NOTE: This video teaches the Gounod version of Bach’s Prelude. Basically, there’s a bar around 2:40 that “doesn’t fit”, but appears in the Gounod version. Read more about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ave_Maria_%28Bach/Gounod%29

In this video you will learn to play Bach’s Prelude in C Major, from his Well Tempered Clavier. The piece will be performed, with full notes & fingering shown in screen. Then, I’ll discuss some of the points you should watch out for while practicing. Bach’s Prelude is a great piece for late beginner / early intermediate piano players, because:

1. It sounds sophisticated and mature, and:

2. It’s easy to learn to play, relatively speaking. This is because of its fairly repetitive nature: the bars all follow a very repetitive structure, so you really only have to learn a single pattern and then just change the notes from bar to bar (except for the last couple of bars).

Bach’s Prelude in C major is one of the 24 pieces in his Well Tempered Clavier. From Wikipedia:

“The Well-Tempered Clavier (German: Das Wohltemperierte Klavier),[1] BWV 846–893, is a collection of solo keyboard music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. He gave the title to a book of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys, dated 1722, composed “for the profit and use of musical youth desirous of learning, and especially for the pastime of those already skilled in this study.” Bach later compiled a second book of the same kind, dated 1742, with the title “Twenty-four Preludes and Fugues.” The two works are now considered to make up a single work, The Well-Tempered Clavier, or “the 48,” and are referred to as The Well-Tempered Clavier Book I and The Well-Tempered Clavier Book II respectively.[2] The Well-Tempered Clavier and Twenty-four Preludes and Fugues are generally regarded as being among the most influential works in the history of Western classical music”

You can read more about it on the Wikipedia website:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Well-Tempered_Clavier

My Youtube channel has many other interesting lessons:

Learn how to play Pat Metheny’s letter from home:

Learn how to read sheet music (for beginners):

Play twice as fast with delays:

Learn how to develop your piano technique. This one is good for beginners and intermediate players alike:

Additional interesting links:

Here is a link to the sheet music of this prelude in PDF format. However, you will have to know how to read notes:
http://www.gmajormusictheory.org/Freebies/Classics/WTCPrelu.pdf
Bach’s prelude is a really great piece to learn is you are a beginning/intermediate pianist, since it’s (1) repetitive and not very complicated technique-wise, and (2) sounds very sophisticated (well, it’s Bach, so it really IS sophisticated!).

For those of you who are interested, the “chords” played are also spelled out on the screen (technically, Bach’s music is not based on “chords” so this is just a simple guideline provided by myself).

Enjoy!
Video Rating: / 5

New Free Online Piano Lessons: In this FREE online beginner piano tutorial we will be learning about the staff. You will learn about high notes and low notes, line notes, space notes, treble clef and bass clef, the Grand Staff and the right hand and left hand staves. You will also learn how notes move on the staff.
Lesson index, all found here:http://courses.pianovideolessons.com/courses/free-online-beginner-piano-lessons-year-1/
1-1: The Grand Staff
1-2: Landmarks C and G
1-3: Introduction to Rhythm
1-4: Finger Gym #1
1-5: Bass Clef Landmarks C and F
1-6: Treble G’s Neighbors: F and A
1-7: So Easily and Hot Crossed Buns
1-8: Finger Gym #2
1-9: Bass F’s Neighbors: E and G
10: Sight Reading
11: F and Friends! and I Got This!
12: Finger Gym #3
13: Barlines, Time Signature and Measures
14: At the Park
15: Ear Training – Up and Down
16: Finger Gym #4
Please visit my website to find the complete piano lesson index as well as the printable materials for the lessons:
http://courses.pianovideolessons.com/courses/free-online-beginner-piano-lessons-year-1/

Do you want a primer to get you started?
Check out the Pre-Beginner Lessons series:
http://courses.pianovideolessons.com/courses/pre-beginner-piano-lessons/
Want a quick course in Note Reading?
Here’s the Note Reading Crash Course!
http://courses.pianovideolessons.com/courses/note-reading-crash-course-learn-to-read-piano-music/
Need to get faster at reading notes?
Let the Note Speller for Piano help you remember all of the notes with lightning speed!
http://courses.pianovideolessons.com/courses/note-speller-piano/

Learn to play piano videos http://www.youtube.com/user/PianoVideoLessons/videos

Visit my website:
http://www.pianovideolessons.com

Join my mailing list:
http://eepurl.com/nkR_v

Share this page: