How to learn a new piano piece
How I did it: I selected the piece In Church by Tchaikovsky. I practiced the first section by myself and then played it into my keyboard into SONAR, it showed me the notes I played and the timing of them vs. the timing of the notes on the page. I tried the whole left hand score (the bass clef) and I transfered that into "muscle memory". You can get a pattern or a simple song (usually the bass line) into muscle memory so you can focus on the right hand (the Treble clef; usually the melody). All you have to do is play it (over and over) until it becomes something you don't even have to think about anymore. Then I memorized the left hand, and combined the two together. It is easy for some; others not so much. Good Luck and Have Fun! :)
Lessons & tips:
- Try listening to the song first, that will give you and Idea of what it should sound like.
- Practice in Sections (ie. 1st time = 1st 4-5 measures, 2nd time, 1st 8-9 measures.)
- Try one hand at a time and then put them together.
Resources: Cakewalk's "SONAR Producer Edition 7" Helped me compare my tempo and expression to the one I copied of the book.
