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Class piano: Class Piano

Class piano

Class Piano

APPENDIX

Three Little Words—Note, Key, and Tone

Properly defined, a note is a character in written music which indicates the pitch and duration of a sound. A key is a part of the piano which functions as a lever and which, when depressed, produces a sound, and a tone is that sound. Strict adherence to these distinctions results, however, in some ambiguities and anomalies.

For example, the word “key” means not only that piece of mechanism which sets in motion the sound-producing process, but it also means a complex of pitches which form a scale, or tonality. If one refers to “the key of E flat,” one is more likely to mean the scale or tonality of E flat than the higher of the two black levers on the piano keyboard. Moreover, one includes in this meaning both the notes which are written and the pitches which are heard. In fact, the word “key” can refer to written pitches which are far removed, physically, from the piano keyboard, as any harmony student will affirm.

Then there is the word “tone.” The seventh degree of the diatonic scale is called the leading tone, whether it is written, played, or heard. How odd it would seem to say “the leading note” or “the leading key.” Again, when the student is admonished to “keep the common tone,” he is not being restricted to what he hears, but is being directed to write and play in a certain way. Who would say “keep the common key,” or “keep the common note”?

Anyone not too habituated to these terms and thereby dulled to their inconsistencies could compile an amusing list of absurdities associated with our “three little words,” but one more example will suffice. Again, the word is “tone”: it could (and does) reasonably connote sound, pitch, quality, intensity, duration, but how can it define the distance between one pitch and another? Yet, when we speak of a “whole-tone scale” to describe a scale each of whose degrees is a major second apart, we are using the word synonymously with interval. And when we speak of a “half tone” we might as well say a “half pitch” or a “half F.”

For these reasons I have sought to use such terms as would best convey my meaning, knowing that for a musician ideas of sight, touch, and sound often are not separated but combined in one concept and packed into what Humpty Dumpty called a “portmanteau” word. Unlike children in the old precept, who were supposed to he “seen and not heard,” music is to be seen, played, and heard, but we sometimes hear with our eyes, see with our fingers, and play with our minds.

Scale Chart

Songs, Melodies, and Repertory

(in chronological order)

Chapter 1

Lightly Row

Oats and Beans

Merrily We Roll Along, by ear

Hot Cross Buns, by ear

Chapter 2

Sleep, Baby, Sleep

Rosa

Theme from Finale of Ninth Symphony—Beethoven

Lyric Piece, No. I—Banberry

Jingle Bells (chorus), by ear

Chapter 3

Frère Jacques

Tallis’ Canon

Rousseau’s Lullaby

Lavender’s Blue

Oh, Susannah!

Lyric Piece, No. II—Banberry

Italian Hymn (duet)—de Giardini

This Old Man, by ear

London Bridge, by ear

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (to write)

Chapter 4

Theme from the Fourth Symphony—Tchaikovsky

Minor-Major Boogie—McLain

Wayfaring Stranger

Crusaders’ Tune (duet)

Chorale (duet)—Bach

Song of the Volga Boatmen—arr. McLain

Pentatonia—McLain

Club Zara—McLain

Old French Carol—arr. McLain

Maypole Dance—McLain

For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow, by ear

Pop Goes the Weasel, by ear

Chapter 5

The First Noel

Theme from the New World Symphony—Dvořák

Old Black Joe

Swanee River

Minuet in A minor—Purcell

Minuet in F major—W. A. Mozart

German Dance in D major—Haydn

Minuet in G major, No. I—Bach

Circle Game—McLain

Winter, Good-bye

Old Song

Joy to the World, by ear

Three Blind Mice, by ear

Yankee Doodle, by ear

Silent Night, by ear

Auld Lang Syne, by ear

Chapter 6

Did you Ever See a Lassie?

Where, O Where Has My Little Dog Gone?

The Queen’s Dolour—Purcell

Bourlesq—Leopold Mozart

Little Etude No. I—Köhler

Minuet in G major No. II—Bach

Musette—Bach

Cloudy Day—Reinecke

Spanish Dance (duet)—McLain

Gaslight Boogie—McLain

Oh, Dear, What Can the Matter Be?, by ear

Ten Little Indians, by ear

Chapter 7

Venerable Classic (duet)—arr. McLain

Clementine

Polly Wolly Doodle

Long, Long Ago

Little Minka

Reuben, Reuben

Good Night, Ladies

Theme from Freischiitz

The Arkansas Traveler

Carnival—Couperin

Sonatina, Op. 36, No. 1 (first movement)—Clementi

Spinning Song—Ellmenreich

The Three Horns—McLain

America (in G major)—Carey

The Star-Spangled Banner (in A flat major)—J. S. Smith

The Old Gray Mare, by ear

Old MacDonald, by ear

Chapter 8

Velocity Study for the Right Hand—Czerny

Velocity Study for the Left Hand—Czerny

Scale Study for the Right Hand—Lemoine

Scale Study for the Left Hand—Lemoine

Perpetual Motion—McLain

Blow the Man Down

Were You There?

Winter Landscape—McLain

Little Prelude in C major—Bach

Sonatina, Op. 36, No. 1 (2nd and 3rd movements)—Clementi

Arabesque—Burgmüller

Ballade—Burgmüller

Smoke Rings—McLain

Doxology, by ear

Vive la Compagnie, by ear

Loch Lomond, by ear

Chapter 9

Happy Birthday

Skip to My Lou

In Old Madrid

Go Down, Moses

Jingle Bells (chorus)

Accompaniment to Perpetual Motion

Turkey In the Straw

Dixie

Short’nin’ Bread

Accompaniment to Warmup XlVa

Mystery Tune—arr. McLain

Accompaniment to Warmup XXI

Those Broken Octaves!—Türk

Waltz in B flat major—Schubert

Elfin Dance—Grieg

Jingle Bells (complete), by ear

Away in a Manger, by ear

Cielito Lindo, by ear

Dark Eyes, by ear

My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, by ear

Home on the Range, by ear

Chapter 10

Passacaille from Suite VII—Handel

The Turn—Türk

Saint James Infirmary

Greensleeves

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

Lullaby (song)—Mozart

Valse—Grieg

Sarabande from Suite XI—Handel

When Johnny Comes Marching Home, by ear

We Three Kings, by ear

I Wonder as I Wander, by ear

Country Gardens, by ear

Sorrento, by ear

Waves of the Danube, by ear

Chapter 11

Arioso—McLain

Homage to Mr. Czerny—McLain

Chicken Reel

The Irish Washerwoman

The British Grenadiers

A Ground—Purcell

Viennese Refrain

Londonderry Air

“Indian Music”—McLain

Prelude, Op. 28, No. 20—Chopin

Two-Part Invention, No. I—Bach

America the Beautiful—S. A. Ward

Prayer of Thanksgiving, by ear

The Caissons, by ear

Songs and Melodies to Harmonize and Transpose

(in alphabetical order)

ChapterPage
Arkansas Traveler, The7124
Auld Lang Syne, by ear578
Away in a Manger, by ear9210
Battle Hymn of the Republic, The10226
Blow the Man Down8159
British Grenadiers, The11244
Caissons, The, by ear11261
Chicken Reel11242
Cielito Lindo, by ear9210
Clementine7116
Country Gardens, by ear10234
Dark Eyes, by ear9210
Did You Ever See a Lassie?692
Dixie9193
Doxology, by ear8176
First Noel, The563
For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow, by ear459
Fourth Symphony (Tchaikovsky), Theme440
Freischiitz, Theme7123
Frère Jacques327
Go Down, Moses9186
Good Night, Ladies7123
Greensleeves10225
Home on the Range, by ear9192, 210
Hot Cross Buns, by ear19, 12
I Wonder as I Wander, by ear10234
In Old Madrid9185
Irish Washerwoman11244
Jingle Bells, by ear2, 923, 210
Joy to the World, by ear563, 78
Lavender’s Blue330
Lightly Row17
Little Minka7117
Loch Lomond, by ear8176
London Bridge, by ear328, 39
Londonderry Air11251
Long, Long Ago7116
Merrily We Roll Along, by ear19, 12
My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, by ear9192, 210
New World Symphony (Dvořák), Theme567
Ninth Symphony (Beethoven), Theme218
Oats and Beans18
Oh, Dear, What Can the Matter Be?, by ear6108
Oh, Susannah!331
Old Black Joe568
Old Gray Mare, The, by ear7145
Old MacDonald, by ear7122, 145
Old Song575
Polly Wolly Doodle7116
Pop Goes the Weasel, by ear459
Prayer of Thanksgiving, by ear11261
Reuben, Reuben7123
Rosa216
Rousseau’s Lullaby330
Saint James Infirmary10225
Short’nin’ Bread9194
Silent Night, by ear578
Skip to my Lou9185
Sleep, Baby, Sleep216
Sorrento, by ear10234
Swanee River568
Ten Little Indians, by ear693, 108
This Old Man, by ear338
Three Blind Mice, by ear578
Turkey in the Straw9193
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, by ear339
Viennese Refrain11250
Vive la Compagnie, by ear8176
Waves of the Danube, by ear10234
Wayfaring Stranger444
We Three Kings, by ear10234
Were You There?8160
When Johnny Comes Marching Home, by ear10234
Where, O Where Has My Little Dog Gone?693
Winter, Good-bye575
Yankee Doodle, by ear578

Repertory

(in alphabetical order)

ChapterPage
Accompaniment to Perpetual Motion9192
Accompaniment to Warmup XlVa9197
Accompaniment to Warmup XXI9200
America, in G major—Carey7143
America the Beautiful—S. A. Ward11260
Arabesque—Burgmüller8170
Arioso—McLain11238
Ballade—Burgmiiller8171
Bourlesq—L. Mozart697
Carnival—Couperin7137
Chorale (four hands)—Bach449
Circle Game—McLain574
Cloudy Day—Reinecke6102
Club Zara—McLain455
Crusaders’ Tune (four hands)447
Elfin Dance—Grieg9207
Gaslight Boogie—McLain6104
German Dance in D major—Haydn572
Ground, A—Purcell11248
Happy Birthday9185
Homage to Mr. Czerny—McLain11241
“Indian Music”—McLain11254
Italian Hymn (four hands)—de Giardini333
Jingle Bells—J. Pierpont9190
Little Etude No. I—Kohler698
Little Prelude in C major—Bach8166
Lullaby (song)—W. A. Mozart10227
Lyric Piece No. I—Banberry219
Lyric Piece No. II—Banberry332
Maypole Dance—McLain456
Menuet in F major—W. A. Mozart572
Minor-Major Boogie—McLain441
Minuet in A minor—Purcell571
Minuet in G major No. I—Bach573
Minuet in G major No. II—Bach699
Musette—Bach6100
Mystery Tune (four hands)—McLain9198
Ninth Symphony, Theme—Beethoven218
Old French Carol—arr. McLain455
Passacaille—Handel10214
Pentatonia—McLain454
Perpetual Motion—McLain8151
Prelude, Op. 28, No. 20—Chopin11257
Queen’s Dolour, The—Purcell697
Sarabande—Handel10232
Scale Study for the Left Hand—Lemoine8149
Scale Study for the Right Hand—Lemoine8149
Smoke Rings—McLain8174
Sonatina, Op. 36, No. I (first movement)—Clementi7138
Sonatina, Op. 36, No. I (second and third movements)—Clementi8166
Song of the Volga Boatmen—arr. McLain450
Spanish Dance (four hands)—McLain6102
Spinning Song—Ellmenreich7140
Star-Spangled Banner, in A flat major, The—J. S. Smith7143
Tallis’ Canon—Tallis328
Those Broken Octaves!—Türk9205
Three Horns, The—McLain7142
Turn, The—Türk10223
Two-Part Invention, No. I—Bach11258
Valse—Grieg10229
Velocity Study for the Left Hand—Czerny8148
Velocity Study for the Right Hand—Czerny8148
Venerable Classic (four hands)7112
Waltz in B flat major—Schubert9206
Winter Landscape—McLain8161
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