Simpedia

Judy M., Arizona

I am new to both piano and teaching. My order for the newbie pack came in yesterday, and when I opened the Arrangement packet I saw it is written in this foreign language I do not know how to read. Before total panic set in I listened to the audio recording. I could kind of follow the first arrangement of DCT but listening to the second and third I experienced vertigo.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to go about learning these arrangements. I do not read music as I am Level 3. Taking notes is not encouraged. I am at a bit of a loss here and would appreciate some guidance from others who have been fairly new to the piano and have developed a way of mastering the arrangement program.

As I type this I am thinking that listening to the audio recording over and over at the piano may be the only way.

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[/answer author="Brianna S., Arizona"]

Yes, I sit with my laptop next to the piano and play whatever Neil says to play as he says it. And yes, I usually need to listen to it more than once. I usually also sit with the music book in front of me as a reference also, since I read music, just while I am learning it but you wouldn’t have to/ need to do that.

I wouldn’t recommend listen to more than one or two at a time. Especially those that have more than one arrangement like Dreams, just so you don’t get confused. I also ordered the workshop audio recordings for teaching arrangements, and those have been very helpful.

Beth S., Tennessee

Although I do read music, I never learned the arrangements by using the music book. I assumed that I should experience the learning of the arrangements the same way as my students would so I only used the audio recordings and kept going back and forth from the recordings to the piano.

Sue K., Australia

Are you giving yourself time to work through the pieces? Present them to yourself the way you would to the students.

Give yourself variety rather than working all the dreams, all night storm, etc.

Sit at the piano while you listen to the recordings and work out what Neil is talking about. There is also a set of audio recordings available with Gordon Harvey going through the arrangements (TTP) in a different manner.

To hear the same info presented in two different ways often helps.

Vee S., Florida

I learned the Simply Music way also and do not read notation well. I am into the note reading level now. Get the Gordan Harvey workshop audio recordings – they are inexpensive and well worth the money. He has a way of explaining the arrangements so clearly and has some ideas that help make it easier. Between him and Neil you will learn them just fine.

Also, are you still taking lessons from your teacher?  I learned a lot of the arrangements at my own lessons.

Gordon Harvey, Australia

Just thought it might be good to make sure we’re clear with materials and obligations with the Arrangements and Accompaniments programs.

Arrangements are initially taught without the books or any other support materials, even to the extent of not writing anything in the Notes book that will give any clues. The purpose is to work out the memory muscle, just like you were working out in the gym – if you were struggling to lift a weight, you wouldn’t get any stronger by your trainer giving you a boost. You won’t know how strong you are until you reach your limit. I tell students this, and warn them that I’ll keep pushing the muscle until it fails. Only then do we know its limit, and only then can we start effectively pushing that limit.

As Dixie says, Accompaniments are a completely different animal – all students need access to the book and recordings. In fact, the Accompaniment program really involves a version of reading music – they are just reading chord symbols rather than notation. In that sense, it’s the students’ first experience of sourcing instructions from the page, and a valuable preparation for reading notation.

Eventually, though, students will receive music books for all three Arrangements levels. I do this when the students have completed or almost completed the Time for More Music program. I can then use songs from the Arrangements program as reading projects. For this I can use any song that the student hasn’t already learned, or even old songs that they’ve forgotten. You purchase all three books in a package.