Ex 1 - Music Land

Introduction

The Akousunesis method takes a fresh approach to learning to play music. Instead of simply relying on muscle memory when translating notation to finger strokes, the Akousunesis method gives you a solid understand of music in which you can directly apply to your playing from day one. You'll learn to translate what you hear musically into the language of intervals and chords, a chord being a collection intervals.  This course will translate the traditional notation into a format more inline with the way we hear the music, as relative pitch movement rather than absolute notes sitting on a staff.  

There is some important information before we begin.

1. The Akousunesis method does not use finger numbers because we describe intervals with numbers so fingers need the be describes as letters, T I M R P. 

2. You need to learn all the note names, you can watch lesson 1 for help.

3. The Akousunesis method doesn't describe melodies on the piano as notes, we use intervals. You need to locate notes to play chords, however you'll learn to visually identify intervals and associated them with the notes. Learning with intervals is easier because interval numbers don't change when learning chords, however notes are different on every chord and harder to remember. Your visual memory will eventually take over and interval identification will become a convenient memory association when playing in real time.

4. Starting from the note C, all notes have interval numbers as shown below. The numbers below are called a harmonic interval series and when you place all the white notes from C to high C, you're playing the most important scale in western music, the western major scale having the harmonic interval series of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. All twelve major scales have the same harmonic interval series 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, this is also describes as the scale formula.

The western major scale is easy to remember, commit this to your memory, all the white notes from C to C having numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.

5. The above notation shows all the interval numbers and finger placement letters. The intervals will help you locate the notes on the keyboard. We're going to translate the above bars into chords and intervals. The Akousunesis method does not encourage reading timing information from notation, rhythm needs to be heard and felt, not read as this is detrimental for rhythmic development. The student will learn to play evenly and develop melodic rhythm using their ear.

6. A chord is made from a root note identified by a note letter and it's character, all the other intervals which construct the chord. The first basic chord well investigate today is C major triad, written as just C.  Just like a scale, every chord also has a harmonic formula, all major triads, regardless of which note they start have the harmonic formula 1 3 5, locate these notes on the keyboard. 

7. Play the chord C with your left hand and the melody with your right hand.

The left hand placement of the chord is shown with the following finger placement exercise.

 
C == LP1 M3 T5

C is the root of the chord.

== means to place all notes together

L mean left hand

P1 means pinky finger on the root 1, note C.

M3 mean middle finger on the third interval 3.

T5 mean thumb on the fifth interval 5.

The piece of music is in the key of C, all the white notes, from C to high C, intervals 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. This exercise doesn't come out of key. The chord you'll learn today is the C major triad having intervals 1 3 5. The intervals 2 and 4 from the major scale will also be included in the exercise.