| You have just found a new piece of piano music you | | | | Once the fundamentals of the piece are in hand, |
| want to learn. Now what? How should you approach | | | | mentally analyze the piano piece rhythmically? Does |
| this wonderful new music so you can get the | | | | the rhythmic notation indicate: |
| satisfaction of playing it successfully in the least | | | | 1. Consistency from beginning to end 2. A change in |
| amount of time? What are the steps that must be | | | | meter 3. A change in tempo 4. Difficult rhythms within |
| taken to solve the problem of making a bunch of black | | | | various measures The mental analysis should now |
| dots and lines on a white sheet of paper sound like | | | | move to the melodic structure of the piano piece. |
| beautiful music? | | | | What happens melodically? Does the: |
| Before playing a note on the piano, do a mental | | | | 1. Key remain the same or change 2. Are there |
| analysis of the piece. Start at the top of the music | | | | numerous accidentals 3. Is there a prominent melody 4. |
| page with the very first marks you see on the top of | | | | Is the melody scalewise or disjunct 5. Does the melody |
| the page. Ask and answer the following questions: | | | | travel between hands |
| 1. What is the title of the piece 2. Who composed the | | | | And, finally what do the black dots and lines indicate |
| piece 3. When was the piece composed | | | | harmonically? In your mental analysis look at your new |
| Now move on to the very first part of the piano score | | | | piece and determine whether the piece is: |
| itself. What do you see? Again, ask and answer the | | | | 1. Homophonic or polyphonic 2. Remains in the same |
| following questions: | | | | key throughout or changes key 3. Free of accidentals |
| 1. What clef(s) are represented 2. How many sharps | | | | or uses many accidentals 4. Simple in its harmonic |
| or flats are given Is the piece in a major key Is the | | | | structure 5. Complex in its harmonic make-up 6. Based |
| piece in a minor key 3. What is the time signature 4. Is | | | | on traditional harmony with predictable cadential |
| there a tempo marking indicated by word description | | | | patterns 7. Based on 12-tone or contemporary |
| or by a metronome marking | | | | harmonic renderings |
| Continuing the mental analysis, look through the piece | | | | Once this complete mental analysis away from the |
| line-by-line. What happens in the piano music? What is | | | | keyboard is complete you have solved the first |
| the overall structure of the piece? Is there notation | | | | problem of learning a new piece of music. The next |
| indicating: | | | | step is to incorporate these discoveries into the actual |
| 1. Repeats 2. DS 3. DC al Fine 4. 1st and 2nd endings | | | | learning to play the piano. |