Fallin', Alicia Keys (Lesson)

Welcome to Your Rock School Debut!

Hey, and welcome to this Rock School debut. I'm James Beckwith, a piano and keyboard player. Today, we're looking at "Fallin'" by Alicia Keys.

Getting Started

Welcome to the start of your musical journey! This is an R&B piece that I'm sure you've heard, everyone's heard "Fallin'." It's a great tune, number one all over the place when it was released. We'll be playing a simplified version of this piece, so:

• Listen to the backing track to capture the vibe.
• Pay attention to Alicia's original record. She plays her piano parts and sings at the same time, which is really hard to do but an amazing accomplishment.

The Vibe

We're talking R&B, nice and smooth, with everything well-rounded. Let's dive into what we can do with it! This might be the very first piece you're learning for the debut of the Rock School grades, so it's obviously simplified.

Understanding the Score

If you take a look at the very beginning of the score, we come straight in, there's no intro to this piece like there is on the actual record. So, we go directly into the verse, with:

• The right hand playing the melody.
• The left hand providing the bass, giving the harmony and melody some context to make it sound fuller and more interesting.

The Challenge of Playing Piano

One of the challenges of playing the piano is that you have to play with two hands. This means learning to read music in two different staves simultaneously, which can be tricky.

Key Moments in the Piece

Towards the middle section, specifically Bar 12, you'll start having both hands playing together. This is where you have:

• Two separate parts happening at the same time, a unique feature of playing the piano.

These early habits will set you up for a lifetime of great musical playing.

Learning the Left Hand

In this piece, the left hand is essentially playing just two notes: A and E. There's a small section towards the end in Bar 20 when there's a G as well, but otherwise, the bass plays these two notes.

Practice Tips

• Practice the left hand on its own first. Get so comfortable that you forget about it.
• Once you've mastered the left hand, then add the right hand.

The Most Difficult Part

The most challenging part of this piece is probably Bar 20, where you have what we call contrary motion happening in the left and right hands.

What is Contrary Motion?

Contrary motion involves playing a scale or line in two separate ways. It's more difficult than a normal scale because you have to think about:

• Where your fingers are going on both sides.
• Making sure the contouring motion works in each hand.

Practice the Line

The line at Bar 20 is as follows. The hard part is managing the contouring motion in both hands.

Putting It All Together

To sum up:

• Practice the left and right hands separately before bringing them together.
• Watch out for the contrary motion in Bar 20.
• Don't rush the piece! It's easy to rush the quavers.

Finally, have fun with it! It's a great piece, and Alicia Keys is a fantastic artist. Enjoy playing it!

See you next time!