Q. For example: can a C# be the root note(tonic)? I would then follow the 2/1/3/1 pattern of whole note/seminote scale making.
A. Yes, but be careful in your usage of the words root and tonic. They usually mean two different things.
The tonic is the first note of the scale. It could be any one of 12 notes. That is why there are 12 different major and minor keys, one for each scale built on a different tonic.
The word "root" is usually used for the primary note of a chord. For example a D-major chord has a "D" for a root, even though the piece in which it is used may be in the key of A major (where the tonic is A).
Keeping these two separated will avoid a lot of trouble down the road in your musical studies. Good luck! :)
Question about the sustain petal on the piano?
Q. I take piano lessons, and at my teacher's studio I work on a real grand piano. My recital's coming up, so i want my performance to be real good..Im not used to using the pedal on a grand piano (i have a digital), and my question is...how much pressure do I need to release with my foot i order to take the substain off? I noticed even though I slightly released my foot from the pedal, the piano still sounds full. So can someone please give me an insight of proper pedal usage on the piano? thanks :)
A. Varies depending on piano and your environment. For example if you're playing on a grand piano in a church the acoustics will make the sound stay for longer periods of time. In contrast if you're in a room with lots of cushions, pillows and the walls are made of similar materia then the room will absorb the sound and it doesn't bounce and stick around as it otherwise would.
As for learning how to use the pedal I think that a thumbrule is to remove your foot altogether and that should do the trick. Advice is to do it while you're playing a chord so you just don't cut off the sound in half, that would make the song sound rigid and stiff.
Hope this helps. :)
When to use the pedal on the piano?
Q. Okay, so I am a beginner at piano. I'm just wondering how do you know you know what pedal to use and when to use it. I know what they're for.
Like the right pedal is the damper, which will make the notes hold until you release it. And the left one, which makes the sound quieter. I don't really care about the middle one right now.
But, yeah, how do you know when to use a pedal. I hear people say, "you use too much pedal" and stuff.
When do you usually use it? Like the beginning of a measure? Or maybe every three counts?
So, hopefully my question makes sense.
Thanks to anyone who will answer! =)
A. You have to use the right pedal according to the music given. Most romantic/classical music uses the right pedal when it is the beginning of a phrase and lift your foot up at the end. Some phrases require you to lift your foot up for a certain number of counts before the end of the phrase because the chords become too heavy and the sound becomes messy. This will result in a change of texture, usually. You have to listen to the sound when you play and also lift the pedal halfway up when you are changing chords on the left hand. The foot movement for changing pedal is halfway up until the sound is cut 90% before putting it down again for the next note.
"too much pedal" indicates that your pedal should change because the sound has become muffled.
Running notes and pedals don't mix, so if you're doing a baroque piece or a jazz one use the left pedal to gain the effect of playing on a harpsichord. This is because baroque music was written before the piano was invented and meant to be played on the harpsichord or organ, which has less resounding notes. The damper on the left makes it clean cut and more staccato. Also, play the notes with a slightly less count than the note value itself. E.g. Crotchet becomes a quaver, quaver becomes staccato, etc.
You don't have to lift the left pedal at all unless the piece states so.
Una corda means put down the pedal and tre corde means to lift it up. Sometimes the piece has lines below the staves to indicate pedal usage, when the line goes upwards and then downwards in a 'v' shape at a note, that is when you should change pedal.
When playing with pedal from the start, put the pedal down before you start playing, but when there is a running scale upwards with the pedal, do not change pedal and lift up your pedal as you release your finger from the key.
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Title : On piano, can a scale's root note(tonic) be a black key?
Description : Q. For example: can a C# be the root note(tonic)? I would then follow the 2/1/3/1 pattern of whole note/seminote scale making. A. Yes, bu...