Largs Academy Keyboard
CourseSTARTER LEVEL
Finding the notes
Before starting to play the keyboard you need to be able to find the notes on the keyboard. The first few tunes only use the notes C D and E. Easy!
When you look at the keyboard you will notice that the black notes are in groups of 2 and 3. The note D is the white note in between 2 black notes like this.
D
Now play all of the D notes on your keyboard.
The notes C and E and either side of the D like this.
C D E
Now play all of the C D and E notes on your keyboard.
It’s easy to work out the rest of the notes as the keys are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet – A B C D E F G. Once you get to the note G you start again at A.
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G
Rhythm
Rhythm is one of the most important elements in Music. A crotchet is a ONE beat note - A minim is a TWO beat note -
STARTER PIECE 1
C D E
Try to use your thumb on the first note. Keep your wrist level with the keyboard and curve your fingers.
Bars and Time Signatures
Music is divided into short sections called BARS. Theses short sections are marked by BAR LINES.
The TIME SIGNATURE is placed at the beginning of a piece of music and looks like this -
The TIME SIGNATURE is found at the beginning of every piece of music. The top number tells us how many BEATS are in a BAR.
STARTER PIECE 2
C D E
In the next piece you will need to know what a FOUR beat note looks like.
A semibreve is FOUR beat note - STARTER PIECE 3
C D E
In the next 2 pieces you will be adding 2 new notes – F and G.
C D E F G
STARTER PIECE 4
Reading Music
You are now ready to start reading music.
Music is written on a set of five lines and four spaces called a STAVE.
A TREBLE CLEF is placed at the beginning of a STAVE.
Sometimes notes are written on extra lines above and below the STAVE. These lines are called LEDGER LINES.
The note C is written on the ledger line below the stave.
STARTER PIECE 5
C
The notes D and E are written on the stave like this -
STARTER PIECE 6
C D E
Remember that these notes are SEMIBREVES and should be held for FOUR beats each.
STARTER PIECE 7
C D E
STARTER PIECE 8
C D E
Using the Rhythm Function
We have already learned about the BEATS IN A BAR and now we are going to use the RHYTHM FUNCTION on the keyboard.
Select RHYTHM 002
Press START
Listen and count to 4 in time with the rhythm
Tap your hand on the desk on the first beat of the bar
Play the following tunes in time with the RHYTHM FUNCTION. Let your teacher hear you playing when you think you are ready.
LEVEL ONE
1. MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
Tone – 170 Rhythm - 002Tempo - 110
C D E
Try to use your thumb on the first note. Keep your wrist level with the keyboard and curve your fingers.
When you can play the piece to the end and you think that it is perfect, let the teacher hear it.
Can you remember the different note lengths? If not, then there is a reminder on the next page.Rhythm Reminder
A crotchet is a ONE beat note - A minim is a TWO beat note - A semibreve is FOUR beat note -
2. AU CLAIR DE LA LUNE
Tone – 200 Rhythm - 010Tempo - 110
C D E
REMINDER!!The TIME SIGNATURE is the two numbers after the TREBLE CLEF. The top number tells us how many beats are in a bar.
3. GO AND TELL AUNT NANCY
Tone – 212 Rhythm - 036Tempo - 110
C D E F
REMINDER!!Don’t forget to let your teacher hear you playing.
4. ODE TO JOY
Tone – 164 Rhythm - 053Tempo - 110
C D E F G
In order to complete LEVEL ONE you must complete the ASSESSMENT PIECE on the next page.
If you successfully complete it you will be awarded a GRADE 6 and will be ready to move onto LEVEL TWO.
LEVEL ONE - Assessment Piece
5. MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG Tone – 170Rhythm - 002Tempo - 120
C D E F G
LEVEL TWO
LEVEL TWO uses the same tunes as the previous level.
We are now going to add CHORDS. A CHORD is when two or more notes are played together. The keyboard which you are playing has a function called CASIO CHORD. This button is located above NORMAL on the slide beside the POWER button.
Set the keyboard to CASIO CHORD
Look at the panel above the left hand notes of the keyboard and find the word CHORD
The chords go from the lowest C to F beside the word CHORD
Play some of the notes with your LEFT hand – you will notice that the sound is different
The chords are written in boxes above the melody
1. MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
Tone – 170 Rhythm - 002Tempo - 110
C D E
REMINDER!!
When the chords play with the rhythm an accompaniment sounds in the background.
2. AU CLAIR DE LA LUNE
Tone – 200 Rhythm - 010Tempo - 110
C D E
Are you getting the hang of playing the chords with the rhythm?
If not ask your teacher for some help.
3. GO AND TELL AUNT NANCY
Tone – 212 Rhythm - 036Tempo - 110
C D E F
REMINDER!!
Remember to put your hand up when you need assessed by your teacher.
4. ODE TO JOY
Tone – 164 Rhythm - 053Tempo - 110
C D E F G
In order to complete LEVEL TWO you must complete the ASSESSMENT PIECE on the next page.
If you successfully complete it you will be awarded a GRADE 5 and will be ready to move onto LEVEL THREE.
LEVEL TWO - Assessment Piece
5. MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
Tone – 170Rhythm - 002Tempo - 120
C D E F G
LEVEL THREE
All LEVEL THREE pieces should be played in 4 stages.
1. right hand melody
2. melody with the rhythm
3. melody with the chords
4. melody with both rhythm & chords
Lines and Spaces
As you know there are five lines and four spaces on the STAVE.
When a treble clef is placed at the beginning of a stave it tells us that the lines and spaces have specific note names. These are a follows -
An easy way to remember the names on the LINES is the say the rhyme Every Good Boy Deserves Football.
The first letter of every word is the names of the notes on the LINES.
The names of the notes on the SPACES spell out the word FACE.
1. LIGHTLY ROW
Tone – 059 Rhythm – 036Tempo - 115
C D E F G
Try to look at the actual notes on the STAVE instead of the letter names underneath.
In the next 3 pieces of music the time signature (the numbers at the beginning of the music) is different from the other pieces which you have played.
The top number of the time signature tells us that this piece has 3 beats in a bar.
A dotted minim is a THREE beat note -
Are you starting to play without looking at the letter names?
2. ORANGES AND LEMONS This tune features QUAVERS. Quavers are worth half the value of a crotchet.
A quaver is a HALF beat note - When 2 quavers are joined together they are equal to ONE beat and look like this
Tone – 129 Rhythm - 065Tempo - 125
C D E F G
3. DANCE OF THE CUCKOO
Tone – 146 Rhythm - 064Tempo - 130
C D E F G
4. DRINK TO ME ONLY
Tone – 200 Rhythm - 067Tempo - 120
C D E F G
In order to complete LEVEL THREE you must complete the ASSESSMENT PIECE on the next page.
If you successfully complete it you will be awarded a GRADE 4 and will be ready to move onto LEVEL FOUR.
LEVEL THREE - Assessment Piece
5. LARGO
Tone – 199 Rhythm - 038Tempo - 120
C D E F G
LEVEL FOUR
All of the tunes in LEVEL FOUR use some new notes.
You have already played some of these tunes in a different version – when you played them before, they only used the notes C, D, E, F and G! They are said to be in the key of C.
These tunes use the notes G, A, B, C and D so are said to be in the key of G.
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B
Notice that there is funny sign – a SHARP sign - after the treble clef. This is called a KEY SIGNATURE. This means that the piece is in the key of G major.
1. AU CLAIR DE LA LUNE
Tone – 200 Rhythm - 010Tempo – 110
C D E F G A B C D E F G
2. MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
Tone – 170Rhythm - 002Tempo – 120
C D E F G A B C D E F G
3. ORANGES AND LEMONS
Tone – 129Rhythm - 065Tempo – 125
C D E F G A B C D E F G
Remember that this piece contains QUAVERS. Try to play in time with the rhythm and don’t rush.
You will notice that in the last few bars that there is a curved line joining 2 of the notes together.
Notes of the same pitch are sometimes joined, or TIED together by a curved line called a TIE. The result is a single sustained sound, which lasts for the value of both notes added together.
4. OH WHEN THE SAINTS
This piece uses RESTS. A REST is a sign which tells us there is a period of silence. For each musical note there is a rest of the same value or length.
This is a crotchet rest
This would mean ONE BEAT of silence.
Tone – 164 Rhythm - 061Tempo – 100
C D E F G A B C D E F G
In order to complete LEVEL FOUR you must complete the ASSESSMENT PIECE on the next page.
If you successfully complete it you will be awarded a GRADE 3 and will be ready to move onto LEVEL TWO.
LEVEL FOUR - Assessment Piece
5. GAELIC LULLABY
Tone – 013Rhythm - 066 Tempo – 125
C D E F G A B C D E F G
LEVEL FIVE
In LEVEL FOUR all of the pieces were in the key of G major which has an F# (F sharp) in the key signature next to the treble clef. However none of the pieces you played required you to play any F#’s.
In many pieces of music you need to know where F# is and also where Bb (B flat) is.
A sharp # raises a note by a semitone
A flat b lowers a note by a semitone
F sharp B flat
F# Bb
C D E F G A B
1. MARIE’S WEDDING
Tone – 024 Rhythm - 008Tempo – 125
C D E F G A B C D E F G
2. OLD MacDONALD
Tone – 069 Rhythm - 081Tempo – 125
C D E F G A B C D E F G
3. KUMBAYAH
Tone – 160 Rhythm - 097Tempo – 110
C D E F G A B C D E F G
4. TURN ON THE SUN
Bb Tone – 188 Rhythm - 000Tempo – 115
C D E F G A B C D E F G
In order to complete LEVEL FIVE you must complete the ASSESSMENT PIECE on the next page.
If you successfully complete it you will be awarded a GRADE 2 and will be ready to move onto LEVEL ONE.
LEVEL FIVE - Assessment Piece
5. TWINKLE TWINKLE
Tone – 037 Rhythm - 008Tempo – 110
C D E F G A B C D E F G
LEVEL SIX
1. HOME SWEET HOME Tone – 071 Rhythm - 010Tempo – 120
C D E F G A B C D E F G
2. ON TOP OF OLD SMOKEY
Tone – 212 Rhythm - 010Tempo – 120
C D E F G A B C D E F G
3. SKYE BOAT SONG Tone – 124 Rhythm - 065Tempo – 120
C D E F G A B C D E F G
4. SCARBOROUGH FAIR
Tone – 236 Rhythm - 066Tempo – 125
C D E F G A B C D E F G
In order to complete LEVEL SIX you must complete the ASSESSMENT PIECE on the next page.
If you successfully complete it you will be awarded a GRADE 1 and will be ready to move onto EXTENSION LEVEL PIECES.
LEVEL SIX - Assessment Piece
5. THE CAN CAN
Tone – 056 Rhythm - 72Tempo – 120
C D E F G A B C D E F G