The I Like Song
Lesson Book page 15
- Playing half notes in a piece
what's new
- Feeling the difference between quarter notes and half notes
- Recognizing and feeling the half note as part of a rhythm pattern (quarter quarter half-note)
what's important
let's get started
- Here's a rhythm pattern that uses the half note. (Demonstrate quarter quarter half-note.) This is how it looks. (Show the pattern in the piece.)
- Let's tap and count the rhythm in this piece. Tap with the hand that plays and count 1 1 1-2.
- Be a rhythm detective. Find and circle that pattern in the piece.
- Find the 3-black-keys in both hands with fingers 2-3-4. We'll play and say the finger numbers.
- Now let's play the piece and count 1 1 1-2.
Look for patterns. Don't read note to note!
explore and create
Mystery Position
(Student's fingers should be on the 3-black-keys.) Close your eyes. I'm going to move your fingers to a mystery position. (Slide them down to F-G-A.) Let's play with a bluesy duet. (Download duet)Spooky Position
I'm going to move your fingers to a spooky position! (Slide fingers over A-B-C.) Let's pretend it's Halloween and change the words, too. (Play and sing with a spooky duet.) (Download duet)Tooth Fairy Position
(Place the student's hands on G-A-B high on the keyboard.) This fairy is coming in on tiptoe so she doesn't wake anybody. (Play a music-box duet.) (Download duet)
Note combinations form rhythm patterns.
partner pages
Technique & Artistry
pp. 6-7 Firming Up My Fingers
- In the Technique & Artistry books, one of the five Technique Secrets serves as a warm-up and guide for each exercise that follows.
- Firm fingertips (Making O's) is at the root of Firming Up My Fingers, a hands alone, black-key exercise using fingers 2-3-4. Repeated notes are a key element here. A firm fingertip is developed by feeling the fingertip as each finger in turn plays the six-note rhythm pattern.
Performance
p. 3 The Doorbell
- The Doorbell isolates fingers 2 and 4. Many students need reinforcement for these fingers.
- The half-note opening allows the hand to balance and prepare for the next note.
- Encourage students to find and circle this rhythm pattern for each hand:
pedagogy pointers
The first piece that uses half notes also establishes a new rhythm pattern. It's important that note values are not seen as isolated elements, but rather that note combinations form patterns which are used over and over.
The new rhythm pattern occurs six times, but the notes change direction more frequently, and there is a greater mixture of steps and skips.
accompaniments on disk
- CD Tracks 8-9
- MIDI File 4