"Reading Music: Piano Lesson #2!"
Welcome to your second piano lesson! I assume at this point that you've completed Lesson 1 prior to your being here. If you haven't, please do so by clicking here ... Okay, you've experienced Lesson 1 with flying colors - good for you! You're on your way! Let's continue on our path toward playing that first song with the understanding of time signatures... As you already know, music has a pulse - without even thinking about it, you acknowledge this when you hear any favorite song being played and your foot begins to tap, your fingers snap, or your head nods from side to side, "in sync" with the pulse - or beats - of the music, much like the second hand of a clock. Each second on that clock can be thought of as a beat... "1 2 3 4" etc. Well, these beats fall are usually set to a specific meter. Quite simply, this means that those beats are divided into equal groups, or measures. How many beats get assigned to each measure? That's where the time signature comes in - you see, it tells us exactly. It varies. Depending on the song, each measure could consist of 2, 3, 4, or more beats. For example, if you were listening to When The Saints Go Marching In, you would be tapping to a pulse (or rhythm) of 4 beats per measure. If you were dancing to The Anniversary Waltz, you'd be stepping to 3 beats per measure (a waltz consists of 3 beats per measure). In addition, each beat is represented by a certain kind of note. Although usually a quarter note, this can vary. Your piano lesson today involves your becoming familiar with time signatures. Since Your first song will have a time signature of 4/4, become acquainted with this one. Please click here to proceed with this lesson on time signatures. Only after you have read that page in its entirety and understand the 4/4 time signature should you move on to Lesson 3, okay? Great! Also, continue enjoying Lesson 1 while you proceed with this one. Remember, learn to enjoy each and every step of the learning process. Don't be in a rush to move on. The more you take your time to assimilate the material currently in front of you, the more efficient your learning will be. Learning this way ultimately leads to quicker progress! Please get the most out of this piano lesson on time signatures! When you are ready, go ahead and get involved with
Lesson #3!
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