The Setting Sail Challenge

Expanding Your Note Patterns

So something to go away and try within this section is:

1. Expand that note pattern from section one:

• From just the hand being above five keys to now venturing out.
• I recommend you try that hand separately, first of all, again using white keys and black keys.

Example:

• Here's an example again, with the left hand using the black keys. Really feel those stretches.

Tips:

• If you find that there's one part of your hand that isn't stretching quite as you want it to, or if you get a little bit of a duff note while you're doing it, just keep on with that little pattern.
• Cycle it a few times over.

Benefits:

• This will help develop so much about technique.
• It will also help develop the wrist, as the wrist will naturally be moving from side to side in that slightly circular way that we want at the piano.

Layering Techniques

2. Layered Textures:

• Also try within the section the layered textures, where we're thinking of one hand at a time and layering those notes.
• Start hands separately, then put the hands together.

3. Conversation Between Hands:

• We also talked about the conversation between the hands.
• Rather than having a pulse hand and a phrase hand, both hands should imitate each other and play little phrases that work together.

Example:

• Here's a final example of that using the black keys.

Experimenting with Pedals

4. Pedal Techniques:

• Finally, come back to the layered textures to see how you can experiment with pedals.
• Whether you're coming to this for the first time, or you're already a fully-fledged pianist but still learning, getting on top of pedaling can be tricky.

Suggestions:

• Experiment with the sounds that both the right pedal and the left pedal produce with these layered textures.

Conclusion

Hopefully, all of these different techniques and ways of improvising will have taken the nuts and bolts of pulse and phrase from section one to a completely different level.

With that new level, you are exploring so much more of the color and the infinite possibilities that come within this instrument.