Piano notes Surfaces — Sunday Best
Here is a new song in my piano sheet music archive. The original amateur interpretation of a tune. This sheet music is created in a transformative manner (transcription). Plus, music notes in the arrangement doesn't copy any existing material.
Piano Player Ability Rating: Advanced, sounds just like the song
To print piano sheet music save the direct 🎹 PDF
As I learned, many of you are self-taught piano players and never had a piano class. I try to cover several popular mistakes in piano-playing techniques that we are prone to do.
Surfaces certainly liked to challenge himself when writing!
Sunday Best is composed in a binary verse-chorus form. It's perfect for those with advanced skills.
The Sunday Best score requires arduous effort. I will add an easier one if this page will be popular.
Surfaces presents us with a wide range of dynamics (the sound volume levels). This song follows the universal model for the pop form. Its rhythmic basis is sustained throughout, so the LH’s primary duty will be to provide an even footing.
Before touching the piano keys, warm up your fingers and wrists with slow and soft circular motions and moderate stretching. Rotate your shoulders and arms.
To begin with, practise hands separately, slowly, and in small pieces of one-two bars.
Practise the harder passages first and do it frequently.
Count out loud to ensure precise rhythm. By counting I mean a tA-ta, tA-ta, not an old inefficient one-and, two-and.
Accent strong beats and play the first bar of any phrase louder than the last bar.
Make sure to arch your fingers. This is crucial for the health of your wrists and palms.
Slacking your fingers will overwork them and cause strain.
Keep relaxed, flexible wrists, hands and arms when playing Sunday Best.
A flexible wrist allows producing a warm sound.
Both hands should play smoothly (legato) if not indicated the opposite (staccato).
Start memorizing Sunday Best from the very beginning. Use the sheet music as a hint and avoid looking at a paper sheet (or a monitor) as long as you can when rehearsing the music piece.
✍ And the last, be artistic, be creative. Print the pdf, take correction fluid and a black pen and add or delete whatever you want in this arrangement.
Accuracy in articulation are essential for playing Sunday Best piano sheet music.
Your tone should be warm and gentle.
The articulation in this piece is tricky because it alternates between legato and staccato.
Accent every note, varying the accents each time you play. Once played lightly and up to speed, the ornament should flow naturally.
It’s worth trying out this technique for the entire song.
Among the hardest facets of piano playing is controlling a lightness of attack, and when coupled with playing at a faster speed, a reliable warm-hearted leggiero touch must rank as among the most prized piano skills.
The patterns in verses can become repetitive if not coloured imaginatively and played with rhythmic stamina. This will create some drama in your performance.
Sunday Best is speedy. Always keep the hands relaxed, especially with repeated notes, piano keyboard is not lightweight and causes a muscle pain.
Don’t forget to bring dynamic colour to your performance by quickly moving from piano to forte; play every new part with a different volume level. Take note of the crescendo/diminuendo (< & >) and piano/forte (𝓟 & 𝓕) markings in order to make your piano sound more noticeable or prominent, to emphasize the Surfaces's lyrics. Only begin diminuendo by gradually playing the passage more softly.
Start learning the score music with the Right Hand part.
Listen to the actual track Sunday Best as you begin to learn the arrangement.
The RH here plays a melody (topline) plus also provides some harmony and rhythm (accompaniment). First separate the melody from the accompaniment in the RH. Try singing the melody la-la-la or ta-ta-ta as you play, so you can mentally separate the topline from the accompaniment in the RH.
Practise slowly with an obvious emphasis on the topline while playing the accompaniment as gently and calm as possible. To begin with, play the melody line by itself to develop a confident mastery over the shorter 4th and 5th fingers. The fifth finger is firm with all knuckles supported, the arm aligned behind it on every note. Once the RH topline has been memorized, add the lower notes. Because the second voice is played by the longer fingers in the RH, it can be difficult to keep the right balance of power. A useful second stage is to play the topline while shadowing the lower notes — touching the keys but not allowing them to speak. Then play the topline forte, the lower notes piano. When you arrive at your final sound, the lower notes will support the upper line without covering it. Your thumb should do little more than brush the lower note in a small circular movement. Make sure that lower notes in the right hand don’t overpower the topline, even if it is still of great melodic importance.
Keep your wrist and hand loose and relaxed as you do this.
Notice how short phrasing is. Put the emphasis on the first note of each phrase.
After getting familiar with the RH, focus on the LH. Practise the LH alone here to ensure a rich and mellow bass.
This is one of those pieces where the bulk of the practising will be devoted to an accompaniment.
The LH is generally soft throughout.
The accompaniment in this score uses a patterned bass walks.
When playing chords, rotate your hand towards the weaker 4th and 5th fingers.
To voice each chord effectively, give the lower note greater emphasis, tone and shape.
Chord too big for the left hand? Leave out repeated notes or/and transfer the top to your right.
Or arpeggiate the chord.
Get your hand in position for each chord before playing it.
A relaxed wrist will help you to balance chords so that all notes sound at the same time.
In the left-hand’s chords use the forward and backward movement along the axis of the hand. Instead of twisting the left hand to the left to reach the next lower chord in the progression, move your arm closer to the black keys, thus allowing for the hand to remain in a linear, more natural position.
In the left-hand’s accompaniment we can avoid the build-up of tension in these left-hand octave-long wearing movements: instead of using solely your fingers (1st and 5th), rotate the wrist and forearm while keeping the fingers fixed.
In an accompaniment pattern in the chorus you could add an accent on beats 1 and 3.
When playing walks, start slow and steady. Only as you become more accustomed to the notes and fingerings of the walk, begin to increase your speed.
Keep the upper notes lighter (those usually played by the “heavy” thumb), and focus on adding color to the lower notes in the left-hand pattern.
Producing a completely smooth and connected tone at the piano (legato playing) in arpeggiated playing is one of the trickiest things to achieve. Avoid being choppy and disconnected to enable expressing the sound to the fullest. Do not solely rely on the pedal for legato, but rather rely on the fingers, to create as much independence in tone, dynamics, expression, etc. between the various textures and voices. Use this technique on melodic lines and when you want to keep accompaniment figures more in the background.
The song has rapid scalic passage work combined with a dance-like rhythm.
In ascending passagework watch out the rotation of the wrist with which you assist the fingers. Banging on the keys, twisting, curling or overstretching of the fingers to their maximum limits will lead to micro-injuries and fatigue. Instead of the motion of your fingers, employ the natural rotary movements of both the forearm and the hand. Professional pianists protect their fingers from fatigue this way.
As you begin to practise both hands together, start slowly before gradually increasing your tempo.
In the last phase of learning a piece the use of a metronome is vital as you will be working on rhythmic partnerships between both hands. Nearly all modern pop music contains a firm beat. Become aware of the underlying 'pulse' and accent where the 'stronger' beat falls but remember that more is less. Avoid over-using your left hand. Aim at simple and clear playing.
Focus on soloing with the right hand without relying on the accompaniment in the left hand. Make every single note that you play to mean something.
In playing any piano transcription of a song, the aim is to give the impression of a singer (the RH) that is being accompanied by a sensitive pianist (the LH). Imagine a duet between a band and a singer, so color the two hands differently. Coordinating the parts may take some time to organise convincingly.
The Song should sound light, in the tradition of the genre; it will not benefit from being bathed in pedal.
🎼 More Piano Sheet Music from S
Free and easy piano sheet music with direct digital preview of music notes. All credits go to songwriters. The arrangement in sheet music is transformative.
Piano Player Ability Rating: Advanced, sounds just like the song
To print piano sheet music save the direct 🎹 PDF
As I learned, many of you are self-taught piano players and never had a piano class. I try to cover several popular mistakes in piano-playing techniques that we are prone to do.
About the Surfaces — Sunday Best
Surfaces certainly liked to challenge himself when writing!
Sunday Best is composed in a binary verse-chorus form. It's perfect for those with advanced skills.
The Sunday Best score requires arduous effort. I will add an easier one if this page will be popular.
Surfaces presents us with a wide range of dynamics (the sound volume levels). This song follows the universal model for the pop form. Its rhythmic basis is sustained throughout, so the LH’s primary duty will be to provide an even footing.
Common Practical Tips for Pianists
Before touching the piano keys, warm up your fingers and wrists with slow and soft circular motions and moderate stretching. Rotate your shoulders and arms.
To begin with, practise hands separately, slowly, and in small pieces of one-two bars.
Practise the harder passages first and do it frequently.
Count out loud to ensure precise rhythm. By counting I mean a tA-ta, tA-ta, not an old inefficient one-and, two-and.
Accent strong beats and play the first bar of any phrase louder than the last bar.
Make sure to arch your fingers. This is crucial for the health of your wrists and palms.
Slacking your fingers will overwork them and cause strain.
Keep relaxed, flexible wrists, hands and arms when playing Sunday Best.
A flexible wrist allows producing a warm sound.
Both hands should play smoothly (legato) if not indicated the opposite (staccato).
How to Memorize Sheet Music
Start memorizing Sunday Best from the very beginning. Use the sheet music as a hint and avoid looking at a paper sheet (or a monitor) as long as you can when rehearsing the music piece.
✍ And the last, be artistic, be creative. Print the pdf, take correction fluid and a black pen and add or delete whatever you want in this arrangement.
How to Play Surfaces — Sunday Best Sheet Music
Piano Playing Method
Accuracy in articulation are essential for playing Sunday Best piano sheet music.
Your tone should be warm and gentle.
The articulation in this piece is tricky because it alternates between legato and staccato.
Accent every note, varying the accents each time you play. Once played lightly and up to speed, the ornament should flow naturally.
It’s worth trying out this technique for the entire song.
Among the hardest facets of piano playing is controlling a lightness of attack, and when coupled with playing at a faster speed, a reliable warm-hearted leggiero touch must rank as among the most prized piano skills.
The patterns in verses can become repetitive if not coloured imaginatively and played with rhythmic stamina. This will create some drama in your performance.
Sunday Best is speedy. Always keep the hands relaxed, especially with repeated notes, piano keyboard is not lightweight and causes a muscle pain.
Don’t forget to bring dynamic colour to your performance by quickly moving from piano to forte; play every new part with a different volume level. Take note of the crescendo/diminuendo (< & >) and piano/forte (𝓟 & 𝓕) markings in order to make your piano sound more noticeable or prominent, to emphasize the Surfaces's lyrics. Only begin diminuendo by gradually playing the passage more softly.
The Right Hand
Start learning the score music with the Right Hand part.
Listen to the actual track Sunday Best as you begin to learn the arrangement.
The RH here plays a melody (topline) plus also provides some harmony and rhythm (accompaniment). First separate the melody from the accompaniment in the RH. Try singing the melody la-la-la or ta-ta-ta as you play, so you can mentally separate the topline from the accompaniment in the RH.
Practise slowly with an obvious emphasis on the topline while playing the accompaniment as gently and calm as possible. To begin with, play the melody line by itself to develop a confident mastery over the shorter 4th and 5th fingers. The fifth finger is firm with all knuckles supported, the arm aligned behind it on every note. Once the RH topline has been memorized, add the lower notes. Because the second voice is played by the longer fingers in the RH, it can be difficult to keep the right balance of power. A useful second stage is to play the topline while shadowing the lower notes — touching the keys but not allowing them to speak. Then play the topline forte, the lower notes piano. When you arrive at your final sound, the lower notes will support the upper line without covering it. Your thumb should do little more than brush the lower note in a small circular movement. Make sure that lower notes in the right hand don’t overpower the topline, even if it is still of great melodic importance.
Keep your wrist and hand loose and relaxed as you do this.
Notice how short phrasing is. Put the emphasis on the first note of each phrase.
The Left Hand
After getting familiar with the RH, focus on the LH. Practise the LH alone here to ensure a rich and mellow bass.
This is one of those pieces where the bulk of the practising will be devoted to an accompaniment.
The LH is generally soft throughout.
The accompaniment in this score uses a patterned bass walks.
When playing chords, rotate your hand towards the weaker 4th and 5th fingers.
To voice each chord effectively, give the lower note greater emphasis, tone and shape.
Chord too big for the left hand? Leave out repeated notes or/and transfer the top to your right.
Or arpeggiate the chord.
Get your hand in position for each chord before playing it.
A relaxed wrist will help you to balance chords so that all notes sound at the same time.
In the left-hand’s chords use the forward and backward movement along the axis of the hand. Instead of twisting the left hand to the left to reach the next lower chord in the progression, move your arm closer to the black keys, thus allowing for the hand to remain in a linear, more natural position.
In the left-hand’s accompaniment we can avoid the build-up of tension in these left-hand octave-long wearing movements: instead of using solely your fingers (1st and 5th), rotate the wrist and forearm while keeping the fingers fixed.
In an accompaniment pattern in the chorus you could add an accent on beats 1 and 3.
When playing walks, start slow and steady. Only as you become more accustomed to the notes and fingerings of the walk, begin to increase your speed.
Keep the upper notes lighter (those usually played by the “heavy” thumb), and focus on adding color to the lower notes in the left-hand pattern.
Producing a completely smooth and connected tone at the piano (legato playing) in arpeggiated playing is one of the trickiest things to achieve. Avoid being choppy and disconnected to enable expressing the sound to the fullest. Do not solely rely on the pedal for legato, but rather rely on the fingers, to create as much independence in tone, dynamics, expression, etc. between the various textures and voices. Use this technique on melodic lines and when you want to keep accompaniment figures more in the background.
The song has rapid scalic passage work combined with a dance-like rhythm.
In ascending passagework watch out the rotation of the wrist with which you assist the fingers. Banging on the keys, twisting, curling or overstretching of the fingers to their maximum limits will lead to micro-injuries and fatigue. Instead of the motion of your fingers, employ the natural rotary movements of both the forearm and the hand. Professional pianists protect their fingers from fatigue this way.
As you begin to practise both hands together, start slowly before gradually increasing your tempo.
In the last phase of learning a piece the use of a metronome is vital as you will be working on rhythmic partnerships between both hands. Nearly all modern pop music contains a firm beat. Become aware of the underlying 'pulse' and accent where the 'stronger' beat falls but remember that more is less. Avoid over-using your left hand. Aim at simple and clear playing.
Focus on soloing with the right hand without relying on the accompaniment in the left hand. Make every single note that you play to mean something.
In playing any piano transcription of a song, the aim is to give the impression of a singer (the RH) that is being accompanied by a sensitive pianist (the LH). Imagine a duet between a band and a singer, so color the two hands differently. Coordinating the parts may take some time to organise convincingly.
Pedaling
With excessive and inappropriate use of the pedal, it greatly compromises clarity in the overall tone quality. Think of it this way: the sustain pedal should be used as an aid to playing legato, not as a substitute for our fingers.The Song should sound light, in the tradition of the genre; it will not benefit from being bathed in pedal.
🎼 More Piano Sheet Music from S
Free and easy piano sheet music with direct digital preview of music notes. All credits go to songwriters. The arrangement in sheet music is transformative.