Greensleeves Duet"Greensleeves" is the first truly beautiful song most young students get in my studio. It doesn't matter if it isn't Christmas.. this is a song for the ages. As soon as they can make broken chords with some control, I give them the first page of the Secondo, which is really nothing but repeated broken chords Am, G, F, and E.
Now they have a reason to practice chords! Nothing motivates kids to play like hearing themselves produce wonderful sounds. If you have prepared them well with a couple of weeks (or more if necessary) of LH - RH broken chords (just as they will use them in Greensleeves), then they will play and play this piece.
Download printable Greensleeves duet secondo Of course, they're not reading the notes! Instead, they are looking at the chord symbols above the notes, and using the notes on the staff as a guide. Following chord symbols is a musical skill, too, and very important, as any guitar player will tell you. If you limit their musical diet to what they can read right now, their "plate" won't have much on it! (Some kids will even "starve".) Plus, you will be sneaking lots of technique practice into their menu without them even suspecting. It takes lots of control to play broken chord tones evenly over and over again.
Now, I haven't said much about the Primo part. That's because I consider it quite difficult compared to the Secondo, so I introduce it LONG after, if at all.
Download Greensleeves primo printable sheet music Many children will recognize this tune, but not be sure where they've hear it before...so we read aloud the Christmas song words, "What Child is This." I tell them that sometimes a melody is so great that people keep writing new words for it, and it stays popular. I like to play the Primo with them two different ways (where they play the Secondo, and I am the Primo); over the top of the chords, up in the high keys, or down below them in the bass, making the melody heavy enough to carry over their broken chords. In the second example, I like to add my own supporting broken chords down low when we get to page two, to give depth and richness to the piece. It can be a beautiful musical experience for a beginner. Isn't that what it's all about? The Primo was written to stand alone. If it is played with the Secondo, be sure to wait for 10 beats to join in with the chords. ("1-2-3-4-5-6, 1-2-3-4") You may have noticed that although the Secondo accompaniment is written in 6/8 time, I have turned the Primo melody into 6/4 time so that little ones don't have to worry about the eighth notes.
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