Bärenreiter Wenn das Notenhuhn ein Ei legt …

Bärenreiter Wenn das Notenhuhn ein Ei legt ... is a child-friendly beginner’s piano method that strikes an ideal balance between classical teaching and playful pedagogy. Beginners start by exploring the black keys, with musical notation introduced gradually after some initial playing. The method places special emphasis on rhythmic playing to help children develop a strong sense of pulse and meter—essential foundations for confident and expressive music-making.

The content is presented practically through new compositions by the author alongside traditional children’s and folk songs from around the world, as well as small blues, boogie, and dance pieces. By the end, young pianists will be able to play within a two-octave range, coordinate hands in parallel and contrary motion, and perform simple melodies with accompaniment. They will also learn to play over and under the fingers, become familiar with position changes, and practice scales. Their music theory knowledge will include note reading as well as understanding note values and musical symbols.

The book is further enhanced by charming illustrations that cleverly incorporate chickens and woodpeckers into the notation of melodies and rhythms, making learning engaging and accessible for children.

Contents:

• Introduction
• Preface
• The Piano
• Rhythm language and rhythm gestures
• First orientation on the keyboard
• The keyboard
• The fingering
• The fingers explore the black keys
• Playing pieces on black
• keys
• Sound painting: how the animals move
• The note values (quarter, half, whole and dotted half)
• Rhythm poems
• The beat
• Playing pieces on black and white keys
• Sound painting: Tatü tata
• Introduction to musical notation
• The notes
• The tonal range g-f1
• Playing pieces according to notes
• "Mirror notes
• Rhythm poems
• The dynamics: forte and piano
• Sound painting: In the mountains
• The clefs
• The f-g1 tonal space
• Pieces in the 5-note space
• The rests
• Rhythm poem
• Sound painting: ringing bells
• The eighth note
• Rhythm poems
• Playing pieces with eighth notes
• The (quarter) upbeat
• The articulation: legato and staccato
• Plays with articulation
• Sound painting: voices in the rainforest
• Extension of the tonal space (d-b1)
• The tonal space e-a1
• Plays in the extended tonal space
• The transposition signs and the auxiliary lines
• Transposition to other keys
• The overtie
• The tonal space d-b1
• Extension of the rhythmic notation
• The dotted rhythm
• Rhythm poem
• Playing pieces with dotted quarter notes
• Crescendo and decrescendo
• Sound painting: getting louder and softer with four notes
• The glissando
• The fermata
• Extending the tonal space (c-c2)
• The tonal space c-c2
• Playing pieces in the range of 2 octaves
• Extension of the rhythmic notation: The eighth bar, the syncopation and the sixteenths
• Rhythm poems
• Extension of the playing technique
• Change of positions
• The silent finger change
• Sound painting: In the open
• Superset and subset
• The scale
• Playing pieces in changing hand positions