AR-Group

How do you start to tackle a new piece of music?

Music is like a book, which we want to read.     Yes, it is musical notes and other hieroglyphics, just as a book is a whole bunch of words.     Those words are divided into sentences, paragraphs and chapters, which help us to put expression into their meaning.   Handled wisely and sensitively, they help us in our comprehension and meaning of the work in question.    It is the same with our musical score.
The notes, bars, repeats, instructions and phrasing are there to help us put expression into our playing the piece of music.

Musical scores come in a variety of styles or arrangements.     For instance, they can be very complex, written out in full, and probably for most of us, infested with far too many sharps or flats.    They may be a simple top line melody, with busker chord symbols.    In between you may come across a piano score, and so on.

The important thing is to find a version you are happy with and that suits you, but what do you do, if you can’t find one?      One way is to sit down (with a cuppa) and laboriously rescore the piece in a fashion that suits you.    Alternatively you can get some kind, capable person to do it for you, enquire of another member of our AR-Group, or browse the web.

Another illustration of the musical score is to liken it to a road atlas.     Sensible drivers, if they plan a journey to a new destination, before they climb into their car, will sit down with a road atlas, look along the route and see if there are any challenges that lay in their path.    With my first motor home in particular, I had to make sure there were no low bridges, very narrow roads or extremely steep hills to avoid.  (When we eventually sold it, the 'van was over 20 years old.)

In a music score, it is worth sitting down and checking it out, before we go to the organ to play it.

What do we need to check?  In the following Replies you will find some essential things to think about.

Peter

2   The Time Signature

Those 2 little numbers at the start,  i.e.  2-4,     3-4       6 -8   etc    tell you a great deal.

If you don’t know what they mean, you’ll find details in Peters Pearls No 73, Learning To Read music, and you can open that topic in a new window, by clicking this link:

http://www.ar-group.org/smforum/index.php?topic=2647.15

To remind us now, the top number tells you how many beats there are in each bar, which is vital to know if you plan to use a rhythm style.

As a general guide,
2   suggest a foxtrot,  a quickstep  or  a march
3   suggests a waltz
4   suggests a ballad or a latin
6   suggests a slow rock  or  a 6-8 skippy type of march

Of course there are many other alternatives.

Playing in time is probably one of the biggest challenges, that we all face.      You don’t have a hope if you don’t know how long each bar should last.  Pay particular attention to this before you begin.

To relate to our motoring example, (Referred to in the initial post above) it is like having a rev counter and a speedometer, but you don’t know which is which, and neither are you aware, whether the speedometer is in Miles or Kilometers per hour!     This reminds me of a time, way back in the 70’s, when my wife was driving my Brother-in-law’s automatic Jaguar, at a speed, far too fast for the narrow lanes we were on.   When I challenged her about her excessive speed, she said, “But I’m only doing 30 m.p.h.”   I replied, “I think you are looking at the Rev Counter, Darling!”   It was a big car, and as she is short, she had moved the driving seat forward.     So my Brother-in-law, who was in the back, was laughing and clearly enjoying the experience, but he had enough room behind her to kneel and pray.     At the speed she was hurtling along, he certainly needed to.

Peter

4      The fingering

Sometimes there are small numbers written on or near the notes.   These are helpful as they suggest which finger to use to play those notes.    If you come across them, first check that they feel right for you.   They are only a guide.   
If they don’t feel right, then cross them out, and pencil in your own version.

If there is no fingering suggested, then it is like learning a new dance with no set steps.   Without that instruction, we would use our feet in a totally different order, and we only have two feet!

With 10 fingers, we can create all sorts of unnecessary difficulties for ourselves.

An important skill for us, is to develop physical memory.    When considering a new piece, don’t overlook these helpful fingering  suggestions, because if you play those ‘trickier’ sections with the same fingering each time, from the start, your fingers will play naturally, with apparently no help from you.

Don’t forget, you can practice your fingering skills on a table top, or even your knee, using an imaginary keyboard.    You can do this anywhere at any time, so use it when you are in very stressful situations …… like in the dentist’s chair!

Peter

6      Accident Black Spots

Harking back to the Driving on the Road simile in the first post above, we are all familiar with these Accident Black Spots as we drive around the country.    They are clearly signed in the UK.    When we see them, we often wonder why that particular spot should be so hazardous.

In a similar way, when playing new pieces of music, these Accident Black Spots  can come in the most innocent looking guises.   

Look out for – unexpected sharps, flats or naturals.    These are collectively known as accidentals.      Note: Both come from the same root word - how punny can you get?

Again, these are covered in the Peters Pearls No 73 Learning to Read Music.
You can open that topic in a new window, by clicking this link:

http://www.ar-group.org/smforum/index.php?topic=2647.15

These accidentals create a sudden leap in the melody which can't be achieved, without a major shift from our comfort zone, often necessitating a thumb or finger having to be tucked under or over the others.

You can also come across a complete change of the initial key signature, mid way through the piece.   If you are not expecting it, these can really throw us off course.

Time signatures can also change, sometimes for just one or two bars.   

Or a change in the Tempo (or speed of the piece).     Like keeping your eyes on the current speed limit.

Repeat signs and codas need to be reviewed so that you understand how the music should be played.   This includes 1st, 2nd, or 3rd time sections of course.    Getting a clear route through the piece is very important, so take your time in getting the process clear in your mind.    Just as in the same way you plan your journey when travelling ahead of time, if you are wise, that is.

Also look out for Ornaments.    These are covered in Peters Pearls No 59 - Ornaments and if you click this link you will open up that posting in a new window, too:

http://www.ar-group.org/smforum/index.php?topic=2387.0

There is always the possibility of coming across a really horrific chord, like F#m9/E.     These can be real Black spots, that give rise to potential accidents.
More about that horrific chord in a later Reply.

Peter

8      Short Cuts

All drivers like the idea of taking short cuts, or as my father used to say, “Going via the back doubles”.     I have never understood the origin of that phrase, but I’m sure most of us will know what it means.

The idea of short cuts, or cutting corners can be helpful even to seasoned and very competent organists.

What I mean is, we recognize what notes we have to play, but sometimes we need to recognize what notes we can leave out to make our performance easier without affecting the final result.     If you like, we can refer to it as the musicians sleight of hand!

First    The Chords

For instance, if a chord is too big for you to stretch, you can either break it up between your two hands and feet, or simplify it, by pruning it to make it playable for you.

To read more about recognizing the notes that make up giant chords and how to distribute them over your fingers, click this link to open Peters Pearls No 62 – Giant Chords in a new window:

http://www.ar-group.org/smforum/index.php?topic=2449.0

I didn’t realize just how much has previously been covered in Peters Pearls to accommodate this particular posting.   It certainly makes this posting simpler.

To get back to how we play large chords, there is no point in playing all the notes in a chord like    F#m9/E,       if we are going to have to wait for two whole bars while you get your brain and then your fingers round it.

Your listeners won’t remember your heroic efforts in struggling to play the chord, but only that the tune went haywire while you did so!

Now knowing which notes to ditch in a particular chord comes largely with experience.

But, here are some guides to bear in mind for this eventuality, starting with this simple rule:

When pruning any chord keep the basic core of the chord the same.

In the example above, namely    F#m9/E    the basic note is F#, so keep that whatever you do.

Also retain whether the chord is major or minor.   In this case the m denotes the minor.

I recognize that this particular chord is a bit extreme, but you will see how much simpler it can be to play.

For example,      F#m9/E     could be played using   

          G#  A   C#   E    F#    all over an E  Bass

Remember       F#m      is simply       F#    A    C#

G#     is the 9th.

While the   E    played in the pedal board, is the 7th

In the next posting we take a small digression to, hopefully, simplify those 11th chords to show you easier ways of handling them.

Peter

Now let’s get back to…….
8      Short Cuts continued

Second       The Melody

If a melody line is too much for you to handle, maybe because of double notes or chords in the right hand, make sure that you retain the upper notes in each pile of notes so that you retain the essential melody.

If you leave out actual melody notes it can be a serious problem.     For example if you are playing the National Anthem, and you left out awkward melody notes it might sound something like this…..

   “God ….. our gracious …… God …. Our Queen.”

The most awkward notes may be able to be coped with, by utilizing the following:

Careful fingering
Extensive practice
Playing the piece a little more slowly     
          and in extreme circumstances don’t be afraid to occasionally let go of everything else, and
Leap to notes that can’t be reached by stretching.   

Sometimes, just as you have to really lift your feet up higher to avoid an obstacle when you are walking, so you have sometimes, to lift your hand higher above the keyboard to hit that all important, out of your normal reach, note.

This wraps up this Pearl, unless any of you have or can suggest additional ideas. 

Please feel free to do so.

I have recorded a few more ideas in the following Replies.

Peter

The first vital area we must consider is the Key that the piece is written in.

I know we mentioned the Key Signature early on in this post, but it includes the KEY that the piece is written in, and having this in our mind at all times as we work through and play our piece, will save us making a lot of unnecessary mistakes.   Everything we are doing here is helping us to reach accuracy, even if we start by playing at a slower pace, than we want to eventually achieve.

I appreciate that if the music is loaded with lots of sharps and flats, or numerous accidentals, we might not have even given that piece a second look.    But knowing the key, remembering it all the while you are either preparing, or later playing the piece, will help you considerably.

Some find ‘sight reading’ tricky, but with steady practice, it can become second nature, just like reading a novel, or driving a car.

So number 1, check the key that it is written in.

e.g.    No sharps or Flats.     

                 Hallelujah!   

                     So probably in the Key of C major.

It also ends on the note C, so that may well confirm it.

If it starts and ends on the same note, that may well be the Key.

But don’t be fooled, because with no sharps or flats it might also be in the key of A minor.

Once you are confident that you have the right Key for the piece you are going to play, it is well worth playing through the appropriate scale, up and down, with the appropriate fingering.

If this is new to you, there are scale books available, that designate suggested fingering.   You can also find some of these free on the web.

Just as athletes, footballers etc, warm up before starting their sport in earnest, it is advisable to “warm up” your fingers before the big performance.    Beside this it cements in your brain the key that you will be playing in.

Later on I’ll indicate some finger warm up exercises, that will appear in a separate Peters Pearl, just be patient.

In the next Reply we consider a second vital thing to grasp.

Peter

If you like to use a Rhythm, then ask yourself the question, “What Style should I choose?”

To answer that is entirely up to you, but if the piece of music has lyrics they can be a good indicator.

If the words are about warm sunshine, golden beaches and holidays, then maybe a calypso, jumps to mind, or some Latin rhythm.     Other themes will give rise to alternative rhythms.  Try them out and see what takes your fancy.    If you use them regularly, then familiarity will assist your confidence.

If the piece is written in 3/4 time, then you need a waltz or some other rhythm to match that pattern.   You cannot force a 4/4 rhythm on to it, and vice versa.

An important point here, is that if you can listen to a recording of what the music is supposed to sound like, that gives you a tremendous start.

But what about the finished tempo?      This is almost impossible to assess if you do not know what the tune sounds like.
Again if you can listen to it played somehow, then that will give you something to aim for.

If the music gives you a rate, aim for that.     
Remember this:



Or you may just have some words, probably in Italian, at the head of the piece of music.

If you are not sure, what those words mean, then look up the word in Peters Pearls No 77  where you will find a useful Glossary of musical terms, which are listed in alphabetical order.   

Again you can open it now, in a new window, by clicking on this link:

http://www.ar-group.org/smforum/index.php?topic=2898.0

Either way, if you hit on a number for your finished rate, then don’t be afraid to start at maybe half that rate, or even slower, as your initial practice speed.   You will learn faster and reach your goal much more quickly, than if you overlook these important practical steps.

In the next Reply we begin to discuss Fingering in a little more detail.

Peter