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Over the Rainbow

Arlen and Harburg

content by Anthony Williams

PITCH
Accuracy, clarity and
definition of notes
and/or intonation

TIME
Suitability of tempo,
stability of pulse,
sense of rhythm

TONE
Control and projection
of the sound, sensitivity
and awareness in use
of tonal qualities

SHAPE
Effectiveness and clarity of
musical shaping and detailing

PERFORMANCE
Overall command,
involvement with the music,
musical communication

Explore the simple chords of E - Major, G Minor, A - Major and F Minor as well as Dom 7th in E - and A - and a Diminished on E -. You might also
want to consider the scales and arpeggios
Bars 5 and 12 are essentially E - major. Where do the other chords fit? Perhaps write them in above the bars
Improvise over two or three of these chords using the notes of E - major scale. Does the actual melody use notes that are not in this scale?
Practise playing the melody alone from memory and in different keys to give you the confidence you can hear and then find the notes
Practise playing without pedal with the RH piano and the LH forte to help focus on the physical shape of the accompaniment
The piece is marked to be played with rubato but to help give this flexibility context play it in time too, quietly along with a metronome perhaps
Sing the melody whilst accompanying it with the LH. Allow yourself to take time on certain words or to slow and speed up. Can you follow this with
the LH?
Take the score to a music stand and conduct the performance as if in front of an orchestra. Hear the natural flexibility in the pulse and tempo
How long should the pause towards the end be? How long should you hold the orchestra and should you slow down beforehand?
Try out the piece at a number of different tempi. Try a tempo that is far too fast and far too slow. Perhaps conduct your teacher playing it.
Discuss where the melody is from bar 5 and learn it without the chords. Using simple chords in the left hand (E - maj bar 5, G min and E - 7 bar 6
etc.) play and accompany the tune or play as a duet
How quiet do the underlying harmonies need to be?
Playing the first RH chord in bar 5, bring out each note in turn. What is the best balance of this chord?
Try playing the opening four bars without pedal. Then try changing every bar then every half bar. What works best?
Playing the LH only with pedal, stop (with the pedal held down) just before the D -. Which notes did you need more of, which less of? Is the balance
right?
Identify the different sections of the arrangement. What happens in the final 4 bars and at what might the pausa lunga represent?
What are the first four bars and where is the melody here? Which notes will you bring out?
How will you make the repetitive melody interesting from bar 23? Just play the tune and experiment with different amounts of dynamic shape
Listen to recordings of the song. The arrangements main melody differs in one important regard. Where is the change?
Listen to other versions of the same song. Compare the Judy Garland original with Eva Cassidy. How have they shaped the melody, used rubato and
dynamics?
Listen to other piano arrangements of the song, particularly Keith Jarrett/Erroll Garner/Art Tatum How have they arranged the tune? How is it an
arrangement?
Invent your own simple arrangement, try using different chords and harmonies
Consider playing other easier song arrangements as a warm up to this such as Both Sides Now Joni Mitchell arr. White (Gd 3 11), or listen to
Gershwin The Man I Love (Gd 8 09) you might try this in the near future

Pastushok na svireli igraet


Rebikov

content by Anthony Williams

PITCH
Accuracy, clarity and
definition of notes
and/or intonation

TIME
Suitability of tempo,
stability of pulse,
sense of rhythm

TONE
Control and projection
of the sound, sensitivity
and awareness in use
of tonal qualities

SHAPE
Effectiveness and clarity of
musical shaping and detailing

PERFORMANCE
Overall command,
involvement with the music,
musical communication

Explore the sounds of modal scales, start with the Dorian on D (white notes from D to D) then the Mixolydian scale from (all the white notes,
notice the F natural
Play the LH chord in bar 12-13 and improvise melodies using the Mixolydian scale on E (E major with a D natural)
Is there anywhere in the piece where the RH plays notes that are not in the Mixolydian scale on E?
Try playing the opening starting on a different note, perhaps singing it first. What do you notice if you start the melody on C?
Discuss the difference between 2/2 and 4/4. Try clapping 4 beats while your teacher claps 2 and vice versa, at what speed is it more comfortable to
clap two than four?
Discuss what the c. means in the tempo mark. Clap the rhythm of the first two phrases and experiment with different speeds deciding what works
best
On a table top or piano lid tap a pulse with the LH and play the rhythm of bar 9 with the RH fingers, can the ornament be tapped quickly and lightly
without losing time?
Discuss way to remember the opening tempo after the middle section. Perhaps invent words to help.
Play a B minor triad repeatedly in the LH and make up a tune based on a few notes of B minor scale in the RH. How soft can the LH need be and
how much can the RH be projected?
What is the right balance?
Play the opening RH phrases and decide which are the most expressive notes
How much can you shape the melody, getting louder to and moving away from these notes?
Where does the Shepherd take a breath to play the pipe? How will you show this?
How can you make the LH chords sounds smooth and legato in the opening? Experiment joining made-up chords with two notes, then three,
perhaps four.
Play some scales; how can you make them sound interesting and musical?
Discuss the scalic middle section of the piece. How can you play these scales so they sound colourful and improvised?
Try playing the scales with different articulation and amounts of legato (overlap of sound). What works best?
Talk about the piece: what image is the composer evoking? What happens in bar 9 and where is the pipe improvising?
Listen to recordings of other pieces influenced by shepherds:
Debussy: The little Shepherd
Grovlez: Le Pasteur
Elgar: The Shepherd (song)

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