This is the first of two free sample lessons introducing the 'Musicarta Easy Piano Style' piano-from-scratch video course.

In this first MEPS lesson, you learn a simple keyboard texture which will build into a way to 'just sit down and play'.

Here's the module performance.

The module study uses the same pattern in two next-door places on the keyboard. We call those, C and D minor (Dm).

The pattern in C

Here is a teaching video for the build-up of the pattern in C.

Section lesson notes

You can refer to these lesson notes as you work through the teaching video (above).

Download the music for the module performance.

Then, for your keyboard version of the guitarist’s strumming, you rock your left hand, playing bottom-middle-top-middle notes over and over.

(To match up with the music, your thumb will need to be on ‘middle C’ on your keyboard.)

But you’ll notice straight away that the sound is rather ‘bald’ – it’s lacking the sweet chord tone – ‘the third’ – which the right hand will play.

Here is a video of the pattern in C build-up with the scrolling MS (music).

Practice until you can play all of the pattern 'stages' at will, and play along right through the build-up comfortably.

The pattern in D minor

Next, you repeat the process one key to the right  - "in D minor".

Here's the teaching video and MS.

Joining up

The transition from the C position to the Dm position and back warrants separate practice. The practice drill segues into a performance - see if (with practice) you can keep up.

The first two pairs - performance

To finish, here's a clean performance of the first two Pairs of Chords - Modules One and Two (next lesson) of the Musicarta Easy Piano Style workbook.

Variations

Yes! Variations - already!

Thirds and sixths are 'the harmonious intervals', and will soon start slipping naturally into your playing.

Here's a variation of the Module One performance with a few thirds added. Notice how it adds just 'a little something'.

Notice also that the extra note is added only on the last of the three 'wobbles' in each case. We don't 'overdo it'!

Adjust the fingering so you play the third (E in the C position and F in D minor) with RH3 to make playing the thirds easy

Now go on to MEPS Lesson Two - The Second Pair of Chords.

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