Category: Miscellaneous
photo credit: Denis Collette…!!!
If you have studied or listened to piano pieces, you have probably run into different types of words that are used to describe a piece of music. Preludes, Nocturnes, and Etudes are just a subset of the many different types of musical composition. In this post, I will discuss the differences between them. Next time you listen to a Prelude, Nocturne, or Etude, see if you can distinguish the elements that make it what it is.
Prelude:
Preludes are characterized by being short and sweet (relatively), with a melodic and/or rhythmic motif that is featured throughout the piece. This motif will recur throughout the piece, sometimes differing slightly as the music progresses. A prelude may be played on its own, or as a preface to another piece, usually more complex.
Nocturne:
Nocturnes are generally lyrical and tranquil pieces. The nocturne is known for being expressive above all else. It follows no specific form, but evolves as the music progresses.
Etude:
You can probably guess this one. Etude is the french word for study; so a musical etude is just that – a musical study used to perfect a particular technical skill. Generally etudes are quite difficult, featuring runs of quick notes, and arpeggios.
Those were just three terms that are commonly used to characterize a piece of music. For some examples of these styles take a look at the works of Chopin. He composed 24 Preludes: One in each key, major and minor, 27 Etudes, and 21 Nocturnes.
Category: Miscellaneous, Practice and Performance
Learning to play music by ear can be a useful and fun technique to employ. Combined with note recognition and technique training, it helps form a strong musical foundation that will serve you well in the future. Some people have a natural talent for picking out tunes and being able to play them. But even if you don’t, you can still learn! Here is a few steps you will have to complete to master the art of learning music by ear:
1. Learn your instrument:
Teach your fingers where the notes are; be comfortable finding different keys on the keyboard. It is important to learn to recognize notes and play off of sheet music as well. Having a balance of skills will make you a well-rounded musician who can adapt to different musical situations quite easily.
2. Playback
Playback consists of a someone playing a short tune on the keyboard, and then the student trying to mimic it. Start with short and easy tunes consisting of only a few notes. Beginners can be told what note the tune starts on, and more advanced students can be told what key the tune is in. As the student progresses, the playback can become longer and more advanced, and involve some harmony as well.
3. Listen to the radio
How is the radio going to help me, you ask? Well, picking out a tune and trying to play it on the piano can not only be fun, but very helpful for your ear-training regimen. Sing the tune in your head first, and then try to pick it out on the piano. If you get stuck, try starting in a different spot. Once you have mastered the art of picking out a tune, you can start adding harmony and embellishment.
4. Play around!
Practice picking out new tunes and playing around on the keyboard. Play random notes, play patterns, just play! Doing this allows you to find sounds and patterns of notes that you like. While you are playing around on the keyboard you might find that you come across a pattern that you recognize from a song. This is one of the most fun ways that you can help train your ears to pick out tunes.
Well, that should help you get started. Playing by ear is a very useful tool to have in your repetoire of musical skills. But more importantly, it’s fun!
photo credit: Paulgi
Category: Lessons
We have already been dealing with tones and semitones in previous posts without even realizing it. A SEMITONE is the smallest distance between any two sounds used in Western music. It is the smallest distance between any two adjacent keys on the piano, whether they be black and white, or white and white. We have already touched this concept when learning about sharps, flats, and accidentals.
A TONE (or WHOLE TONE) is equals to two semitones (in the same direction). Pick a note on the keyboard, now find the next semitone to right. Move right one more semitone, and you’ve got a WHOLE TONE. You can do the same thing in the opposite direction.
Now that we have fleshed out the intracacies of the Western concept of a semitone, we can delve a bit further. A semitone comes in two “flavours”: chromatic and diatonic. When a semitone contains two notes with the same letter name, it is called a CHROMATIC SEMITONE. See below for examples of chromatic semitones. As you can easily see, the notes of a chromatic semitone are the same, but one is altered with an accidental.
A diatonic semitone occurs when a semitone contains two notes with different letter names. See below for examples.
A chromatic semitone can be manipulated to be a diatonic semitone and vice versa. Remember, that most notes can be referred to by different note names. For example E# and F are the same note. Take a look at the two intervals below. They are equivalent, but one is a chromatic semitone, and the other is a diatonic semitone. Try to identify tones and semitones on the piano keyboard. The more you practice the easier it will become. It is very important to grasp this concept fully, as it will form the foundation of many future lessons in musical theory.
Posted on June 24th, 2009 by sharlene
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