Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 6

Audio lesson 6-10

Lesson 6

Versie 1.0
Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 6

Touch exercises
In the exercises of lesson 5 you only used fingers lying next to each other.
But now other combinations will be used.
Never forget to control the position of your hand before each exercise.
Compare it with the pictures in the first lessons and read once more the
instructions given there.
The technical exercises in each lesson are very useful for acquiring
systematically a proficient playing-technique.
No matter what music you may be interested in: classical, popular, or jazz,
without a well-developed technique you will never play perfectly. Not more
than a few minutes daily will need to be spent on these exercises, but we
advise you not to skip even one time. Start each practise period with them.
No. 2, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
So far, each hand has been playing 5 different notes at the most, so that
for each key there was a separate finger available. Of course, it will not
continue like that. In most pieces of music each hand must play a great
number of different notes, so that the same finger strikes a great number
of different keys.
In this lesson we will see some examples of this. The melody (right-hand
part) of no. 2 consists of 6 different tones; and you have only five fingers.
For that reason, the 4th finger must strike a different key in bar 3 than in
bar 2. Just have a look at the fingering. After the finger has kept down its
key for 2 full beats in the 2nd bar, it must be moved quickly a key further
to the left. Then just play on. If this is done properly, it will be impossible
to hear that something special has taken place in the fingering.
No. 3, Diabelli: Little Waltz.
In no. 3 the right hand again plays the melody and the left hand the
accompaniment. This is not yet a "real waltz-accompaniment" as you will
often have heard in Strauss' waltzes.
If you have a good look at the accompaniment, you will find 3 notes in each
bar; each following note being higher than the preceding one. We call such
a group of notes a "Figure". (Of course, these "figures" may contain many
more notes than 3).
In the accompaniment to this piece there are 2 different "figures". In order
to make this clear, we printed them separately at the top of the page; i.e.
accompaniment-figure A and accompaniment-figure B. Try to play them.
The note for the thumb is the same in both figures.

2
 Piano Speelplezier, Lesson 6

After that, play the accompaniment to the piece carefully. In the first and
second bars you will find figure A, but in the third and fourth figure B is
used, etc.
When reading the figures, try to recognise them as a whole; do not go on
reading the notes one by one, but read 3 accompaniment-notes at a time.
When reading a text, you do not read letter by letter, you read the words
as a whole. This should also be the case with musical notes. Try to
concentrate on this subject for a while.
There is nothing new about the melody. Count well. Do not forget the
accent. Relax while playing. The muscles of hand, wrist or arm should not
be held in a cramped or awkward position. Let the melody dominate when
playing with both hands and play the accompaniment legato (connected).
Everything should be done very quietly!
In conclusion, this waltz should be played (and counted) in "waltz-tempo".
For the time being, however, you may be satisfied if you can play it more
slowly, but without mistakes. Speed will come naturally later on, with
practise.
ANTON DIABELLI (1781-1853)
This Austrian composer is especially noted for his
educational music. He wrote a lot of simple piano-music,
which is still in use. His other works (operas, chamber-
music, Masses, etc.) have almost been forgotten.
Diabelli was a well-known piano- and guitar-teacher. He
also wrote many compositions for the guitar.
No. 4, Baby Bunting
The accompaniment to no. 4 is similar to that of no. 3, but there are now
three figures instead of two.
Practise the piece in exactly the same way as no. 3 of this lesson.
It is a cradle song; therefore, it must be played very quietly. It should be
counted more slowly than the little waltz of no. 3.
No. 5, Oesten: Frühlingslust (Joy of Spring).
As the title indicates, no. 5 is a gay piece, which should be played cheerfully.
Play it with clear accents, as these will give this dance a lively character.
It has a 6-beat time, which has been explained, in lesson 5, no. 5. Read it
over again carefully.
Mind the fingering; you can practise it in the same way as you did no. 3.

3
Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 6

The left hand plays only two different accompaniment-figures. If you

memorize them, it will be even easier for you to play with both hands
together.
THEODOR OESTEN (1813-1870) *)
A German composer, who wrote mainly simple educational piano music,
including many short, melodious pieces, such as "Joy of Spring").
*) Pronounce: Usten

4
 Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 7

Lesson 7

Versie 1.0
Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 7

No. 1, Touch exercise

The little finger serves as support here. After you have placed the little
finger on its key, your fingers, hand and forearm should feel entirely
relaxed. There will be tension when the hand is resting too lightly or too
heavily on the little finger (you can feel it yourself). When you have found
the right balance, start playing the notes given, with the remaining fingers.
Try to make a nice regular touch.
No. 2 shows the first bars of a well-known song. Try to play it and, at the
same time, sing the words to it aloud or in your mind. Then you will hear
that the accent lies on "Ply-" and "liv'd" and, consequently, on the notes
corresponding to these syllables.

Anacrusis
You already know that a note on the bar-line is always accentuated. The
first note, to "in", has no accent, and so it is not on the bar-line. The
second syllable, "Ply-”, is accentuated, so it is on the first bar-line.
"Liv'd" is on the second bar-line, etc.
Before the first complete bar, you see part of a bar containing one beat.
In other pieces this may consist of more, or less than 1 beat. A partial
bar like this, which precedes the rest, is called an "anacrusis". When
counting, you should not start at 1 in this case, but at beat 4, like this:
four;
One - two - three - four; etc.

No. 3, For He’s a Jolly good Fellow, also starts with an anacrusis.
First play with your right hand and count at the same time. Remember to
play a clear accent on beat 1 of each bar, and a weaker accent on each 4th
beat. In the accompaniment, play the notes on the 1st beat with a stronger
accent than the ones on the 4th beat.
Mind the fingering and follow it closely.
The last bar of this piece has only 5 beats. When there is an anacrusis of 1
beat, the last bar has one beat less.

2
 Piano Speelplezier, Lesson 7

Notes of half a beat

So far you have only played notes of 1 or more beats. In music shorter
notes also occur, e. g. notes of half a beat each. This is not a difficult
matter at all. Yet, many bad mistakes are made, which are difficult to
correct later.
It is a general fact that more mistakes are made in the timing than in
the notes. Mostly the pupils themselves hear whether a note is wrong or
not, but it seems that many players cannot hear mistakes in the timing.
Someone who is following a written course, and is therefore entirely
dependent on himself, should pay particular attention to this subject. In
the previous lessons we repeatedly remarked the importance of correct
counting; this is, however, often neglected.
The result is that pupils are sometimes at a loss as to the timing of an
unknown piece and this should really not be necessary if one has learnt
to count correctly.
We shall therefore pay special attention to this matter, one of the most
important matters in the study of music.
Never skip these exercises, even if you do not find them very attractive
musically. If you have no difficulties, this is all the better. If you do not
at once succeed, however, do not lose heart. Keep trying. Practise the
exercises regularly; otherwise, later on, you will have difficulties with
music which is unknown to you.
The writing of notes of half a beat is self-evident, as you will see. If the
note is to begin halfway through the beat, then we write the note-stem
halfway through the beat. You will see this in no. 4b. The first bar
contains two notes in one beat.

If we count aloud, we should do this exactly as in indicated at the side of

the bar. It is advisable to pronounce the syllables halfway through the beat
a little softer, as follows:
One - and - two - and - three - and, etc.
Now we are going to perform these counting-exercises. Play no. 4 in slow
and regular tempo and count aloud at the same time. In no. 4a there is a
note for every beat.
Then, in no. 4b a note is added halfway through each beat. The notes
therefore follow each other twice as fast. To play a bar of no. 4a should
take as long as to play a bar of 4b, but with the difference that in 4a you
play 4 notes and in 4b you play 8 notes, in the same period of time.

3
 Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 7

4
a b
and

and

and

and

Practise your counting very carefully.

We are now going to play 4 pieces, i.e. 5b, 6b, 7b and 8b. Each of these 4
pieces is preceded by a counting-exercise, i.e. 5a, 6a, 7a and 8a. If you
pay attention to each preceding counting-exercise, you will have no
difficulties with the timing of the pieces that follow.

5a 6a 7a 8a
and and

and and

and
etc. and
etc. and

etc.

and

4
 Piano Speelplezier, Lesson 7

In exercise 4b on the previous page, you counted all beats in two. Now we
are going to learn to count in two, only where it is necessary, i.e. when
there is a note halfway through the beat. The other beats are counted as
usual.
Try no. 5a. On the left it is indicated how you should count. You should be
careful that the notes in beat 1 follow each other twice as fast as the notes
on beat 2 and beat 3. (Note that in beat 1 they are written twice as close
to each other). In other words: the first 2 notes of the bar last half as long
as the other ones.
First start counting as usual: 1 - 2 - 3; 1 - 2 - 3;
then count exactly the same way, but now count the half beats in between:
1 and 2 - 3. - 1 and 2 - 3.
It is not necessary to do these counting-exercises on the piano: you can, if
you like, clap the timing with your hands, or tap on the table or on the
armrest of a chair. The point is, that you must practise to "keep time"
regularly and rhythmically.
If you succeed in doing this without mistakes. you can, when sitting at the
piano again, stop counting aloud. Then just tap the main beats (1, 2, 3;
not "and") with your foot, or nod your head slightly, as we explained in
lesson 5, no. 3. Play the notes, which are halfway between two beats, in
between. You will certainly be able to do this, as soon as you can feel the
rhythm inside of you. That is the best way to do it.
Eventually you should reach the stage at which, when you see any bar
written down, you hear the rhythm in your mind at once.
This will not progress automatically, and you must count carefully in the
beginning. It is unlikely that you will succeed at once, and therefore you
must practise daily. Never skip these counting-exercises.
After no. 5a play piece 5b. Play the melody first and count at the same time,
just like you practised in no. 5a.
The left hand must play notes on the main beats only (1, 2, 3). When you
start playing with both hands together, only the right hand plays a new
note halfway through beat 1, the left hand does not have to do this. In the
beginning your left hand may be inclined to move along with your right
hand. This will be overcome by practising patiently: play slowly at first. You
may not succeed at once, just persevere. After a few days you will have
found the right way to do it.

5
Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 7

As soon as you have mastered the timing, you should again turn your
attention to the accents. Play legato; with a nice smooth touch; let the
melody sound a little louder than the accompaniment: etc.
In no. 6a, not the first beat but the second beat is to be counted in two.
Practise again patiently and then go on to 6b. Remember to shift the right
hand after having played bar 2 and bar 4. A note of exclamation beside the
bar warns you that here the 4th finger is to move from e to d and later on
back again.
In exercise 7a you will find an anacrusis of 1 beat. How you should count
is clearly indicated at the side of the bar. After practising that play 7b.
The left hand must play a new waltz-accompaniment, which is not yet
known to you. It will sound a little more like a "real" waltz-accompaniment
than the previous one. On each first beat is a note (which of course is
accentuated), which on beat 2 and beat 3 is followed by a higher note (the
same one twice), to be played a little softer. To do it properly, play the first
note connected to the 2nd note and shorten the duration of the 2nd and
the 3rd notes (Release the key halfway). Try to practise it separately. We
will refer to this again in future lessons.
No. 8a is a counting-exercise in 4-beat time, in which the 2nd and 4th beat
have been divided into two. Remember again the accents! When you are
finished with 8a practise 8b in the usual way. Remember to shift your right
hand again, as the fingering indicates. In the left- hand part a note of
exclamation is written to remind you of this. Try to make out for yourself
where else your hands must be moved.

6
 Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 8

Lesson 8

Versie 1.0
Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 8

No. 1
In this touch-exercise no supporting finger is used. Therefore, you should
remember to keep your hand in its proper place, over the 5 keys to be
played - without the assistance of the supporting finger. This will be easier
if you avoid making unnecessary finger-movements. The fingers that do
not play should be kept still; but not unnaturally still.
It is advisable to play the bars, which you find difficult in this exercise,
separately, so that these get special attention. This will probably apply to
bars 6 and following.
It will be enough to practise the left and right-hand parts of this exercise
separately. It is not necessary to play with both hands together; but you
may if you wish.
Read again what we said in lesson 3 about touching the keys; and
remember:
 to lift your finger high before touching;
 after that to drop your finger firmly on the key;
 to keep the key down without unnecessary exertion, until the
following note is played (connected play);
 to make an even touch; all tones must sound equally loud, apart from
the accent on the bar-line;
 to make a "nice tone".

The continuation dot

So far you have learnt that:
each note for the same hand lasts until the following one begins
There are two possible exceptions to this rule:
a. The note does not last as long.
b. The note lasts longer.
You already know about a. The pause V indicates that a note is to end
earlier than usual; it also shows when the note is to end.

The continuation dot (just an ordinary dot) indicates that a note is to last
longer than usual.

2
 Piano Speelplezier, Lesson 8

No. 2
In example no. 2 below, a continuation dot under g indicates that g (the
note for the thumb) is to be continued, while the 3rd and the 4th finger
play the other notes in succession. So, the thumb must keep its key down.
(Do not strike g a second time! - If you were required to do that a new note
would have been written on the stave). Here 2 tones sound at a time.
2

continuation

Now try to play No. 2. First the thumb presses down the g-key. Then you
strike b with your 3rd finger. Normally the thumb would release g at the
same time, however, the continuation dot indicates that the thumb should
keep its key down. After that you strike c with your 4th finger and you
simultaneously release b; but g is still being kept down by the thumb, as
appears from a second continuation dot on the place of g, etc.
In fact, this way of playing is already familiar to you from the touch
exercises of lessons 6 and 7. There, however, words indicated that a certain
key had to be kept down, whereas this is now indicated by a continuation
dot in the stave.
Just like the pause, the continuation dot is printed under the note to which
it applies.
We shall now fix some rules for the things you have learnt:
Principle: Each note lasts until the following one for the same hand
begins.
Exception 1: If a note is to end before the following one must begin, a
pause is given in the place where the note is to end.
Exception 2: If a note is to be continued, while the same hand plays a new
note, a continuation dot is given in the place where otherwise
the former note would have ended.
No. 3 and 4
No. 3 and 4 are short exercises in which the continuation dot is applied. No.
3 contains a note to be continued by the thumb of the right hand. So, the
thumb serves as "support" on g.
In no. 4 the little finger of the left hand serves as support, on a lower g.

3
Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 8

No. 5
In this piece the continuation dot is practised. The left hand starts with g.
On beat 1 of bar 2 the little finger plays c; but g must also be continued as
is indicated by the continuation dot. Therefore, keep the g-key down.
On beat 1 of bar 3 the left-hand plays d only because there is no
continuation dot. In bar 6, g is to be continued again.
At the top of the second stave you will find a continuation dot again in the
place of c. This one applies of course to c for the right hand on beat 3 of
bar 8 (at the bottom of the previous stave). This c-key should be kept down
until beat 3 of bar 10, where it must be struck again.
Please note that in bars 9 and 11, at each new note for the right hand, the
continuation dot is repeated. There are no continuation dots in the 13th bar.
So, c should not be continued.
Practise this piece very attentively and do not neglect the continuation dots.
No. 6. The Blue Bells of Scotland
You must have noticed that the pieces are becoming more difficult but at
the same time contain lovelier music.
You cannot leave your hands in the same place for very long. Now you must
begin to read ahead. When you see, for example, that the following notes
lie farther to the right, then your hand will move automatically in this
direction. This will save you time when feeling your way.
You find an example of this in bar 2, beat 4. If you spread out your fingers
and thus move your thumb to the left while you are playing the notes of
the 4th beat, you will then be able to play the first g-flat of bar 3 with your
thumb.
On the 2nd beat, you play the same g-flat with your forefinger. This change
of fingers makes it easier to play the succeeding notes.
Watch out when you go from bar 10 to bar 11. On the 3rd beat of bar 10,
the ring-finger of the left hand has an g-sharp. On the 1st beat of bar 11,
you play the a, which is close beside the g-sharp, with your thumb. Do not
wait until the last moment before looking for the a, but instead, while you
are still playing the 4th beat of bar 10, you should be drawing the fingers
of the left hand together and this will automatically bring the thumb to the
left and towards the a.

4
 Piano Speelplezier, Lesson 8

Phrasing
In speech, words are grouped together to form "sentences".
If we were to print this lesson without any capitals, full-stops or
comma's, it would be very difficult to understand. "Sentences" and
"phrases” are also used in music!
Just sing a simple folksong. You will clearly hear the beginning and the
end of the phrases (the verses) of the poem.
After that, whistle the song (no words being used) and you should still
hear the phrases clearly. This proves that not only the words, but the
music too, is divided up into sections, called "phrases".
Even pieces to which no words have ever been made (e.g. a sonata) are
divided into such sections.

The notes which belong together, and which form a musical phrase, are
generally indicated by a bow, a "slur", as it is called. You will see this in
no. 6.
In singing, a short interruption can be heard after each verse. This is used
to take a breath. In your playing too you should make a short interruption
after the last note under the slur by taking your fingers from the keys for
only a moment.
In fact, the last note under a slur is a little shorter than normal. In no. 6
this is explained by pauses, placed between brackets. In this way you can
clearly see that about half a beat rest should be taken in between the
various phrases. In future these pauses will not be printed anymore. You
will then be able to see for yourself. (The pauses for the left hand in bars 4
and 8 are not between brackets; these will always be in the piece).
First practise both hands separately again.
No. 7. The Vicar of Bray.
This is a piece similar to no. 6. Use the correct fingering again and
remember to shift your hand, note the slurs (phrases), etc. Play legato
(connected).
Read the preceding 2 or 3 lessons carefully over before starting a new
lesson. This will benefit your playing.
Pay particular attention to the pieces which you found difficult in the
beginning. They should no longer present any problems.

5
Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 8

6
 Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 9

Lesson 9

Versie 1.0
Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 9

No. 1, Technical exercises

This lesson does not start with the sort of exercises you are used to. The
range of these is far from being exhausted yet, because combinations are
also possible with 3 and 4 fingers, but at the moment these are a little too
advanced for you. Besides, some variety to break the monotony in this
useful but not so interesting matter is desirable….

Runs
You may know what is meant by "runs" in music. These are rapidly
played groups of notes; ascending or descending.
When hearing such runs, performed well, some beginners may think "I'll
never learn to play like that".
There is no ground whatsoever for this pessimism, because there is more
method to these runs than non-musicians sometimes think. When a
certain form (e.g. a scale) has been mastered, you will repeatedly
recognise it in other pieces and be able to put your skill into practice.
Playing scales and similar exercises is very useful for improving the
fluency of your playing. You will certainly experience the value of it, when
playing music which you have never played before.
Your fingers must be well-practised, or you cannot obtain good results,
not even with the best music notation!

The value of exercise no. 1 lies in the style of playing. It is not a matter of
notes here; you could have played them in lesson 2.
The intention is that you play as evenly as possible, all notes should sound
equally long and equally loud (only the notes on beat 1 take an accent).
This is certainly not easy. The fourth finger for instance is by nature weaker
than the others. Therefore, you must be careful that the notes played by
this finger do not sound weaker than the other ones.
Lift all your fingers high and try to play in even time like a clock, even
where a key is "skipped" between the thumb and the first finger.
In each bar the hand shifts 1 key, the right hand goes up, the left hand
down.
Keep your arms and hands very still; do not move them forwards or
backwards nor up and down.
Tempo: play the exercise at a speed that enables you to play correctly.
If you find that it becomes easier after a few days, increase the rate of
playing, but never to such a degree that you play untidily.

2
 Piano Speelplezier, Lesson 9

Practise each hand separately. After that you can play with both hands
together, but this is not necessary. The first note of the exercise is to be
played by the right hand as well as by the left hand. That is why the stem
points to both sides.
Here again only a few minutes' playing by each hand is sufficient. Do not
at once expect a perfect performance; this will be acquired gradually by
regular practice.
No. 2
No. 2 is a study in which some runs appear. If you have studied no. 1
carefully, these runs will not be very difficult for you to play.
This is different with the chords (two notes on one stem). These notes
should be played by the same hand and at the same time. Be careful that
they sound together and not one after another.
In bars 2, 4 and 10 there is a continuation dot for the right hand on the 3rd
beat: the forefinger keeps the d-key down when the g-key is played by the
little finger and at the same time the ring-finger is taken from the f-key.
If you experience difficulty, try this little exercise: keep the d-key down
with your forefinger and play the f-key and the g-key a number of times
with your ring-finger and little finger in turn, in regular sequence.
In such a way you can always make an exercise of a section of a piece
which you find difficult, in order to master it. Then you will later be able to
play without faltering at the difficult parts.
No.3. Dance
In no. 3 some chords are practised exclusively with your left hand. After
the chords there is one beat rest each time. In cases like this the best thing
to do is to lift the whole forearm just a little. The fingers and the arm remain
almost in the same position.

3
Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 9

No. 4, 5 and 6. Waltz-accompaniment

The simple waltz-accompaniment which we learnt in lesson 7, will now be
turned into a "real" waltz-accompaniment. We now play 2 notes on beats 2
and 3. See no. 4.
Remember to strike these notes simultaneously. They should also be struck
a little softer than the note on beat 1. This should be done with a light
movement of the forearm like we practised in the preceding piece (no. 3.).
Do not exaggerate.
It is indicated by pauses that the chords on beats 2 and 3 must not last
longer than half a beat. This is always the case in a waltz-accompaniment,
although it is never written with pauses as it is done here.
Note that under the "bass" on the first beat there is no pause. This note is
to last the whole beat and first when playing the notes on beat 2, you take
your finger from the key in question. A slur especially indicates that the
notes on the 1st beat should be played connected, or legato.
So, a slur does not always indicate a "phrase"; it is also used when notes
should be played legato for some other reason.
Practise this waltz-accompaniment in no. 4 and in no. 5. After this play the
accompaniment in no. 6 and then play with both hands.
The notes themselves are not very difficult but playing with both hands
together requires close attention. The chords on beats 2 and 3 should be
played short, as well as the last note under each slur as indicated by pauses
in bar 1 only. It is desirable to add these pauses yourself, with a lead pencil,
throughout the piece.
For the low note on the 2nd beat of the 3rd bar (right-hand) move the
thumb to the left; not the whole hand.

4
 Piano Speelplezier, Lesson 9

No. 7. Merrily we roll along.

In a 4-beat time often a similar accompaniment is used with a low tone on
beat 1 and higher chords on beats 2, 3 and 4. Play it in the same way as a
waltz, i.e. the chords have to be played lighter and shorter than the bass-
notes.
In playing these chords the nicest effect will be reached when the fingers
are left in touch with the keys.

5
Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 9

No. 8. The octave

You will probably have heard this word in connection with music. Octave
literally means: eighth.
If, for example starting from c, you strike d, e, f, etc. on the keyboard (in
this case only the white keys), you will, at a certain moment arrive at c
again; i.e. when you press down the eighth white key, see picture below.*)
Then this c is one octave higher than the c you played first; if you go on,
you arrive again at c; this c is 2 octaves higher than the first c.
An octave is the distance between 2 successive notes of the same image
and name. So, the distance between d and the following d is also one octave,
also between e and the following e, and also between f-sharp and the
following f-sharp, etc.

In the picture above you will find some examples of distances of 1 and more
octaves. These notes do not only have the same name and a corresponding
place in the stave, but they also sound extremely well together. In fact,
they do not give the impression of a "harmony", a "chord", (Just play them
together or one after another!). In music it is accepted to regard them as
the same tone, although one sounds low and the other sounds high: one
octave lower or higher (or 2 octaves, etc.).
*) You will be able to hear that the tones, when being played in order, form
a sort of melody, which you may have learnt in your schooldays: do-re-mi-
fa-so-la-ti-do.
We call this a scale. We will refer to this later.

6
 Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 10

Lesson 10

Versie 1.0
Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 10

No. 1.

Passing the forefinger over the thumb

We have learnt that on the keyboard you must move your hand when
you have to play more than 5 notes lying close to each other.
There are several methods of doing this:
1st: by taking the hand from the keys and placing it somewhere else
on the keyboard. But this can only be done if a short interruption is
allowed in playing, indicated by a pause or in between two slurs;
2nd: by contracting the fingers, or - the opposite - by spreading them,
as you learnt in lesson 6; ,
3rd: by using the thumb, which is the only finger which can easily make
a sideward movement.
In previous lessons the thumb occasionally performed such sideward
movements.
Apart from moving the thumb sideward, it is also possible to move it
under the hand towards the little finger. The reverse is also possible, to
lift the fingers across the thumb. Just try it for yourself, keeping your
fingers bent.

Play no. 1a with the given fingering. G-flat, on the first beat of bar 2 is to
be played by the forefinger which should pass over the thumb. The thumb
then releases its key, but remains above it. After that the thumb strikes
the key again and the forefinger moves to its former place. The thumb
remains on the same key!

Keep time carefully so that the notes follow each other at an even rate and
pass into each other fluently, without any interruption.
On the other hand, never keep a key down while striking the next one, so
that you hear two tones at a time.

2
 Piano Speelplezier, Lesson 10

In no. 1b you will see a similar exercise, but now for the left hand.
Nos. 1c and 1d deal with the same subject; now the second finger reaches
a little farther across the thumb, as far as the next white key. The thumb
again remains on the same key.
As we told you before, you must lift your fingers high in these exercises
and see that they touch the keys in a bent position. When passing the
forefinger over the thumb the hand may move a little, but your arm should
be kept still.
In nos. 2 and 3 we are going to bring into practice the things we learnt.
No. 2. Study
Exclamation marks warn you where the forefinger is passed over the thumb.
First practise each hand separately paying particular attention to the left
hand and then play with both hands together, very slowly and attentively.
Do not deviate from the fingering given; by moving your fingers where it is
not necessary. This will cause faltering and lessen the value of the practice.
If you pay close attention to these pieces now and spend enough time on
them, you will form the basis for a good playing-technique; later on you
will be able to play any piece you choose fluently and with pleasure.
No. 3. Meunier, tu dors
The left hand plays a waltz-accompaniment, as you learnt in the previous
lesson. The bass- note should be played legato (=connected) with the notes
on beat 2; the chords on beats 2 and 3 must be played a little shorter and
softer! The bass-notes on beat 1 take an accent; try to let them dominate,
when practising the left hand separately. You will hear also that these bass-
notes alone show context; together they form a simple melody.
When playing with left and right hands together, try to play the notes of
the various "phrases" legato while the accompaniment should be played as
indicated above, the chords on the 2nd and 3rd beat being played short.
This is not easy! Start slowly and above all, listen closely!

Notes of 1½ beats
We are now going to learn a new time pattern, 1½ beats, which is often
used but in which many mistakes are made. It is remarkable, however,
that mistakes are usually only made in an unknown piece; in a well-
known piece mistakes are rarely made, which seems to show that people
do not use the indications in the music.

3
Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 10

The well known Christmas carol “Silent Night” is chosen to introduce the
1½ beat pattern, see number 4. Play the first bar of no. 4 with your right
hand. This is not difficult. Now look at the time pattern. First there is a note
of 1 1/2 beats, followed by a note of a 1/2 beat. You should remember this
rhythmical pattern well (1 1/2 beats + 1/2 beat). You should be able to
recognise it in any piece and play it in the right way. As soon as you
recognise it, think of the song "Silent Night", and you will hear the time
pattern in your memory.
Now try to play the first bar with both hands. It may be a little difficult,
because both hands tend to do the same. Either the right hand wants to
play a note on beat 2, or the left hand wants to strike a note halfway
between beats 2 and 3, which is wrong. But if you keep on trying, you will
eliminate these tendencies. One will succeed after a quarter of an hour, the
other 4 after a few days. Any way you need not worry. Most people find it
difficult, but anybody can learn it with a little effort.
As soon as you can play the first bar, the time pattern will no longer present
any difficulties.
The piece looks simpler than it actually is, since the hands have to be
moved many times. (This is preferably done between the slurs, during a
breath-pause).
In some places you will see an exclamation mark to warn you where the
left hand must be contracted for example at the end of bar 4. You must
spread your fingers in bars 6 and 8.
In bar 11 the right hand spreads and then contracts. While doing this, try
to keep your hand relaxed, and feel what key you have to play next.
Remember: your fingers, not your eyes should look for the keys.
No. 5. Counting-exercise
No. 5 has the same time pattern as no. 4. Try to play this exercise with
both hands right away. Here no well-known melody like "Silent Night" will
help you. Have you really noticed that the time pattern is the same as in
no. 4? The same "Silent night pattern".
No. 6. Old oaken bucket
In this piece you see the same rhythmical pattern as you played in nos. 4
and 5. Think of the accents on the 1st beat and play the notes under the
slurs legato.
Before starting the second phrase in bar 4, lift the middle-finger from the
key. Start the second phrase with the same finger and then play the same

4
 Piano Speelplezier, Lesson 10

note with the 4th finger, so that the hand moves to the left in order to play
the following notes without interruptions.
You could also have used the 4th finger in the beginning of the 2nd phrase.
There you had to take your hand from the keys anyway and you could have
moved it to the left at once. It is, however, not indicated before the next
note, in order to make sure that the key is clearly struck a second time,
with a clear accent. (The note is on the bar-line).

Repeat signatures
In the beginning of no. 6 and in bar 8 of this piece you see these symbols:
and .
They indicate that the bars in between these symbols have to be repeated,
so they have to be played twice in succession. Later you will see these
symbols in many pieces. In the beginning of a piece, at the top of the stave,
they are often omitted.
At the bottom of the piece (after bar 16) you see: D. C. al Fine. D. C. is an
abbreviation of "Da Capo" and means: "From the beginning"; "al Fine"
means "till the end" (Fine=end).
The intention is that after bar 16, you start playing from the beginning (bar
1) until the word
"Fine" on beat 3 of bar 8, which is in fact the end of the piece. After a "da
capo", it is not customary to play the parts between the repeal symbols
twice again.
Here is a summary of the correct order in which the bars have to be played:
a. bars 1 up to and including 8;
b. again bars 1 up to and including 8;
c. bars 9 up to and including 16;
d. bars 1 up to and including 8.

Play them, without interruption; so keep on counting regularly!

5
Klavar Course / Piano, Lesson 10