LESSON NINE
D Sharp, E Flat, Triplets
The above exercise is slightly odd in this sequence as it is in fact identical to the last exercise in lesson eight, even thought it doesn't look it. That is because C sharp and D flat is the same note. If you go up half a note from C or down half a note from D you come to the same note in the middle. So this is the black note between the white notes C and D on a piano. So you should be able to play the above exercise already but do play it again whilst looking at the new music so you get used to reading it as a flat as well as a sharp.
This next exercise introduces another new accidental note. As the note is just below the stave you will know it is D and the sharp sign next to it means it is a semitone higher than D and is D sharp. In bars three and four it is written as E flat and that is the same note. Remember the 4th note in bar 2 is also sharp and the 4th note in bar 4 is also flat.

To play the note the fingering is to cover all the holes except the bottom two. The hole above the bottom one you need to half cover and the bottom holes are left open.
This exercise has both the accidentals you have now learned as revision. See if you can play it.
This final exercise introduces a new length of note. This is a triplet and is written as a set of three as in the above (although some of the notes can be rests and of course they don't necessarily stay on the same note - these are to keep it simple for you). Note they look like quavers but are marked 3 above and this shows that each note is in fact a third of a beat. You would normally count a bar of triplets as 123, 223, 323, 423 so the above exercise could be counted  123 223 323 423, 123, 223, 3 4, 1 2 3 423, 1 2 3 4. One thing to point out though - you are counting silently in your head - so no-one will know how you are doing it. So it really doesn't matter what method or count you use just do what you find works best. As long as you keep in time that is all that matters.











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