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Luckychwee asked: "Hi Jerry, saw yr songsheet "Aria" but I noticed that the first bar (chord) is D,A,D (what chord is this ?)"

The piece is in D-minor. The way we can tell it's in D-minor is because of two things. One, the signature (Bb) is for either F-major or D-minor and two, most of the chords are in D-minor and specifically, the final chord of the piece is D.

The Dmin chord is made up of three notes D-F-A. So, we have D-A-D which is most of the chord; we're missing the F (which isn't a huge loss, D-A-D is still a fairly major part of the chord), but lo and behold, in the melody we have a strum from D up to F which completes the triad.

"Also can explain to me the bar no. 6 and 14?"

If you're referring to the weird way the left hand notes is arranged, usually notes are on separate stems if a separate voice is referenced. Here, I think he just wanted to indicate that he wanted the F to the lower F and then the G connected.

"How long does it take you to learn this piece from fresh beginner ?"

It took me about a week, working on it every day. But I'd been playing for a year. A complete beginner might take two weeks with the help of a teacher. It's just a matter of getting the notes under the fingers.

Jerry, the Mexican Hat Dance isn't so bad once you know how it goes. I'm guessing you don't have a teacher. But there's always Google.

Here's a bad midi of the piece:
http://members.tripod.com/~MarvTx/mexicanhatdance.mid

That should help a little.

Bob-

The MIDI file was very helpful (I had to right-click and save it as a download; I couldn't directly click on it to hear it, as it sent me to some blank page). The tempo of the song is much faster than I had expected. Well, I guess it's time for me to flip back a few pages in my Alfred's book and start tackling it again. Thanks!

BTW, I'm going to spend several days analyzing the Scarlatti piece to make sure I can recognize chords, key, fingering, etc. I don't plan on starting to learn it until I finish Alfred's book 1, which should be in about 2 months. I have about 10 pages to go (Raisons & Almonds, The Entertainer, Amazing Grace, etc.).

Here's a link to a not so great recording of the Scarlatti. For some reason he doesn't add the trills until the very end. At least you can get an idea of the tempo. Sean Bennett Scarlatti K. 32
Jon

Here is the version of K32 that I have been listening to . It's slightly different from the one posted by jdsher:

Scarlatti K32

NOTE: You have to save the file and then open it. You cannot play it directly from the web page.

I just listened to the midi by Sean Bennett and what is the tempo of this piece. I mean what is the m.m setting cos the whole piece is quite slow.

Bob can you explain more on these bars cos I dont really understand. Let's say bar no. 6 are u playing as a chord F,G,F or F,G,F,D (cos there's a note D). As for bar 14, the first line on bass is G,B then D follow by A,C#.

Sorry I really dont understand ...

There is no set tempo. You can play it at whatever speed you want.

In bar 6, you play as a chord in your left hand F & D while you play D in your right. On the second beat, you play A in your right hand while you play the lower F in your left. Then on the final beat, you play G with your right while you play the lower G with your left.

In bar 14, on the first beat, you play E-F-G as an arpeggio in your right hand, holding on G, and you play G-Bb as a chord in your left hand. The next beat, you play F in the right and D in the left. In the final beat, you play E in the right and A-C# in the left.

Thanks Bob, now I understand as earlier I tot you play the bass as a 3-note chord (trial).

"tot you play the bass as a 3-note chord (trial)"

Only if you're playing an Alfred's method piece.

Yeah exactly ... do you feel that the alfred basic adult book lack of some feel of the actual music as all are trials/chords. What do u think ?

Currently I pick a piece straightaway and learn my techniques from there. I also learn my scales and some other stuffs from outside syallabus.

Learn this piece for 2 weeks and almost getting done soon.

"do you feel that the alfred basic adult book lack of some feel of the actual music as all are trials/chords"

Yes, because it is very simplified. BUT, an advantage is that it includes popular music and not just classical pieces. Many students might lose interest if all they learned in the beginning was classical.

Jerry, thanks for the link. I definitely prefer that recording.
Bob, on both recordings it almost sounds like they are rolling the first chord. Have you tried it this way?
Jon

The chord isn't rolled, the first three notes in the right hand are rolled. Like da-da-dum

That is a great picture of the Clementi. I don't know how you did that. Are these somewhere I could find? Is there one like that for Scarlatti K32? I hear the K32 mentioned as a good adult beginner piece, but haven't found it.

TimR-

Scarlatti K32

This link was given to me by iamcanadian in the Pianist Corner Forum.

Thanks, I printed it out.

I'm not sure why the right hnd notes are round and the left hand ones are diamonds. Does that have some special meaning I should know about?

Also. There is no fingering indicated, and I'm pretty new at figuring these things out. I have pencilled in what seems logical to me, without considering the ornaments. Do you adjust fingering for the mordentes?

Hi TimR, I think Bob has explained above. I am not going to take on this piece until I've finished these two from mozart :-

http://youngdonald.altervista.org/immagini/Immagini/Scan0001.jpg

I have no idea about the fingering and I don't even know what a mordente is. Now you see why this is a 'stretch' goal for me for 2005. :rolleyes: