Amazing Grace - Late Elementary

Hello and welcome. I'm Joseph Hoffman and
today we're going to learn how to play
one of the world's most beloved
traditional Christian hymns, "Amazing
Grace". This video tutorial is my Level
Two tutorial, which means that it will
require that you have some prior piano
experience. You definitely don't need to
be an advanced player to handle this
tutorial, but about two or more years
piano experience will be helpful since
we'll be playing hands together using
chords in the left hand and melody in
the right hand with several hand
positions shifts. If you'd like an easier
tutorial, please check out my Preparatory
Level tutorial, or for more advanced
players you might enjoy my Level Four
tutorial. Alright, let's come to the piano
to get started. So first let's learn the
right hand part here in the treble staff.
You'll notice we're in a 3/4 time
signature and we have just this 1 beat
all alone which tells us we have a
pickup beat, which means we start on beat
3. Finger 1 here on treble G is beat
3, and then we come right up finger 3
on treble C, which you'll notice is just a
slight stretch up from G finger 1, to C
finger 3. That's important that you use
finger 3 there because we're about to
play in an E and you'll need finger 5
for that. So we have ♫Amazing Grace, How sweet♫
and then here we need finger 2 on A.
So again we're gonna have to just
stretch one extra note down to A finger
2, finger 1 on G. Okay so all together ♫Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound♫ Now, I'd like you to press pause
and work on that phrase on your own. Don't
forget to hold those half notes for 2
beats. 1 2 TI-TI 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 It's important
that we not just play the right notes
but the correct rhythms as well. Press
pause to work on that phrase on your own
then when you feel like you've got it,
press play to go on.
Okay, the next phrase
begins essentially the same way, with
this G then finger 3 moves up to C
then E C E. Now here we change a little bit
finger 2 has to slide over to D so our
finger 5 can reach up to this G, for ♫That saved a wretch like me♫
Okay see how I did that? Once our finger
5 was on E we've got to shift finger
2 to the D and then finger 5 can
reach up to that G. All right, now press
pause and work on that phrase on your
own starting from this G C, work all the
way through that phrase then press play
to go on
So putting those two phrases together, we get.
1 2 3 1 2
Shift the hand, 1 2 3 1 2 and it's very important
you hold that note for 5 beats. Notice
that it's a dotted half note tied to a
half note. That's 3 + 2: 5 beats 1 2 3 1 2
then we get ♫I once was lost,♫
E G E G E C, now will you try that?
Good,
now here you have to just pick up your
hand and glide it down to G for ♫but now am found♫
Okay, so watch it from 'I once was lost' ♫I once was lost,♫ Move your hand, ♫ but now am found♫
Okay, now will you press pause and work
on that and get used to that little hand
shift that you need to do.
Good, so you have ♫I once was lost, but now am found♫ Now it's just like the beginning. 'Was' on 'blind'
move finger 3 back up to C ♫but now I see♫ and then you've got the whole thing. Okay, now
that we have all of the phrases, I'd like
you to press pause once again and just
play through the melody a couple of
times. Make sure that you're really
comfortable with it before we add the
left hand chords. Again I really
encourage you to pay attention to the
rhythms not just the notes. Hold the half
notes for 2 beats, hold that dotted
half note tied to the half note for 5
beats. Be really conscious of the rhythms
as you practice this. So, press pause,
practice on your own, then play to go on.
Now, let's come down to the base staff to
check out these chords. The 1st beat of
the left hand is a rest. As the right
hand plays its G, the left hand is
resting, and then on beat 1 of the
first full measure the left hand plays a
C major chord C E G, just a basic C major
chord. You'll notice it's a dotted half
note which means we hold it for 3
beats. So let's forget about the melody
for a minute and just focus on the left
hand. Play this C major chord with me and
let's count 1 2 3. Go, 1 2 3 then we do
that again go, 1 2 3. Now you'll notice we
have a new chord. These top two notes both
step up, bottom note stays the same, that
gives us an F-major chord or a IV chord,
which the fingering I suggest you use,
just slide your finger 1, which is your
thumb, up 1 key. Use finger 1 2 and 5 for
those three notes. ...