Learn to Play Music while teaching it to your baby
For Mothers with no musical training who wish to teach their small children basic melodies on a music keyboard or piano.
This page has been made up for mothers who do not have musical training in order for them to be able to teach their small children how to play nursery rhymes on a piano music keyboard, without first having to learn the notes and without the need to be able to read music.
Babies vary in their development. They are all different from each other. It is a matter of testing whether they are ready to learn particular things. If they are not ready to try "music lessons" there is no harm in a delay of a few months.
The numbers on the piano keyboard pictured above are the note codes for the songs below. The alphabetical letters are the real names for these notes on the piano or music keyboard. No. 5 (or Middle C) is named Middle C because on a piano it is the C which is nearest to the middle of the piano.
Print out the picture of the keyboard which is above. Enlarging the picture of the keyboard on a photocopier and also sticking this on to cardboard or laminating the picture may be useful to you.
On the piano the following sequence is repeated across the keyboard several times:
C D E F G A B
Also a careful examination of the piano keyboard will reveal that the black notes are in groupings of 2 and 3. This pattern is repeated across the piano. If this fact is not realised it will be difficult to work out how to correlate the photograph above with a real piano or piano keyboard because all the notes will look much the same to you.
Try the tunes below. Using the numbers as a guide; match these numbers to the numbers on the piano keyboard illustrated above.
It is important to realise that all notes are not the same length. You are unconsiously aware of this when you sing. After you try the tunes a few times you will be able to work out which notes are played with a short duration and which notes are played for a longer duration.
To use this shorthand method it is important to already know how to sing these nursery rhymes because with an unfamilar tune you have no indication how long to hold a note for. That is why the nursery rhymes selected here are only very well known ones.
When you read music from a music book the music is written in a way which indicates everything that the musican needs to know: which notes to play, how long to play the notes, etc.
Some advice on learning "real" music
An easy, quick, enjoyable and inexpensive way for an adult or child 8 years or over, to learn to play a musical instrument and to read music is to purchase a Descant school recorder and a beginners instruction book.
Do you think that this is not really that easy? I can assure you that it is. I taught myself the recorder with an instruction book in half an hour at the age of eight and I was no child prodigy. If I can so can you!
It is a real musical instrument not a toy. It was once played by the notorious King Henry VIII of England and also by the well known Von Trapp Family of Austria, who were the inspiration for the film The Sound of Music.
You do not need a baby grand piano and an expensive music teacher. The recorder will satify your urge to be a musican.
Baa Baa Black Sheep
9 9 13 13
Baa Baa black sheep
14 14 14 14 13
have you any wool?
12 12 11 11 10 10 9
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.
13 13 13 12 12
One for the master
12 11 11 11 10
and one for the dame
10 13 13 13 12 13 14
and one for the little boy
12 11 10 10 9
who lives down the lane.
Three Blind Mice
11 10 9
Three blind mice,
11 10 10 9
See how they run.
13 12 11
Three blind mice,
13 12 12 11
See how they run.
6 9 9 8.5 7 8.5 9 6 6
They all run up to the farmer’s wife.
6 9 9 9 8.5 7 8.5 9 6 6
She cut off their tails with a carving knife.
6 6 9 9 9 8.5
Did you ever see such
7 8.5 9 6 6 6
a fright in your life
12 11 10 9
as three blind mice?
When time permits I will try to add other tunes to this page.
Visitor Feedback
A visitor to this page advises parents who want to teach music to their small children to visit their local music store and buy simple instruments which are geared towards them such as simple maracaras, small drums, and other things like that. Even shaker eggs work well. Dawn (USA)
Please visit my blog and read the posting: A Simplified Method of Teaching to play piano keyboard Music (for the intellectually disabled and for young children). It is actually a whole book on teaching music based on only six notes: C D E F G A. Familiar children's songs and their letter notes names are included. There is also an article on the method. The number method on this webpage was developed several years ago, but I always had in the back of my mind to do something regarding the simplified method, which I learnt about through an article in an old magazine. Please have a look. I think that you will benefit from it and will not be disappointed.
Don't forget to bookmark this page so that you can return to it later on.
Take a look at the home page. It has many links to web pages inside this web site that have wonderful accounts of the miraculous intercession of saints and angels, a prayer petition page, information on sacramentals and prayers to saints, and instructional articles on Catholic issues written by a priest, which are suitable for those teaching the Catholic Faith.
There are also special learning pages for children with autism and mental retardation. The reading lessons would be particularly useful to any parent of a small child, even if they are not learning disabled and there is also a housekeeping hints page. This is not a full list of what is available.
There are also links to Catholic apostolates that will be beneficial to you. If you have enjoyed this website please recommend it to your family and friends.
