Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Fundamental Keys Group

FWIW. You may wish to refer to this score. I have the Schumann album for the young book and it is as you say if I understand you correctly, not as you describe in FK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3NHm9OeHUY

the score in that video is very close for the most part to what is in my Schumann book. Admittedly I cannot comment further on deviations from the original score. I am checking against the full album for the young book I have, edited and prepared by Harold Bauer.

I agree I think it is important that those notes are played as sustained, it changes the feel/sound of it if not ( and not for the better .. IMO), recording on youtube and places I've heard you will hear it played liked that too ( sustained ).

Great piece isn't it ? I loved it as well. Good luck to you, there are lot of schumann gems

I wondered what had become of FK next generation. I was looking forward to it with the revised videos. I considered it a couple of years ago and I waited as it was supposed to be just around the corner, but it never came.

I hope all is well with her anyway. I guess the reason books or videos are often not delivered/completed is lack of funds, may be that's the case here, or may one day it will still be completed.

Yes, that is how I play it! Funny thing, though: this piece has two notes on the upper staff which are on the lower staff in FK but also in an old release of this piece which I found at IMSLP! In the video you linked, that very last A at the end of the third line and the very first G at the start of the fourth line are shown on the upper staff but in FK and that old release I found they are on the lower staff. I have to say I find them a lot easier to play with the left hand (together with the Dis and G respectively) than with the right. But well, at least the notes are correct and that's what matters. I suppose this can be edited just like articulations and so on can be edited to ones liking.

It is a gem indeed. In my previous piano life I tried to play Träumerei: never really nailed it. I think that with my new skills and knowledge I will give that one another try sometime. (And then also read the topic about it.) I like those dreamy pieces. I am not a fan of that music box-like happy clappy pieces (of which there are quite a few in beginner's books).

BTW This is getting a bit OT but ever since learning to play the piano all over again (well, during the last three weeks that is ) I haven't touched the damper pedal. Something I used to do all the time during my previous piano life. I have to check if the pedal is mentioned somewhere in FK in the pages I skipped for now. But anyway, up to now I also play First loss without pedal. I wonder if it is used by others in some specific places? Sounds like it on certain recordings but it is hard to determine where exactly. Somehow I feel it is best to not use the pedal if possible with this one. Seems a lot of composers never added info about this on their scores.

It sounds like FK has proofreading problems. I doubt Rachel would have intended those alterations at all and maybe these errors are one of the reasons she considered a revised edition.

I know she felt scales were introduced too soon in the first edition.

I hope you don't mean the Music Box piece I just played in the French Recital!

I see what you mean. I thought you said FK had wrong notes as in like missing an accidental or even notes in the wrong pitch. In these case, you're right. They are intentional as to not introduce a second voice in the same hand at this stage of learning. If you really like something and want to keep playing it, consulting other sources is never a bad idea. Professionals do this all the time, consulting many sources, but certainly not for a little piece like those in FK.

I spoke with Rachel during my lesson today, and she said there should be no incorrect placement of notes (pitch / accidentals). All mistakes have been corrected since 2010 release. She also told me the 1st edition is now half price compared to when I bought it. Hey no fair.

I don't know because I don't have a clue where are can listen to those pieces...? I only see a discussion topic about it but no music.

Regarding my question above about the pedal: I noticed my view on using the pedal has made 180 degree turn: in the past I used it for everything, now I like to not use it at all (if possible). So forget my question: I just played and recorded First loss a few times and I really think I like it more without pedal. Not even during those three last chords: I like a short silence in between them. (I got to focus on my legato though: the notes in my recording sounded too seperate: recording your own playing is an invaluable tool.)

It's great that you guys are taking these easy pieces so seriously! What I often see with beginners is the opposite, playing stuff that's really hard and NOT taking it seriously by completely omitting things they either cannot do or don't want to learn, or at a much slower tempo than the composer asked for. I hope you don't let up on this level of obsessiveness as the music gets harder, and not cheat like crazy like so many others. Most of the time, adults simply don't want to devote the time with easy music and do it right! Very refreshing.

Ah, good to know it is intentional. For me little pieces are all I mean to play and I won't turn pro ever so... I will consult other sources for pieces I tend to keep on playing.

And also good to know Rachel is still alive and kicking! I won't ask you to ask her what's up with the revised books. I am sure that whenever she has the time and funds to finish things, if ever, we will hear it. Glad to know she is okay because I was thinking something happened to her. The next time you see her thank her for this great method book!

My pleasure. Well, I like to do things the right way, as they are intended. Right now these easy pieces are hard enough already LOL but I know I can handle them pretty quickly. I like these short pieces (like First loss) and I have no intention on ever playing (very) long and (very) hard pieces. First loss is grade 2 or 3 maybe? Don't know but it's fine for me now and I will play higher grade pieces when the time is right. And my skills have become good enough. But even if I might try a higher graded piece sometime soon (like from Debussy or Grieg) I'd always try to play it as intended. I don't like cheating. And if I find out I just can't play them (yet) I won't play them.

Will do. Always glad to see others go through the same 1st steps I did ....

In the "French Themed Recital - April 30, 2017" thread. The first post includes a link to the Online Streaming Player

Richard, as usual, excellent playing, always a pleasure to listen to your stuff. You not only emit the music-box-like mood here, but over-achieved on the expressiveness of any music-box. Maybe you need to try to sound more mechanical. LoL. Just kidding!

Thanks, 8 Octaves. Maybe I'll just relax all over and unwind

omg I can't stop laughing!

Thanks, I will have a look at it when I am behind my desktop PC because it doesn't seem to work on my iPad.

Sooooo... this afternoon I played through ALL the pieces I skipped (everything between 81 Minuet in C and page 126 First loss) and well, there were only 4 pieces I kinda liked and which I will certainly master sometime soon. I played though all pieces (yes, all of them) with 2 hands in one go just to get a feel for them and to see if it was something I might liked but none of them clicked apart from those 4. Of course I couldn't play them great at first sight, far from it, but some I could play almost right already and the others I know I can master if I spend time with them but honestly... I just don't think I can bring myself to it. There are way too much (what I call) music box pieces which are so predictable... some parts I could play in one go because I simply knew what was coming.

'First loss' is BY FAR my favorite from the book (I know it completely from memory already and all I have to do is to bring a few parts up to speed). I read all the information in the book I didn't read so far but there was nothing I didn't know already. It was more basic than I thought it would be. I was a bit disappointed that it didn't even talk about the pedal yet.

So... I am a bit done with FK for now. Do not get me wrong: I think this book is the best method for beginners, specially if you are into classical music, but I think that once my old skills from 30 or so years back had been awoken, things turned out to be a bit too basic for me. And I also discovered I am really not a fan of the older classical stuff. Those pieces were fine while discovering what I could and couldn't do but now I know I can play the entire book if I want to (and out enough time into it), they don't do it for me anymore.

It has been wonderful two weeks though LOL

J van E, I'm glad you feel like you can move over by taking advantage of your past background. Mine is surely not enough to allow me to do something like that so I will carry on slowly but hopefully steadily. On a side note, I've arranged an appointment next week with a piano teacher because, although I am confident with the steps I've been taking so far, I feel that will speed up my learning, so I'm looking forward to it. Good luck, mate.

I'm approaching the end of Alfred1 (currently on The Entertainer) and started spending more time on FK, first impressions: IT'S HARD!!!

I was expecting to breeze through the first half or so, no way! Which is good as that's why I got it as it was supposed to complement well with Alfred, rather than being more of the same.

So happy to start working on it, but for sure it'll take some time to go through all the material.

Well, if you're almost finished with Alfred 1 and find it hard to go through FK I can only be glad the latter has been my first choice! I'm happy for you that you joined. Take your time and you won't regret it. I'm on page 81 and enjoying these little pieces a lot. I never thought I would be able to play Beethoven and Mozart so soon!

It'd be interesting to see what someone nearly finished with the sections of FK that are about the level of Alfred1 would think if starting the Alfred book then. I think it's having melodies simultaneously on both hands that it's different, and not something you do with Alfred1 (more on 2 and 3 I think). But the LH accompaniament based skills you learn with Alfred1 are essential as well IMO, so they seem to complement each other really well if you want a more versatile foundation.

I bought both at the same time but decided to start with Alfred purely because I received it first to be honest. I didn't want to lose focus by working on both books at the same time from the start, but perhaps I should have overlapped them more. I only started with Alfred in late January, so it'll be 4 months next week. I've gone through most of it much faster than I anticipated. I hope I haven't gone too fast and learned nothing

I have bought Fundamental Keys Book 1 and the four accompanying videos. When I'm done, I will buy the original book and pick up on p. 39 per Rachel Jimenez' advice on the FK website.

I'm up to p. 19, and find the instruction very basic, clear, and well thought out. She's an excellent teacher and I find her mature relaxed approach perfect for this septuagenarian. I'm determined to finish her books and then pursue learning favorite classical works on my own, slowly and steadily. (Ultimate goal: Moonlight Sonata!)

Oh, one quirk in my learning style: I am shielding the keyboard from view so I don't look at my fingers as I play. I don't expect Rachel would approve!