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Lesson 14: Playing detached

Every note short and clean, with a silence around it: the staccato movement, all the way to London Bridge played fully detached.

What you'll learn

  • Bounce the finger on the key
  • Play five detached notes, then with the left hand
  • Play London Bridge in staccato notes
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The lesson, step by step

  1. In the previous lesson, your notes touched each other. Today it is the opposite: every note stays short and clean, with a small silence around it. We call this playing detached, or staccato. At the end, you will play London Bridge with these staccato notes.
  2. The movement is simple: the finger goes into the key, then comes up at once, as if it bounced on it. The note sounds for an instant, and the silence comes back. Listen first: five staccato notes, from the thumb to the little finger.
  3. The wrist follows the bounce: it goes down with the finger, then up with it. Two notes are enough to feel the movement. Listen first: C, D, C, D, C, D, all short.
  4. All five fingers now, going up and then coming down. The silence between two notes is part of the music: it is what gives the playing its energy. Listen first.
  5. Your left hand learns the same bounce, from the little finger on the low C up to the thumb on G. Watch first.
  6. Today's piece is played in D position: thumb on the middle D, index finger on E, middle finger on F, ring finger on G and little finger on A. Listen first to the five notes, staccato like the ones before.
  7. Here is the first phrase of London Bridge: G, A, G, F, E, F, G. It starts on the little finger and comes down to the thumb, every note well detached. Listen first.
  8. The second phrase goes lower: D, E, F, then E, F, G. The thumb starts on D, the hand stays in place, and the notes stay short. Listen first.
  9. The third phrase repeats the first, then the piece ends: D, D, G, E, and a held C. For that last C, the thumb slides one key to the left. Listen first.
  10. The whole piece, from start to finish: three phrases, all in staccato notes. Listen to it once, then follow the falling notes.
  11. Well done, you can now detach every note, short and clean, and let the silence breathe between them. In the next lesson you will learn to control the strength of your fingers: playing loud, then very soft.

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