The sheet music for The Erie Canal is now available as a digital download. Included in A Year of Folk Tunes for Piano, the digital download version has E Flat Major warm-ups and preparatory studies to make it easier to learn the piece.
The first verse can be played with minimal hands together notes and could stand alone as a solo. Both hands change position in the first half. The second verse requires more hands together and hand movement.
Watch and listen to The Erie Canal. Get your own copy and start practicing it today.
The October song in A Year of Folk Tunes is the Erie Canal. Some students caught on quickly and so we worked on swing for the rest of the month. Listen to how it turned out.
Video performance of the Erie Canal on the violin.
Video performance of the Erie Canal on the cello.
We began a deep dive into B flat major and G Minor. We worked on one octave scales and arpeggios and Simple Gifts, the song of the month in A Year of Folk Tunes. If you missed it, you can catch up with the video.
Here’s the video if you missed it. Let me know if you’d like the sheet music.
In A Year of Folk Tunes, October’s key of the month is E Flat Major and C Minor.
I wrote four rounds to help navigate this key. Everyone who played them, got a lot better at the hand positions required for E Flat Major and C Minor.
The rounds have one part doubled so they would be playable with only two parts. In score form, each tune also has an optional piano part for extra rehearsal. As you can see from the titles, I continued with a fall theme for these tunes.
March of the Scarecrows is an E flat major round in 4/4 time. The violins and violas begin this round, with the cello part entering two measures later. A terrific study to work on intonation across the instrument.
Pumpkin Roll is in 6/8 time. Both voices begin simultaneously and then change function in the middle.
Cider Press dances into fall in E flat major and 6/8 time. Watch the eighth notes. It changes from quarter eighth to eighth quarter in several measures.
Graveyard at Dusk is the C minor round. This waltz opens and concludes with the cello part playing the melody.
Digital sheet music is available here.
March of the Scarecrows for Violin, Viola, Cello and Optional Piano
Pumpkin Roll for Violin, Viola, Cello and Optional Piano
Cider Press for Violin, Viola, Cello and Optional Piano
Graveyard at Dusk for Violin, Viola, Cello and Optional Piano
Listen to the canons here.
March of the Scarecrows
Pumpkin Roll
Cider Press
Graveyard at Dusk
Thank-you Sophie for playing the violin in the videos for the new pieces.
Current round count: 40
Here’s the video if you need to get caught up.
Today we worked on the October scales, E flat major and C minor. We also did some physical stretches for ease in playing. If you missed it, catch up with the video.
12/8/12 and 12/21/12
Miriam Troxler 