The library · Classical
Träumerei (Dreaming), Op. 15 No. 7
Robert Schumann
The daydream from Scenes from Childhood: the same phrase returns, each time with slightly different harmony.
F major · 4/4 · 56 beats per minute · 24 bars · 1 min 51 · intermediate level
The form
The sections of the piece and their chords: the map you learn before playing a single note.
A B C D A A'
| Section | Bars | Chords | Phrase ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1–4 | F · Dm · F/C · C · F/A · C I · vi · I · V · I · V |
Half cadence |
| B | 5–8 | F · Am7/E · D7sus4 · G7sus4 · Am I · iii7 · VI7sus4 · II7sus4 · iii |
— |
| C | 9–12 | F · C7sus4 · D · Dsus4 · Gm · Gm/D · Gm I · V7sus4 · V/ii · VIsus4 · ii · ii · ii |
— |
| D | 13–16 | Gm7 · Gm7/F · Gm7 · A · Asus4 · Dm · Dm/A · Dm ii7 · ii7 · ii7 · V/vi · IIIsus4 · vi · vi · vi |
— |
| A | 17–20 | F/C · F · Dm · F/C · C · F/A · C I · I · vi · I · V · I · V |
Half cadence |
| A' | 21–24 | F · G7 · C6 · Gm/B♭ · Csus4 I · V7/V · V6 · ii · Vsus4 |
Half cadence |
The key
- F major
- 1 flat in the key signature: B♭
- Scale
- F · G · A · B♭ · C · D · E
- Pillar chords
- I = F · IV = B♭ · V7 = C7
The tricky passages
- Bar 8: a melodic leap (octave), notes outside the key
- Bar 22: a melodic leap (major sixth), notes outside the key, 4-note chords
- Bar 24: a melodic leap (octave)
The plan: 15 days
Half an hour a day. First I help you understand the map of the piece, then we lay down the chord framework, learn each section phrase by phrase, work on the tricky passages, put it together and bring it up to tempo, until you can play it from memory.
More pieces from the library
- Ode to Joy · Ludwig van Beethoven
- Prelude in C major, BWV 846 · Johann Sebastian Bach
- Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772 · Johann Sebastian Bach
- Minuet in G major, BWV Anh. 114 · Christian Petzold
- Minuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115 · Christian Petzold
- Sonata in C major, K. 545: 1st movement · Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart