Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Alfred's Basic and ALL in One Adult Piano Course Book #1

Gintarec,
You must have forgotten to live. Too much Piano isn’t good for you, you know. LOL... Just kidding, 7 weeks in and you are already doing Chiapanecas and Jericho: IMPRESSIVE! Maybe I’m just slow. I’m on my 8th month and was barely done with “O Sole Mio and Jericho” this past weekend. Regardless, I’m sticking to my one book per year mindset. Don’t go too fast and get me in trouble rushing myself now. I really want my slow steady pace in tact.

Eveline,
I’m not too familiar with Casio or Pedal. Well, to be honest, I’m not familiar with the technical, mechanical and/or accessories side of these digitals at all. I find the threads in the “Digital Pianos - Synths & Keyboards” very helpful. A few links discussing pedals. Hope it helps:
https://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubb...%20Pedal%20compatabilit.html#Post1301088
https://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubb...20for%20sustain%20pedal.html#Post1299018


Well, I have finally reached “Greensleeves”. I practiced the OVERLAPPING PEDAL this weekend and have a question, more than one actually.

Instructions I get from the book:
“At this point, pedal again”. I get this part. Then comes this “As the hand goes down, the foot comes up. Pedal again immediately.”

What do these all mean? I’ve been practicing and playing it like “Alpine Melody” but I think I am wrong. I thought if it’s like Alpine Melody, then it should be the same and not “Introducing Overlapping Pedal”. This Introducing statement suggests it’s a new technique?

Best.

Nguynen - don't worry, I won't be fast anymore!!!

I am sure it will take me forever to master O Sole Mio - I hate those arppegiated notes!!! Had teacher to show them to my tonight and I really don't like it (well, I sure once I manage to play them reasonably well, things will change).

Anyway, I will be taking a step back from Alfred's as I am going to get on with some Christmas tunes. I have a friends get-together in less than 4 weeks and I can't play a single tune yet. I am just about to order the book... Oh, and next week I need to prepare one of the pieces and we are going to play 4 hands with my teacher... Right, I did say I want a challenge, but that might be a bit too much!

Not sure how well I can word this but if you look at Alpine Melody, you'll see there are only 5 measures in which the pedal is used. Ex: you press down the pedal at the beginning of measure 4 and let up at the end of that measure. Then again at measure 6 and so on. However, in Greensleeves, you'll be pressing down the pedal throughout the entire song and only letting up briefly (and then pressing again immediately) at the start of certain measures. Does that help at all?

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Not sure how well I can word this but if you look at Alpine Melody, you'll see there are only 5 measures in which the pedal is used. Ex: you press down the pedal at the beginning of measure 4 and let up at the end of that measure. Then again at measure 6 and so on. However, in Greensleeves, you'll be pressing down the pedal throughout the entire song and only letting up briefly (and then pressing again immediately) at the start of certain measures. Does that help at all?

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Thanks Leon. Anything we share will help tremendously as I and maybe some others are self teaching. I think "Alpine Melody" is a bad example. How about "Harp Song"? What's the difference? Harp Song's pedaling looks the same but aren't connected by those little cones between chords; and it's not called "overlapping pedeling". When I play Harp Song, as my left hand lifts up to change chords, my right foot also lifts and pedal again simutaneously. I'm doing the same with "Greensleeves" but I don't think it's right. There's something else to it that's why the book introduces it as a "new technique/concept". Hmmm...

How do you do it? I'm looking at the illustration very closely now. The cones look to be a little bit further to the right of each measure, a split count after each chord change I think. Does that mean we play the left hand chord first, then in that split second after the chord has been played, lift and pedal right away? Hmmm... Interesting... Have I just stumbled upon the answer?

Hi Nguyen,

Let me share my understanding of pedaling and for others please correct me if i am wrong

In greensleevs when we are about to press a chord, that's the point when we should lift the pedal, once the we have pressed the chord, immediately press the pedal again. If you try to press the pedal at the same time you press the chord, the sound will be very loud and produce noise.

A friend told me that the noise was produced because the notes (i believe those building the chord) are not in the same frequency. The basic rule is that once the sound has been 'dirty with noise', that's the point when we should change to new pedaling. I have not understood fully what this actually mean but from trial and error, i can recognise that if we press the pedal at the wrong point, the sound will indeed have noise

Yes. Technically the pedal is just a simple contact switch wired to a 1/4 inch phono plug. They are very simple devices except for one thing you have to watch out for: Some are "normally open" and close the switch when pressed. and others are "normally closed" and open the contacts when pressed. But some have a selector on the bottom so you can change which convention is used. The M-Audio pedal is like this and can be set either way. It is also very sturdy and has a feel like a real piano pedal. The pedal itself is chrome plated steel, plastic housing. I paid $26 (USD) for it.

I'm using this pedal with my Roland keyboard
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/SP2.html

Hugh Sung posted some fantastic instruction on this in another thread.



Hope that helps!

It seems my piano music book 'collection' is growing again! I have ordered last night the book of Christmas music that my teacher suggested (Up-grade! Christmas) and then another one (Beginning Christmas for Piano) and also 'Beginning Romantics for Piano'. Can't wait for them to arrive!!! My teacher is having a break from December 21st to January 3rd, so I will have plenty of time to practice over the Christmas, as I was going to take a long break from work as well.

I've fallen behind - Gintarec you have flown ahead!
I have been away so haven't touched the piano for two weeks. Just played 'Why Am I Blue' and was surprised. I knew I had it nearly nailed before I left and thought I'd be relearning it and stumbling but had it straight off. Think I can comfortably say it's over. Had already made a start on Good People before I left, so yet to see where that's at. Then finally onto a new piece 'Little Brown Jug'.... is that a kids tune? Ergh! My goal of having book one done by Christmas is well and truly out the window, but I don't care, I had no reason for wanting it done by then so will keep moving at my own comfortable pace.

I wondered where have you been OZ Leikela!!

I wouldn't say I am ahead of you. I think we are at about the same spot in the book, I am just amazed that I managed to get so far in just under 7 weeks! We tried some Christmas songs last night and although I was playing them for the first time - and I mean first time, two of them I have never hear before and the first one was Silent night, I managed to sight-read them quite well, even if I say so myself...

I am not aiming to finish the book by Christmas anymore either, as I do want to learn some Christmas songs and some other pieces as well. I have got so many books now, that I am spoiled for choice! (Especially when the last order arrives, which I hope will be here in a day or two) So, all in good time - it will be done! I think the most important lesson in here is to remember to enjoy playing!

Unbelievably, I've got "Blue Suede Shoes" from the Greatest Hits book down pretty well already. And I'm finally going to figure out how to record and post stuff here.

Oh, and while I was doing a Hanon exercise, I stumbled onto the opening riff of Squeeze's "Black Coffee in Bed". That may not sound so amazing but it's the first thing I've figured out on my own and I'm very excited. For those of you familiar with the song, the notes are A B D / D B A / A B D D.

andrelie & BazC,
Both of your advice help big time. BazC, especially the video. It's tough to practice the way it's really meant though. I think I'm going to spend sometime doing this pedaling. Thanks again. This is great.

Leon,
Great to hear. Very glad for you. Hope one day I'll be able to figure out chords for songs too.

Well, back to practice, great evening everyone.

whew just got done with bach minuet in G in tempo and can-can almost to tempo. i'm amazed at how much practicing music pieces on the side help with the progression of playing the songs in the book. if it wasn't for learning minuet in G, can-can would seem like a nightmare. just gotta get it to tempo, though PianoNoobAlex's vid tells me it might take a couple of good practices. lol

how is everyone else doing?

Sounds great fanatik. I'm self teaching so I don't have any of these on the side supplemental pieces. I bought the Alfred supplemental books though, Greatest Hits 1, All time favorite 1, Christmas 1 etc... but I won't get into those until I'm done with the Method book and do all these as I go back and review. Are these given to you all from your teachers? I wonder if they are somewhere to download and if they cost anything? Just so I know what they are like and see if I can mess around with them.

Anyway, I took Andrelie & BazC advices and did the overlapping lastnight. It came out pretty good. Difficult at first because if its timing but many repetions get me somewhere. The song sounds great and more smooth (legato) with the right overlapping (heck I'm not even sure if mine is right but it sounds much better than my old pedaling. I guess I'm doing something right if not everything). I think the split delay of the pedaling makes the music more connected from one chord to the next. More practice needed for this one though but it's well worth the effort. I also tried it in Melodic Chord style too. It sounds much better than the Block Chord style the book suggests; makes the song sound 3 times better I think. I'm psyched.

I flipped a few pages ahead at the end of practice and messed around with "Go Down, Moses" and "Scarborough Fair" a bit. "Scarborough Fair" doesn't seem as intimidating as "O Sole Mio!". The Melodic Chord of "Greensleeves" I have been messing around with also helps. I think I'm going to enjoy this one a lot too.

Happy Practice everyone. Good day.

Glad it helped!

Sadly no teacher for me Nguyen. Like you, I'm self teaching.
In the area I live in Hawaii there aren't many piano teachers that offer services, and with that said it's really hard to say what kind of credentials they may have. I wouldn't mind having lessons to strictly correct my posture and technique which I know needs some instruction. lol

I've been using some free sheet music websites to learn from. Most of the songs have MIDI files to listen to so you can reference off of them. Google could probably offer more sites to choose from too.

Free Piano Music!

Easy Piano Sheet Music


So if anyone has any other sheet music suggestions, you know who will be grateful!

LARGO indicates to play slow. I am having trouble with slow, I lose my timing. So how slow is slow? BPM?

I always had trouble with the slow ones too, Captain Zero. I'm not sure how slow I played that one, but I remember liking it a lot, so I must have played it fast enough to sound good. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Nguyen, I found "Greensleeves" and "Scarborough Fair" easier to pick up than O Sole Mio also. I must have a mental block about that one.

I started "Raisins and Almonds" this morning - it has similar broken chords like "Greensleeves" and "Scarborough" so it shouldn't be too tough. I am having some trouble with the pedalling in all three though. Probably because I went through most of the book before I got my DP with a pedal, so I was "behind" in pedalling and haven't caught up yet. Or maybe just because I can't coordinate that many things at one time. LOL

Hi everyone,

First of all, thanks for the tips on the pedal! I will certainly put a new pedal on my wishlist for my birthday or Christmas.

Secondly, I did quite an OK job on Blow the Man Down, my teacher was impressed, but said I needed to perfect the counting (she said I played the eighth note a bit too short). I thought it would be merely impossible to change that, and keep on playing with LH in the right rhythm, but it was not that bad. Hopefully she will approve it on Monday.

In the meantime, I am practicing Lone Star Waltz, Cafe Vienna and Rock it Away! I like Cafe Vienna, because of its fingerchanging, it is great fun!. Rock it Away I like better as a song.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Well my teacher is using this book with me and I am on "Oh when the saints go marching in" and monday will be my 3rd lesson...I'm loving this book and can't wait to finish it, I've been looking ahead a little and playing songs that we havent gone over yet...I just hope I can keep up this enthusiasm! I have big dreams and hope I'm not dreaming too big with this new venture bcuz I hope to be able to play very advanced stuff someday.