At first glance this is a straightforward piece of music and the slow tempo may lull the player into a false sense of security. Be warned, however, that pieces with a slow tempo are often the ones that expose a lack of dynamic/tonal control. The goal with this piece is to present a beautiful and expressive melody atop an accompaniment which acts strictly in support.

Try playing the melody on it’s own at first (stems up). Having this firmly fixed in mind will allow you to add the harmony later without the risk of upsetting the balance between the voices.

The accompaniment notes are often required to sing for 2-3 beats. It is essential that you hold these notes for the required duration in order to extract the full tonal richness on offer. Lifting prematurely to reach another note can create gaps in the harmony and the magic of the piece disintegrates. Work on ‘stepping’ from one note to another rather than ‘jumping’ from one to another. This will help to sustain the intended feel of the music and present more legato lines.