The Road Home in D Major from Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book is a tranquil piece with several repetitive cadences.
Piano Practice Tips
- Label the chords in your music.
- Which "road is used the most? vi-V-I or IV-V-I?
- Can you hear and spot the deceptive cadence IV-V-vi?
Theory
Learning About Cadences
Perfect Authentic: V-I Sounds like the end.
Imperfect Authentic: V-I + inversion Sounds like the end...but less final than perfect.
Half: I-V Sounds unfinished like a question.
Deceptive: V-vi or V-IV V chord deceives you and doesn't lead to I.
Plagal: IV-I aka "Amen" cadence
Then try the Theta Flash Cadences game to practice identifying cadences.
Hint: Perfect Authentic Cadences end with the tonic (1st note of the scale) both in the melody and in the root of the bass.
Improvisation
If you like The Road Home you might like improvising with the different chord patterns in Create First Journey
Rohan Rising in B minor has a cinematic feeling including dramatic dynamic changes and left hand 1-5-8-5 repeating patterns.
- Watch out for the double treble clefs at the beginning.
- Use a flexible wrist aligning your arm behind the playing finger as you play the repetitive left- hand patterns.
The Ninth Session in B-flat Major is a spinoff of Beethoven's classic Ode to Joy Theme with left-hand syncopated interrupting eighths that sound a bit like the Forrest Gump Theme.
- Tap a long with the rhythms as you listen to the performance to prep for the syncopation in the intro and outro.
The Minuet Session in G Minor begins with simple rhythms with a melodic motif borrowed from Bach's famous minuet but the pedaling and expression are definitely a diversion from Baroque style!
- Notice the left-hand stride bass on the second page is like a root chord with the root thrown down an octave. Imagine a miniature ball being tossed across the keys as you leap up and down to aim for the roots and thirds.
- Practice the left-hand broken chord groups "block style" to gain automaticity shifting up and down between chords groups with ease.
- If you are unfamiliar with rolled chords watch this quick video about arpeggiated chords
- Adding lyrics to a piece can be helpful because it makes the distinct rhythms of the phrases more memorable.
- If this piece had lyrics, what would it say to you?
- Watch out for clef changes.
- Watch the video below to review how to play acciacaturas.
- Watch the video below to hear the inspiration behind the motifs in this piece.
- Even though this piece is written in a minor key listen for how occasional major chord patterns in this piece bring a glimmer of hope and shift the mood.
- Practice feeling the subtle rise and fall of the chords and use your peripheral vision when needed to see the larger chord shifts.
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