Confused About Hands Sharing the Same Note

by Brian
(Radlett UK)

I am elderly piano beginner and I downloaded your Happy Birthday in Gmaj as a practice piece but I'm finding it a little confusing.

In bar 2 "birth" seems to require the right and left hands to both play the same E note and this happens again in bar 5 where "you!" requires both hands to play the G and in bar 8 where "you!" wants the G again.

Am I missing something? As I say I am a beginner and pretty old so it's not unlikely!

Dana:
Hi, Brian, You are very observant, but also misnaming the notes.

It is true that the hands will both require the "D" (not "E") above Middle C in the same measure. To write the left hand chord in such a fashion that the D would be shown to be released in time for the right hand to use that note is POSSIBLE, but makes for more complicated note-writing and interpreting.

Young students look beyond this kind of shortcut, usually, but you are employing your brain quite literally!

I see the issue in Bars 2 & 5, but not in Bar 8. To play the right hand note, just release the left hand "D" in time.

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