Wolken, Piano Sheet Music for Beginners
Piano sheet music for beginners "Wolken" (Dutch for "Clouds") is a dreamy little piece suitable for students who have not yet played hands together. This seemingly humble piece always becomes a favorite of students to whom I give it.
One hand at a time
As Tabitha, the composer of this piece, says,
"I give this to students who have not yet played hands together, and who have just learned 3 beats per measure.
"Left hand plays EFGAB, right hand has the same two notes CE all the time.... [my students] find it really beautiful and not childish. Kind of 'real music'."
Here is this pretty little song... (scroll down the page for the download link):
Please scroll down the page for the download links.
The melody is in the left hand
Lots of left hand notes
Though Tabitha calls this a Primer piece, the fact that the left hand uses such a range of notes means that "Clouds" will take a bit of time for your slowest note-readers to play without errors or hesitation.
3/4 can be hard
Adding to the difficulty for little guys - and even older piano students - is the waltz feeling of 3 beats; you may find that young players stop at the end of each measure and wait one beat.
But this is good practice for them! They need to stretch themselves.
Physical movement can help
Try dancing to the music...
I have broken through one student's inability to "get" 3 beats by having her get up and waltz (she was not embarrassed as she had been in dance classes since she was tiny), saying "1-2-3, 1-2-3," as I played & sang her song.
and bringing out the melody
Tabitha says,
"They should maintain the melody in the left hand, while the right hand plays the accompaniment very lightly.
New musical terms: phrase & fermata
"I ask them to really phrase the LH part as indicated by the slurs, and to let the fermata sound long in the middle of the piece, and let it die away a little at the end."
Thank you, Tabitha, for writing such a pretty song for beginning players!
Update: This piece is well-loved!
Update:
I have a young student, somewhat precocious, who so loves this piece, that at one recent recital, she sat an extra moment at the piano bench after performing her scheduled piece, and then, after a dreamy look at the audience, began playing "Wolken" softly by heart. (That one was not on the program!)
An extra bonus, for the audience.
The link for the piano music:
Download piano sheet music for beginners Wolken
More 5-finger songs at Music-for-Music-Teachers:
Boil'em Cabbage Down - only 4 notes, and lots of repeated notes, with energy!
Cat Came Back (easiest version) - with fun-to-sing lyrics, many verses!
Eensie Weensie Spider - check out the lead sheet version, which stays with just 5 notes
Erie Canal - Part I has only 5 notes, but is a satisfying introduction to this song
God is So Good - a sweet melody with sweet words
Jingle Bells - every child knows this one
Mary Had a Little Lamb - a song with many uses!
Ode to Joy, the famous tune by Beethoven
Pizza Please (Hot Cross Buns) - 3 notes, arranged for each hand
Sharks (3 notes, for left hand) - this is like the Jaws theme song
Snake Charmer - with fun lyrics and a mysterious minor melody
Tarantelle - the spider dance, with silly lyrics about tarantulas
When the Saints Go Marching In - with several arrangements!
Dianna:
Your website is a light in the darkness. THANK YOU for all you do in helping to spread the love of music. It matters!
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I'm teaching my little sister and everything up here is absolutely amazing! I will definitely be making a donation as soon as possible! Thank you again! You're wonderful!
Carol:
I wanted to thank you.
Several of the songs on this site work so well for some of my picky students and the ones who don't practice a lot.
About the Author
Hi, I'm Dana! (Say that like "Anna".) I'm the owner of Music-for-Music-Teachers.com, and a newer site, SingTheBibleStory.com.
Like some of you, I've been playing the piano since early childhood, and have added a few other instruments along the way, plus an interest in arranging and composing music.
You can find out more about me and the reason for this website at my About Me page.
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