Month: August 2023

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Hi, Sixty and Me Friends! Welcome to Lesson 17, covering pages 56-58 in our Upper Hands Piano, BOOK 1.

So far, we have been reading notes, playing with dynamics (loudly/softly) and studying note values (how many beats to hold each type of note). Today we add TEMPO to your cache of musical magic!

Tempo markings tell us how fast or slow to play a piece. Tempo is another way we add expression to our playing; playing slowly, or at a medium walking tempo, or at a quick, lively speed definitely affects the emotion of the music, so it’s an important aspect of your playing I’m excited to introduce you to today!

[NOTE: If you are just joining us for the first time, you can find my previous Sixty and Me Free Piano Lessons on my Author page. You can join our lessons any time!]

17.1 Elder Einstein, Punctual Postie, and Dashing Dora Teach Tempo! p.57

At the bottom of p.57, you see the three characters I use to help us remember the three most common Tempo Markings. Slow moving “Elder Einstein” shows us that when we see the Largo tempo marking at the beginning of our piece, we will play very slowly.

“Punctual Postie” walks around all day and teaches us that Andante is a medium walking tempo. “Dashing Dora” tells us that Allegro means to play fast! Watch my video to hear the range of speeds for each of these Tempo markings.

As I demonstrated in the video above, you can use an old school mechanical or electronic metronome, or a digital metronome app (there are many free ones) to hear the range of speed for Largo 40-60 Beats Per Minute (BPM), Andante 70-85 BPM, and Allegro 115-156 BPM. But remember, only play as fast as you can play while maintaining a steady beat! In my opinion, Tempo markings are just a guide. Use your own judgement to decide how fast or slow you want to play your music.

17.2 Largo from the New World Symphony No. 9, by Antonín Dvořák, p.57

You might be wondering why the name of this piece is the same as its Tempo marking, Largo. That’s because many composers named the sections of their pieces with their tempos. A piece might have several sections, each with a Tempo marking as its name. For example, Dvořák’s New World Symphony (aka Symphony No. 9) has 4 sections, each called by its tempo marking. We are playing the theme from the 2^nd section, called Largo, on p.57.

17.3 Sonata No. 11 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, p.58

Mozart’s beautiful Piano Sonata No. 11 has 3 sections. We are playing the theme from the 1^st section which is to be played at Andante (“Punctual Postie”) a medium walking tempo.

A Tool to Add Expression to Your Piano Playing

Notice at the bottom of p.58 that I suggest creating a story to go along with the music. This is a technique actors use to make their performances feel more authentic. Once you have learned the notes, rhythm, and can play at a steady tempo, imagine a scene in which this piece is the background music.

Play the piece imagining the action of the scene (perhaps an 18^th century couple dancing, including ornate dresses and powdered wigs, while staring into each other’s eyes?) Use this technique whenever you play a song or piece, and your playing will be more expressive.

Musical Math, P. 56

Some students with a strong background in math talk about the “order of operations” when filling in the answers for this page. Please note that I kept it simple so that you can perform the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division from LEFT to RIGHT.

For example, for problem 13), multiply the value of the whole note (4 beats) by the dotted half note (3), then multiply that number by the half note, then divide that number by the tied dotted half notes (the tied dotted half notes = 6 beats total), then take away the value of the half rest, and add the value of a quarter rest. For all the problems on this page, simply work from LEFT to RIGHT. You can check your answers here.

Making Your Practice Space, Like Your Kitchen, a Sanctuary for Creativity

In the book Atomic Habits which I wrote about in the last post, the author, James Clear, writes about musicians designing an environment conducive to good practice habits. For example, if your keyboard is hidden away in a stuffy closet, you will be less likely to see it, and less likely to want to play. An ideal location for a keyboard would be in a room you visit all the time in an uncluttered, comfortable, appealing location in your home. I wrote about this at length in my blog post called Mise en Place.

Passion Practice!

1. Exercise #3 in A-flat (review) and E-flat (new). Play each exercise 3 times: 2x Forte (loudly) then 1x Piano (softly) with each hand. Use the PENTASCALES chart at the back of the book if you are unsure of any hand positions Review Ex #3 in C, G, D, A, E, B, F# and D-flat when you can.
2. Chord Calisthenics #3 – Play the major/minor/major triads in E and B, and review C, G, D and A.
3. Do the Musical Math on p.56 (see the instructions above). Check your answers here.
4. Review p.35-36 and any other songs in Upper Hands Piano: BOOK 1 that you enjoy playing.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Are there things you can do to make your piano practice space more inspiring? Decluttering, adding artwork to the room, or a comfortable cushion atop your bench? Could you move your keyboard so that you see it more often? Share your ideas or inspiration with us!

All of us have experienced resistance to having our desires met. The kind of resistance we encounter is different for each of us.

There is, however, a common form of resistance those of us 60 and over share.

It comes down to taking responsibility for our emotions.

Not surprisingly, most of us were not taught how to process our emotions, let alone take responsibility for them.

So, where do we start?

To manifest our desires at this stage of life, it is essential we take responsibility for who we are and where we are.

This level of responsibility and acknowledgment of our emotional state acts like an unstoppable bulldozer that effortlessly removes resistance to change.

But how can you take more responsibility for your emotions after 60?

In this article and accompanying video, I am going to answer that question as we focus on step four of the “5 Simple Steps to Being What It Is We Seek.”

Create the Reality You Desire

Being responsible for the life you desire and taking ownership of your emotions is at the heart of being what it is you seek.

In the previous article and video, I mentioned that being what it is you seek means replacing a disempowered mindset with an empowered mindset. For it is through an empowered mindset you can create the reality you desire at any stage of your life.

With an empowered mindset, you are self-empowered because you are taking responsibility for your choices and your emotional well-being.

This means you are accepting life is happening for you and by you, rather than believing life happens to you.

Believing otherwise leads you into a state of disempowerment.

So, how and where do you lead yourself into a state of emotional empowerment?

Back in the Driver’s Seat of Life

Taking inner responsibility for your choices is taking responsibility for how you feel. This involves removing limiting beliefs and replacing them with new, more empowered ones.

This is the opposite of living life through the guidance of other people’s belief systems and allowing outside circumstances to dictate how you feel.

Yes, your emotional state can be manipulated through your beliefs, and those of other people. But you are the only one who can bring yourself back into alignment with what feels right.

You get to determine which beliefs govern your life. And you are the only person who has the power to choose your emotional state.

Once you declare you have no time for limiting beliefs, and stick to that, the world around you changes because the world within you is changing.

This process doesn’t mean you won’t be triggered by negative people or become upset over a bad experience. It means your emotions and choices for how you feel are not on a roller coaster anymore because you are back in the driver’s seat of your life.

Good Intentions Are Not Enough

Let’s briefly explore what new, more empowering beliefs specifically help you with.

They support you in being what it is you seek, whatever that may be for you. This kind of support exists because new, empowering beliefs are in emotional alignment with what you desire.

It’s not enough to have good intentions or desire wonderful things.

If your emotional state is not supportive of your intentions, and your physical behaviors are out of alignment with your desires, your chances of sustainable fulfillment dwindle.

None of this happens without owning your emotional state.

Your emotions are yours so don’t pawn them off on other people. When you do, you are giving away your power to make the changes in your life you want.

When you begin to observe less chaos and struggle in your life, you know that you are in charge of your emotions, which means you are successfully being what it is you seek.

Yes, It Really Is This Simple

With less resistance, your inner light extends outward beyond your shadows of self-doubt. This light illuminates the path of your true desires, as you joyfully become what it is you seek with more ease.

But in a world filled with endless to-do-lists, how do you arrive in this new state of empowerment quickly and with as much ease as possible?

The answer is to stop overthinking life and no longer do the things that create stress, overwhelm and self-doubt.

What do you do instead? The opposite.

Here’s some examples of flipping the script on your emotional state:

1. Instead of watching more news or engaging in negative conversations with yourself or others, do less of it.
2. Instead of negative self-talk, speak more lovingly to yourself.
3. Instead of complaining about life, do more things that light you up.
4. Instead of being overwhelmed with one activity after the other, slow things down and allow yourself to take things easy.

All of these examples come down to owning your emotions. Doing so allows you to experience a more relaxed, joyful set of emotions.

Please join me in the video where I will share additional insights on being responsible for how you feel. To help you integrate what you are learning, I will also guide you through three journal prompts.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How are you currently owning your emotional state? Does it tend to be more negative? Are you flipping the narrative successfully? What areas still need work?

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