HANS-GÜNTER HEUMANN
LESSON 62: WARM-UP EXERCISES
On these pages, Pianist covers the most basic stages of learning through a series of lessons by Hans-Günter Heumann. The two facing pages contain eight exercises from Le Couppey’s L’ABC du Piano. They are perfect for getting the fingers in shape.
Eight exercises from L’ABC du Piano
Practise very slowly at first, making sure that the fingers press all the way down into the keys for a solid, deep legato. Avoid wrist or finger tension at all costs! Notice the changes in dynamics: First time around to be forte (rather loud) and second time piano (quiet).
Mel BONIS (1858-1937)
Gouttes de pluie(Raindrops) Op 103 No 9
TRACK 1 BEGINNER
Composed and published in 1913, French composer Mel Bonis’s Album pour les tout-petitsOp 103 contains 20 relatively easy pieces which feature some charmingly descriptive titles: There’s La puce(The flea), Douce amie (Sweet friend), La toupee(Spinning toy) as well as the No 9 featured here, Gouttes de pluie(Raindrops). Bonis was obviously intrigued by the rain; another more advanced piece which she composed right before this Op 103 is Il pleut(It rains) Op 102. Maybe one day we’ll feature it inside these pages.
Playing tips: This 22-bar piece might look extremely easy – and yes, the notes are indeed simple to learn. But you will need heaps of imagination to bring it to life. It covers lots of technique, as well, such as use of staccato in both hands, changes in dynamics, a strong sense of rhythm, adherence to rests, and so on. On page the notes look rather ‘static’, but when it’s played at the necessary tempo (Assez vite, meaning ‘rather fast’), it will bounce along. We have found some great versions on YouTube – our favourite performed on a toy piano! Pedal is not required.
Melanie SPANSWICK
Glorious Day
TRACK 2 BEGINNER
Notes from the composer: Glorious Day is essentially in the key of F minor, even if it sounds rather sunny and slightly major! F minor contains a key signature of four flats, which have all been written into the score for easy learning. The flowing theme consists of eight-bar phrases, and the tempo marking of a dotted crotchet equals 120 beats per minute (with the Allegro marking) should work well. In order for the fingers to flit over the keys swiftly, a helpful practice tool to assimilate note-patterns and fingerings with ease is the ‘blocking-out’ technique: simply play each bar as one chord. In fact, for this particular piece, two bars can be ‘blocked-out’ together
