Melrain

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Youtube Playlist

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Google Drive

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Long term goal

• grade 7

Aural 4 Melrain

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