Download I Can Play the Keyboard Book 1

In this unit you will develop your keyboard skills and ability to play from
basic musical notation.
You will be able to:

identify the notes middle C to high C on the musical stave

recognise the difference in note values

play melodies using your right hand

add chords using your left hand

play at an appropriate speed with the help of a rhythmic
accompaniment

play with confidence
Middle C
The first note you will learn on the keyboard is middle C. It is written on a small ledger line underneath the stave.
You will find it in the middle of the keyboard, to the left of the two black keys…
2
3
4
5
…and you should use your right thumb to play it.
1
C
Remember:
 = 1 beat (crotchet)
 = 2 beats (minim)
Now try to play these short warm up pieces on the keyboard:
D
The second note you will learn on the keyboard is D. It is written just beneath the bottom line on the stave.
You will find it near the middle of the keyboard, in-between the two black keys…
2
3
4
5
…and you should use your index finger to play it.
1
C D
Remember:
 = 1 beat (crotchet)
 = 2 beats (minim)
Now try to play these short warm up pieces on the keyboard:
E
The third note you will learn on the keyboard is E. It is written on the bottom line of the stave.
You will find it near the middle of the keyboard, to the right of the two black keys…
2
3
4
5
1
…and you should use your middle finger to play it.
C D E
Remember:
 = 1 beat (crotchet)
 = 2 beats (minim)
Now try to play these short warm up pieces on the keyboard:
 = 4 beats (semibreve)
Adding Chords
While we use our right hand to play melodies on the keyboard we can also add ‘chords’ using our left hand.
Try these short warm up pieces which use both hands. Then you can begin to practice your first full piece…
Left Hand
C
Right Hand
G
4
C D E
3
3
2
2
5
5
1
Warm Up 1
Warm Up 2
4
1
Merrily We Roll Along
(without note names)
CONCEPTS:
Treble Clef
Step
Minim
4 beats in a bar
Semibreve
Chords
Repetition
Crotchet
Double Bar Line
Merrily We Roll Along
(with note names)
CONCEPTS:
Treble Clef
Step
Minim
4 beats in a bar
Semibreve
Chords
Repetition
Crotchet
Double Bar Line
F
The fourth note you will learn on the keyboard is F. It is written on the bottom space of the stave.
You will find it near the middle of the keyboard, to the left of the three black keys…
2
3
4
5
1
…and you should use your fourth finger to play it.
C D E F
Remember:
 = ½ beat (quaver)
 = 1 beat (crotchet)
(semibreve)
Now try to play these short warm up pieces on the keyboard:
 = 2 beats (minim)
 = 4 beats
Super Trooper
(without note names)
CONCEPTS:
Treble Clef
Quavers
Crotchet
Step
4 beats in a bar
Minim
Chords
Repetition
Double Bar Line
Super Trooper
(with note names)
CONCEPTS:
Treble Clef
Quavers
Crotchet
Step
4 beats in a bar
Minim
Chords
Repetition
Double Bar Line
G
The fifth note you will learn on the keyboard is G. It is written on the second line of the stave.
You will find it near the middle of the keyboard, in between the three black keys…
2
3
4
5
1
…and you should use your fifth finger to play it.
C D E F G
Remember:
 = 1 beat (crotchet)
 = 2 beats (minim)
Now try to play these short warm up pieces on the keyboard:
Lightly Row (without note names)
 = 4 beats (semibreve)
CONCEPTS:
Treble Clef
Crotchet
Step
Minim
Leap
Semibreve
Lightly Row (with note names)
4 beats in a bar
Chords
Repetition
Double Bar Line
CONCEPTS:
Treble Clef
Crotchet
A
Step
Minim
Leap
Semibreve
4 beats in a bar
Chords
Repetition
Double Bar Line
The sixth note you will learn on the keyboard is A. It is written on the second space of the stave.
You will find it near the middle of the keyboard, to the right of the two black keys…
2
3
4
5
1
C D E F G A
…but because we only have five fingers you will
have to change them as you read the music. Pay
attention to the numbers above the notes now too,
these tell you which finger to use.
Remember:
 = 1 beat (crotchet)
 = 2 beats (minim)
Now try to play these short warm up pieces on the keyboard:
One with the note names…
…and one without…
Twinkle Twinkle
(without note names)
 = 4 beats (semibreve)
4
5
4
5
CONCEPTS:
Treble Clef
Step
Crotchet
Leap
Minim
Twinkle Twinkle
(without note names)
4 beats in a bar
Chords
Repetition
Double Bar Line
CONCEPTS:
Treble Clef
Step
Crotchet
B
Leap
Minim
4 beats in a bar
Chords
Repetition
Double Bar Line
The seventh note you will learn on the keyboard is B. It is written on the third line of the stave.
You will find it near the middle of the keyboard, to the right of the two black keys…
2
3
4
5
1
C D E F G A B
…but because we only have five fingers you will
have to change them as you read the music. Pay
attention to the numbers above the notes now too,
these tell you which finger to use.
Remember:
 = 1 beat (crotchet)
 = 2 beats (minim)
Now try to play these short warm up pieces on the keyboard:
One with the note names…
…and one without…
High C
 = 4 beats (semibreve)
The eighth note you will learn on the keyboard is High C. It is written on the third space of the stave.
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
You will find it to the right of the middle of the keyboard, exactly one octave (8 notes) higher than middle C…
2
3
4
5
1
C D E F G A B C1
…but because we only have five fingers you will
have to change them as you read the music. Pay
attention to the numbers above the notes now too,
these tell you which finger to use.
Remember:
 = 1 beat (crotchet)
 = 2 beats (minim)
Now try to play these short warm up pieces on the keyboard:
One with the note names…
…and one without…
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
(without note names)
 = 4 beats (semibreve)
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
(with note names)
The C Major Scale
Now you can read and play from middle C to high C on the stave.
These notes, when played one after the other form a scale known as C major.
Try to play this scale with your right hand using the correct fingers:
Now try to play it backwards…
Minuet in G
(without note names)
CONCEPTS:
Treble Clef
Step
Quaver
Leap
Crotchet
3 beats in a bar
Minim
Chords
Sequence
Ascending
Double Bar Line
Minuet in G
(with note names)
CONCEPTS:
Treble Clef
Step
Quaver
Leap
Crotchet
3 beats in a bar
Minim
Chords
Sequence
Ascending
Double Bar Line