Lesson 232

Ballade: B Section

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Hello and welcome back. I'm Joseph Hoffman, and in this lesson we're going to learn how to play the B section of "Ballade" by Burgmüller.
Let's check out the sheet music to get started.
Here is page two of "Ballade", which starts here in measure twenty-three. We'll call this section the B section of the piece.
Now, if you look at the last measure of the A section, you'll notice there's this double bar line,
and then all these naturals, which tell you something is happening.
You'll notice those three naturals are cancelling out the key signature.
There's one natural for all three of those flats that we used to have,
which tells us that in this next section there's no sharps or flats.
Did you know that you can change key signature in the middle of a piece?
It totally is possible. It's a little bit rare, but as we get to more advanced music, we'll be seeing it more and more often,
and it will help create a whole new mood here. With zero sharps and flats you know we're either in the key of what? You tell me.
With zero sharps or flats it will be C major or A minor.
Well, how will we figure that out?
Let's analyze this first chord that we play. That will always be a good clue.
We can look at the first note we play as well. Pause the video, see if you can figure out the name of this chord.
Take a look at the first note the right hand plays too, and see if you can guess are we in C major or A minor?
Pause the video, and then press play when you're ready to hear the answer.
If you look carefully at this chord, you'll see we have a middle C on top,
then down a fourth to G, down a third to E.
What is that?
It's a C major first inversion. We could just take that C put it on the bottom, then look, there's our root position C major triad,
and that G in the right hand also fits into the C major chord.
Any note C, E, or G in any order makes a C major chord. That's the law of inversions.
So that's our best clue that in this section we will be in the key of C major.
Now let's check out what's happening rhythmically in this section.
Dotted quarter notes equal how many beats if we're in 3/8 time signature?
If you said 3 beats, you're correct.
So, our right hand is playing 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2, kind of some slow notes. 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3
While the left hand is doing what rhythm?
It rests on beat 1, and then plays on beat 2 3.
So if we're tapping that with both hands we'd get: 1 2 3 1 2 3 Try that with me. Let's just take these four measures,
and tap this rhythm while we count the beat. So your right hand is tapping always on beat 1, your left hand is tapping on beats 2 and 3.
Ready, I'll count 3 beats and then we'll start. Count and tap with me 1 2 3, 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3.
Great.
Now every once in a while we have a measure where the right hand has a different rhythm. How many beats will a quarter note get?
Remember, usually a quarter note will get 1 beat if there's a 4 on the bottom of our time signature,
but remember our time signature is 3/8, which means an eighth note equals 1 beat, which means a quarter note has to equal 2 beats
because the notes are always in the same relationship, and we've always been able to fit two eighth notes inside a quarter note,
and that's still true now. So quarter-note has to be 2 beats, and this eighth note will get the final
3rd beat. Remember, a quarter note can fit two eighth notes inside of it which is why it gets 2 beats
when we're in 3/8 time signature. So here we'll get 1.
Right hand plays on beat 1, left hand plays on beat 2, and then they both play together on beat 3.
Now, pause the video and see if you can write in the beats 1 2 3 in all the measures from measure thirty-one to thirty-eight which is line two
of page two.
On your own right and the counts. Try to line up your numbers carefully with each beat, then press play and we'll do it together.
Okay, in this measure we get 1 2 3,
then 1 2 3 1 2 3. Notice we've got more of these quarter note eighth note rhythms. 1 2 3
1 2 3 1 2 3, and then a whole string of eighth notes in the right hand. 1 2 3 1 2 3
Let's practice just tapping the right hand
because the left hand has the same rhythm throughout this section.
So can you count the beat with me, and let's tap the rhythm of the right hand.
Okay, remember these dotted quarter notes get 3 beats. Let's tap and count. Ready, 3 beats and then we start. 1 2 3
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3,
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3.
Then repeat back and this section begins again.
Now if you'd like to, you can pause the video and write those counts in yourself and get some more practice on your own.
Otherwise, let's keep going and there's a couple more chords I want you to analyze.
I'm going to draw a box
around three different chords.
I'd like you to pause the video.
Analy ...