Learn How: Play Piano & Keyboards Easy Party Festive Lessons

Document containing all the Note Names to all the Melodies taught in Sections 1 & 2

Note names for melodic 'singing' lines in pieces - Sections 3, 4, and 5.

Note: Where pieces are copyrighted and commercially available, students are advised to purchase the sheet music and/or lyrics. All information is supplied for educational purposes only.

Silent Night - Complete 'Synthesia' based arrangement showing Both Hands together, piano score, falling notes color coded onto keyboard, and all notes named.

Edelweiss - Complete 'Synthesia' based arrangement showing both hands played together, the piano score, and falling notes color coded onto keyboard, with all notes named.

White Christmas - Complete 'Synthesia' based arrangement showing both hands played together, the piano score, and falling notes color coded onto keyboard, with all notes named.

100 Personal Benefits of Learning to Play the Piano

Hello,

If you have ever wondered if playing the piano is right for you, then please download and read this free report.

These three short pages detail one hundred advantages to be gained from learning the piano today - from changing your life forever, to increased confidence and social skills; from learning a new skill set to achieving a major life goal.

Want to increase your concentration levels? Be able to play your favorite tunes at parties and festive occasions? Or just enjoy the personal satisfaction of being able to finally say: "I am a pianist".

Well, what are you waiting for? - Download the report now and read how learning the piano can - and will - change your life forever. You can start right now!

Alternatively, if you can't wait for the download to complete, you can read the entire '100 Personal Benefits of Learning Piano' right now by scrolling the document in the window to the left of this message.

Please share the love and pass this document on to anyone you think may be interested in learning the piano, but still sitting on the fence.

Thank you, and Best Wishes with the remainder of the course!

Happy Birthday - 2:00 - Middle C Position - Both hands together.

• 0:01 Play through entire piece
• 0:17 Hand positioning
• 0:33 Finger numbers lesson
• 1:20 Note names lesson

Jingle Bells (pt1) - 3:20 - Middle C position - Right hand only

• 0:01 Hand positioning
• 0:20 Finger numbers lesson
• 1:20 Second half of 'Jingle Bells' lesson
• 1:55 Note names lesson
• 2:47 Play through of entire piece - Performance speed

Notes:

As these initial lessons progress, you will find that they follow a systematic pattern or ordered sequence of events - First we learn the song using our finger numbers only, and then we learn the song again learning/using the note names as a reinforcement aid.

This way, we are only concentrating on ONE thing at a time - either the note names, or the finger numbers. One reinforces the other - This is at the heart of this Fast Track approach.

This 'one thing at a time' method also allows you to focus on keeping your hands in position. As long as each finger is positioned on the correct note - remembering to take one note per finger - you will achieve success in a very short space of time. Each piece is played at performance speed as a guide to how the piece should sound once practiced and mastered satisfactorily. You can also attempt to play along with this guide performance if you like.

Jingle Bells Part Two - 9:33 - Both hands together - Middle C and alternate Left Hand position.

• 0:01 Left hand positioning
• 0:15 Left hand finger numbers lesson
• 2:05 Left hand note names lesson
• 2:47 Both hands together - Finger numbers lesson
• 5:04 Play through entire piece
• 5:38 Alternate Left hand position on Low C
• 6:00 New Left hand finger numbers lesson
• 7:00 Both hands together in new position - Finger numbers lesson
• 8:57 Play through entire new version with both hands

This lesson shows two alternate versions, or ways of playing the Left hand - one based on Middle C position, and the other based around the Low C position. See which you prefer!

'Jingle Bells' Part 2 also introduces some F Sharp notes on the Left hand ( Do you remember the term 'Sharp' from the 'Skip to my Lou' in 'F' position lesson?)

Fantastic work! Award yourself 10 out of 10. You have now completed the transitional stage from beginner to early intermediate pianist. There has been a great deal of new material to take in, process, and remember in this section; and now might be a good time to revise what you have learned so far before moving on to 'Fur Elise' in the next section.

See you there!

David B.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas - 3:30 - Middle C position - Both hands together

• 0:01 Play through entire piece
• 0:30 Hand positioning
• 0:40 Finger numbers lesson
• 2:30 Note names lesson

Away In A Manger - 4:45 - Middle C position - Both Hands together

• 0:01 Play through entire piece
• 0:38 Finger numbers lesson
• 2:58 Note names lesson

This piece revisits note 'A' in the Right hand, which we first encountered in 'Twinkle Twinkle'.

However, this time, we move our entire right hand position UP or RIGHT on the piano by one white key, so that out thumb is now on note 'D' rather than Middle 'C'. If you have forgotten note 'A', perhaps now is a good time to revisit the 'Twinkle Twinkle' right hand only lesson.

The second transitional new technique introduced in this piece is actually playing notes TOGETHER at the same time, in both the Right and Left hands. So far, we have alternated between playing a right hand note followed by a left hand note, or vice versa. This is the first piece to play notes in both hands simultaneously.

When we play two or more notes at the same time, the resulting combination of notes is known as a CHORD. We will be learning more about chords later in the course. A chord often contains a MELODIC note (the singing line, the actual 'tune' note - usually but not always the TOP note of the chord in the right hand) and HARMONIC notes. The function of harmonic notes is to support the melody, to 'flesh out' the music. In popular music terms, think of the MELODY as the Lead Singer of a band, and the HARMONY as the backing band/music.

Although we can play songs as pure MELODY (indeed, we have been doing this so far in the lessons), they will always take on new life and a fuller canvas of musical color and sound when we add HARMONY.

Please take as much time as necessary with this lesson, especially playing fingers 2 and 4 at the same time in the left hand. You may initially find other fingers sympathetically depressing adjacent keys.

Good luck with this. If you encounter any problems, please message me.

Good King Wenceslas - 3:20 - Middle C position - Both hands together

• 0:01 Hand positioning
• 0:10 Play through entire piece
• 0:45 Finger numbers lesson
• 2:15 Note names lesson

Ode To Joy - Pt 1 of 3. by Ludwig van Beethoven - 3:39 - Middle C Position

Right Hand Only

• 0:01 Right hand position on piano
• 0:25 Finger numbers lesson - 1st half
• 1:08 Note names lesson - 1st half
• 1:45 Play through guide so far
• 2:10 Rhythm/Counting in 4/4 time lesson
• 3:00 Finger numbers lesson - 2nd half

Who hasn't heard of Beethoven? This piece 'Ode To Joy' is one of his best known and loved worldwide. The distinctive melody - based around the first five notes of the Major scale - is said to have taken him 30 years to compose and complete to his satisfaction. Beethoven was already old, in ill-health, and profoundly deaf, when his piece - a song of celebration - was first performed publicly.

Ode To Joy (pt2) - 5:21 - Both hands together - Low C and Middle C positions.

• 0:01 Right hand position
• 0:15 Right hand separately finger number lesson
• 0:40 Right hand separately note names lesson
• 1:04 Right hand RHYTHM lesson
• 1:33 Left hand position
• 1:50 Left hand finger numbers - first line of piece (with right hand for illustration purposes only)
• 2:23 Left hand note names - first line of piece (with right hand played for illustration purposes only)
• 2:45 Piece play through so far at performance speed
• 2:57 Left hand finger numbers - second line of piece
• 3:15 Left hand note names - second line of piece
• 3:33 Left hand finger numbers - third line of piece
• 3:50 Left hand finger numbers - fourth and final line of piece
• 4:30 Play through of entire piece

This part two lesson is a direct follow-on from the 'Ode To Joy' (part one) lesson, and assumes you have already mastered the previous lesson, and the right hand played on it's own.

The lesson begins with a refresher look at the right hand melody again.

We are then briefly introduced to RHYTHM. When listening to music, we should notice that not all notes are sounded or held for equal lengths of time, or durations. Some notes are longer or shorter than others. In order to hold notes for the correct amount of time when practicing a piece of music, it is necessary to count the beats. The most popular count, or TIME SIGNATURE, in music is 4 beats to a bar - also known as COMMON TIME.

'Ode To Joy' is an example of a piece of music written in COMMON TIME, or 4/4 time. We count 4 beats to every bar, which means we count out loud when practicing - 1,2,3,4 | 1,2,3,4 | 1,2,3,4 and so on. Each vertical line '|' is known as a BAR LINE and separates one BAR from the next.

Listen to any piece of popular music. Can you hear the drum beat? For 95% of these songs, you should be able to count 1,2,3,4 repeatedly to the beat of the song. Most Rock, Dance, and Pop songs are written in 4/4 time. Reggae songs and Waltzes are typically written in 3/4 time, which would be THREE beats counted to each bar.

The first beat of a bar in most music is emphasized or ACCENTED, played slightly louder than the remaining beats of the bar. See if you can hear this accented beat in your favorite songs - try counting ONE, two, three, four | ONE, two three, four... or ONE, two, three | ONE, two, three ... See which fits best!

Although you will be able to play every piece on this course accurately by following my 'play through' examples - Eventually you will learn to count the rhythm of the pieces yourself. Please consider the Rhythm part of this lesson as an optional extra at this stage if you currently find it too difficult to follow. I wanted to introduce the concept of RHYTHM to you as it is fundamental to all music.

Ode To Joy (part 3 of 3) - 4:34 - Both hands together - Multiple hand positions

• 0:01 Left hand finger numbers shown as in Lesson Two - (first half of the tune).
• 0:38 More elaborate/advanced Left Hand - CROSSING OVER and UNDER introduced, and playing BLACK KEYS for the first time.
• 1:10 Repeat of 0:38 section for enhanced illustration purposes
• 1:33 Play through at performance speed of this same section
• 1:41 Left hand isolated and shown separately for this same section
• 2:05 Same section shown hands together again
• 2:12 Final line - Left hand finger numbers and note names shown
• 3:48 Left hand isolated and shown separately for final line of piece (note names given)
• 4:10 Play through of final line at performance speed.

This third and final lesson for 'Ode To Joy' teaches an alternate and more advanced Left hand than in Lesson parts one and two. It also assumes you have mastered both lessons one and two already.

The first half of the piece plays an identical Left Hand as shown in the Part Two lesson.

At 0:38 of the video, we are introduced to two NEW developments in this course - playing BLACK KEYS for the first time - and - CROSSING OVER and UNDER our fingers.

The Black keys are nothing mysterious, you play them exactly as you would the White keys. However, I recommend SLIDING your finger/hand up the key as far as possible, (towards the piano lid), thus maximizing good key contact (maximum surface area), and ensuring your finger does not slip off to either side onto a white key.

If you have ever played the game of crossing your fingers or/and toes as a child to visually cement or reinforce keeping a promise to your friends, you already know how to CROSS OVER as it applies to the piano. Quite literally, you cross one finger OVER the top of the other. In this example, finger 2 crosses over the thumb (currently on note 'G') to play the Middle Black note in the group of 3.

What happens next is that the Thumb will have to slightly CROSS UNDER the 2nd finger (now on the middle Black key), to play the very next White note, which is 'A'. If you remember back to 'Twinkle Twinkle' and 'Away In A Manger', we have already played 'A' by changing position on the Right Hand.

You then drop your Middle finger on the Left Hand to play the BOTTOM black note in the group of 3, followed by Finger 2 now playing the note 'G' (which had previously been played by the Thumb).

If you are persistent with this section, you will have no difficulty mastering the final section where you descend from Middle C, via Finger 2 playing the TOP Black note in the group of 3, to the little finger playing note 'E' by stretching down ONE white note only. (You have already learned how to stretch UP one white note in the Right hand - now it is the Left hand's turn!) Good luck with this one - Be patient!

Ode To Joy - 9:55 - Complete Lesson - A combination of parts 1, 2, and 3 as previously taught.This is a comprehensive revisionary lesson, allowing you to practice the instructional material of all 3 parts of 'Ode To Joy' without the necessity of having to search for, and hop back and forward between separate videos.

Downloadable image of the piano keyboard - with all commonly played notes named for your convenience.