Snowboarding

Snowboarding is a rollicking performance piece with a left hand C/G octave ostinato pattern and right-hand sixths. Easy to learn!  It can be played as a duet, with the treble as primo and bass as secondo.

The sixths can be played as written or they can be improvised to go wherever the performer wishes. The RH is best held in an open sixth-wide 5 and 1 finger position frame while travelling up and down the piano, using a loose bouncing action. Sink into the ‘bedrock’ of the piano with both hands to produce a rich sound. Add an accent on each first beat of the bar.

When playing this piece as a duet, the bass line counting is C 2 3 4 C 2 3 4 G 2 3 4 G 2 3 4 etc will keep track of the correct number of Cs and Gs. A non-pianist can learn this pattern in a few minutes – especially good for a parent sitting in on a lesson to be involved and realise how much fun it is but also discover how much concentration is needed!

To add complexity ‘further down the mountain’, the RH rhythms can be dotted, syncopated, played in scale sections, in triplets, have wide jumps, repeated notes and silences, all the while fitting in with the strong, even LH beat.

Click here to see a sample page and hear the whole piece.