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Let's Play Ball!

Lesson Book page 42

let's get started

1. What key is just below Middle C on the piano? (B) Let's play back and forth from Middle C and B with LH fingers 1-2. I'll play a duet. (Download duet)
2. On the staff, B is the space note right below Middle C. (Show the example on the page.)
3. Circle all the Bs in the piece.
4. On which note does your RH begin? On what finger?
5. Here's a twisty pattern that you'll need to wind up in order to throw your ball. (Isolate Mm. 5 and 6 and "wind these up" a few times.)
6. Batter up. Let's play ball! (Download duet)

A finger warm-up can make reading a new piece easy.

explore and create

• Pitch Out

  When you finish the piece, throw a hard fastball with your RH and catch it with your LH. Get that runner out!

• Teammates

  (Show another student how to play a simple duet. [RH] C C [LH] G G: steady quarter notes.)

• Scouting for New Players

  (Show another student how to play a drum accompaniment:
  
  Then you'll have a trio: the duet plus the drum part.)

partner pages

Theory

pp. 28-29 Learning B

• Name and sightread Middle C and B notes.
• Drawing quarter, half, or dotted half space note Bs is a good way to review 4/4 time and reinforce this new note on the bass staff.

Performance

p. 17 Cowboy Joe

• New Bass Clef note B is approached stepwise from Middle C to begin the song.
• Cowboy Joe has a technique secret. Can you guess which one he uses for his thumbs?
• Where do Mm. 1-2 repeat? For fun, have the student play this pattern with eyes closed.
• What is the only difference between Mm. 3-4 and Mm. 7-8?
• Ask student to play the last C with a braced LH finger 2. Pretend it's a lasso!

pedagogy pointers

We now begin with recognition of notes on the bass staff. In this piece B below Middle C is featured as a step down from Middle C and also as part of a leap from treble G to B. There is further reinforcement to distinguish quarter from half notes. It's a good idea to prepare the "wind-up" melodic and finger pattern in measures 5-7 before presenting the entire piece.

accompaniments on disk

• CD Tracks 52-53
• MIDI File 26

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see it in action

Teaching Video 41

The "wind-up" in measures 5 and 6 is practiced by rote as a finger warm-up. It's like running from third base to first and back. David can even do this with his eyes closed! As he then discovers, using this pattern in the piece is easy, especially as the prelude to the leap in measure 7. No wonder he doesn't need to look down to find the B.

When Patrick and Philip join the team, they're poised to play the piece as teammates. And they're also ready to throw the runner out and save the game. Let's play ball!

Ask Yourself

• Is there any purpose beside fun in throwing and catching that ball?
• Could this be a recital idea?

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