 June

Scales

  • do the bad scales
    • basically all minors
    • chromatic as well

Comptine

  • improved with good expression
  • only need to improve consistency now

Nuvole

  • speed must increase bit by bit in the poco accel
  • volume must increase bit by bit, should be measured
  • phrase in bar 21

2 June

Comptine

  • rallentir bar 24, slow down
  • softs in phrasing even softer (softs in general)
  • bar 25 needs to be soft
  • follow dynamics in general

Goodbye

  • don’t rush broken chords in general. use rubato
  • softs can be softer
  • bar 17, doesn’t necessarily need to be phrased. just go very soft
  • watch for dotted rhythms
  • needs to be stricter on mistakes

all scales next week

26 May

Comptine

  • phrasing
    • has different phrases in different parts
    • focus on softs
    • p, only RH, mf only LH
    • also do rubato

Nuvole

  • watch pedalling
  • watch for details bar 12 onwards (notes)
  • can get last section louder, no soft pedal

practice all scales

19 May

Comptine

  • focus on phrasing
  • focus on flow

Scales (dodgy list)

  • G# harmonic minor
  • G# melodic
  • C melodic
  • b major contrary motion

Nuvole

  • revise
  • also check whether all notes are there
  • prepare for concert

12 May

Scales (dodgy list)

  • G# harmonic minor
  • G# melodic
  • C melodic
  • b major contrary motion

Goodbye

  • notes incorrect 29-32
  • this is the last ‘bad bit’. after mastered, can perform
  • do larger sections once good
  • rotate wrist when we do broken chords
  • secret of phrasing is to start soft

Comptine

  • phrase according to book + using insticts
  • finish next week

5 May

Scales

  • all revised this week

Nuvole

  • keep revising 4 key points
    • soft to loud
    • slower to faster
    • phrasing
    • light texture
  • fix notes in key sections

Goodbye

  • present fluently
  • small bits
  • start from bad bits

Comptine

  • hands together
  • try to get all hands together

29 Apr

Scale

  • revise all similar motions
    • especially G# melodic

Comptine

  • try LH staccato, but with pedal,

Goodbye For Now

  • quality is decent
  • but needs to be phrased
  • some notes need to be checked, see page

21 Apr

Scales

  • all similar motions good quality
    • it only takes two minutes to learn a scale, so use concentration!

Goodbye

  • increase quality to both speed and expression

4 Apr

Nuvole

  • need to gradually speed up during the piece, gradually get louder
    • maybe start slower
  • all melody needs to be phrased
  • in general, needs work to become performance standard
  • two mistakes

Comptine

  • learn more during holidays
  • be careful RH fingering

25 Mar

Goodbye for Now

  • needs general flow first
    • consistency games
      • 2-4 times perfect
      • LH only
      • can I start from the middle
        • this all builds MENTAL memory
  • focus more on smaller sections than bigger if you don’t have enough time

11 Mar

Scales

  • same scales this week

Goodbye

  • phrase micro
  • balance must be lighter

4 Mar

Scales: C melodic minor this week

Goodbye:

  • keep phrasing
  • on the right track, goal is bar 28 hands togeyther

25 Feb

New scale: C harmonic minor

Nuvole Bianche

  • slow down start by a lot. metronome 40. can have a bit of rubato
    • after that, tempo needs to speed up by a lot
  • try full octaves in bar 5
  • soft – fast down to the key but soft
  • momentum must continue through the song keep getting faster
  • for good tone, get shoulders down
  • 35, pedal once a bar, relax shoulders, ping top note. LH must be soft here

Goodbye

  • try to learn more this week – 1-2 lines of second page
  • when phrasing, equal parts softer and louder

18 Feb

Scales

  • 4th finger rule needed
  • also, just practice in general, just go seperate hands

Goodbye

  • bar 3, dotted rhythm here
  • try phrasing
  • goal 2nd page

Nuvole

  • bar 5, don’t forget about LH
  • bar 15, check RH coordination
  • bar 23-24, missing RH not
  • speed from bar 21 needs to increase
  • pauses and slow down 33-34
  • 35, lighter and quicker. aim for speed not loudness

11 Feb

Scales

  • Eb major this week

Nuvole

  • soft bits, much softer. Rely more on pedal. more RH!!!!!
  • be careful of pedal blurring
  • 43, don’t play extra notes
  • 21 onwards, count in 3s, start phrasing
  • missing note here 23-24
  • check LH 33
  • throughout the piece, get gradually louder and faster
  • 35, everything soft except top line

Notes 4 Dec

Scale

  • B major, one scale a week

Nuvole

  • This is in good condition, so let’s focus on new second piece

Goodbye

  • starting to learn this week, as much as you can
  • 1 page, hands seperate, but hands together would be cool

Notes 15 Dec

Chords: 4 3 for major, 3 and 4 for minor

Goal for holidays: Jucaro Rumba up to bar 12

Notes 8 Dec

Scales: add C harmonic minor

Jucaro

  • intensive work on RH this week
  • hands seperate up to 13

Notes 1 Dec

Nuvole

  • bar 1-4 are you counting?
  • bar 5-12, make sure hands come down at the same time. RH down to the bottom of the key quickly. LH strong
  • counting bar 21
  • bar 26 LH

Jucaro Rumba

  • bar 6 RH, bar 8 LH

Notes 24 Nov

Scales

Nuvole

  • when going soft, quick down to the bottom of the keybed
  • watch rhythm in bar 21 onwards, PHRASE HEAPS
  • try to play parts legato, even with pedal.
  • READING IS IMPORTANT FROM NOW ON!
  • Goal: bar 43-50

Jucaro

  • bar 4 RH, LH 1st page

Notes 17 Nov

Scales

  • Eb major
  • Go faster, 4 octaves

Nuvole Bianche

  • bar 13 no extra notes
  • rhythm in bar 21, important to check 4 lots of 3 quavers, count 123 123 123 123
  • bar 25, check notes here
  • bar 35, when managing LH, try to get on top of notes
  • Also, everything should be soft except
  • Pedal entire bars

Notes 10 Nov

Scales

  • print out try B major

Nuvole

  • first line, prioritise melody, floaty sound
  • don’t accent repeated notes, accent first beat of the bar
  • bar 9, check RH notes
  • bar 14, check LH carefully
  • 21, you can start heaps of phrasing
  • this week you can skip ahead to bar 35.

Notes 3 Nov

Nuvole

  • remember, the flats are B E A D
  • No specific learning goal this week, learn as much as you can

Scales

  • learn B major