A Pleasant Reaction

Last weekend, I decided to play “Phantom of the Opera” for my friend. She told me that I had great intonation, but I was playing below the suggested tempo. Additionally, she said that the notes sounded plain and they lacked emotion and feeling. I took her advice to heart and went home to practice. I used a tuner to improve my intonation and a metronome to increase my playing speed. After I pleased with the results, I played the song for her again. She said that the piece was much better than last time and that I had significantly improved my tempo. I was ecstatic. Her words gave me confidence to play a more difficult piece. I decided to tackle one of the most iconic musical pieces from the movie industry: “He’s A Pirate” from Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Image by riky.the1 via musescore

“He’s A Pirate” is played in the key of F major because it only contains 1 flat, the B flat. The song is played at a suggested tempo of 140 beats per minute, which is extremely fast. Although the tempo is much more difficult than the tempo of “Phantom of the Opera,” the notes are much easier to play. As a result, I was able to play most of the notes at a tempo of 100 beats per minute.

This week, I learned that a song played at a high tempo is not necessarily difficult to learn if the notes are played in a easier scale. This allows me to focus more on the rhythm because I do not have to worry too much about the intonation because the notes will not be particularly difficult to play. Additionally, I learned that I progressed more after playing in front of my friend versus repeatedly listening to my recordings by myself. When I listen to my recordings, I tend to ignore the tiniest flaws, but when I play in front of my friend, she is able to point out the little mistakes. It is also extremely important to rely on a tuner and a metronome to help improve your playing. Next week, I plan on diving deep into “He’s A Pirate” and possibly performing a duet with the piece. I also plan on getting feedback from a friend who plays violin for a professional orchestra.