Where it comes from
A folk song from Anhui province, four-four time, forty bars, with a lively rhythm.
Fengyang Flower Drum
A major · 4/4 · 40 bars
Score
- Level
- Intermediate
- Key
- A major · F♯ C♯ G♯
- Time
- 4/4
- Bars
- 40
- Range
- D4 – B5
- Fingering
- not marked
How to practise this piece
Take it at 77 BPM first, then move up to 96 once the notes sit under your fingers.
What this piece trains
Accent and dance rhythm: the folk character comes from where the weight falls.
Where it usually goes wrong
Playing only the right notes without the accents leaves it lifeless; leaps arrive out of tune.
Does it need shifting?
Range D4–B5; the top notes go beyond comfortable first position, so expect shifting or an extension.
Practice steps
- Play the rhythm and accents on an open string before adding pitch.
- Check the two notes of each leap as you put the melody back together.