Prelude in C Minor: Part 2

Hello and welcome back. I'm Joseph Hoffman, and in this lesson

we're going to move on to learning page 2 in "Prelude in C Minor" by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Let's check out the score to get started.

Here's page two of the score for prelude in C minor.

Just like last time, I encourage you to pause and hunt for any flats.

Here's some B's so these are all flat.

Here's a B in the left hand. Here are some A's, but should I flat these?

Normally we would flat A because of the key signature, but because of this natural on this A, all the other A's

in that same position are natural.

So again this is optional, but

if you like some people really find it easier to learn

if you're prepared where all the flats are going to be from your key signature.

Pause if you'd like some time to work on that,

and in the meantime, be watching out for these A naturals there are a lot of a naturals coming along in this section,

and a lot of F-sharps too.

If you're done circling all the flats on this page, then let's try and play it.

Let's start with the left hand again today. Here in measure 13

we start on this ground G,

and now I'd like you to pause the video and figure out the left-hand part on your own from measure 13 all the way into the first note

of measure 16.

Pause to learn that on your own, then press play and we'll check it out together.

So you should have had G, rest, D, B-flat, G, rest, then B-flat, G, E-flat.

Now, it might have looked like oh these are the same notes again, but hopefully you're watching carefully and notice that we're a skip lower now for that section. B-flat, G, E-flat, with fingers one two four rest then back up to G, E-flat, C.

And that's where we'll stop with the left hand.

Now if that matched

what you played, great job. If you need extra time to practice you can always pause of course.

Now let's look at the right hand part. Here in measure 13 we get a very interesting pattern that's not quite a triad.

Notice we have A natural, B-flat,

D, and this creates some real tension right here. That A is a non-chord tone. It's actually a kind of suspension,

which is going to in the next measure resolve down to a G.

Notice how

that creates some real tension there. That's a real dissonance that Bach has created here that then resolves to consonance in the next measure.

Remember, dissonance: two notes that don't sound very happy together.

Hear that tension that Bach creates there?

That then resolves. That A travels down to the G in the next measure to make it sound a little more peaceful again.
Okay, so let's play these as chords, as block chords. Here's measure 13. Play that with me.

And then resolves to this in measure 14.

Now, can you figure out measure 15 as a blocked chord?

See we have a B-flat, a D, and a G.

Can you tell me the name of that chord?

Remember, seeing a fourth and a third should be a clue this is an inversion.

If we put the G on the bottom, you see that's a G minor triad first inversion.

Okay, so let's put this both hands together now, and listen to what it sounds like here in measure 13.

And then we'll stop there. So pause the video and work on measures 13 through the first note of measure 16

hands together, and then press play to go on.

So, our left hand just played C here in measure 16, and then we're going to switch to a finger 1

on that same note. C, A natural, and then this low D.

Rest, then D, A natural, D, rest, D, A natural, D.

Okay, pause the video and work on just the left hand alone, measure 16 through the first note of measure 19,

then press play to go on.

Now let's look at the right hand part. Here in measure 16 can you take these notes of measure 16 and turn it into a chord?

It's going to be a bit unusual of a chord.

We've got an A natural, an E-flat, remember E's are all flat from the key signature,

and then finger 5 is on G,

and with the left hand C, this is a kind of chord we actually haven't learned yet it's called a half diminished seven chord.

Don't worry about that, we'll learn more about that chord later, but it's a really cool sound if you ask me.

and then,

okay so back up to measure 16, here's our chord.

Now, can you figure out the chord for measure 17?

Try to play it as a blocked chord all the notes of the right hand.

We have an A natural, a C,

and an F-sharp. Do you know what chord this ...