Need help with a lesson

[imnotpayingshit]

I started learning how to play the Piano using pianonanny.com and I'm stuck on this lesson https://www.pianonanny.com/lesson/starter-studies-lesson-eight-page-1/ . I sorta get the first two measures, but it's the 3rd and 4th one I don't get. I don't know how to read those on the staff. I sorta know measure 1 because I think it's suppose to be same notes as measure 2 (C, D, E, F, G, G) which I learned in lesson 1. On measure 3 & 4, I'm lost. Maybe I'm not reading it right or the teacher just doesn't explain it very well (unlikely).

[chopinlover01]

The ones with the flags are eighth notes, which actually should be beamed together.

[keypeg]

I just read through all the lessons from the very beginning.  The skill of reading music is especially important for piano, because of all the notes you end up playing at the same time, while for flute or cello for example you only play one note at a time.  He's trying to set up that skill first, and I think you've missed part of it, which is why you're having problems.  So let's revisit that part.

He starts with a picture of the keyboard as well as the grand staff, with a bass clef for the left hand, and the treble clef for the right hand.  He shows you where the different C's are on the keyboard and staff, and then goes on to line notes and space notes.  The essential thing here is to get a connection between the staff and the piano keyboard.  You don't have that connection yet and it's gone rather fast.  So go back and really start building that connection so you can orient.

On the keyboard you have two black keys and then 3 black keys.  The easiest note to find is D, because it is between the two black keys.  If you hold up your index and middle finger, then you are ready to poke the two notes that are between the three black keys, G,A.  What's left are C and E to either side of the two blacks - so now you have C,D,E - and the two notes on either side of the three blacks: F and B - so now  you have F,G,A,B.  Now you have all the notes.  Practice finding those notes anywhere on the keyboard so they're part of you.  Getting this intellectually by studying it on paper isn't that effective.  When you use your body on the keyboard, all your senses get involved.  Get this down solid.

So that was the keyboard
Now you have the staff.  He's given you the notes there.  It's not the way I would learn but it is rather common.  You need to be able to associate what's on the staff with your piano.  So for example you know that a given note on the staff is C.  You know where the C's are on your piano because of the above.  Now you just have to find which C.  You could even print out the diagram and be able to see the relationship directly.  Actually find each of these notes one by one.  Don't just imitate the recording.  Check with the recording that you got it right.

I'm going to introduce another concept to make writing about this easier.  The C on the second line of the bass clef is C3.  That means it is an octave below middle C (C4)  Any note going up from C3 is another 3: C3, D3, E3, etc.  Then when you get to middle C, that starts the range of the 4's: Middle C on the ledger line of the treble clef is C4, and the rest of the notes are D4, E4 etc.  The last C in the treble clef (RH) is C5 because it starts a new octave.

So in measure 1 you start with C3 in the LH.  That is the first C to the left of middle C - and by now you should be able to find all your C's. The other notes go up from there in a scale so that's easy.  Your next set is "the same" as you say in that it's C,D,E,F,G again - but now it's in the "4" range.  It starts on C4.  Actually find those notes, relating them to the staff.  Being able to copy the melody is not what matters - establishing basic reading skills is. 

So now we get to measure 3.  Take the time to find each of those notes, one by one, on the piano.  The first material tells you these notes.  The first note is A - find A on the piano - find the right A.  The next note is G - check this with your first material - find that G.  Find all the notes that way.  Don't worry about fingering yet.  Don't worry about playing it.  Just be able to find those notes so you get the relationship between staff and piano keys. --- The left hand plays the same notes, but an octave down.  Don't just rely on that.  Take the time to find the notes, so that you strengthen your reading ability.
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About the fingering:
You have 5 fingers, and the notes are in a range of 5 fingers.  Measure 1 goes C,D,E,F,G = 5 notes.  Therefore the most logical and practical way of playing those notes is to start with your pinky and end with your thumb.  That is why that fingering is as it is.  It is important to actually "know your fingers" by number, because more advanced music will suggest particular fingering for ease of playing. That's a basic skill.

Measure 2 does the same thing, but since your right hand is a mirror image of the left hand, you'll end up going from thumb to pinky - same thing.  This concept is actually an important principal.

Now examine measures 3 - 4, right hand.  Look at the total range of notes, i.e. the lowest note, and the highest note.  Your lowest note is F4 and the highest is C5.  That gives you a total of F,G,A,B,C in terms of range = 5 notes again.  In advanced music, the range is not always 5 - you might stretch your hand out or shrink it together.  In this passage, it makes sense for your lowest note to be played with the thumb (1) -- that's F.  G logically would be played with your index (2), A logically is played with the middle finger (3) and your pinky (5) logically is playing C.  Having deconstructed this, that is why you are playing A with 3.  Rather than just following along, work to understand this.  You have two stages: finding the notes, relating the written material to the piano keyboard - placing your hand and the fingering.  Get a handle on both.

The left hand only has a range of three notes, from F to A (F,G,A).  He has chose 1 as your starting note, so that your fingers will go 1,2,3,1,2, but you could just as well have started with finger 2, going 2,3,4,2,3 or with finger 3, going 3,4,5,3,2.  In playing a passage like this you would choose whatever feels the most comfortable in your hand.

My impression is that you have a hole in reading, because that part wasn't completely absorbed, which is why I've written all this out. 

[keypeg]

The ones with the flags are eighth notes, which actually should be beamed together.

That's true, but if you look at the sequence of lessons, he gets to the beams in the next lesson.  He has just barely introduced note values, and introduced the flagged notes as the eighth.  In the next lesson he shows the same piece of music, and shows beams as being an equivalent.