Smooth and Crunchy

by Elissa Milne
Practice Workbook

© Donal Gormley Music Studio 2015

 Contents

1. Analysis
• You will develop an understanding of how the piece
works.
• You will develop your understanding of notation

2. Rhythm and Coordination

• You will develop your understanding of rhythm in
the piece and develop the coordination skills to be
able to perform it.

3. Pitch
• You will develop your understanding of learning
pitch from notation and be able to work on other
minute.

4. Hugging and Bouncing

• You will learn to play legato in one hand while the
other plays staccato.

5. Fingering
• You will learn how to have more impact with less
practice.

6. Putting it together
• You will learn to visualise yourself before you play.

© Donal Gormley Music Studio 2015

7. Analysis
1. What is the piece called?

2. Can you name some things that

are both smooth and crunchy?

3. Describe the character of the

piece?

4. What is the time signature?

5. What is the tempo marking?

6. Which pitch does the piece

begin with?

7. Which pitch does the piece end

with?

8. How many #'s are in the key

signature?

9. What is the highest pitch?

10. What is the lowest pitch?

11. What do the dots underneath the

notes mean?

12. What do the curved lines mean

over / under the notes?

13. How many sections are there in

the piece?

14. Is there anything else you notice

about the piece?

© Donal Gormley Music Studio 2015

 Rhythm and Coordination
1. Clap the following rhythm and say the rhythm words:

 q  i q
syn co pa te te ta

2. Make up a tune on the black keys with this rhythm.

3. Stamp a steady beat with your feet and clap the rhythm.
4. Now stamp a slower beat and clap the rhythm.
5. Mark in where the beats are with an x underneath:

 q  i q
6. Tap the first note with your LH and the remainder with your RH.

RH q  i q

LH 
7. Make up a piece on the black keys using this new coordination between
the hands.
8. Tap this rhythm in both hands:

RH q  i q

LH  
9. Pick two notes for the LH and 3 notes for the RH and make up your own
piece using this rhythm.
10. Write down 2 copies of these rhythms on Post It notes:

 q  i q

 q  iii

© Donal Gormley Music Studio 2015

 iii 
a. Choose 4 and put them in an order you like
b. Clap the rhythm and say the rhythm words
c. Memorise a Post It, turn it over and clap the whole 4 bars again.
d. Continue memorising Post Its and turning them over until you can
clap it from memory.

11. Using the score, tap the rhythm for both hands of the whole piece.
12. Tap a steady beat as you tap your rhythm.
13. Make up your own pieces to match the rhythms in Smooth and Crunchy.
Write down the notes you will use for each hand on the keyboards:

Write down which one was your favourite set of notes and why you liked it so
much?
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© Donal Gormley Music Studio 2015

 Pitch
Make a copy of the score for this section.

1. Draw the 5 different pitches the LH play on the stave below. Put them in
order from lowest to highest:

2. Write the pitch names on the keyboard below (use landmark notes and
alphabet strings):

3. Look at the score, can you see any repeated patterns of notes in the LH?
Circle them with a green crayon/pencil.
4. Play the five note scale on the piano. This scale is called the __
Major/Minor pentascale. (fill in the blank and delete as appropriate).
5. Make up your own repeating pattern with these notes
6. Draw the pitches in the RH bar 1:

7. Write the pitch names on the keyboard below (use landmark notes and
alphabet strings):

8. Circle each bar these notes appear in on the score in yellow.

9. Play the five note scale on the piano. This scale is called the __
Major/Minor pentascale. (fill in the blank and delete as appropriate).
10. Make up your own melody with these notes.
11. Draw the pitches in the RH bar 2:
© Donal Gormley Music Studio 2015
12. Write the pitch names on the keyboard below (use landmark notes and
alphabet strings):

13. Circle each bar these notes appear in on the score in blue.
14. Play the five note scale on the piano. This scale is called the __
Major/Minor pentascale. (fill in the blank and delete as appropriate).
15. Make up your own melody with these notes.
16. Identify where the pitches are different in the first half compared to the
second half of the piece:
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© Donal Gormley Music Studio 2015

 Hugging and Bouncing
1. Press down on a table or your knee with one hand and tap with the
other. Switch the hands over.
2. Play a note with your LH, let your LH hug the key. While it's
hugging, pick another note with your RH and let it bounce on the
key.
3. Switch your hands over.
4. Learn "Hammering Nails" - no. 17 in the Little Monsters Keyboard
Adventures
5. Make up your own piece with using the G Major Pentascale in both
hands, where one hand bounces and the other hugs the keys.
6. Make up your own piece with using the D Major Pentascale in both
hands, where one hand bounces and the other hugs the keys.
7. Make up your own piece with using the G Major Pentascale in the RH
and D Major Pentascale in the LH, where one hand bounces and the
other hugs the keys.

Questions:

Was it always the same hand that bounced and the same hand that hugged?
If so, switch them over and make some new pieces up the other way about.

Can you switch in the middle of your piece?

Write down which way it feels easier, hugging in LH or RH and Bouncing in

LH or RH?
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Make up your own exercise to improve on this. Write it down!

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© Donal Gormley Music Studio 2015

 Fingering
1. Write out the finger numbers on the hands below:

2. Write the order of the fingers for the right hand bars 1-2:
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(HINT! If you're not sure, look for steps and skips in the melody.)

3. Use the same fingering with these Pentascales in the RH:

C Major

A minor

F Major

D minor

4. Tap the fingering on a table or knee. Make sure it's exactly what you
have written down.
© Donal Gormley Music Studio 2015
5. Write down the fingering for the left hand bars 1-2:
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6. Tap the fingering on a table or your knee. Make sure it's exactly what
you have written down.

7. Use the same fingering with these Pentascales in the LH:

C Major

A minor

F Major

D minor

8. Tap the fingering for both hands on a table or your knee.

9. Start with C Major, then G Major and play the whole piece. Your LH will
use the C Major Pentascale.

10. Which scale(s) did you like the sound of and which did you not? Why?
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© Donal Gormley Music Studio 2015

 Putting it together

1. Listen to the piece here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONeNayDclK0

2. Close your eyes and imagine you are playing the piece. Imagine the
sound. Imagine the feel of the piano, your arms, fingers and body
playing it, imagine each key lighting up as you play it.

3. Close your eyes and imagine you see yourself on a television playing
the piece. Imagine the way you sit, move and the way the piece
sounds.

4. Ask your parents to video record you playing the piece.

5. Ask yourself:

a. What did I play well?

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b. What could I improve on?

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c. How could I improve the piece for the next time?

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d. What was missing that I could add?

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© Donal Gormley Music Studio 2015