Free Kids Sheet Music
Free kids sheet music for beginner piano Spanish Ladies is a swashbuckling-sounding song of old England! There's something about this song that is instantly likeable -- perhaps it is the exotic words of sailing the sea, or the swing of the 6/8 melody with its minor chords. My students never fail to be captured by this tune, and the words too, which evoke another world and time: "Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish ladies! Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain!"
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Though I first heard this old sea shanty sung by the captain in "Jaws" (only a tiny part, and rather badly), I later came across it in Cecil Sharp's "One Hundred English Folksongs", a treasure trove of old folk songs.
Ordinarily, I will double the timing on a melody with 8th notes, but more and more I am finding that my younger students do quite well with the "Tah, Tah, Tah, Tah, Tah-2, tee-tee, Tah, Tah, Tah, tee-tee, Tah!" approach for an occasional song , if the song's rhythm is strong enough. That saves me a bit of time, and gives them practice looking at eighth notes in a non-threatening way. (Of course, more experienced students will be counting with numbers, but then, they probably won't be playing this easy version, either, unless it's just for fun! And younger students, too, are always working on regular counting with their piano method material.)
If you want to turn this free kids sheet music into a duet, use the chord symbols I placed above the music, or scroll down and print out the Secondos in Cm and Dm. Beginners will have a hard time with these chords, because of the black notes and the right hand chord inversions. For younger students, I'd just have them try plain open 5ths (for example, a Cm chord open 5th would be C+G -- an Eb chord open 5th would be Eb+Bb) in one hand. The version in Dm would be even better, as they will only encounter one black-note chord (if they use open fifths).
A word about pronunciation: after careful listening to several video versions of Spanish Ladies, I decided that "From Ushant to Scilly" should be pronounced "from OOO-shunt to SEE-lee". I hope I'm right; I like the way it sounds and it's fun to sing.
Download printable piano music Spanish Ladies melody in Cm
Download piano duet music Spanish Ladies melody in Dm
Here is what the version in Dm looks like. It uses D above Middle C in the left hand in several places. Though this note is unfamiliar to most beginners, it does not really prove to be a difficulty - in fact, most kids will figure out what it is by themselves (and feel clever), if you point to "the Middle C line" right under it. I like to tell them that this is what D looks like when the left hand goes up into "the right hand's territory."
The reason I set this free kids' sheet music in Dm as well as in the key of Cm, is because the chord accompaniment in Cm needs so many black notes -- really hard chords for beginner piano players. In Dm, the chords are much easier to handle (though still not suitable for beginners, but late elementary, with some desire and effort!). Below, you can see the Secondo in Cm. (For a duet, the melody or Primo part must be played UP an octave.)
Download piano duet Spanish Ladies Secondo in Cm
Download piano duet Spanish Ladies Secondo in Dm
Here is an American Whaling version of the same tune -- different words!:
Have fun!
Comments
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Elania:
THANK YOU! This website is a God-send! :D I took piano lessons as a kid, a little music theory, and now I'm a homeschooling mom hoping to pass on anything I can to my kids about music. It is such a gift, for so many reasons!
I have been slowly giving my oldest daughter whatever my memory can dredge up, scouring the internet for free music she can do, but your website with its instructions AND tips on how to teach pieces are going to help me SO much in this endeavor. I just wanted to tell you thank you. Really really! THANK YOU!
Miggy, United Kingdom:
I've just found your website and I think I've died and gone to heaven. I've just taken up the piano again after 35 years absence... buying sheet music was getting expensive/a luxury. The tips are great too. I also live in the middle of nowhere so buying from a shop is not really an option unless I fancy a 120 mile round trip for a piece of sheet music! Thank you for your wonderful site. I look forward to having a thorough look...
Mary:
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Rosanne:
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Kim in Washington:
My son is hooked...I've been introducing piano to my son on and off for a year or so, but he's not had much interest. Then I gave him "Monsters Everywhere". He loved playing it with the organ sound on our piano. He memorized it that week and I'm printing off the other Halloween songs to keep him going. I love the detailed instructions on teaching since he is my first student! Thanks so much.
Dana:That is so neat that your son has experienced the magic and mystery of music through this little song. That is so exciting to me. Thanks for writing, Kim!
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Matt:
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Joy:
Thank you. Just wanted to say I found your website by mistake but what a blessing it has been. I am a missionary wife living in Spain (for many, many years) and I teach piano to Spanish children and adults. I have the barrier of very few usable things in Spanish, and can so identify with the need to write things suitable for the student...
California Student:
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Marta:
Thank you for the free downloads! I'm a private teacher and I teach piano and beginner voice as well. :) I've been running my studio for about a year and I've come across the same issue; I don't want my students to have to purchase an entire supplemental book for only a couple of songs. So thank you for this site...some great downloads!!
Yolanda:
I used to teach piano lessons, and then did not for anumber of years. Now, suddenly, I have 3 beginning students and I am thrilled. I was looking for printable scales and found your wonderful website.
Thank you so much. I know this will be a big help to me and my students.
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Susie:
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Stasi:
AH!!!!! I am so happy to find a helpful site like this. I started to give piano lessons to one little girl from church and two girls requested voice lessons this spring. Since then, word got out and going into the fall I have 18 students. I am so excited, but I'm running out of materials that they can borrow, and I, like you hate telling the parents to buy morebooks. Because I have such a diverse group of students I spend SO much time making supplemental material and I feel like I have to pick through other websites, to only find one or two useful things. I am so thankful for the wealth of supplement that you have offered here! And it's all SO user friendly!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
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