Lesson 112

Harvest Dance: B Section (2020 version)

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Hello and welcome back. I'm Joseph Hoffman.
In this lesson we'll be learning how to
play the B section of "Harvest Dance".
Let's get started by checking out the score.
So last time we learned the A section up through measure eight,
and today we're going to learn the B section, which begins here in measure nine.
Now you may remember that in the A section,
both of our hands were in this F-sharp major
pentascale,
but now if we look here in measure nine what's happening?
we start off with this C-sharp,
but the score is asking us for a finger 2 there.
Why is that?
It's because we're going to need to shift our hand to get ready to play this even higher note that we won't
we won't able to reach from this F-sharp major
pentascale. We're going to have to
shift to a higher position to play this B section.
So let's figure out where our hand is headed.
We've got this finger 2 on C-sharp, and maybe you can go ahead and place your hand on your piano
in this position as well
then finger 5 plays that high F-sharp, C-sharp, F-sharp, and then what?
Now finger 3 is on this D-sharp, step down to C-sharp,
step down to B.
TA TI-TI TA TA
If you look at these notes, you'll see they're part
of the B major pentascale.
So here in the B section you're actually going to shift
your right hand up to the B major pentascale.
How ironic right?
So how long do we stay there? TA TA TA TA TA TI-TI TA TA
TA TI-TI TA Now here it's asking for a finger 1 on F-sharp, but remember our finger 1
really is in position on the B, so we're going to have to shift again.
Let's come to the
piano keys to figure out how we'll make that shift.
So like we mentioned, in the B
section we have to shift our right hand from this
F major pentascale up to the B major pentascale.
So our fingers 2 and 3 are on this C-sharp and D-sharp,
and our finger 5 is up on this F-sharp.
So here in measure nine we get:
And while we're looking at that, notice that we've got a slur connected to a staccato.
So this first note will be played smoothly, but then as we go to the staccato do a little quick lift of the wrist,
and that will make a nice staccato sound.
The lift in the wrist will help it sound staccato and it will make it sound light and happy instead of:
You don't want it to sound like a punch. You
want to make it, you want to make it sound light
like someone who's dancing.
There's another slur with the staccato
at the end of measure ten,
and then here in measure eleven
now we've got to shift
our finger 1 back to the F-sharp.
So you notice my hands are big enough that
I can kind of shift.
I'm going to actually glide forward on that C-sharp so I can turn my hand and reach
my finger 1 down to the F-sharp. See how I did that?
Here's measure eleven again:
I'm going to turn my hand
so I can do that. Now, if you
can't make that reach comfortably,
from finger 2 on C-sharp, to finger 1 on
F-sharp, you can also just let go
and shift your hand down. You don't have to
do it in a stretch.
But again if you kind of turn your wrist and hand for a
moment
that might help you make that reach.
And then we're landing back in the F-sharp major pentascale
for measure twelve.
See how we have finger 4 on B now B
A-sharp, G-sharp, so watch all the way from
measure 9 through 12. We have:
Pause the video, place your right hand in the B
major pentascale.
Work on measures nine through 11. In measure 11 you're going to shift your thumb down
to the F-sharp major pentascale for that ending section.
Work on those four measures on your own, and then press play to go on.
Now let's check out what the left hand is doing.
Can you name these chords for me? Let's start in measure nine. we have a I chord, then what's next?
If you said I chord you're correct, then what's next?
If you said IV chord you're correct, then what's next?
Another I chord, then in measure eleven what do we have?
Another IV chord, back to another I chord.
Okay, let's try playing that together because you're already familiar with these two chords.
Okay, let's start in measure nine. Get your left hand
ready on the I chord, go: 1 2 3 4, now a IV chord
1 2, back to the I chord, back to
the IV chord, back to the I chord,
and then what happens?
Can you tell me the letter name of this first note that the left hand plays in measure twelve?
If you said B you're correct.
B, A-sharp, G, aha, the same notes the
right hand is playing.
So the two hands are just playing one octave apart, bum,
bum, bum.
All right, now
pause the video and I'm going to give you a choice to work on the left hand alone,
or for an extra challenge you can try it h ...