Pianoforall - 'Classics By Ear' - Erik Satie

Explore locating middle C, recognize the repeating white-key pattern from a to g, and use black keys to name sharps and flats, helping you locate any note quickly.

Build sight-reading skills by playing pieces with video instruction and keyboard diagrams, and learn to follow and read sheet music by ear using C, Am, F, G.

Decode basic musical notation by reading staves, treble and bass clefs, middle C, and notes on lines and spaces, then master bars, beats, rests, and sight-reading essentials.

Explore key signatures, sharps and flats, time signatures, ties, repeats, dynamics, tempo terms, and sight-reading distances to improve music reading and understanding.

Train your ear by listening to Gnossienne No. 1, exploring melody and rhythm to master classics by ear in piano, inspired by Erik Satie.

Explore Gnossienne No.1's tempo, divide the piece into three sections (A, B, C) totaling 82 bars, with 19-bar sections repeated to form the complete work.

practice left-hand rhythm in the a section, using the same 4-beat pattern across all bars with f minor chords and pedal sustain, bar 7 is c minor in backwards inversion.

Explore the A section for the right hand, using keyboard diagrams to locate notes, follow three-part phrases with grace-note patterns, and coordinate with the left-hand bass and chords, aiding sight-reading.

Divide the a section into bars 1–4 and 5–9, place both hands on the opening notes, and pedal each bar. Focus on fingering and the steady rhythm with chord changes.

Explore the b-section of classics by ear, featuring four bars total, two bars of b-flat minor and two bars of f minor, with a left-hand pattern and grace-note melody.

Explore the C section: six bars of F minor in the left hand, a right-hand scaler phrase with three-note grace patterns, and fingering tips for hands-together practice.

Practice all three sections of Gnossienne No.1 by playing A, B, and C in the A B C B A B C B order for 19 bars.

Learn to add expression by listening to top pianists, emulate their tempo and phrasing, and apply it to Gnossienne No.1's free time with delicate left-hand and expressive right-hand grace notes.

Learn the structure of Gnossienne No.2 by listening to the full piece, then explore three sections, two rhythmic patterns, left-hand A, pedal, and triplet-based right-hand melody before combining all sections.

Listen to Erik Satie's Gnossienne No. 2 as part of the pianoforall classics by ear course, exploring this iconic solo piano piece.

Learn the A B C B A structure of Gnossienne No. 1 with eight, six, eight, and four-bar A endings, using a cheat sheet to visualize chords, melody, and fingering.

Identify the two left-hand rhythmic patterns and apply rhythm one for chords without passing chords and rhythm two for chords with passing chords, per the cheat sheet.

Master the a section, eight bars, with main and passing chords, including G minor backwards inversion and E minor backwards inversion, and left-hand rhythms across bars 1–8 using keyboard diagrams.

Explore pedaling techniques for Gnossienne no. 1 and no. 2, practice holding through bars without passing chords, and pedaling twice for bars with passing chords in section 1, bars 1–8.

Explore the right hand triplet rhythm within a four-beat 4/4 pulse, showing how four groups of triplets align with the left-hand beats, including tied notes and counting or ear-based play.

Practice the right hand for the A section, match bars 1–4 to the sheet with fingering 3–4 and 2–3, and gradually play both hands together, noting left-hand chords.

Explore the B section (bars 9-14) of classics by ear, mastering left-hand chord shapes, right-hand melodic runs, and rhythm patterns while playing from memory and using sheet music for guidance.

practice the c section left-hand chords (bars 15–22) from the root a to f# inversions, with d minor middle inversion and c minor passing chord, using rhythm 1 and 2.

Practice the C section's right-hand run, a triplet-based melody starting on E with careful fingering over the F chord, then work hands together from memory.

Learn to execute the repeat sections in Gnossienne No.2, with B section repeats, last-bar changes to E over C, and A1 section repetition, finishing all 33 bars with memory-based practice.

Learn to add expression in Gnossienne No.2 by listening to performances and internalizing their phrasing. Keep the left hand light and the right hand dreamy.

Develop ear training by listening to Erik Satie's Gnossienne No. 3, exploring classic piano repertoire through attentive listening and expressive interpretation.

Divides Gnossienne No.3 into seven sections, 1 to 7, with cheat sheet for the right-hand melody and chord progression, and explains the rhythm with the second beat held for two.

Learn section 1, bars 1 to 7, with two bars a minor and two bars e minor, using Gnossienne No.1 left-hand rhythm; pedal, play hands together slowly to memorize melody.

practice section 2, bars 8–15, mastering the D minor–E backwards inversion in bars 8–11 and the D minor–A minor progression in bars 12–15, with careful left-hand chords and melody.

Transpose section 3’s pattern down the keyboard from a minor to e minor and practice the left-hand chords e minor, b minor, f# minor with a mirrored right-hand melody.

section 4 presents a seven-note scale melody repeated over four bars with a two-bar break, using left-hand e minor backwards inversion and b minor middle inversion.

Examine the dramatic grace-note section in section 5, with A minor and F minor inversions. Explore sections 6 and 7 (bars 39–54) with hands-together patterns, fingering tips, and expression guidance.

Join all seven sections to play the complete Erik Satie classics by ear, mastering seamless transitions across sections.

Learn to add expression to Gnossienne No. 3 using slurs, crescendos, and diminuendos. Aim for a flowing left hand and a telling right hand; listen to experts and own piece.