the Resources
These are just a few of the resources I've been developing lately in my studio.
Tempo
Each of these animals characterizes a different musical tempo.
Learning the Italian terms for tempi is a difficult task - particularly since so many of the terms begin with the letter "A."
I researched the top speeds of several animals to find natural movement associations. I thought it would make memorizing the tempo easier if we could connect the speed of the animal with the speed of a musical composition.
Introducing . . .
Presto the Cheetah: 70 mph (168-200 bpm)
Allegro the Giraffe: 37 mph (120-168 bpm)
Allegretto the Horse: 25-30 mph (120 bpm)
Moderato the Bear: 30 mph (108-116 bpm)
Andante the Cow: 25 mph (80-104 bpm)
Adagio the Pig: 11 mph (66-76 bpm)
Lento the Turtle: 0.17 mph (63 bpm or slower)
Learning the Italian terms for tempi is a difficult task - particularly since so many of the terms begin with the letter "A."
I researched the top speeds of several animals to find natural movement associations. I thought it would make memorizing the tempo easier if we could connect the speed of the animal with the speed of a musical composition.
Introducing . . .
Presto the Cheetah: 70 mph (168-200 bpm)
Allegro the Giraffe: 37 mph (120-168 bpm)
Allegretto the Horse: 25-30 mph (120 bpm)
Moderato the Bear: 30 mph (108-116 bpm)
Andante the Cow: 25 mph (80-104 bpm)
Adagio the Pig: 11 mph (66-76 bpm)
Lento the Turtle: 0.17 mph (63 bpm or slower)
Some ideas for using these tempo eraser animals . . .
- perform a piece and ask the listener to choose the appropriate animal to describe the tempo
- move like a particular animal, then play any piece with that particular tempo
- compose a piece inspired by a particular animal and corresponding tempo
- make name cards or a page with tempi names; scramble the animals and try to match the correct tempi and
animal
- practice a difficult place in your piece at varying tempi, using the animals to prompt changes.
First, try Lento the turtle, then move up to Adagio the pig, etc.
Decide which animal most accurately depicts the composer's intention!
- perform a piece and ask the listener to choose the appropriate animal to describe the tempo
- move like a particular animal, then play any piece with that particular tempo
- compose a piece inspired by a particular animal and corresponding tempo
- make name cards or a page with tempi names; scramble the animals and try to match the correct tempi and
animal
- practice a difficult place in your piece at varying tempi, using the animals to prompt changes.
First, try Lento the turtle, then move up to Adagio the pig, etc.
Decide which animal most accurately depicts the composer's intention!
Removable Tempo Stickers - artwork by Christy Kiespert
These stickers may be applied to your music to help you remember the tempo or tempi for your assignment!
These stickers may be applied to your music to help you remember the tempo or tempi for your assignment!
Landmark Notes
Landmark notes are specific notes that can serve as guides as we explore the piano.
The most common landmark note is Middle C - the key for Middle C is the C closest to the middle of the piano.
Other favorite landmark notes include:
- Treble G: the G key just a bit higher than Middle C
the Treble G note is located on the Treble Staff on the line circled by Treble Clef's curly-Q.
- Bass F: the F key just a bit lower than Middle C
the Bass F note is located on the Bass Staff on the line surrounded by the two dots of the Bass Clef
- High G: the G key above Treble G; the High G note is on the top space of the Treble Staff
- Low F: the F key below Bass F; the Low F note is located on the low space of the Bass Staff
In choosing Landmark animals, I looked for animals that create sounds with appropriate pitch.
However, I was also interested in making sure that the low animals lived on the ground, the middle animal could hop, and the high animals could fly! This connection can help a great deal when reading the notes on the Grand Staff.
Elephant: lives on the ground and can produce sounds so low that humans cannot hear them.
Rhinoceros: lives on the ground and makes some very low sounds, but usually not as low as the elephant.
Frog: can easily move along the ground or hop higher in the air; can easily hop from Bass to Treble Staff.
Birds: usually sing very high and enjoy perching in trees and flying in the sky. Of course, male and female birds do not necessarily have different pitched calls. But male and female people often do - and the association can still help!
Low F Elephant Bass F Rhinoceros Middle C Frog Treble G bird (male) High G bird (female)
Some ideas for using these Landmark Note erasers . . .
- find Middle C with the frog
- find Treble G and Bass F with the appropriate animals
- close your eyes and ask someone else to play one of the Landmark Note keys. Guess which one it is!
- close your eyes and ask someone else to mix up the animals; open your eyes and put them in the correct
places, naming each Landmark Note
- if you have flash cards with Middle C, Treble G, and Bass F, play the correct key on the piano and then find
the correct animal for that key
- add High G and Low F
- compose a piece only using Landmark Notes
Articulation
Articulations are special effects or ways to touch the piano.
The difference between hearing "smooth" (legato) and "bouncy" (staccato) on the piano is an important listening skill.
However, to create these sounds at the piano, it is also important to understand non-legato. Pitches that are not connected might seem to be staccato. However, a true staccato has a bounce that usually requires a specific technical movement. Pitches that are a bit longer might almost seem to be connected. However, a true legato sound is created by evenness of tone and control of the hand.
These animals help demonstrate the different in movement between legato, non-legato, and staccato.
Legato Shark - water animal who moves almost silently through the ocean with focus and control.
Non-legato Alligator - can appear to be a land or water animal; however, he does not live exclusively in one or the other. He is never as smooth as the shark or as bouncy as the kangaroo.
Staccato Kangaroo - bounces using strong muscles and upward bursts of energy; comes in both Mama and Joey varieties!
The difference between hearing "smooth" (legato) and "bouncy" (staccato) on the piano is an important listening skill.
However, to create these sounds at the piano, it is also important to understand non-legato. Pitches that are not connected might seem to be staccato. However, a true staccato has a bounce that usually requires a specific technical movement. Pitches that are a bit longer might almost seem to be connected. However, a true legato sound is created by evenness of tone and control of the hand.
These animals help demonstrate the different in movement between legato, non-legato, and staccato.
Legato Shark - water animal who moves almost silently through the ocean with focus and control.
Non-legato Alligator - can appear to be a land or water animal; however, he does not live exclusively in one or the other. He is never as smooth as the shark or as bouncy as the kangaroo.
Staccato Kangaroo - bounces using strong muscles and upward bursts of energy; comes in both Mama and Joey varieties!
Some ideas for articulation animals . . .
- play one of the three touches on the piano; ask the listener to identify the animal characterized by the sound
- play three contrasting articulations in sequence on the piano; ask the listener to place the animals in the
correct order in which they were performed
- perform a piece, but freeze at a particular moment. Ask the listener to choose the appropriate animal to
describe the articulation at that time.
- move like a particular animal, then play any piece with that articulation
- compose a piece inspired by a one animal articulation or several in a row!
- play a warm-up or a section of a piece with the RH as one animal and the LH as another animal; then switch!
- practice a difficult place in your piece at with varying articulations to develop finger control and artistry
Decide which animal most accurately depicts the composer's intention!
Removable Articulation Stickers - artwork by Christy Kiespert
These stickers may be applied to your music to help you remember the articulations for your assignment!
These stickers may be applied to your music to help you remember the articulations for your assignment!
Dynamics
Each of these animals characterizes a different intensity of sound. In music, we call these different levels of sound dynamics.
These animals can help us associate unfamiliar Italian words with the type of sound created by each animal.
These animals can help us associate unfamiliar Italian words with the type of sound created by each animal.
Introducing . . .
Sforzando the Monkey: suddenly bursts into loud laughter
Fortissimo the Whale: creates the loudest sounds on earth; recorded at 230 decibels!
Forte the Lion: roars around 114 decibels
Mezzo forte the Dog: barks around 100 decibels
Mezzo piano the Cat: purrs around 25 decibels
Piano the Panda: small squeaks and barks
(also in subito piano position - suddenly drops down on all fours)
Pianissimo the Hamster: very quiet squeaks
Sforzando the Monkey: suddenly bursts into loud laughter
Fortissimo the Whale: creates the loudest sounds on earth; recorded at 230 decibels!
Forte the Lion: roars around 114 decibels
Mezzo forte the Dog: barks around 100 decibels
Mezzo piano the Cat: purrs around 25 decibels
Piano the Panda: small squeaks and barks
(also in subito piano position - suddenly drops down on all fours)
Pianissimo the Hamster: very quiet squeaks
Some ideas for using these dynamic eraser animals . . .
- perform a piece and ask the listener to choose the appropriate animal to describe the dynamic level
- make sounds like a particular animal, then play any piece with that particular tempo
- compose a piece inspired by a particular animal and corresponding dynamic level
- make name cards or a page with dynamic names; scramble the animals
- line up the dynamic animals in a particular order and follow the order as you practice your piece
Decide which animal order best matches the composer's intention!
- perform a piece and ask the listener to choose the appropriate animal to describe the dynamic level
- make sounds like a particular animal, then play any piece with that particular tempo
- compose a piece inspired by a particular animal and corresponding dynamic level
- make name cards or a page with dynamic names; scramble the animals
- line up the dynamic animals in a particular order and follow the order as you practice your piece
Decide which animal order best matches the composer's intention!
Practice
I call these little dogs "Practice Puppies."
Using these to practice a specific section of a piece provides an opportunity really dig deep and focus on the difficulties in a section.
Using these to practice a specific section of a piece provides an opportunity really dig deep and focus on the difficulties in a section.
This is the way it works . . .
The "Practice Puppies" are lost and need to get home to their dog houses. The only way to get a dog home is to play a section correctly. You decide how big - two notes, one measures, two lines, one page, whatever you think. Usually, the smaller the section, the better.
This is the way it works . . .
The "Practice Puppies" are lost and need to get home to their dog houses. The only way to get a dog home is to play a section correctly. You decide how big - two notes, one measures, two lines, one page, whatever you think. Usually, the smaller the section, the better.
If you play it correctly once, you can move one puppy over to her house.
If you play it correctly twice in a row, you can move the second puppy to his house.
If you miss anything the second time, both puppies runaway again and return to their original position.
If you miss anything the second time, both puppies runaway again and return to their original position.
The goal is to play the section three times in a row correctly. The "Practice Puppies" help us keep track. Occasionally, they also yip and howl, depending on how excited they are about our performance. :)
When you get all three puppies home, you can let them runaway again. Now try a bigger section - if you did two notes, now do three! Going backward one note is my favorite way to make the group bigger.
I personally have used three times in a row practice for over 15 years. I can always tell in my performances that I feel more comfortable and confident if I have mastered even the tiniest problem spot three times in a row.
For a bonus, you can use the dog toys for your final round of puppy practice.
Try it and enjoy your improvement with the "Practice Puppies!"
When you get all three puppies home, you can let them runaway again. Now try a bigger section - if you did two notes, now do three! Going backward one note is my favorite way to make the group bigger.
I personally have used three times in a row practice for over 15 years. I can always tell in my performances that I feel more comfortable and confident if I have mastered even the tiniest problem spot three times in a row.
For a bonus, you can use the dog toys for your final round of puppy practice.
Try it and enjoy your improvement with the "Practice Puppies!"
Texture
Unlike most musicians, pianists have the ability to produce a lot of pitches at the same time.
The number of notes played at the same time and the relationship between these notes is often called the texture.
When listening to the texture of a piece, the first question I usually ask is "Where is the melody?"
The melody is the tune or theme of a piece; it is the part you usually start humming as you listen to the piece.
The next question is usually "Where is the harmony?" Some pieces have only melody, but many pieces have both harmony and melody. The harmony is the back-up part that supports the melody. It also usually helps us decide on the mood of the piece. Longer harmony notes might make the piece feel more calm, which shorter notes harmony notes make the piece feel busier.
These animals can help us identify the layers of the ocean with the layers of sound created in a piece.
Dolphin - soprano or upper part (dives to a depth of 90 feet)
Sea turtle - alto voice or upper middle part (dives to 3,000 feet)
Seal - tenor voice or lower middle part (dives to 5,000 feet)
Shark - bass voice or lower part (dives to 10,000 feet)
Coral - harmonic foundation of the piece
Once you have established the coral level (harmonic analysis), you can decide which animals are present in the piece.
Your piece may only contain a shark (lower part) and a dolphin (upper part) swimming through the coral. Or you, may have three animals present.
Sometimes the melody will be an upper part for the dolphin. Other times, it might be in the lowest parts of the ocean for the shark. In some pieces, bringing out the middle part as the melody is the best idea.
The number of notes played at the same time and the relationship between these notes is often called the texture.
When listening to the texture of a piece, the first question I usually ask is "Where is the melody?"
The melody is the tune or theme of a piece; it is the part you usually start humming as you listen to the piece.
The next question is usually "Where is the harmony?" Some pieces have only melody, but many pieces have both harmony and melody. The harmony is the back-up part that supports the melody. It also usually helps us decide on the mood of the piece. Longer harmony notes might make the piece feel more calm, which shorter notes harmony notes make the piece feel busier.
These animals can help us identify the layers of the ocean with the layers of sound created in a piece.
Dolphin - soprano or upper part (dives to a depth of 90 feet)
Sea turtle - alto voice or upper middle part (dives to 3,000 feet)
Seal - tenor voice or lower middle part (dives to 5,000 feet)
Shark - bass voice or lower part (dives to 10,000 feet)
Coral - harmonic foundation of the piece
Once you have established the coral level (harmonic analysis), you can decide which animals are present in the piece.
Your piece may only contain a shark (lower part) and a dolphin (upper part) swimming through the coral. Or you, may have three animals present.
Sometimes the melody will be an upper part for the dolphin. Other times, it might be in the lowest parts of the ocean for the shark. In some pieces, bringing out the middle part as the melody is the best idea.
Some ideas for using the ocean layers in your piece . . .
- identify the number of animal parts in each measure of your piece
- label the coral structure (chord structure)
- identify the melody animal in each measure; bring that part out a bit louder than the other harmony parts
- look for places that the parts cross each other or swim together in unique ways and highlight those sections
- identify the number of animal parts in each measure of your piece
- label the coral structure (chord structure)
- identify the melody animal in each measure; bring that part out a bit louder than the other harmony parts
- look for places that the parts cross each other or swim together in unique ways and highlight those sections