Gymnopédie No. 1
Erik Satie's Gymnopédie No. 1 (1888) is a slow waltz-like piece in 3/4 with two sharps. Octotune grades it 4 of 8 (Beginner): few notes, but a left hand that leaps every measure and a melody that needs long, even notes.
At a glance
| Composer | Erik Satie (1866–1925) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Beginner: grade 4 of 8 |
| Key | D major (2 sharps (F♯, C♯)) |
| Time | 3/4 |
| Tempo | 60 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 47 measures, about 2:21 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | A3 to A5 |
| Left hand | A1 to G4 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Gymnopédie No. 1 | 4 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Erik Satie wrote his three Gymnopédies in 1888. The first is marked Lent et douloureux: slow and sorrowful. Its left hand rocks between two soft chords while a plain, drifting melody enters above.
What makes it tricky
- The left-hand leap. Each measure, the left hand plays a low bass note on the first beat and a chord in the middle of the keyboard on the second, holding it through the third. That jump is more than two octaves at its widest. Find the chord by feel and by the black keys, so your eyes can stay on the page.
- Long notes. Many melody notes last a whole measure or more. Count them fully; the piece loses its calm if they are cut short.
- Quiet, even tone. Everything is soft. Keep the chord under the melody.
- Two sharps. F sharp and C sharp, all the way through. The C sharp is one step beyond the keys Octotune's path teaches.
Practice plan
- Left hand alone for a few days: bass note, chord, hold. Look ahead to the next bass note while the chord sounds.
- Melody alone with the Melody level, counting every long note.
- Together, slowly, with the pedal changing on each bass note.
In the path: Unit 9 plays the melody of Satie's Gymnopédie No. 3, a close cousin. This one follows naturally after Unit 10.
Questions
Is Gymnopédie No. 1 hard?
It is a Beginner-to-intermediate piece (Octotune grade 4 of 8). The notes are slow, but the left hand leaps from a low bass note to a chord in every measure, and the whole piece must stay quiet and even.
What key is Gymnopédie No. 1 in?
It has a key signature of two sharps (F sharp and C sharp) and is in 3/4. Its harmony rocks between two soft chords, so it floats rather than settling in a key.
Credits and license
- Music: Erik Satie (1866–1925)
- Typeset by Evin Robertson for the Mutopia Project
- License: Public Domain
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece