Description

"And... Action!"

Lights, Camera, Action is a funky piano solo in the key of F major and will be perfect for the more advanced pianist who is looking to get into the groove of a rhythmic 'funk' piano style.

The foundation of this piece relies on a left hand bass ostinato, which accompanies a fast moving chromatic melody in the right hand. Working with hands separately (and slowly!) to start with is a good strategy when learning this piece. A helpful tool to make this approach more interesting is the slow tempo practice backing track, which comes with the sheet music.

Once you can play each hand separately, try playing them together, very slowly, until the 'flow' of notes feels more natural. It may take some time for this to happen, so be patient - the notes and rhythms will soon 'click' together and you'll then be able to increase the tempo.

Lights, Camera, Action! is structured in four scenes:

1. Opening melody (often called the 'head').
2. Written improvisation on the melody.
3. Unison hands together section. This is further written improvisation but with more of a driving rock/funk feel.
4. Repeat of the opening melody (D.S. al fine).

Keep a lookout for staccato articulations at the end of phrases throughout all of these scene changes, as emphasising these short notes will add rhythm to the funky 'feel' of the piece.

This piece is really great for developing independent coordination between the hands so it is a good workout for the brain too!

Finally, in the D.S. repeat, the right hand finishes off the piece with a downwards blues note 'run' in bar 13, leading to the accented end. Really 'go' for this, but remember to keep the rhythmic control at the same time.

Lights, Camera, Action! comes with the following free audio downloads:

• Performance recording (with piano and backing).
• Play-along backing track (with tuba, drums and electric piano/clavichord).
• Slow tempo practice backing track.

I hope you enjoy Lights, Camera, Action! and have a lot of fun playing along with the backing tracks. I look forward to hearing how you get on!