Unit 2: Right Hand in C Position
Rhythm, reading and your first songs. Free: no card needed.
Counting beats
Quarter, half and whole notes
The beat
Music has a steady pulse called the beat. A quarter note lasts 1 beat, a half note 2 beats and a whole note 4 beats.
Playing in time
Stepping melodies and your first real-time play
Steps
Moving to the very next key is a step. Most melodies are built from steps, so your fingers simply walk.
Now in real time
This time the music will not wait for you. If you miss a note, keep going: staying with the beat matters more. You start slow and climb the tempo ladder.
Reading C position
Middle C, Treble G and skips on the staff
The treble staff
Right-hand notes live on the treble staff. Middle C sits on its own short line just below it.
Treble G
The treble clef curls around the second line: that line is G, your finger 5. E is on the bottom line, halfway between C and G.
Mary Had a Little Lamb
A full song with a left-hand backing
A song you know
This one uses C, D, E and G. In bar 4 you jump from E to G, and finger 5 is already waiting there.
Ode to Joy
Beethoven's famous theme, line by line
Beethoven's big tune
Ode to Joy moves almost entirely by step. Its two lines start the same way; only the last bar of each is different.
Recital
Ode to Joy and Morning Walk in real time
Recital time
You are about to play two complete pieces in real time with a backing. Climb the tempo ladder one rung at a time.
A new piece: Morning Walk
Now a piece you have never heard. It uses every finger of C position. Learn it slowly first.
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