Simpedia

Mark M., New York

You’re referring to the Foundation Level 3 Variation, yes?

First, note that no matter which of the three sections of the piece you play, bars 3 and 7 and 11 are always identical to each other. And the same is true in the Variation as well — only bar 12 has anything altered in the Variation. We don’t need to look at the last two bars. Only the one very final bar. So note very specifically what the one difference is, by first noting very specifically what happens in the original.

Original: LH plays the C-G chord on count 1, then the C-A chord on count 2, then BH play together on count 3 — LH moving to V to play the G-D chord at the exact same time that the RH plays FABE. Count 4 has nothing for either hand — we just keep holding BH down from count 3. This bar 12 is, in fact, completely identical across all three sections of the piece. That’s because all the RH notes of the “Long I” sentence are finished by the end of bar 11 — so the differences in the RH across the three sections are irrelevant to bar 12.

Variation: The one and only difference is that the things that BH played together on count 3 in the original instead play on the “and” before count 3. That’s it. The only difference. BH play a drop earlier.

If we take inspiration from the Alma Mater Blues sections 1 & 2 rhythm diagrams and draw a rhythm diagram for each of these:

Original:
1
2
3 3

Variation:
1
2
+ +

Mark M., New York

Marilyn S. I hadn’t looked at the Music Books until you just mentioned it now. You’re correct — both FL2 and FL3 Music Books show the Variation version of bar 12. Neither shows bar 12 the way it’s actually taught in the non-Variation FL2/FL3 Foundation projects.

I had to look up crotchets/quavers because I (and SM materials) use the American terminology, not the British. Yes, in all non-Variation FL2/FL3 sections of the piece, bar 12’s two LH-only chords are quarter notes / crotchets, followed by BH playing a half note / minim on count 3.

Likely only Neil Moore knows why he made the choices he made about notation in terms of what is consistent/inconsistent compared to the other materials. There are other such choices of his elsewhere throughout the Curriculum. Either way, though, it’s important that we learn and understand Foundation projects (including Variations) without reference to the scores.

Joan H., Canada

Perhaps one way to simplify the practical application of this discussion – is simply to bypass the “non variation” version and teach the variation right from the start – that’s what I’ve done for years – its such a small difference as Mark points out, and the syncopation sounds so good, so why not just guide them to it as part of the learning right from the beginning?

Mark M., New York

Joan H. It being harder to do is a reason not to teach it first — if we break steps down into Single Thought Processes, we’d be learning notes (what to play) and rhythm (how to play) separately anyway, which means we learn the original/proper way first anyway, even if our goal was to teach only the Variation.

Also, teaching it straight away would lose an opportunity for Variations to serve one of their purposes, which is to breathe some new life into repertoire pieces after they’ve been in the playlist for a while.