A Smarter Way to Start a New Piece

When we first sit down with a new score, the sheer amount of information can feel overwhelming. Notes, rhythms, dynamics, fingerings, articulation, pedaling and more – all packed onto the page making it difficult to know where to begin. Should we start with the melody? The left hand or hands together? The challenge is that the score represents the finished product rather than a starting point.

The good news is that there is a way to make starting a new piece much less daunting! Rather than tackling everything at once, we can simplify the score by taking it apart and breaking it up into manageable layers. This process makes information much easier to digest and also helps with memorisation.

How to simplify the score?

A useful starting point is to work backwards, stripping the score down to its essential components to create simplified versions of the piece. The following are some ways in which this can be done:

• Counting, clapping or pretending to conduct to establish a steady rhythmic framework and pulse.
• Reducing the accompaniment or textures into solid block chords (often called “blocking“).
• Playing the bare bones (or “skeletons”) of the music e.g. melody plus the harmonic outline or depending on the type of piece, individual voices and then different combinations thereof (referred to as the “step ladder” approach)

Once the building blocks are secure, you can then proceed to gradually add layers back in. This step-by-step approach makes a complex score far easier to learn (and more secure in performance!)

An example: Brahms Intermezzo (Op. 117 No. 2)

Ken Johansen’s From the Ground Up series provides reduced scores and outlines to guide pianists through this process for a collection of popular works. This example from the latest addition to the series shows how to simplify the flowing demisemiquavers (32nd notes) which make up the opening theme:

Step 1: Block the rippling arpeggios into solid chords and play with the bass to learn hand positions and harmonic structure:

Step 2: Then add more of the left hand harmony which helps learn jumps and hand positions, starting with the left hand separately and then adding the right hand. When you then add the right hand, it can help you to locate the left-hand chords, either through common notes between the two hands (indicated by solid lines) or through notes that are close to the left thumb:

Step 3: Now try playing the outer voices of the piece (bass and melody). This reveals the motivic unity of the piece. In fact, the whole piece is based on a descending motive of four notes (labelled x in the reduction below), which can itself be divided into two, two-note segments (y):

Finally you can practise the full score as written, occasionally returning to these reductions as and when needed.

Conclusion

A score may seem bewildering at first glance, but beneath the surface lies a clear structure waiting to be uncovered. By simplifying textures, practising skeletons and rebuilding from the ground up, you’ll not only learn pieces more quickly, but also unlock deeper musical understanding and expression.

Next time you open a new score, try starting by peeling back the layers and letting the music reveal itself step by step!