Some discovery in music learning

Some discovery in music learning     18/11/2013

        Music learning can be fun if you can play the songs you like well.  It is entertaining, too.  You can enjoy yourself fully if you can play the songs from memory knowing which keys and fingers to co-ordinate with. 

        M………….the knowledge of the musical notes enables me to play the Level 3 songs compliled by Lina Ng without difficulty.  This knowledge enables me to know which key and which finger to play on.  The musical notes are alike to the grammar of a language.  When you have the good knowledge of grammar, you can improve the target language on your own.  

The more I play the more I see the similarities between the piano playing and the language.  

        Ya, knowing which one is Middle C and that is the door to get in to explore the world of music.  Any key right to Middle C, the pitch ascends on the key moving eastwards.  On the other hand, any key left to Middle C, the pitch decends on the key moving westwards.  You will see the repetition of the key right to Middle C ---DEFGAB, CDEFGAB, CDEFGAB and CDEFGAB.  To the left of Middle C, it is BAGFEDC, BAGFEDC, BAGFEDC and BAGFEDC.  There are 4 sets plus on right hand side of Middle C and 3 sets plus 2 keys on the left. 

White keys                        black keys

4X7 = 28 + 1                     4 X 5 = 20

3 X 7 + 2 = 23                  3 X 5 = 15 + 1

White keys + black keys

52 + 36 = 88

       To play L3 songs by Lina Ng, you need to know what sharp# and flat b mean, too.  To play #sound, you press the black key going eastwards and press the black key going westwards, you got flat b sound.  Of course you also need to know what a dot on top of the note and on the right hand side of the note (bean sprout-like symbols) mean.

        To play a song well, you need to know the rhythm (tune/melody), pitch (high / low/both) and tempo (timing: fast, moderate or slow).  For the rhythm, it is better to start with the songs that you know so well.  In this case, you can catch the tempo easily as you know how to sing the song.   

        Up to this stage, I can play quite a few songs from memory.    To play a song from memory.  You have to practise and practise and practise…………. until it has become spontaneous and automatic.  The song with high regular patterns is easier than the song with low regular patterns. 

        For the song, “Can Can Dance” , I can play fairly well now from memory because it has regular patterns.  The notes on the right hand side of Middle C:

                C  | DFED | G   G | GAEF |

          D    D  | DFED | C1C2BA | GFED |

                C  |  DFED | G  G |  GAEF |

          D   D   | DFED  | C  DE | C   ||

        Note:  C1 is Middle C

The notes on the left hand side of Middle C:

        .               .

        G                     G

        E              F

        C              D

        Ya, you have to play the song with both hands simultaneously.   It is difficult to do it if you are a starter.  But practice is the answer to overcome this hassle.  I have done it with a lot of practice and patience.  I must admit that playing the piano requires a lot of patience and endurance to play a song well.    It is good for me as I need to discipline myself in this respect. 

     Ng………….besides, “Can Can Dance”, I can play “Litter Buttercup”, “Mor Li Hua”, “Expectation Waltz” and “Cradle Song” from memory.  For “Blue Bells of Scotland”, I still have a bit to go with that irregular pattern and I have started “Alouette”, too.  With mind focused and a lot of practice, I believe I can develop my Music intelligence a bit further, too.