Simpedia

Suzanne S., Texas

Here’s an updated version of Silent Night I sent to the ECL last year. Hopefully, it will be clearer to everyone. I had beginning students playing this with no problem. One beginning student even played this in his church for Christmas. He had a wonderful experience sharing this song with others. I picked a Christmas song and applied the positions, patterns, etc., I see in the Simply Music books. I am sure you could do this with other songs. I also had my students doing Jingle Bells the same way She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain is played in Foundation 3. It was a favorite!

Silent Night

LH: 3 positions – 5SS – play top & bottom (finger #5 and thumb)
1) Thumb on C below Mid. C and #5 on F (same as Honey Dew)
2) Slide down so #5 is on C and thumb is on G
3) Same as 1st position, but instead of playing the thumb, finger #2 plays Bb (1st black note down from C)

RH: 3 positions – 5SS – musical patterns
1) Middle finger on Mid. C (same as Night Storm)
2) Slide up so thumb is on Mid. C
3) Slide up 2 more white notes, so thumb is on E

To begin: BH in 1st positions. LH pulses and usually comes in on the 1st and last note of each musical pattern.
Section A: RH: fingers #3, 4, 3, 1 – Repeat Described: “Middle, Middle, Bottom” + embellishment up to finger #4 in between
Section B: BH slide to 2nd position. RH: fingers “Top, Top, Middle” (then LH: Position 1) RH fingers #4, 4, 1
Section C: LH: 3rd position RH: fingers #2, 2, 4, 3, 2 Clue to help remember: Start this section with both finger #2s.
Go back to beginning and play Section A, repeat Section C, repeat Section A
Section D: RH position 3 (with finger #5 on Bb) , LH position 2 RH: Middle, Middle, Top , Middle, Bottom, then fingers #2, #4 (with LH position 1)
Tailpiece: 2 sections RH clue: finger #4 moves down to F and starts each section Section 1: LH: position 1 – RH: finger #4 – F, #2 – Mid. C, #1 – A
Section 2: LH: position 2 – RH: finger #4 – Mid. C, #3 – Bb, #2 – G, #1 – F Bring LH back to position 1 for the last note.