It has been a wondrous journey so far, and with my presentation creeping up on me, I am finishing up learning my first ever song on the piano (Clocks by Coldplay). This week I have had a bit going on, but have still been on the piano every night trying to learn. With this being my first song, there have been three tips I learned in the past that are really becoming crucial now. I have realized that some things are so much more important than I originally thought. These are:
1) Take things slow.
Clocks is a relatively fast song compared to everything else I have learned. It also requires a lot of finger movement across the piano. When I first attempted the song, I tried to learn it fast, but after deciding to break it down and take it slower, I was able to learn it. What I did was first go very slow to learn the notes, and then I would slowly speed it up until I could get it perfectly at the right speed. This may sound obvious, but it took a little while for me to realize the importance of it.
2) Play One Hand at a Time.
Clocks is played with two hands, and both hand's duties are fast and hard (that's what she said). Trying to learn both hands at the same time confused me and was very difficult. By mastering one hand at a time (specifically the right hand, or the melody first and then the left hand) I was able to learn the song a lot easier.
3) Break the Song up Into Sections
When I first started trying to learn the song, I would find myself trying to learn to play a lot at one time. This would leave me confused and discouraged. I found it a lot easier to break my project up into small sections, and learning each one on top of another. So basically I would learn the first 4ish seconds, master it, and then start learning the next 4ish seconds, and add it on to what I had previously learned. This way I was learning the new part, practicing the old part and strengthening my transition between the section I had created all at one time.
These things I had learned when playing my first song were a smoothie of previous tips, and just things I found to make things easier. I'm not sure if these are common tips, or unique to me, but they seemed to be very helpful. Now that I am attempting an actual song, I am seeing how I am adapting and changing my learning as I go along. It is really cool to see, because in the first week, I wasn't comfortable enough while playing to change anything I was doing. It is really cool to see how I am growing on the piano and changing my playing. Here is a video of me playing:
I am defiantly learning a lot as I attempt my final goal. The problem is putting all of this into a neatly organized 5 minute presentation. While attempting to write my script I have run into lots of troubles. I have found myself re-writing my script several times in attempt to create something worth sharing. I have decided on a general theme of how all the knowledge we need to learn is right at our fingertips, and if you have an interest, dive right in and be a creator. It's sort of all about how we should all be doers and creators instead of observers, and that information is more accessible than ever. I know that this sounds sort of jumbled, and that is my trouble, but I think I am closing in on a good way of incorporating it all into my presentation. On top of this, I am also a bit nervous of playing and speaking on a stage in front of a lot of people, but I think I am just going to have to go out there and imagine they are all in their underwear (especially Sid).
One more trouble I wish to share with you all is that I will be at an FBLA States competition from Sunday to Wednesday (leading up to the presentation). This takes away a lot of time I would've used to practice my presentation. That's why my goal is to try to get in some quality practice before the competition, and maybe while I'm there if I can find time. It's not all bad though because I get to go to Hershey Park while I am there. (Update: Me and my group at States + Adam and a Dancer guy in the bottom left:)
With that, I leave you all until after my presentation is complete. I know that many of you are saddened that there will only be one blog post after this, but I promise you all that it will be a quality post. Although I am very nervous for the presentation, and know it probably won't be my best, I will attempt to please my dedicated blog readers to the best of my ability. I am very proud of myself and everything I have learned so far, and never though it possible. I just really hope my presentation is able to math that success and excitement. Bye and see you on Friday.
More Sources:
More Sources:
TutorialsByHugo.
"Coldplay - Clocks - Piano Tutorial + Sheets" Youtube.com, July 25,
2016.
Lima, Max.
"Vladimir Horowitz: A Eminiscence (Documentary)" Youtube.com, July
27, 2017.
eccentricXXX.
"Art Tatum - Yesterdays" Youtube.com, September 6, 2008.
Was not able to create citation, but this website is good for finding free sheet music: https://musescore.com
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