How to beat Linus And Lucy on the Piano

Back in Christmas 2018, the awesome team at Playground Sessions  put out a piano challenge in the vibrant Facebook Community page.  For this challenge I chose to play Linus and Lucy, but the Vince Guaraldi Trio.  This piece has become a staple of the US holiday season, and first found fame in the renowned Charlie Brown cartoons.

Now I’ll happily fess up to the video not being the best quality, and my playing is a bit stiff, but I was quite pleased to rattle this off in spite of some inconsiderate back problems and meds induced daftness  – Oh, and yes, that’s me accompanying me on the shaker 🙂

The advanced level arrangement of this piece is a bit tricky, though, and after submitting my entry for the community challenge, I was asked to put up a sort of “How I managed to video” to help other Playgrounders find a way to approach playing this tricky little piece.  Whilst it’s particularly relevant to this piece, I think it’s also a great lesson in keeping your wrists mobile during playing, which can really help.  So here is my first “How I managed to…” video for the Playground Sessions Community – more will follow in the near future, and can also be found on my Youtube channel and on the Playground Sessions Facebook Community.

Playground Sessions is a great way to learn to play the piano, with interactive software and lessons from David Sides, Phil Anderson and Harry Connick Jr.  Playground Sessions also has a vibrant and frequently updated YouTube channel with tips, theory and “how to play” videos uploaded on a regular basis.

http://playground.sessions.com