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 try just playing that first note. Left hand's on
finger 3, right hand's on finger 5.
Then both hands are moving in similar
motions stepping down.
Right hand's going to go 5 4 3, left hand's going to
go 3 4 5 like this:
'Honeybee,'
and then while the right hand's holding
down half note, the left hand goes DO SO
All together again we get: 'Honeybee,'
Pause the video and just work on those first two measures hands together.
Try it many times until you feel comfortable, then press play to go on.
Now let's go on to measure three. Here
the right hand is starting on a C-sharp,
which is finger 2. The left hand
starting on an E, which is also finger 2.
Remember that they're moving in contrary
motion,
so the right hand is going to go 2 3 4
while the left hand also
goes 2 3 4, but remember for 2 3 4 for the left hand
is stepping
down. 2 3 4 for the right hand is stepping up.
Just let your hands float
in the air and practice that 2 3 4.
In both hands.
And that makes don't,
sorry, that makes 'don't you dare'.
So the right hand's starting on a C-sharp, left
hand starting on E. 'don't you dare'
Now you try.
'don't you dare sting'
On the word 'sting'
the left hand is still holding this C-sharp.
'don't you dare sting'
I'd like you to pause the video and try just measure
three several times until you feel comfortable with that,
then press play to go on.
Then here in measure four the right hand
plays MI rest, while the left hand plays
MI RE DO
So the right hand just plays a B,
and then as the left hand plays its last note of that little pattern,
the right hand has to lift for its rest.
So we get MI, lift the right hand while the
left hand plays. MI, right hand lifts.
Now you try.
Now let's put that together with measure
three. We get:
'don't you dare sting me!'
Lift the right hand.
Now this is probably the trickiest part in the entire song.
'don't you dare
sting me!'
So I'd like you to do it maybe twenty, maybe thirty times.
Just do it again and again until it starts to feel comfortable. Be patient with yourself.
At first your hands are figuring out how to work together as a team.
If you do it enough times I promise it will get easier.
Pause the video, work on measures
three and four hands together, then press play to go on.
Now I always like to practice in little
chunks like that you see how we took
just one measure at a time sometimes
then put it together with another measure.
And then once you've got that,
put it all together. So line one we get:
'Honeybee, don't you dare sting me!'
So the last step would be to put that
all together, which I'll let you try on your own later.
But for now let's look at line two.
what's happening in the left hand here
in measure five through eight?
Notice it's all half notes.
And can you tell me
the letter name of this first note in measure five?
If you said B you're
correct, which is our DO in this song.
1 2, and then what's the letter name
for this next note?
F-sharp, 1 2, which is our DO and SO, and
then it goes back and does it again. 1 2
1 2
Nice easy pattern right? Can you play that with me?
You're going to start on
finger 5 left hand on B,
and finger 1 is going to be ready on the F-sharp.
Let's count the beat go:
1-& 2-& 1-& 2-&
1-& 2-& 1-& 2-&
And then to put it hands together we get this:
♫Don't sting sister, don't sting brother, don't sting father, don't sting mother♫
Now pause the video and I'd like you to take a few minutes to work on this B section hands together,
then
press play and we'll check it out together.
Now we've learned the whole piece hands
together in little chunks.
Let me demonstrate what putting it all
together would look like,
or if you prefer you can pause the video and work
on putting it all together
yourself hands together,
and then you could even try playing along with me.
Otherwise you can just listen as I demonstrate it for
you. I'll give you 2 beats and then we'll start.
1-& 2-&
Great work learning how to play "Honeybee"
with both hands together.
Remember to practice many times.
Many, many, times.
Every day until you can play it smoothly,
confidently, and with beautiful phrasing.
Thanks for watching and learning with me, and happy practicing!
Today class we are going to be learning
about similar and contrary motion.
Similar motion is when two voices in
music are moving in the same direction.
For example, well,
can't exactly think of an
example right now. So let's go on to contrary motion.
Contrary motion is when
two voices are moving in opposite directions.
For example,
I can't think of an example of this one
either, remind!