Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Alfred's Basic and All in One Adult Piano Course Book #2

I'm pretty sure than my right hemisphere is made of something besides normal neurons. That chromatic scale fingering has me completely mystefied.

Chromatic scales: Do they give successive 1-3 with an occasional 2 thrown in? The 1 is for white keys, the 3 is for black keys, and the 2 is thrown in to help 1 across the neighbouring white note pairs E-F and B-C.

What I find hard about it is descending in the RH, or ascending in the LH, knowing when to follow 3 with 2 as I come to the white note pairs. I have to keep mental track of where I am. It would be nice if eventually I just felt the rhythm: two 1-3's, then a 2, then three 1-3's, then a 2, etc.

It's easier for me going the other way -- ascending in the RH or descending in the LH -- because then 3 is always followed by 1, and I can feel when my 1 is starting a white note pair and should be followed by 2.

Yep, that's it.

A related issue-- I was telling my husband a few days ago that sometimes when I read an analog clock, I think 5:00 and 7:00 look the same. And the trick of identifying your left hand, because when you hold up your thumb and index finger, on the left they form and L... well, I have to look at both sides and then I can figure out which L is really the correct one, because the one on the right looks ok to me too.

Dance class? Watch out and don't stand too close, because I could go the wrong direction at any time!

Hadn't thought of that - rhythm, that's the key!
And then, it's odd how sometimes faster is easier - those few lucky times when I stop thinking and I just do.

Circus March for me tomorrow.

Oooh! Have fun!
I've been looking forward to that one ever since I got book 2!

I went back and played the Chopin Étude again. I was really sick of it by the time I finished it because my teacher was more nitpicky than usual and it seemed to take me *forever* to get it where she wanted it. But playing it again now, I realize how nice it actually is. It falls under my fingers nicely now, and I can make it sound really nice, if I do say so myself! This is the first time in forever that I've found a piece in Alfred's that I like enough to keep playing for pleasure. Maybe one day I can play the real version, but that's a LONG ways off, methinks! It gets pretty crazy about halfway through the piece!

All done with Burlesq. Should finish up Arkansas Traveller this week....it's relatively easy. I've got it under the fingers pretty well now, just needs a bit more speed.

Seriously?

I think I will put my piano in "bright" mode for this one.

Maybe you need to wear a clown wig!

I haven't posted in this thread for a really long time. I think I had gotten up to "House of the Rising Sun". I was hitting a wall - big time, and was really discouraged. Add to that some physical problems, a few trips for family events, and entertaining several grandchildren over the summer, and I haven't touched my piano more than a couple of times since sometime in May. I realized as I played around with it this weekend that I have forgotten so much that working in Book 2 isn't do-able for me anymore, so I have started a review of Book 1 today. I got as far as "Lone Star Waltz" today, and I think this review is just what I needed. Moral of the story is - don't stop playing.

Musetta's Waltz. This one seems a little harder to me....probably just my perspective, since Arkansas Traveler seemed easy to me. I think this one is going to be a nice sounding little piece when I finish it. It will probably take me a couple of weeks, though.

Which means The Hokey Pokey is coming up soon for you! I dreaded doing the Hokey Pokey, as it's every bit as silly of a piece as Circus March...but Hokey Pokey was really fun for me!

Good luck!

Hokey Pokey kind of does make me wonder what the neighbors are thinking, but when I can play it while thinking about a dozen other things, I will be able to play it at work which will be really fun.

Sorry to hear that mom3gram! It's definitely easy to forget at this stage where - for me at least - learning feels like two steps forward and one and a half step back every week. The good thing is, now that I'm halfway through book 2 I read notes much faster, find the keys much faster, and overall learn faster. You will get back on track in no time!

And I must say that having spent almost 7 months on Alfred's books, I can see now why it doesn't appeal to those who want to play classical music, but it definitely appeals to me. I love the chord approach and I like folk, pop, blues and jazz piano... Right now I'm studying Hava Nagila, which will take a while, but I also started to play an easy arrangement of Cole Porter's So in Love.

And I'm so in love with the piano

Re: Forgetting

I feel like if I don't practice a little bit in the morning and a bit in the afternoon then I already have forgotten by the next time I sit down!

Not only did I forget some notes, as well as my reading slowing down quite a bit, but most important, I forgot how much fun piano is. I'm enjoying myself today.

I am glad you are getting the fun back so soon!!

Ohhhh GAAACK!

I'm going to get bagels for my teacher as an apology in advance for my lack of ability to play Hava Nagila!

I think I've heard a few other people on here having a bit of trouble with that one. LOL

Near the bottom of the third page, all the way to the 1st/2nd ending...the 6th interval 8th notes and dotted quarter notes in the left hand. That's the part that gave me fits in this piece.

Hava Nagila... I kind of learnt the first two pages and a half and then moved on... but I intend to finish it sooner or later. Looks like there are useful things to learn throughout.

I had a chat with a long time player and she emphasized taking everything very slow and devoting time to technique - scales, mainly. I think I will add some Hanon here and there, not too much but maybe just once a week or so.

And although she's been playing an acoustic all her life she liked the touch of my Casio