Converting Songs to Allcanplay

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1 onverting Songs to Allcanplay Why onvert Songs?... Allcanplay Note hart... Allcanplay uide... Allcanplay Symbols... onversion Process... onverting Auld Lang Syne... 7 Allcanplay TM Piano * MaxLearning.Net 009 * onverting Songs to Allcanplay * /9/009 * Page of

2 Why onvert Songs? To play a song on sight from Standard Music Notation, you must () look at its notes on a musical staff and, in your head, () visualize those notes as keys on a keyboard, each time you () play the song. You must mentally convert notes to keys each time you play a song. If you re a beginning player, it's difficult enough getting your fingers to cooperate, much less try to decipher which keys to press on the fly. Unfortunately, the complexity of standard notation, with its sharps and flats and key and time signatures, likely puts many songs you'd like to play beyond your reach. Note hart Allcanplay eliminates the need to mentally convert notes to keys each time you play a song. You do the conversion once by marking the keys to be pressed on a blank keyboard songsheet. With step-by-step instructions and the Allcanplay Note,, and Symbol charts that follow, you don't even need to read music to get started. You convert notes to keys once. uide You can focus on getting your hands and fingers to work. With a () picture of the keys to be pressed, you can devote your efforts to () getting your fingers to work. An unexpected bonus of the conversion process is that you ll learn, or improve your ability, to read music! After all, you only have to convert a note on a line or space to a key so many times before you begin to see that key in your mind's eye. As your note-reading skills improve, you'll be able to play simpler songs directly from sheet music, saving your conversion efforts for more complex pieces. You ll have the best of both musical worlds! Allcanplay TM Piano * MaxLearning.Net 009 * onverting Songs to Allcanplay * /9/009 * Page of

3 Allcanplay Note hart Use this chart to label notes on the sheet music for transfer to a keyboard songsheet. See the Reading Music section for more info on Standard Music Notation. ½ Octave Keyboard A E D A D E A D E A D E E D A D E D E D A A E E D A D E A D E A D E A D E A D E A D E A Octave Keyboard Accidental Rules Sharp: Play one key higher. lat: Play one key lower. Natural: ancel sharp or flat. Single Note lat flows along staff until canceled by a natural. b All Notes in a lat flows along staff until blocked by a bar line. b b b All Notes in a Song Key Signature flats blast through bar lines. Unmarked Key Signature b b b b b b Key Signature accidentals apply to every note in every measure, including notes on unmarked lines or spaces. Allcanplay TM Piano * MaxLearning.Net 009 * onverting Songs to Allcanplay * /9/009 * Page of

4 Allcanplay uide Use this guide to assign timing to the sheet music for transfer to a keyboard songsheet. Time Signature Top number: eats per measure ottom number: Type of note with one beat. beats per measure Quarter note gets one beat beats per measure 8 Eighth note gets one beat One beat = To avoid having to speed up for half beats, hold a one-beat note for [] and a half-beat note for []. The beat for a note can start on any number or based on its position in a measure. ounting ¼ beats ount by splitting: (wu/ /un) (too/ /oo) (thr/ /ee) (fo/ /ur) (an/ /da) Downbeat Applies only to the count. Upbeat All beats but the count. Equal eats per Exception: If the first measure begins on an upbeat, the missing beats will be in the last measure. Triplet Split the count of two notes over three notes. Tie Play once. Hold for time of the tied notes. Time Value Rest Note Sixteenth ount x/ Time / [wu] ount x/8 Time Eighth Dotted Eighth an/ Quarter Dotted Quarter Half Dotted Half Whole Joined Sixteenths / / [wu/ /un] 78 Joined Eighths Eighth Note Triplet Quarter Note Triplet an da an da anda an da anda See the Reading Music section for more info on. anda andaan daanda Allcanplay TM Piano * MaxLearning.Net 009 * onverting Songs to Allcanplay * /9/009 * Page of

5 Allcanplay Symbols Alternatives for standard symbols and innovations to guide and speed your learning of a song. Tie Play once, hold, let go. Span White-key hand span. LH RH or tied or held notes. ingering Large = Left written = Right Path to upcoming finger moves. Middle LYRI HORD THE LYRIS O HERE Repeat Save room by repeating identical sections. See the Reading Music section for Repeat symbols, Double Endings, D.. al oda, D.S. al oda. Pinch Pinch one finger to another to replace it on a key without looking. L T t l Repeat, then skip to M T T t Arpeggio Save room by placing series of keys in fewer keyboards. Play key-by-key in arrow direction. race Note Play quick Play normal * Keys must have identical timing. * Other hand s keys must not change. Octave Play key an octave lower or higher. Anchor Keep finger on same key until changed. luster Mark a section s keys in the top keyboard. It s easier to remember clusters. Allcanplay TM Piano * MaxLearning.Net 009 * onverting Songs to Allcanplay * /9/009 * Page of

6 onversion Process Each Phase follows a -step sequence:, roup,, Notes (MTN) PHASE I Prepare Sheet Music Pencil in the MTN (megtan) markings on a copy of the original sheet music. Refer to the Allcanplay Note,, and Symbols charts as needed. Steps are shown here in color for clarity, but it s best to use pencil until you re sure everything is correct. PHASE II onvert To Allcanplay Transfer the MTN markings to a blank ½ or -octave keyboard songsheet (downloaded and printed from the Piano webpage). Draw and number a heavy line to start each measure. To Minimize Errors: Proof each transferred measure before going to the next. ount and match groups to keyboards. An omitted keyboard throws off all measures that follow. Make sure measures have the correct time counts. Play the converted keys to see if they sound like the song. roup Draw a light line between each vertical group of notes. E Assign time count. Draw tie lines for held notes. b THESE ARE THE LYR- IS. Middle D E E LYRI HORD THESE ARE THE LYR- -IS. ingering Use the Hi/Lo technique (see the ingering section of these lessons) and replace the dots and x s with finger letters. Trace over with red and blue ink for visibility if desired. Draw and number a heavy line to start each measure. Notes Label each note with key name, accidental, and octave number. roup No need to draw lines, but reserve one keyboard picture for each group. Transfer time count and any lyrics or chord symbols. Notes Transfer notes and tie lines. Use dots for right hand keys and x s for left hand keys. LH b RH Allcanplay TM Piano * MaxLearning.Net 009 * onverting Songs to Allcanplay * /9/009 * Page of

7 onverting Auld Lang Syne This portion of Auld Lang Syne contains the basic elements needed to demonstrate a song conversion. ill in this sheet as you follow the step-by-step tutorial on the next pages. SHOULD AULD A- QUAIN- TANE E OR- OT AND NEV- ER ROUHT TO MIND? Middle LYRI HORD Allcanplay TM Piano * MaxLearning.Net 009 * onverting Songs to Allcanplay * /9/009 * Page 7 of

8 PHASE I Prepare Sheet Music Phase I: Pencil in a number and a heavy line to start each measure. SHOULD AULD A- QUAIN- TANE E OR- OT AND NEV- ER ROUHT TO MIND? onductors and orchestras follow a similar process so they can refer to measures by number as they practice and prepare for a concert. Phase I: roup Draw a light line between each vertical group of notes. SHOULD AULD A- QUAIN- TANE E OR- OT AND NEV- ER ROUHT TO MIND? roups identify keys played simultaneously with both hands and generally correspond to one word or syllable of the lyrics. Allcanplay TM Piano * MaxLearning.Net 009 * onverting Songs to Allcanplay * /9/009 * Page 8 of

9 Phase I: Pencil in the timing count beneath the lyrics. Draw horizontal tie lines for held notes. SHOULD AULD A- QUAIN- TANE E OR- OT AND NEV- ER ROUHT TO MIND? Time Signature: / beats per measure Quarter note = one beat []. egins on an upbeat [], so missing beats are in last measure []. Phase I: Notes Mark each note with its letter name, accidental sign (if any), and superscripted octave number. A A E SHOULD AULD A- QUAIN- TANE E OR- OT AND A D A # # D D NEV- ER ROUHT TO MIND? D E Since the Key Signature contains an -sharp, every in the song will be sharped. Allcanplay TM Piano * MaxLearning.Net 009 * onverting Songs to Allcanplay * /9/009 * Page 9 of

10 PHASE II onvert to Allcanplay A A E SHOULD AULD A- QUAIN- TANE E OR- OT AND A D NEV- ER ROUHT TO MIND? D D E A # # D Phase II: Draw and number a heavy line to start each measure. Phase II: roup Reserve one keyboard picture for each group. Middle LYRI HORD Allcanplay TM Piano * MaxLearning.Net 009 * onverting Songs to Allcanplay * /9/009 * Page 0 of

11 A A E SHOULD AULD A- QUAIN- TANE E OR- OT AND A D NEV- ER ROUHT TO MIND? D D E A # # D Phase II: Transfer time count, lyrics, and chord symbols to the appropriate keyboard box. Phase II: Notes Transfer notes and tie lines. Use dots for right hand keys and x s for left hand keys. Middle LYRI HORD SHOULD -OT AULD A- AND NEV- -QUAINT- -ER -TANE ROUHT E OR- TO MIND? To Minimize Errors Proof each transferred measure before going to the next. ount and match groups to keyboards. Make sure measures have the correct time counts. Play the converted keys to see if they sound like the song. ingering Use the Hi/Lo Technique (ingering section) to replace the dots and x s with finger letters, then trace over them with red and blue ink for visibility. Allcanplay TM Piano * MaxLearning.Net 009 * onverting Songs to Allcanplay * /9/009 * Page of

Hal Leonard Student Piano Library Correlation to Music Ace Maestro

The following pages provide a correlation between the Hal Leonard Student Piano Library Piano Lessons method books and the Music Ace Maestro software product from Harmonic Vision. Music Ace Maestro consists