Archive for the years 2014 through the end of 2019

"Us, we are a burning fire. Burn, burn, burn!" Exciting words and with a tune to match, this piece serves double--actually triple--duty. It is a powerful song to sing and play, it comes from Africa, an underrepresented continent on this site, and it introduces I, IV and V7 chords in both hands in the key of F. Any way you look at it, "Thina Singu" is a valuable addition to the tunes on the site. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Seven more tunes join the five which began this booklet last month. In December you get The Bullock Cart Jolly Old St Nicholas Go Tell Aunt Rhodie Lazy Mary Lightly Row Largo, from Dvorak's New World Symphony Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms Level 1 of the series introduces C and G7 chords, F position, F and C7 chords, and next month will finish with G position. As I have written elsewhere, the dependence on hand positions has both good and bad points depending on how advanced the student is. If it is offensive to you, be patient until Level 2 where the hand position habit is slowly broken. Quite a bit of rearranging has been done here. Most of these selections have not been simply lifted from the Level 1 page and plopped inside the booklet. Since the overriding concern was to have a logical sequence of skills, many pieces were transposed, modified in other ways or taken from other levels. Write your comments at the facebook group.

This month you get a set of variations on the popular folk song, "My Hat It Has Three Corners" inspired by the Paganini variations on the same tune. Actually Paganini knew this tune as a Venetian song called "O Mamma, Mamma Cara" and entitled his variations "The Carnival of Venice." German and English versions may have evolved from the Paganini variations or possibly directly from the Venetian song. Your new variations are a great opportunity to review the C scale and the sound of a minor key. I hope you enjoy them! Write your comments at the facebook group.

Here is your next installment of the Selected Tunes series. You have already received installments from First Pieces and Primer Level. In an effort to build skills logically and progressively, there is more rearranging in this booklet than in previous ones, both in the musical sense and in the order of pieces. The tunes in your new installment introduce the 3-note C and G7 chords. Later installments will introduce F position--with F and C7 chords--and G position--with G and D7 chords. Write your comments at the facebook group.

This month you get a second Bagatelle by Diabelli. A Bagatelle is a short unpretentious piece in a light style. In non-musical contexts it might refer to a children's game or something of little importance (don't tell your students that!). In this bagatelle Diabelli made a melody out of broken chords in the right hand and persistent quarter-note chords and intervals in the left. A good piece for learning how to keep a steady beat. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Anton Diabelli Composer of at least two Bagatelles (actually a lot more)

In keeping with the international flavor of this site you are getting another Italian song which I learned as a boy. And in keeping with the skill-building purpose of the Selected Tunes series, I carefully placed this song near the end of Selected Tunes from Primer Level C. I have arranged almost all of "Al canto del cucù" in what might be called "Middle D position" or "Thumbs share D." In this booklet the student has previously played a brief shift up in the right hand (in Frère Jacques) and a brief shift down in the left hand (in Bahjai Kubo). Your new Selected Tunes booklet also prepares the student for the three note C and G7 chords which will appear in Level 1. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Finding easy classical pieces is always a pleasure for me! At this level the time signature of 3/8 may be an unfamiliar concept. I imagine Diabelli wrote it this way instead of in 3/4 because the piece should be played fast enough to be heard with one beat per measure. That is, he intended each beat to be a dotted quarter note long. A time signature of 3/4, instead, usually has three beats per measure with each beat a quarter note long. The difference is subtle and the student should be reassured that, despite the scary extra ink used for beaming, 3/8 is practically the same as 3/4. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Composer and music publisher, Anton Diabelli

Your new selected pieces include one big change in hand position, the drop in the left hand from "Thumbs Share C" to "C Position" (where finger 5 is an octave below middle C). There are other smaller shifts away from Middle C position as well, and these will continue in Primer Level C, available at the beginning of October. I hope you are finding these booklets of selected tunes to be useful! Write your comments at the facebook group.

Are you looking for a logical sequence for learning to play the piano using the many pieces I have posted? Do you want to learn or teach from this site with an eye to building skills systematically? Then the "Selected Pieces" series of booklets is designed for you. I have previously posted Selected Tunes from First Pieces, and for August I am giving you tunes selected from Primer Level A. Skills and concepts are listed in the Table of Contents and there is a definite order to the pieces, reinforced by numbers next to each title. One purpose of this site has been to provide supplementary material for students learning from traditional piano methods, but the pieces here can also be used as a teaching method themselves--with some guidance from a teacher. The "Selected Tunes" series is meant to help with this other new purpose. Write your comments at the facebook group.

With the completion of the slow mp3 playback columns in Level 2 every level now has this valuable teaching tool. Ironically your progress in learning these pieces will be faster when you can play along with a recording that is slower than your ultimate speed. Write your comments at the facebook group.

The Ó Colemáins are a wonderful family! When I went to Ireland last month they guided us through country paths, through hills and valleys and told us about the natural and human history of their country. Every once in a while they would play a traditional tune on a harmonica or tin whistle, or they would recite poetry or tell tales about their proud Irish heritage. The Irish song, "Wild Mountain Rose," is included here in honor of them. I want to mention too that Dubhaltach Ó Colemáin is a sculptor who obviously could not practice his art on the road with us. But he did show us pictures. As a thank you for Dubhaltach being such a delightful guide, I am asking you to take a look at his work for yourselves. Thank you Pol, Dubhaltach and Murchadh Ó Colemáin! Write your comments at the facebook group.

"Pop! Goes the Weasel" takes its place in the selected tunes "book" as a review of forte (loud), piano (soft) and the staccato dot (played as a short note). In addition it introduces 3/4 time and left hand over right. This unusual hand movement emphasizes the the loud short POP! in the last phrase. Should be fun! The tune is also available on the First Pieces page. Enjoy! Write your comments at the facebook group.

"The Harmonious Blacksmith" is the popular name of the final movement of George Frideric Handel's Suite No. 5 in E major for harpsichord. The movement's original name is the simpler and less evocative "Air and variations." The version you are getting this month is transposed to F major and with an augmented rhythm (that is, all eighths are written as quarters, all quarters written as halves and so on) to make it more readable for Level 4 pianists. Along with Bach's "Goldman Variations", "The Harmonious Blacksmith" is one of the most famous set of keyboard variations of the Baroque era. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Presented in a logical progression and with a Table of Contents which lists skills for each piece, you now have five more tunes in "Selected Tunes from First Pieces": Rain Rain Go Away Jingle Bells We Three Kings Shabbat Shalom Camptown Races As always in your new "book", the layout is updated to be easy and fun for your young students to read. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Whether you are a piano teacher or want to teach your own child, this booklet is for you. The pieces are carefully arranged to introduce concepts and skills in a systematic way, and each piece is labeled in the Table of Contents with the skill or concept to be mastered. Check out the new layouts and illustrations designed to pop out at your children's eyes, and look out for more material as it comes out every month! Write your comments at the facebook group.

The first lesson must get young students playing right away, and to do this this they need the basics--like the pattern of black and white keys, left and right hands, how to refer to each finger, high and low notes on the piano, and keeping a steady beat. "Down by the Station" provides one more piece, along with "Au Clair de la Lune" and "Chopsticks," to learn these concepts before introducing the staff. Write your comments at the facebook group.

On March 15, 2019, a gunman murdered 50 Muslims as they worshipped in their Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand. I can't help relating this horror to what we experienced in my neighborhood--in fact in my Jewish congregation--just last October in Pittsburgh. For April I give you a piece to commemorate the dead in this latest attack. Other pieces on this site from predominantly Islamic countries are: A Ram Sam Sam (Morocco) in Level 1A When I Wake/Bangun Tidur (Indonesia) in Level 2A The Egyptian National Anthem in Level 3A Lullaby/Yalla Tnam (Syria) in Level 3B The National Anthem of Indonesia in Level 3C

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When the poet Thomas Moore's young wife was stricken with an illness she worried that she would lose her looks. So Moore wrote the words to this song to reassure her that how she looked did not matter to him, that he would love her always. His words are a bit poetic and old fashioned so I put a simple explanation at the bottom of the page. The tune is a traditional Irish air. Write your comments at the facebook group.

This tune appears in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera, The Pirates of Penzance as part of the chorus, "With Cat-Like Tread." Years later the words "Hail! Hail! the gang's all here" were set to it by D. A. Esrom (the pseudonym of Theodora Morse). I chose to change the words yet again to make the song more contemporary-kid-friendly. BTW you have received three Level 1 pieces this month in an effort to augment this level's number of tunes. Somehow Level 1 has ended up with far fewer tunes than other levels. Enjoy!

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This is a great piece for practicing the dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythm--or as our friends across the pond call it, the dotted quaver-semiquaver rhythm. Take care to make the sixteenth note (semiquaver) nice and short, a real quarter of the duration of a quarter note (crotchet). Otherwise the rhythm will start sounding as if the beat is divided into threes, not fours. From BellsIrishLyrics.com: In this tune the singer's sweetheart has left Killarney for England and he is left longing in her absence. Here is some vocabulary for us non-Irish types: Erin - Irish word for Ireland. Mavourneen - my darling. Aroon - darling Bluff - cliff with a broad face Bray - hill May-flow'r (May Flower) - various plants that bloom in May. Colleen - Irish woman or girl Killarney - a town in County Kerry, in the south west of Ireland.

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Thinking in terms of hand positions is both good and bad for beginning students. Hand positions are great when trying to make sense of all 88 keys on the piano. If you are an absolute beginner, you need to narrow your focus somehow, otherwise all those keys can be overwhelming. Yet over-reliance on hand positions can be deadly in terms of learning how to read music. As a result many teachers have to walk a fine line in their teaching. Without a doubt, the hand position frame of mind must be broken early on, since it severely limits the notes which can be played. On these pages much of the transition out of strict hand positions is in Level 2. This is also the point at which students must study letter names on the staff in earnest. To ease the right hand out of G position when playing in the key of G, "A-Hunting We Will Go": - begins with right thumb on D and the right hand spanning a sixth - then the right hand moves to G position - and then in line 3, it shifts up one key. Write your comments at the facebook group.

This month you get a slightly more advanced version of this Italian song. The little girl in the Primer Level version (see last month's post) has grown into an attractive young woman by virtue of the addition of a slow second section. Now the singer falls in love with the one he has seen dancing so quickly and skillfully. You will enjoy trying your hand at this new more grown-up version.
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Now play along with a slow version of your Level One pieces! Before you play up to speed it is very important to get the rhythm correct...and, let's face it, it's hard to remember the rhythm that your teacher demonstrated at your last lesson, isn't it? Now with a smart phone it is easier than ever to play along and check out your rhythm and notes before your next lesson. To get a slow audio playback, click the green dot in the column with the turtle and a blue .mp3 symbol. Write your comments at the facebook group.

A smile comes over my face as I think of this song--so full of energy, so happy! Play this song quickly like a little dancer flying across the room (or stage). The original song has a contrasting second section--see the accompanying videos--which I have not included here. One day I may arrange another version with this second, darker--even seductive!--part, but for now you simply have a piece about a young girl having fun dancing around. Have fun playing it!

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A piece that just sounds good! Other publications call this piece a "Sweet Melody", but I just thought that that name did not capture the joy of eating a good, sweet, yummy treat. Since the composer, Louis Köhler simply called "Melody" and others had given it a completely new name, I felt free to give it my own new name, "Cotton Candy." Is it as sweet as the name implies? Play it and see. Write your comments at the facebook group.

This Basque lullaby is said to be from the 16th century and was most probably brought to New Mexico by Basque immigrants coming with the Spanish explorers. The Basques are an ancient culture of people who live in the western Pyrenees Mountains in modern day Spain and France. Although this lullaby was collected from Basque people in New Mexico in 1932, it is sung in Castilian Spanish, rather than the original Basque language. This tune makes for a wonderful Christmas carol when sung as a lullaby for the baby Jesus.

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A song for the Jewish sabbath! Shabbat is the Hebrew word for Sabbath, and Shalom means peace. Shabbat Shalom is a common greeting on Friday evening or throughout the day until evening on Saturday. So when you say, "Shabbat Shalom" you are wishing someone peace on the Sabbath or wishing them the peace that the Sabbath itself brings. The First Pieces version has the part of the song with the most memorable melody, one which opens with three syncopated notes. The version in Level 1 adds a part with an insistent repeated note usually sung in a higher register but arranged here in a lower octave for simplicity. And finally people often sing a third part with the nonsense syllables, "Bim bam" but this third section does not appear in either of your new arrangements. Pictured to the left are the ritual bread (Challah), candles and wine for Friday night's Sabbath dinner. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Just a fun song and dance! A favorite at parties throughout the English speaking world, it is known in England as the "Hokey Cokey." Regarding copyright issues, the Wikipedia article for this music begins by saying, "Despite several claims of a recent invention, numerous variants of the song exist going back centuries. Some scholars found similar dances and lyrics dating back to the 17th century. One of the earlier variants, with a very similar dance to the modern one, is found in Robert Chambers' Popular Rhymes of Scotland from 1826." Not surprisingly the article later states, "In the United Kingdom the hokey cokey is regarded as a traditional song and is therefore free of copyright restrictions." However, despite these two assertions the article's copyright section concludes (with no explanation): "In the United States, Sony/ATV Music Publishing controls 100% of the publishing rights to the 'hokey pokey.'" I am sorry to have to post this long paragraph, but I believe that many times our copyright laws restrict creativity rather than promote it. Write your comments at the facebook group.

The first three pieces of Gurlitt's opus 140 make a perfect set. Like a sonatina, the order of movements is fast, slow, fast with a rhythmic fanfare for the first movement--the March--a contemplative second movement--"Morning Song"--and a playful last movement--literally from the German, "Cheerful Sky", but usually translated "Bright is the Sky". You also get an easy to play mp3 audio clip of these pieces despite that the fact that the other audio clips in Intermediate Level 2 are in the less widely used MIDI format. Write your comments at the facebook group.

In 1850, Stephen Foster married Jane Denny McDowell, whose nickname was "Jennie." The marriage was short-lived, however, as the pair suffered numerous conflicts and ultimately separated in 1853. Perhaps in an attempt to win back his wife, Foster composed "Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair" in 1854. The opening texts of each stanza support the speculation that the song was written with Jane in mind: "I dream of Jeanie" (verse one); "I long for Jeanie" (verse two); and "I sigh for Jeanie" (verse three). Although the song remains one of Foster's most beloved parlor ballads, it was not commercially successful. It was virtually unknown during its time and the initial ten thousand copies sold earned Foster only just over $200 in royalties. Foster, who experienced financial difficulty through most of his career, had to sell the rights to "Jeanie" to make ends meet.                          ---from Wikipedia Write your comments at the facebook group.

Chords really are the essence of music. Even a one line melody must be based on an underlying set of chords. Otherwise it just sounds like a mess. So when I thought of "Good Morning" it struck me that the I, IV and V7 chords are so clear and the melody so easily fingered that I had to make a semi-exercise out of it. Practice this piece in all six keys--the pdf you are receiving is actually 6 pages long, one page per key. As you improve your skills you will be glad you did. Write your comments at the facebook group.

"Little Sir Echo" is the next step in a sequence of exercise/pieces on this site. First there are "Lazy Mary", "A-Tisket A-Tasket" and "The Irish Washerwoman" in Level 2A which give you practice with I and V7 chords. Then there is "Good Morning" (see above) which adds the IV chord. Now "Little Sir Echo" adds a new hand position for the right hand. In this piece, written out in six keys, the little finger of your right hand is on the key-note (otherwise known as "do", scale degree one, or tonic), while the thumb stretches down slightly to the note a sixth below. If anyone has a nice short name for this hand position please tell us on our facebook page. All the names I can think of are long and cumbersome. Extra points if your submission is alliterated!

"La donna è mobile" (Woman is fickle) is the Duke of Mantua's song from Verdi's opera Rigoletto. Before the opera's first public performance (in Venice), the song was rehearsed under tight secrecy: a necessary precaution, as "La donna è mobile" proved to be incredibly catchy, and soon after the song's first public performance it became popular to sing among Venetian gondoliers.       ---from Wikipedia        Write your comments at the facebook group.

This song is best known as the counterpoint to "Pick a Little, Talk a Little" from the musical, The Music Man. Listen to the second video on this page. My admiration goes out to Meredith Willson, the composer of The Music Man. Though he did not make up "Good Night Ladies," the smooth sustained notes of this song provide a delightful contrast with the short, staccato notes of Willson's original "Pick a Little, Talk a Little". There are two parts to "Goodnight, Ladies," often performed separately. One part is "Merrily We Roll Along" to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" while the other part is in the sheet music you are just now receiving. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Play this quickly and have fun with it! There are lots of eighth notes which, at a good tempo can go by quite quickly. Be careful though, many of these eighths are shifted down one key from the usual C position in the right hand. Good practice for breaking reliance on hand positions. By the way, Barney (yes, PBS's Barney) sings an alphabet song which is based on "Polly Wolly Doodle." Write your comments at the facebook group.

Il y a deux chansons avec le nom "Belle rose du printemps." Ici vous avez la chanson que j'ai appris de ma mère, la chanson de la Val d'Aoste en Italie. J'ai trouvé seulement une vidéo avec cette mélodie. C'est une vidéo d'un choeur de Milan qui chant avec un fort accent Italien! There are two songs called "Belle rose du printemps." ('The Lovely Rose of Spring"). Here you have the song I learned from my mother, the song from Val d'Aosta in Italy. I found only one video of this melody. It's a video of a choir from Milan which sings with a strong Italian accent! Write your comments at the facebook group.

Wasn't it nice when "classical" music was tonal? When we could understand the emotions conveyed? When we wrote in a key? Nostalgia Waltz was my answer to the angst produced by atonality in so many people. Of course others have done it better than I. Listen to Terry Riley's "In C" or Charles Ives' music where tonality appears in a twentieth century context. In any case try my stab at an advanced piece in a romantic style. (Let's face it, the pieces in Intermediate 4 are for advanced pianists, not intermediate.) I hope you like it. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Written for the absolute beginner this arrangement has no staff lines on the page and is played on the black keys of the keyboard. This piece uses the notation in the beginning of the Alfred and Bastien childrens' methods. Perfect for a child's first lesson! Write your comments at the facebook group.

"Casey Jones" is the true story of a brave engineer who, while racing his train to stay on schedule, saw another train stalled directly in front of him. Instead of saving his own life by jumping out of the locomotive, as his fireman did, Casey Jones stayed on board to slow his train down and save the lives of his passengers. His death elevated him to an American legend. Here is another piece with the right pinky on the root--in this case G--and the thumb on the third--on B a 6th below. Despite the key of G, the left hand spends most of its time in the ever-familiar C position. Write your comments at the facebook group.

What a surprise! This innocent children's song from Ruth Crawford Seeger's book seems to have originated from the hard physical labor of a work song. Compare the words and tune of "Goodbye, Julie" to Leadbelly's rendition of "Julianne Johnson." They are very similar, but for one thing, some of the rests in "Goodbye, Julie" were originally grunts from workers using sledgehammers, clearly audible in Leadbelly's "Julianne Johnson". Interesting... Write your comments at the facebook group.

There are many versions from many countries, but this song seems to have originated somewhere in the British Isles. Surprising since the refrain is clearly in French. I understand that there were times when the French language was considered sophisticated to the English, the Irish and Scots, and maybe the inclusion of French words has something to do with that. Someone should make up a name for a hand position in which the right hand pinky (finger 5) is on the root of the chord and the thumb is on the third. It's so common! In any event the right hand in this piece remains in this position for quite a while. The student should be familiar with a meter in 6/8 as well. Play quickly with two dotted-quarter-note beats per measure and with gusto. This is a song to celebrate friends! Write your comments at the facebook group.

Here is a fourth piece from Ruth Crawford Seeger's collection of children's songs--see the other three below with your music from January. Like the others I set it for Primer Level in Thumbs Share C position. Some explanation will probably be needed for the "Da Capo al Fine" instruction. For those of you working on your own, this Italian phrase at the end of the written music means to go back to the beginning, play the first part again and then end on the word "Fine." "Fine" (pronounced "fee-neh") means "end" in Italian and it is where we get the English word "finished." Write your comments at the facebook group.

These three songs are from a collection published by Ruth Crawford Seeger called American Folk Songs for Children. Ruth Crawford Seeger was a classical composer, the stepmother of the famous folk singer Pete Seeger and the wife of famed musicologist Charles Seeger. Pete's half brother and sister, Mike and Peggy Seeger later recorded the whole collection. and Pete independently also recorded some selections. American music owes a debt of gratitude to the whole remarkable Seeger family. I chose these songs because they are short and have a range which can be easily arranged for beginning pianists. All are in thumbs share C position--otherwise known as "middle C position." Let these pieces help you into a happy and musical 2018! Write your comments at the facebook group.

Full of vitality, what an exciting example of Russian culture! Start the piece softly and gradually build to the D minor chord in the second phrase. This is a very easy Level 4, certainly within reach if you are used to playing tunes from Level 3. You might recognize this tune as the theme to the video game, Tetris. But don't take the life out of it and play it like a computer! Once you have built up the volume, play confidently and strong! Write your comments at the facebook group.

John Henry is an African American folk hero who worked on the railroad. As a steel driver John Henry would help dig tunnels by making holes in the rock to put explosives in. When John Henry's boss got a steam powered hammer to do the job, John Henry took on the machine in a classic man vs machine race. Though John Henry won the race, he died from exertion with his hammer in his hand. Your new music reflects the power of John Henry's hammer strokes with low, steady and loud notes in the left hand. The melody on top of this hard driving bass is a variation on several performances, none of which are very similar to each other. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Your October music is from Moravia, a region in the southeast of The Czech Republic. Marcie van Cleave teaches a folk dance to this tune and I have had the privilege of learning this dance from her at a recent workshop. Here is her translation of the words to the first verse: Little cherries, little cherries, cherries You spilled and scatted all over the road. Whoever finds you will pick you up, Last night I had a lover. Write your comments at the facebook group.

"Rock of Ages" is the name of well known hymns in both Jewish and Christian traditions. The words and music are completely different for each religion, though in both the image of the rock conveys God's strength and durability --and maybe also the strength and durability of the singer's faith.

The Christian Hymn, in Level 3A, asks a rock to split open, "to cleave," so the singer can hide and be cleansed inside. The piano arrangement you are getting requires good reading skills for the right hand, as it never remains in one position for very long. In contrast the left hand remains in C position throughout and includes a few arpeggiated C and G7 chords. Write your comments at the facebook group.

The Jewish version, in Primer Level B, is a hymn often sung after lighting the Hanukkah candles. (There is another arrangement in Intermediate Level 2). The hymn recalls the many times when Jewish communities were saved from the people around them. Only the fifth stanza tells of the Maccabean victory that is commemorated by Hanukkah. This tune has a wide range, necessitating one note to be changed in your new arrangement. The second note, normally sung as a D, has been changed to F-sharp. We hope traditionalists are not offended! Write your comments at the facebook group.

Sousa composed this march on Christmas Day, 1896. He was on an ocean liner on his way home from a vacation with his wife in Europe and had just learned of the recent death of the manager of the Sousa Band. He composed the march in his head and committed the notes to paper on arrival in the United States. It was first performed at Willow Grove Park, just outside Philadelphia, on May 14, 1897, and was immediately greeted with enthusiasm. Its trio is the most famous part of the march [and the one you are receiving this month --GDB]. Piccolo players play the famous obbligato in the first repeat of the trio. See the third video here.             --from Wikipedia Write your comments at the facebook group.

Mp3's are now the standard audio format, so you are getting more and more music with this kind of playback. However the heading of this section is a bit exaggerated: not ALL pieces on the site have mp3 playback. There are still pieces in Intermediate Levels 2, 3 and 4 which have midi playback instead of.mp3, but these pieces are not frequently downloaded. Consider mp3 playback a practice tool. Teachers frequently help their students by playing along with them at a lesson. Use these mp3's to bring the same experience to the privacy of your own home. Write your comments at the facebook group.

This song reminds me of my Uncle Eugene who loved to hike in the Alps. It expresses the joy of walking up mountains and through valleys, something I myself was lucky enough to experience in Italy and Switzerland. Contrary to popular belief this German tune is not a folk song. It was written by Friedrich-Wilhelm Möller (with lyrics by Florenz Friedrich Sigismund) shortly after World War II. I hope you enjoy your new piano piece! Write your comments at the facebook group.

Now if you are playing music from these levels you can listen to a slow version on your smart phone, whether on an iPhone or an Android. Just use your browser to navigate to the your level and click the green circle below the mp3 and the "cute turtle" icons. Then practice on your keyboard as you listen! (Note: This slow .mp3 playback has been available in other levels and I hope to eventually bring it to all pieces on the site. Also, .mp3's of the left and right hands alone have been added to many pieces in Level 3C.) Write your comments at the facebook group.

In the US, popular music was distributed--before the internet, before mp3's, before CD's, before LP's, before 78's, before cylinders--before all those media, pop music was distributed by something called "sheet music." (Amazing! We still have sheet music on this site! There's something that feels like closing a circle here.) Anyhow the publishers of this sheet music were part of a business called Tin Pan Alley, a music business as big as any group of record labels would ever become. Into this highly competitive world, in 1902 George Evans and Red Shields submitted "In the Good Old Summer Time." At first rejected because publishers thought people would lose interest when summertime was over, the song eventually became a great success. Of course it didn't hurt that it was included in the popular musical comedy, "The Defenders." Write your comments at the facebook group.

"'Sumer Is Icumen In' is the oldest English song in existence," my Music History professor proclaimed. Maybe he meant the oldest round. Regardless, it can't be denied that it is very old indeed. It was written down in the mid-13th century and the words are in middle English: Sumer is icumen in, Loude sing cuckou! Groweth seed and bloweth meed, And springth the wode now. Sing cuckou! I have updated the words a bit--hence my title, "Summer is A-Comin' In." Have your students play this as a round! Any number of performers can play on the same piano in different octaves. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Level 2 in general coaxes the student away from the fixed hand positions in previous levels. Thus "Home on the Range" challenges the student to move the left hand from "C position" (finger 5 on C) to "Thumbs Share C" (thumb on middle C), while the right hand moves from "C position" (thumb on C) to the keys just to the left (thumb on B). As teachers can testify, requiring the hand to wander around like this makes reading challenging for students who depend on a certain finger belonging to a certain key. If I wanted to be cute I would relate the hands wandering around the keyboard to the cowboys wandering around the open range--but I think I'll pass :-) Thanks for visiting and enjoy your new piece! Write your comments at the facebook group.

Freda Bedi, Lahore 1942

What a remarkable woman! Born in England, Freda Bedi married an Indian and spent most of her adult life on the subcontinent. She was active in India's freedom movement and was the first British woman to serve a six-month internment in Lahore jail. She went on to work with Tibetan refugees and converted to Buddhism. In 1965, she became the first European woman to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun. Here's the origin of the rhymes in this month's music: When Bedi's first son Ranga was a baby, she realized that she did not know any rhymes for him which incorporated his surroundings, activities and festivals. So she simply set about writing her own. She later wrote to her son, "These rhymes grew up with you, Ranga, and they grew out of you, because it was sometimes the little words you said, and the nonsense songs you sang, that quickened something in me and gave them birth."

First, "Riding Round the Well" in Level 3A! ... A boy rides behind buffalo who lift water out of a well to irrigate his crops. The buffalo go around and around the well turning what is called a Persian wheel. Each little bucket on the wheel scoops up some water from the well and then dumps it down into an irrigation ditch.

A Persian wheel

A bullock cart

... AND ALSO for April: "The Bullock Cart"     in First Pieces, A, and in Level 1B! Little Ranga loved to ride in the bullock cart! After the train carrying his family arrived at the station in his home town, the luggage would be placed on the cart. Ranga would sit on the bags and trunks inside the bullock cart, bouncing up and down all the way home. Write your comments at the facebook group.

A wild Irish jig, this fiddle tune is to be played quickly and enthusiastically. Like "Lazy Mary", also in Level 2A, "The Irish Washerwoman" is good practice for I and V7 chords in the left hand. If these chords are not yet second nature to you in the keys of C, D, F and G, and if you enjoy the challenge of speed and a few out-of-position notes, then this new piece is for you. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Your second free piece this month is also from Ireland. In fact it has become the unofficial anthem of Ireland's capital city, Dublin. The words tell the story of poor Molly Malone, a young woman hawking her cockles and mussels from her wheelbarrow. The last verse says that her ghost still roams the streets of Dublin crying, "Cockles and muscles alive, alive oh." Write your comments at the facebook group.

Now you can quickly find a song from the country you happen to be interested in. Each country's songs are arranged according to skill level, so you don't have to wade through an alphabetical list to find just the right one for you or your students. Coming soon will be a list of songs by religion which will include those for relitious holidays. Accordingly these have not been included in the national list you get this month. Hispanic songs are shared by so many countries that for now they are all listed under Mexico. Use this index frequently to get a feel for cultures around the world! Write your comments at the facebook group.

Take advantage of a technical glitch! There are some technical difficulties with payments for my original pieces. So for a LIMITED TIME, you will be able to access them for free. Fixing the problem will take a few weeks, maybe a month (I hope not 2!) so go ahead and download my compositions for free while you can! Write your comments at the facebook group.

This version of "A Sailor Went to Sea" lets you share the fun with an easy duet part. Your new piece is short and easily memorized for friends to play and sing together. Teachers, assign this to siblings and friends, or switch off parts between yourself and your students. To make the piece longer, repeat it taking turns soloing, changing octaves and dynamics. Be creative, have fun and have a Happy, Happy New Year! Write your comments at the facebook group.

painting by Gebhard Fugel

"Va, pensiero", by Giuseppe Verdi, is inspired by Psalm 137 which recalls the story of Jewish exiles in Babylon after the loss of the First Temple in Jerusalem. The opera with its powerful chorus established Verdi as a major composer in 19th-century Italy. Psalm 137 is also the inspiration for the painting to the left and the round, "By the Waters of Babylon" which concludes, "we lay down and wept for the Zion." Verdi was a popular leader in the movement to unify Italy and much of his music reflects his patriotism. This chorus has been proposed several times to be the Italian National Anthem, and the line, "O mia patria" (Oh my fatherland) resonates deeply with Italians. Write your comments at the facebook group.

This site was taken down for a while following the recent US election. It was important that everybody take a break from business as usual to reflect on the outcome. We must always remember that there are people less fortunate than us. For some of them access to a piano or keyboard or piano music are irrelevant luxuries. This site was down to remind us that: It is more important to be kind than to play the piano It is more important to understand people who differ from us than it is to play the piano It is more important to help others who are in need than it is to play the piano

If you see powerful people making statements or even laws that seem to harm people of a certain race or religion, you need to think very carefully. Learn about these people. Maybe you could play the songs they sing which are on this site. My family was forced to leave their home because of laws like these. That should never happen again, and we should be kind to people who were forced to leave their homes because of violence or because they were too poor.

You can think of "Steal Away to Jesus" as a gospel tune, an African American Spiritual or a Hymn. In any case it seems clear that, whatever the prevalent meaning is now, stealing away to Jesus was originally a metaphor for slaves stealing away to freedom. Your thumbs will share middle C in this piece, but unlike "thumbs share C" position finger 2 will be on E (not D), 3 will be on F (not E) and so on. It may take some practice for your third finger to refrain from playing its note when your eyes see an E on the staff. Write your comments at the facebook group.

"De Colores" celebrates the colors of the great out of doors. In the first verse the singer exclaims,     "In colors the fields are dressed in the spring.     In colors are the little birds that come from outside.     In colors is the rainbow that we see shining." The next verse marvels at the calls of the rooster, the hen and the chicks. Wikipedia also explains, "Today, in addition to being used as the unofficial anthem of the Farm Worker Movement and as an inspirational song in Cursillo workshops [retreats of a Christian religious movement], the song is often taught in schools in the United States as an example of a common Mexican folk song." Write your comments at the facebook group.

Our guest composer, Cori Jackson writes, "My young students always ask for Halloween music and there just aren't many songs out there, so I started making a few of my own." She also wrote us a piano accompaniment. Thank you Cori! Write your comments at the facebook group.

A cute twenty-first century android tries to keep up with the gang, all portrayed in a mid-twentieth century style of music. Unexpected sharps and flats in the melody suggest other-worldly obstacles for the struggling robot to contend with. ...Learn yet another DeBenedetti original! Write your comments at the facebook group.

This is the same music you have come to know and love now displayed with the colors you have found so useful. What a great piece for teaching balance! The steady eighth note accompaniment is all light blue (soft) while the melody has colors indicating louder dynamics and shading. As with all color coded pieces, print with the best quality (or photo quality) to see the gradations in color. Write your comments at the facebook group.

"The Old Gray Mare" will be a fun way to familiarize yourself with F position, with left pinky and right thumb anchored on F's. Remember this tune during some silly antics in old cartoons? "Free Piano Music!", until Level 3A, has provided you with only a few pieces in this position-- Au Clair de la Lune, Simple Gifts, the second part of We Three Kings, and À la claire fontaine --partly because modern method books have de-emphasized F position. Yet F position is a great introduction to scalewise passages such as those in Deck the Halls, Arroz con Leche, A Mighty Fortress is our God, and Joy to the World. After all, when you arrive at the top of the C major scale you're actually in F position, the one difference being that the C scale has no B-flats while pieces in F position usually do have B-flats. Beware, forgetting this B-flat is a common error, so remember: all B's are flat in "The Old Gray Mare"! Write your comments at the facebook group.

If you want to hear more in the music you love, "Hear That Music!" provides you with the practice you need. This unique flash card app plays real music performed by live musicians and quizzes you on the aural identification of musical concepts in the excerpt: What interval was that at the end of the phrase? What scale degree was the last note? What meter is the excerpt in? No sterile isolated tones. No chords divorced from their musical phrases. Hear that Music! helps you with the real musical skill of listening to real music. Write your comments at the facebook group.

This Yom Kippur song is for you to sing and play with the children in your family and synagogue. It refers to feelings of guilt and forgiveness, feelings which are at once serious but natural and appropriate for young children. Central to the words is the hope that the child will "get a new chance this year." Write your comments at the facebook group.

Now if you are beyond primer level (see the arrangement described below) you can still enjoy playing this exciting piece. You will never leave C position though your hands will also be moving up to an A and down to a B. It's also a bit longer than the Primer Level version. For additional background about this song, see the blurb below. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Originally a traditional dance from the Mexican state of Veracruz, this music became wildly popular in 1958 when it was recorded by Richie Valens. Valens was proud of his Mexican heritage and wanted to share his music with the rest of the world. According to Wikipedia, "Valens' version of 'La Bamba' is ranked number 354 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It is the only song on the list sung in a language other than English." When danced, the fast and continuous stamping of the feet, the insistent and repetitive chord pattern and the women's full and showy white dresses combine to make an exciting spectacle. In addition wedding couples often use their footwork to tie a symbolic bow with their feet. See both Richie Valens' version from a movie by the same name, and the traditional dance in these videos. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Right before Clementi's famous first sonatina of Opus 36 you will find a new piece explaining the mysteries of sonata form. In "It's Sonata Form Fun" colors are used to identify the four large divisions of sonata form (including the Coda) and an extra bonus page is provided illustrating the subdivisions. My original piece is designed to be the standard textbook sonata form, knowing full well that most sonata forms in the literature have variations. Compare this piece to the first movement of the Clementi. Can you find the sectional divisions in this piece as well? Write your comments at the facebook group.

What a fun song for kids! Each time you repeat it, play the first part softer and the last part louder. The score suggests three times, but it can be repeated as many times as you want. If you do many repetitions, the first part can eventually be played by lightly tapping the keys with no sound at all while the last part can be played super-duper loud--try also playing the end an octave or two lower! Write your comments at the facebook group.

This month your free sheet music adds to your already numerous songs from outside the United States. Thanks again to mamalisa.com. for the songs and the inspiration. The Mexican song, "Arroz con leche," or "Rice Pudding" is arranged in the keys of F and G, though--watch out!--the hands are not in the beginner's F and G positions. Some serious note reading is needed here, so make sure you (or your students) know the notes on the staff. Play the version in F, play the version in G or play them both! Write your comments at the facebook group.

	Listen to this beautiful lullaby with its long improvisatory introduction. The actual tune as transcribed in your sheet music begins at 0:40. This piece is your perfect introduction to 16th note (semiquaver) rhythms. With easy steady octaves in the left hand, the right hand can concentrate on the frequent two-sixteenth-eighth rhythms, and the one instance of one-eighth-two-sixteenths. Here's a fun way to learn these rhythms! Each rhythm on the right has a word under it. Chanting these words for the first two measures of this piece results in naming these pies:      "Chocolate pie, pumpkin pie,       Chocolate pumpkin, pumpkin pie." And the last measure would be,      "strawberry pumpkin, pumpkin pie."
Write your comments at the facebook group.

Folk song or written by a known composer? Apparently "The Bluebells of Scotland" is both: "The song ... was written by the actress Dorothea (Dora) Jordan. ... Originally named The Blue Bell of Scotland (a tangential reference to an inn mentioned in the song) it was quickly adopted into the folk tradition and rechristened after the Scottish flower." (notAmos Performing Editions) If you enjoy pieces which are early in Level 3 or in late Level 2, you should give "The Bluebells of Scotland" a try. Written in the key of F, the right hand mostly plays outside of what we like to call F position. It's great practice for reading notes! Make sure you review the names of the notes in treble clef! Write your comments at the facebook group.

Grazie, Claudio, per quest' arrangiamento così bello e facile. Ho aggiunto parole in inglese e in italiano in due pagine .pdf separate. In questo duetto, cantato da Don Giovanni e la contadina Zerlina, il signore Don Giovanni riesce a far Zerlina seguirlo alla sua villa. Zerlina, già fidanzata con Masetto, non può stare fedele mentre questo Don sta cantando così sinceramante e così bene per lei. Thank you, Claudio, for this beautiful and simple arrangement. I have added words in English and Italian in two separate .pdf pages. In this duet, sung by Don Giovanni and the peasant girl Zerlina, the noble Don Giovanni succeeds in making Zerlina follow him to his villa. Zerlina, already engaged to Masetto, can't remain faithful to her fiancee while this Don is singing so sincerely and so well to her. Write your comments at the facebook group.

This old English song first made its appearance in print in 1548. Over the years many words have been put to the tune, but they all involve a frog proposing marriage to a mouse who must in turn ask her Uncle Rat's consent (or "she would not marry the president"). As part of my old "SingAlong" collection you also get guitar chords and quite a few verses--19 in all! Enjoy learning this song and playing and singing it with friends! Also, you can now download mp3 audio files for all pieces in Level 3A, including slow playback, and hands separately. You can get announcements like this from the facebook group. which is associated with this site. Write your comments at the facebook group.

I love the way you can hear Jacob climbing higher and higher as this song ascends in pitch. Reinforce Jacob's climb by playing the first part--with low notes--softly, and play the middle part--with high notes--loudly. "Jacob's ladder" is a spiritual which draws a parallel in the ladder's steps, representing the upcoming exiles of the Jews, with the tribulations of American slavery. I have two videos of this song. Listen to how different they are. Write your comments at the facebook group.

This Christmas standard is a thrilling piece of music no matter how many times you hear it. The loud and proud opening statement of the theme, the contrast between full four part harmony and the single line singing "For the Lord God omnipotent...", and the dramatic pause near the end, all combine to make a perfect show-off Christmas piece. If you watch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing "Hallelujah" you will notice that the soloists and audience stand up as it begins. The story behind this custom is that when the King of England first heard it, he felt the presence of God so strongly that he had to stand, just as a royal subject would be expected to stand in front of his sovereign. Then when the audience saw the king rise, they were all compelled to rise as well, out of respect for their own king. Write your comments at the facebook group.

The second page of this version pops out with notes of contrasting colors as they reflect extremes in dynamics. This page is a variation of the tune which had been presented more traditionally on page one with no contrasting colors. Enjoy this new color coded version of an ever-popular song. Write your comments at the facebook group.

The judge has ruled "Happy Birthday to You" is in the public domain! Now you can download three arrangements at three different levels from this site. Finally all legal, and all brought to you here before any of the traditional publishing houses can get them to the stores. Teachers, make a habit of assigning these versions every time a student's birthday rolls around. They'll love playing it! Write your comments at the facebook group.

A song strongly identified with Scotland, this nostalgic tune tells of a time when two lovers would meet on the banks of lovely Loch (or Lake) Lomond. Though the narrator and his comrade take the high and low roads back to Scotland, he knows all too well that he will never see his love again. Loch Lomond itself is a lake in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands, and it is just as beautiful now as it was when the song was first sung. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Like my "Sonatina Piccolina" in Level 1C, this gavotte will appeal to beginners who want to play serious classical and baroque music, but have no sheet music appropriate to their level. A gavotte is a French dance used commonly in Bach's suites. It can be identified as having a pick-up consisting of two staccato quarter notes in 4/4. Look for it in Keyboard Classics even though it's newly composed. Write your comments at the facebook group.

image from www.classicfm.com

Now that all pieces pieces have color coded dynamics in Intermediate Level 1 and in Keyboard Classics, I am beginning to do color coding in Level 4. Click the green dot in column 2 under this symbol in Level 4C: Write your comments at the facebook group.

So why use a key signature with a C sharp in it when C's are consistently made natural? Good question! Some arrangers in fact would notate this piece, with the very same pitches, with just one sharp, F, in the key signature. The sticky point here is that "Old Joe Clark" does not use a regular scale. Clearly D's are important here--the first and last chords are D and the last note of the melody is D. But a D scale normally has a C-sharp, and this piece just as clearly does not. Actually "Old Joe Clark" is in what is called the "Mixolydian mode," a fancy term for a major scale with the seventh note (in this case C-sharp) lowered by a half-step (in the case to C-natural). So I could have used a key signature of F-sharp only, but there is also something to be said for always associating one sharp with G as the key note and two sharps with D as the key note. With a piece at this level piece I thought it was important to reinforce those associations. So that's what I did. There you go. Oh yeah! It's also a lot of fun to play! My music theory nerd alter-ego kind of took over there. Sorry :-) Write your comments at the facebook group.

With this month's addition of color coded dynamics in "For Michelle" by Ken Allen and "Minuet in G minor" from the notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach, all the pieces in Intermediate Level 1 are available with colored notes. If you add the pieces in Keyboard Classics, there are now a grand total of 31 pieces with colorful reminders of the importance of dynamics. If you as a teacher agree that many students at this ability level need cues which are more obvious that the traditional "mp", "ff" "cresc.", hairpins and so on, then download these pieces and give them a try! Remember to set your printer quality to "best" or "photo." These settings are needed to print the gradations in color which denote crescendos and diminuendos. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Now you can download "Arctic Nights" for free if you choose the version with color coded dynamics. Although I ask you to pay for most of my original pieces, there are a few exceptions. I decided to offer this one for free because I am so excited about the idea of color coded dynamics. By the way, if any teachers see positive results among their students about their use of dynamics with my color coded pieces, please tell us. Write your comments at the facebook group.

These words seem to be everywhere that new parents might look. I have seen them on plaques, picture frames and pillows. So why not in song? I made up the music to this sentimental poem when my own children were very young, and a copy still hangs in our third floor hall. The words are from the last stanza of Ms Hamilton's poem:    "Cleaning and scrubbing can wait 'til tomorrow,    For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow,    So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep,    I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep." Write your comments at the facebook group.

"Teachers: Now your students can play all three movements of this sonatina with color coded dynamics. As they progress through early intermediate repertoire your students should not have to rely as heavily on you for expressive interpretations. Yet it is so hard to get them to play dynamics on their own! Believe me, I know from my own teaching experience! So this set of color coded pieces is the result of an effort to prod them along as they begin to make musical decisions by themselves. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Mi dispiace che c'era un errore sulla pagina "Intermediate Level 1" il mese scorso. C'era un "bottone" per "Quel mazzolin'..." con colori che non funzionava. Adesso il bottone funziona e ho scritto "Nuovo!" la sopra.

This popular and lively children's song is derived from an African-American spiritual called "When the Chariot Comes." The "she" in the original song referred to the chariot which the returning Christ is imagined as driving. This month I am giving you two versions of "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain." In Level 2 the hand position is close to "thumbs share C", except that the left thumb is on B. In Level 3 the key is G, but only partly in G position. Download whichever is appropriate for you and play for (fellow) children! Write your comments at the facebook group.

"Get away from me, fly! You're annoying!" No need to read more into this song which has become a favorite among children in the United States. However, there has been a more serious side for some people who have sung this song: For instance during the Spanish-American War it was sung by US troops for whom flies were a serious health hazard--more than just bothersome. Fortunately for us, however, the song is also just plain fun! Write your comments at the facebook group.

You now can download these color coded scores: Beethoven's "Romanze" from his Sonatina in G, Handel's "He Shall Feed his Flock" actually arranged by me, "Shepherd's Wife Waltz" an old time fiddle tune, and the well known "Minuet in G" from the Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach. This brings to a total of eleven color coded pieces in Intermediate 1. In addition, all 14 pieces in Keyboard Classics are available with colors for a grand total of 25 pieces on this site. Where else are you going to find dynamics, this often neglected element, so clearly notated? Remember to set your printer to BEST QUALITY or PHOTO QUALITY to print these scores. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Now you--or your students--can play this simple arrangement on the piano for your little ones. Be sure to play an octave higher than written. It's more soothing that way. This was my favorite song as I was coaxing my own children to sleep. I enjoyed improvising on the simple V I harmony as I lengthened each phrase and slowed the tempo until my child slowly went off to dreamland. Now I am lucky enough to sing this for my grandchildren, inserting "Nonno" (Italian for Grandpa) for "Papa". Write your comments at the facebook group.

For February I have given you color coded scores for "Humming" and "Melody", from Schumann's Album for the Young, Op. 68, as well as Gurlitt's "Novelette". With these contributions you have available to you almost half of the pieces in Intermediate Level 1 as color coded scores. Remember to set your printer to BEST QUALITY or PHOTO QUALITY to print these scores. Write your comments at the facebook group.

The stirring melody of these two songs originated in religious camp town meetings in the United States. A true folk melody, there is no known composer and it underwent many variations as it was transmitted by rote from one person to another. Eventually during the Civil War, it was set to lyrics about the abolitionist, John Brown, and later still to the two sets of lyrics you are receiving this month. These two pieces are from an old collection of mine called "Sing Along Songs" which provided beginning accompaniments specifically for singers. Accordingly you will find many verses, guitar chords, and closer attention to the vocal range than in your usual pieces on this site. Write your comments at the facebook group.

Here are four pieces edited for you so that the color of the notes reflects their loudness, or their dynamics. No longer will students mechanically play all the right notes at the same volume and then believe that such a performance is satisfactory. Dynamics are so clearly displayed on these pages that students will not be satisfied until they are able to master this important and expressive element. For January you are getting colored notes for Schumann's "Soldier's March", Burgmuller's "Arabesque", Ellmenreich's "Spinning Song" and the Musette in D from the Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach, four popular early intermediate pieces. Set your printer to BEST QUALITY or PHOTO QUALITY to print the color gradients for crescendos and diminuendos . Write your comments at the facebook group.

Of the 641 of you who responded to last month's survey there was a slight preference for colors being used to represent dynamics (loudness). Almost 42% of you preferred dynamics while 24% and 35% preferred colors to encode form and modulations respectively. However among those of you who are piano teachers, whom I happen to really respect, the results were more lopsided. Of the 61 of you who are teachers, fully 6 out of 10 preferred dynamics while only 2 out of 10 preferred form and another 2 of 10 preferred modulations. See the charts below. Since you chose color coded dynamics I will oblige by providing more pieces with what I have been calling "dynamic colors." Look for them soon in Intermediate Level 1. Write your comments at facebook.