“Hello!” And welcome to BigTime® and FunTime® Piano Hits, two collections that give your students a chance to play popular arrangements made famous by a variety of contemporary performers. Hello, also, to a fresh look at chords and how chord changes create color and affect mood. Adele’s wistful “Hello,” in BigTime Hits (Level 4 and above), first tries an uplifting shift from minor to major (vi to I), then surrenders in a downward dip from dominant to subdominant (V to IV). This flux underpins the entire opening section. The brighter chorus “Hello” results from another minor-to-major change, with hopeful pauses on the dominant. Yet the minor ending tells the story. Dr. Faber brings theory to life as he performs “Hello” and demonstrates the simple, but very effective harmonic changes.
7 replies on “Hello!”
Comments are closed
Thank you so much for doing these videos and explanations for the music. My students really enjoy playing the current hits they hear on the radio and TV. It makes my students happy to play the music they listen too as well as the classics.
Thank you so much for doing these videos and explanations for the music. My students really enjoy playing the current hits they hear on the radio and TV. It makes my students happy to play the music they listen too as well as the classics.
Just what I am looking for to present during summer lessons.
Just what I am looking for to present during summer lessons.
I am THRILLED that these two books are coming out now! When I started to transition from full time performing to full time teaching in 2002, I felt that the Faber and Faber method books made so much more sense than the other publishers. Problem was, when you’re passing along a method that is such a natural progression of steps, skips, fingerings, hand positions (insert next step here), it was always a disaster to buy one of the dime a dozen “Easy Piano” books of songs my students listened to for pleasure, instead of motivating them, it caused more confusion and frustration.
I’ve always relied on your large library of popular songs to keep my students motivated. Now, with these two new books, you have trumped yourself and filled a void by providing CURRENT popular songs arranged the way ONLY you and your wife do.
Mine get delivered in a few days!!
Thanks again!!
My students and I love these books, a terrific selection of current music for Spring and summer study. Do you have any plans to make “Hits” available in other levels?
Hi Linda — Yes! We are working on two more levels of Hits. ShowTime Hits for Level 2A and ChordTime Hits for Level 2B. Watch for those later this year. Glad you’re enjoying the new books!