Blog Post One:

Playing the piano has proven more challenging then I originally thought. However, the bumps in the road are all part of the process of learning a new instrument. Now I realize I will not be able to learn to play using both hands. This is okay because I said I simply wanted to try, which I did. I also tried to learn how to read bass clef however I was confused between the two clefs. I decided it was more productive to learn one clef well then two poorly. Therefore my inquiry project path changed. I started off learning treble clef. I learnt the acronyms FACE and Every Good Boy Does Fine. Surprisingly, I did not remember much from playing the clarinet in middle school so I had to relearn most skills. I filled out worksheets and read piano theory books. The pitch and rhythm practice worksheets given out in class were very useful. Some dynamics I learned to indicate playing quiet are pp/pianissimo which stands for play “very soft”, p/piano stands for play “soft” and mp/ mezzo-piano means play “moderately soft”. The dynamics that indicate playing louder are mf/mezzo-forte which stands for play “moderately loud”, f/forte means play “loud” and ff/fortissimo means play “very loud”. I also learned what crescendo and diminuendo mean. Diminuendo is Latin for diminishing and indicates volume must gradually decrease. Crescendo is a gradual increase in volume. The worksheets I completed helped me learn the length of notes. I know a whole note lasts for the whole bar, and a half note takes up half the measure. I also learned a quarter note is one beat. Rests are intervals of silence. Whole rests hang and half rests look like a hat. Then there are quarter rests which symbolize a quarter of silence in a measure.