Section
Lesson
Lesson
Lesson
Lesson
Lesson
Section
Lesson
Lesson
Lesson
Lesson
Lesson
Section 1
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Lesson 5
Lesson 6
Lesson 7
Lesson 8
Lesson 9
Lesson 10 Lesson 11 Lesson 12
Lesson 13
Lesson 14
Lesson 15
Lesson 16
Section 3
Lesson 17
Lesson 18
Lesson 19
Lesson 20
Lesson 21
Lesson 22
Lesson 23
Lesson 24
Section 3
Lesson 25
Lesson 26
Lesson 27
Lesson 28
Lesson 29
Lesson 30
Lesson 31
Lesson 32
Lesson 33
Lesson 34
Lesson 35
Section 4
Lesson 36
Lesson 37
Lesson 38
Lesson 39
Chapter 1 is currently under production.
Chapters 2 and 3 are ready.
Lesson 73 | Tenor Voice Projection & Four-Voice Architecture
Challenge your polyphonic awareness by isolating a mid-range melody within a complex four-voice texture, utilizing vertical right-hand navigation.
Studio Insights
The Tenor Protagonist
For the first time, the primary melody is situated in the "tenor" voice. This creates a unique challenge for the thumb (p): it must differentiate between melodic notes on the downbeats and accompaniment bass notes on the second beats (as seen in measures 1, 3, and 5). To achieve masterful clarity, you must "voice" the tenor line—exaggerate the softness of the bass strokes so they don't overshadow the melodic narrative.
The Right-Hand Navigator (i)
Navigating the vertical geography of the strings is easier when you have a "lead" finger. In this lesson, treat your index finger (i) as the indicator of your vertical position. Since i and m always play adjacent strings here, tracking the index finger's movement—shifting from string 2 in the opening measures to string 3 in measure 4—will stabilize your hand. I highly recommend marking these string shifts on your score to ensure seamless transitions.
Pressure Management & The 4th Finger
This lesson introduces a demanding Am/C shape utilizing all four fingers (4-2-3-1). This is a high-level coordination study for finger 4. To maintain a sophisticated and clear melody, you must master the 'Active Release.' For example, purposefully release the pressure of finger 1 in measure 2 a micro-second after the note following it has sounded. This prevents harmonic 'bleeding' and keeps the tenor line front and center.
The Play along
I've found that at the begining of the learning journey it can be very helpful to have a recording to follow along. Remember that you can easily change YouTube video playback speed on any device by clicking the settings gear icon, selecting Playback speed, and choosing a different speed from the menu, or even setting a custom speed.