May 4, 2023

Technique/Scales

C Major Scale, Chords, and Arpeggios

  • 2 Octaves – go slowly and evenly, not going any faster than you can keep hands together
  • listen as you play to make sure you don’t have fingers lingering on keys after playing – should only hear one note at a time

Ploger Method:

  • Read Chapters 1 – Three Stages of Learning, and Chapter 2 – Three Causes of Error (pdfs below)
  • Do the 2-Part and 3-Part Longy rhythms: Tap with LH and left leg for all beat 1’s (whether there’s a number or a dot). Sing any numbers out loud on Middle C, and whisper the beat number on the dots.
  • Improvise your own rhythms on the 2-Part and 3-Part Lap Maps (download from this link and print)

chapter 1 three stages of learning

chapter 2 three causes of error

Longy page

2-part lap map

3-part lap map

Repertoire

Chopin Nocturne 72/1:

  • work on the fioritura (the fancy 16th notes) on page 3, RH alone. Leave out the trills at first until you’re used to the pattern for each, then add the trills at the beginning
  • review page 1-2

Mozart K283:

  • Remember work only in 10-minute chunks of time, whatever you think you can do in that time
  • go VERY slowly through pages 1-2, starting in p. 2
  • play little grace notes as if it’s just 4 16th notes in a row