Post 5

So, I’ve been trying to play this song, Dixie, that I mentioned in my last blog entry.
For this song, I started by playing the melody in my right hand and the chords
with my left hand. In the sheet music the chords are written at the top and the
melody is in the notes shown.
There were a couple of hard parts in this song that I wasn’t ready for. For
example there are chords that are 3-note- down and 2-note- down, and this song
had something called 5-note- down, or 5 the. Honestly, I need some time and maybe
a little re-reading to really understand those chords, but I tried my best, and it
sounded pretty much alright.
I still need more time to figure this song out, but according to my book, I will be
“rewarded with a beautiful sound.” We’ll see about that!
Obviously, I have a lot more to learn about playing piano. So far, I have not
successfully learned to play the piano in six weeks. I started this project way back
before winter break, and now it’s nearly spring break, and that’s more than six
weeks, but I’m a slow worker I guess.
I do hope to keep learning to play the piano. I might get to take some piano
lessons this summer which would be a big help, because it’s hard to understand
some of the stuff that I read about. The book did have some helpful links that I
could look up on line, like the one that gave a link to listen to Dixie at
www.pianoinstruction.com/dixie.mp3.

post 4

7

Entry 4 – Learn to Play the Piano in Six Weeks or Less

In this lesson, I will tell you about my adventures in learning to play Greensleeves on my piano.  And then, it’s time for 4^th Intervals, which I’ll explain later.

Here are the skills I needed to play Greensleeves:

I needed to know about ¾ time, which means that there are three beats per measure and the quarter note gets the beat.  I again needed to remember that the natural sign cancels out a sharp or flat, so those are important to pay attention to.  And, lastly I needed to recognize the repeat symbol.  Here’s what that looks like:

When you see the repeat symbol, it just means that you’ll repeat the music between those lines and dots.

While trying out this song, I tried to play it with my right hand only and then smoothly with both hands.  I still need more practice, but it’s getting better.

NOW—4^th INTERVALS

4^th intervals are similar to the 2^nd and 3^rd intervals, just more challenging.  To do 4^th intervals, use your right hand, keeping your fingers equally spaced.  The thing to notice about 4^th intervals is that each note skips from a line to a space or from a space to a line.  Although you are keeping your fingers equally spaced, you can actually see on some sheet music numbers above notes that show which finger to use.  It’s something that takes practice, so it’s super important to take it slow so you have time to check your fingers.  Trust me, it’s easy to mess up, so take it slow.

post 3

3-Note Chordal Patterns: Melodic Textures
Now that I am getting better at playing with both hands I am ready to “get
melodic.” The idea with this lesson is to keep a rhythm with your left hand while
playing a 3-note pattern, while the right hand plays a melody.
To do this, use your pinky, index finger and thumb of your left hand. For example,
play a C-G- C chord with your left hand while counting, 1-2- 3-rest. Then the next
measure might be something like B-G- B-rest. I also learned that if I use the
sustain pedal with my foot, it helps the chord keep going during the “rest.” Then,
lift the pedal and press it again when the next measure starts. When you do this,
going along with the music, your foot really goes up and down a lot, lifting and
pressing for each measure. It feels awkward at first, but I’m starting to get used
to it.
So, this does start to get tricky, playing with two hands and adding in the foot
pedal. It’s important to practice slowly so that you have time to look ahead to
plan your next moves.
My next challenge is to add in “colors” to the right hand. This means playing
more than one note with the right hand, like two notes at a time. You really have
to be careful in your choices when deciding to do this, because some notes will
sound better than others, and some notes are known as “void” notes, which will
definitely not sound good a all.
In my book, Learn to Play Piano In Six Weeks or Less, the authors, Dan Delaney
and Bill Chotkowski recommend trying improvising after trying out the written
music exercises provided in the book.
I need to practice more before I’ll feel ready to try improvising, but they suggest
putting in your own rhythm with your right hand for a measure here and there to
make it more interesting.
So, like I said, this is getting trickier. My song to practice for this lesson is called
Greensleeves. Have you heard of it?
Be sure to check out my next blog entry where I’ll get into some of the important
symbols and what they mean when your reading music.

post 2

Sharps and Flats
I’ve come a long way in learning to play the piano! I can read Treble Clef pretty
well. I’m getting better now at something called Interval Reading, which is when
you reposition your hand, moving it up and down the keyboard with your fingers
always the same distance apart. Something I need to keep working on because it
doesn’t quite make sense for me are some of the chordal patterns, like the 7
white-key 3-note patterns. I’ll keep working on those, but now—on to Sharps and
Flats!

I am finally ready to move off just the white keys. Did you know that a sharp note
doesn’t have to be a black key? I didn’t know that. You can tell if a note is sharp
or flat by noticing these symbols.
If you see a sharp or flat symbol before a note, it means that that note will be that
way for the rest of the measure. For example, in the picture below, the flat
symbol next to B makes it and the next B both B flats. If a note after a sharp or
flat isn’t to be a sharp or flat then the “natural” symbol will be in front of the
note.

Another thing that’s important to notice when learning about sharps and flats is
the key signature at the beginning of each line of music. Sharp and flat symbols in
the key signature show that every time that note shows up, it should be played
sharp or flat to match the key signature, unless a natural symbol shows up before
the note. This is what the natural symbol looks like:

So, basically, natural symbols cancel out sharps and flats.
With this better understanding of sharps and flats, now I’m ready to work on
spacing my hands when I play with my left and right hands. This is basically
playing a chord with each hand for a certain number of beats. But, I will get to
this in my next blog entry.

Post 5: Thinking Quickly

During a match, thinking quickly about what an opponent will do is key to winning the match. Not only do you have to, in the spur of the moment, work out what moves you are going to string together to get a pin, but also be on the lookout to react to any move your opponent might throw at you, as well as defense moves to branch off of that. Certain tips can help a wrestler react correctly to opponent movement, as another technique is faking the opponent out and making him react the way you want so you can take advantage of it. A big tip is to constantly be looking at a wrestlers feet, not his face. If his head moves towards you but his feet remain in place, chances are he is trying to fake you out. A good idea may be to let him think you fell for it, then back out of your defense move right as he steps in for real, and take him to the mat. As seen in just this one scenario, wrestling is a psychological sport as much as it is a physical sport. It is, in essence, a mind game. Even right before the match, making yourself look intimidating could just be enough to tip the odds in your favor, because confidence is key. You must go into a match with the mindset that you will control it, and that you are ready for anything he has to throw at you.

Post 4: Practice, Practice, Practice

Everywhere you hear "Practice makes perfect!". Well the truth is practice makes habit. During a practice you may find yourself questioning the effectiveness of some of the drills you're working on, but everything has a purpose. Every seemingly arbitrary movement in a wrestling practice builds muscle memory for using the same movements in a match strung together to complete a takedown, a pin, etc. The other, more obvious reason is it builds strength, but more importantly, endurance. Just because a wrestler is stronger doesn't guarantee that wrestler the win. Speed, dexterity, and endurance can just as easily win the match for a wrestler if (s)he can wrestle his/her opponent until they are all tired out. Practicing going hard for short bursts helps with strength, but equally important is practicing at around 80% intensity for longer durations of time. Combined, strength and endurance go hand in hand and help win the match for the wrestler.