Bartók:Mikrokosmos volume1 BB105 Sz.107

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＞　Mikrokosmos volume1

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6,7years old〜

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Start with unison with both hands. I don’t consider the expansion of the range at all, and I play in various ranges with new notes appearing more and more. It is a textbook on the premise that basic music reading is done. From the NO.10 onwards, instead of unison, both hands are used alternately, parallel progress, anti-progression, etc., and the variation of the piece increases. Start moving positions. In the second half, there are many songs in canon format, and the difficulty increases. Only using this one as textbook is hard. Volumes 1 to 6 are very effective for training accidental notation reading, improving left-hand playing ability, dealing with odd time signatures and various rhythms, so I think it would be a good idea to use it as a combined textbook. ◎Equally nurture the ability to play with both the right and left hands ◎Familiarize yourself with contrapuntal pieces from the beginning ◎Familiarize yourself with accidentals from the beginning △ It’s hard to use with this one book because you can’t practice reading music at all △ There are many pieces using church mode, and it is difficult to develop a basic sense of tonality. <learning items> One hand/two hands quarter note / half note / dotted half note / whole note / dotted whole note Quarter rest/half rest/whole rest ♯／♭／♮ 2/4 / 3/4 / 4/4 / 6/4 / 2/2 / 3/2 slur/accent/tie/repeat/legato f/mf/sf/p/crescendo (cresc.)/diminuendo (dim.)

title	level	YouTube
comments

1.	A1	♫
★Correct count of quarter notes Play a half note/whole note melody with correct beats in quarter notes. The half note rest is also correct. Don’t be short.

2.	A1	♫
★ Understand the phrase a)・b) :The melody is like a mirror image of each other. Think about where the top of melody is and understand the phrase.

3.	A1	♫
★Understand the phrase It is a phrase every 3 bars. [9] The ending rhythm is different from the other three phrases. Play ♩♩ carefully so as not to rush.

4.	A1	♫
★Understand the phrase Phrase in the first four bars: B→C→D→E→F ascending line. Phrase in the second half of the 4 bars: F → E → D → C descending. Let it play with crescendo as the melody ascends, or let it calm down as the melody descends.

5.	A1	♫
★Understand the phrase Basically, it consists of phrases every three bars. [7][8]・[9][10] Only these two places are phrases every two bars. The next breath comes earlier than where the three bars continue, so there is movement. To feel lively phrases and play.

6.	A1	♫
★Understand the phrase ★Feel the rest firmly The first half consists of a four-bar phrase, followed by two bars of [5][6] and three bars of [7]-[9], and there are fine phrase movements in the piece. Especially the quarter note rest of [7] is very important. It’s not “rest = rest” (no, it’s a rest!). It’s not just a rest, it’s not just not making a sound for the beat. What is the silence there for ? always have to think about. It’s good to be intuitive from the beginning, so make a habit of it. In this piece, I think of it as a rest for breathing and preparation for starting the melody starting from the second beat of [7], and switching from the wandering melody of [5][6].

7.Dotted Notes	A1	♫
★Dotted rhythm Playing the dotted rhythm “correctly” may be an eternal task. Even people who are good enough can become too sharp or, on the contrary, have a dull rhythm, and it is very difficult to play correctly. Dotted half note + quarter note appears in this piece. It is a rhythm with longer notes than the so-called “dotted rhythm”, but no matter how fast the dotted rhythm is, the basics are the same as the rhythm that appears in this piece. Don’t play the dotted rhythm vaguely, get into the habit of counting the beats accurately.

8.Repetition（1）	A1	♫
★Hit the same note repeatedly The point is whether you can relax and hit the same note repeatedly. Firmly support it with your palm and relax your arm. Let’s get weak under the elbow ! Then it becomes loss of strength too over. Relax your upper arms, shoulders and clavicle.

9.Syncopation（1）	A1	♫
★Syncopation The last note of the notes tied with a tie is beaten by the teacher’s hand to help students understand syncopation. Play each note with the correct duration.

10.With Alternate Hands	A1	♫
★Imitation of melody ★How phrases begin and end First, check the position of the hand playing the scale to be used. The black keys are used in A♭, so prepare your hands a little further back. The beginning of one phrase overlaps the end of the other, so the beginning is clear and the ending is slightly dim.

11.Parallel Motion	A1	♫
★Play with both hands (not unison) Play sounds 10 degrees apart with both hands. The direction of the hand movement is the same (except for the last note), so the left and right notes are different, but play smoothly.

12.Reflection	A1	♫
★ anti-progression The left and right hands are mirror images. Unison tunes can be played while matching the vertical lines, but it is not possible to play anti-progression, so the left and right sides need to be somewhat independent.

13.Change of Position	A1	♫
★Change of position This is the first piece that you play by moving my hands. Since there is movement between phrases, it makes you more aware of the beginning of each phrase. Since the range to be used spreads, you have to feel the difference in sound depending on the range.

14.Question and Answer	A1	♫
★Different ways of ending phrases A piece that includes a position change even after that. Phrases ending in ascending lines and phrases ending in descending lines alternate. This becomes the “question” and the “answer”. Questions are up, answers are down. Think about the tone of voice you use when you talk.

15.Village Song	A1	♫
★Change of position [9]Take care of the rest on the first beat.You have to count exactly one beat so that you don’t start playing the second beat somehow.

16.Parallel Motion with Change of Position	A1	♫
★Change of position Try to find the balance between left and right sound. This work is used unison progression, not parallel progression. The left and right hand sounds are different, so be careful when changing positions.

17.Contrary Motion（1）	A1	♫
★Contrary motion ★Change of position As with No.16, the left and right hand sounds are different, so be careful when changing positions. Check the position of the hand beforehand so that it goes smoothly when playing the black keys with the 5th finger. (Prepare your hands further back than when playing only the white keys.) The melody of the right hand is the same as No.13., but the melody of the left hand is different. Listen and think about how your impression changes.

18.	A1	♫
★Different ways of ending phrases

19.	A1	♫
★Different ways of ending phrases

21.	A1	♫
★Play accents Don’t hit the keyboard from above when playing the accent. At the moment you play that note, apply the weight so that your palm and arm drop straight down. Remove power immediately after. First, drop your hands and arms exaggeratedly to get them to remember the sensations.

22.Imitation and Counterpoint	A2	♫
The difficulty level rises from here. The wonderful thing about 《Mikrokosmos》 is that it incorporates two-voice tasks from the very beginning, whereas in general it is difficult to approach. Even if you can play a lot of different works… the melody will certainly be played by your right hand (upper register). However, even when playing the accompaniment part in the first place, it is necessary to be able to use the left hand on an equal footing with the right hand, and to be able to “listen” as much as the melody. In most textbooks (unfortunately), the left hand is completely devoted to accompaniment, and there are few notes. Left hand rarely plays melodies. It is getting further and further away from the state of being able to hear and play on an equal footing with the right hand. When you started learning, the right and left were equally “zero”. You don’t notice it because you can play as it is without any trouble for a while. And when it’s time to play Bach’s 《Inventions》, you realize that you’re not equal for the first time. Oops, I’ve been complaining about my past self for a long time.haha

23.Imitation and inversion（1）	A2	♫
The difficult part of two-voice pieces is, as mentioned above, that the left hand must be able to play and listen equally. The eyes (or ears?) tend to be drawn to the separate playing of each voice, but the vertical lines are also very important. Pay attention to the harmony of the vertical lines without being too caught up in the horizontal. ♪ How to practice two-voice (~ multiple voice parts) pieces that can be used all the time even if your level goes up ① Practice one voice at a time ② Practice the first voice (playing on the piano) and the second voice (”singing with the note name”). All parts will be replaced and all will be done. When it comes to 4 voices, the practice time is reduced and the mentality is also reduced. It’s difficult to sing notes outside the vocal range, so adjust the octave up and down, or sing the note name correctly (this is an absolute.But the pitch doesn’t have to be the worst.). It is difficult, but the effect is outstanding. When I played all parts on the piano, I was surprised to hear all the voices and was in agony. Practice that makes you realize that you can’t play the piano if you can’t sing it. ③In order to be conscious of the vertical line, slow down the tempo and play each note with both hands. Where the note value is different between the right and left hands, increase the number of keystrokes as appropriate according to the smaller note value. This, such a sound was ringing… you can feel your ears opened. You should have a different impression from the sound you heard in the practice of ②. It is also useful for developing a sense of harmony and determining the structure of a piece, the mood of a phrase, and the balance of sounds.

24.Pastorale	A2	♫
There are a lot of syncopations, long phrases on both hands, and the slur breaks are not aligned, so you need to be careful how you end each phrase. Don’t be lured by the other phrase. A beautiful piece with a dream-like feel, perhaps due to the mysterious cuts and long phrases that give it a slightly floating feeling.

25.Imitation and Inversion（2）	A2	♫
A piece in canon form. It is interesting that the hand in charge of the melody that precedes the sound of sf changes hands. Play the notes with sf to understand easily, and it may be exaggerated. It’s a playful piece.

26.Repetition（2）	A2	♫
There are fine slur breaks on the left and right, and the timing is different, so be careful.

27.Syncopation（2）	A2	♫
Try changing the weight of the note according to the length of the note value. For example, add weight to whole notes. Put on the tenuto and let it resonate. Quarter notes are relatively light and forward. Don’t play sticky. The sound is not only “long” or ”short”, but also changes the weight of the sound according to the note value.

28.Canon at the Octave	A2	♫
Note the beginning of each hand phrase. Each hand needs to play the melody independently, so don’t let the dynamics get tangled in the other direction or accentuate them in the wrong place.

29.Imitation Reflected	A2	♫
♯ appears only on the right hand. No.27. Similarly, give weight to sounds with long note values ​​and make them resonate well.

30.Canon at the Lower Fifth	A2	♫
Expression marks are used from this piece. There is no page for the musical score, so please guide yourself. (Moderato here)

31.Dance in Canon Form	A2	♫
Processing phrases, accents are difficult. (Both left and right are misaligned) It’s a good idea to work in two stages, such as first being able to process the phrase correctly, and then adding accents later.

32.In Dorian Mode	A2	♫
It’s a beautiful 2-voice piece, so practice each hand well with the legato and then play it with both hands.

33.Slow Dance	A2	♫
4 minutes “6 beats”. It’s a beat you don’t see very often. If you think of it as a big double beat and divide one measure into two, you will get a feeling of 6 beats. It’s not written in the score, but it’s a good idea to practice accenting the first and third beats so that you can feel the beats in your body.

34.In Phrygian Mode	A2	♫
The rhythm that seems to interact with the left hand is interesting. The right-hand melody has many parts where the first beat (strong beat) is a rest, and it feels light and drifting. On the other hand, the left hand often plays a long note on the first beat, making the melody heavy. It would be nice to be able to express the difference between these two characters.

35.Chorale	A2	♫
Note that the number of delayed beats of the melody that comes later is different between the first half and the second half. (first half: 2 beats, second half: 3 beats later)

36.Free Canon	A2	♫
It is a canon in which the beginning and end of one phrase is handled freely. Don’t miss the subtle change that is imitated by changing from B to B♭ in [7] → [8]. Auftact appears for the first time.

Appendix：Exercises	–	♫
1) Practice playing evenly with fingers 1 through 5 in the same position, interspersed with black keys. 2) [1][2] and [3][4] are mirrored/imitated with the right and left hands, respectively. 3) Practice counter-progression. 4) Check the key used in No. 29.