NEW DIMENSION

Today I downloaded Finale Notebook, free software for creating music scores and printing them out.

I used it to write down a little composition I made for my music students.  I called the composition "Invention 1.0".  It's written more-or-less in the style of the Bach Two Part Inventions that I've been practicing so diligently for the last two months, but it's highly simplified so as to be accessible to a beginner at the keyboard.

So much of the music for early beginners isn't very interesting.  I tried to write something that had some musical structure and interest even though it uses only the five notes of the basic hand position, plus a leading tone at the end to wrap it up with a good satisfying cadence.

I tried it out on a student today and it went very well. He seemed to like it, and it was at the right level for him -- a little bit challenging, but well within reach given some practice.  I used it as an opportunity to help him get well grounded in the steps for learning a new piece, which I think I discussed in an earlier post.

I'm really excited to be composing again, even if it's only 16 bars of very simple counterpoint. I look forward to writing more things for my students.

Hmm... Now that I think about it, I got so excited that I never got around to trying out that new book of scales and arpeggios I just got.  Tomorrow.