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Lesson 1 - Getting Started

Our Set-Up: Since my teacher is in Canada and I am in the United States, we meet via video-conferencing software. In this case, Google Hangouts, which allows me to simultaneously record my lessons for archival purposes. Additionally, we had to search long and hard for a method to exchange currency. Luckily, Paypal has an awesome system for that! I have set it up so that my iPhone camera is aimed horizontally at my hands from near the keybed and my laptop is situated behind me catching part of my hands from the other side and my body overall. The laptop camera is also our main form of communicating during the lesson. On Practice - Of course with the excitement of a new project, I started out of the gate with a lot of enthusiastic practice leading up to my first lesson. However, the few days before were a holiday weekend, so that put a big damper on my presentation at the lesson. Since then, I have found practice on the weekend nearly impossible. Practice during the week is no easy...
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Etude No. 2 - Kabalevsky Etude in F Major

Very technically driven, this piece is fun to play, with simple and clear musical goals. Good for studying in conjunction with Level 8 Arpeggios! Main ideas and challenges presented Clear and smooth arpeggios in BOTH hands. The tendency is for LH to be the worst culprit in this matter. Suggestion to begin by practicing LH alone. The broken chords at m. 17 can be problematic. And this pattern in m. , I would consider to be the hardest part of the whole piece because it can be difficult to execute with consistent accuracy.  Other tips and consideration Focus on efficient motion with no extraneous arm movements. Allow for a “magnetic” sensation into the bottom of the keybed.
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