Hello and welcome back. I'm Joseph Hoffman,
and in this lesson we're going to learn
how to play the left hand part for "Honeybee".
Let's check out the score to get started.
Remember we're in the B major pentascale.
Can you pause the video and
tell me out loud the letter names for this
A section of the left hand part?
Name each note using letter names,
then press play and we'll look at it together.
The correct answer is D-sharp, C-sharp, B, F-sharp, E, D-sharp, C-sharp, D-sharp, C-sharp, B.
Now let's try to sing this in solfège. Pause the video if
you want to try it by yourself first,
otherwise I'll demonstrate it for you.
It's going to start on a MI.
MI RE DO SO
Now you try.
What interval is it from
DO to SO?
If you said a fifth you're correct.
Now let's keep going. From SO what happens?
The notes are stepping down. So we have FA MI RE, then it steps back up
to MI, but then steps back down. So we have FA MI RE
MI RE DO Oh, here's another
pattern. Three notes stepping down:
FA MI RE, but then this time it goes
down to MI. MI RE DO
Now your turn. Sing the solfège.
Good, now let's practice
our rhythm. Can you tap the rhythm of the left hand
while we count the subdivided
beat?
Remember we're going to go 1-& 2-&. I'll count 2 beats to get us ready.
and then we'll start tapping and counting.
1-& 2-&
1-& 2-& 1-& 2-&
1-& 2-& 1-& 2-&
All right with your left hand
can you get ready in the B major pentascale?
Here's my middle C, so I'm
down here on this base B,
and can you play B, C-sharp, D-sharp, E, F-sharp. Let's
try it together.
Go: name them and play. B, C-sharp, D-sharp,
E, F-sharp. Great, now
the left hand begins with finger 3 on D-sharp.
I'd like you to challenge yourself by pausing the video,
and figure out how to play these first four measures without my help.
Try it on your
own, then press play and we'll look at it together.
Now here's measures one through four.
You're welcome to just listen to me play,
or if you'd like to try playing it with
me that's okay too.
I'll give you 2 beats. My finger 3 is starting on D-sharp.
1-& 2-&
1-& 2-& 1-& 2-&
1-& 2-& 1-& 2-&
Pause the video if you feel like you need more practice with that,
otherwise let's come back to the sheet music
and check out how we're
going to play this hands together.
Now once you're feeling confident with the left
hand part alone, the right hand part alone,
you'll be ready to try it hands together.
When I do something hands together I try to first notice how the hands are working together.
You can see that here the rhythm is pretty
consistent
between the two hands.
The right hand steps down. What does the left hand do?
The left hand steps down.
The right hand steps down again.
The left hand steps down again.
We call that similar motion.
Even though they're
not playing the same notes, notice the right hand is starting
on an F-sharp which is SO.
the left hand's starting on D-sharp, which is ME,
but then they both
step down together, step down together.
Then here the hands start doing
something different. The right hand holds for 2 beats
while the left hand goes from DO to SO.
These are the little details I like to notice before I try
playing it.
Now look at measure three.
What's happening in the right hand the
first three notes compared to the left hand?
Can you see what's happening?
Notice that now the right hand is
stepping up, stepping up,
while the left hand is stepping down, stepping down.
Remember, we call that contrary motion.
Our fingers are going to be stepping in
opposite directions from each other,
and that's really important to notice.
I'm going to draw these little arrows to remind you that they're going in opposite directions here. Contrary motion
right hand steps up, left hand steps down.
Now the left hand is holding this
quarter note while the right hand keeps
playing eighth notes.
'don't you dare sting', on 'sting' the right hand plays one extra note while the left hand's still holding,
and then on MI, the
left hand adds this extra little MI RE DO.
So the left hand plays TI-TI TA while
the right hand plays TA rest.
Now let's check that out on the piano keys.
Now
place both hands in the B major pentascale.
Here's my middle C.
Both hands on B, C-sharp, D-sharp, E, F-sharp. Can you try that with me? Go:
B, C-sharp, D-sharp, E, F-sharp
Now the right hand starts on F-sharp. The
left hand starts on D-sharp.
So tr ...