August Free Sheet Music: O Mio Babbino Caro

Hi Piano Pals!

Happy August - I hope you are enjoying your summer in spite of the heat, and are finding time to sit at your bench and play....

I was searching for beautiful melodies and was reminded of the gorgeous piece O Mio Babbino Caro, from the opera Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini. Listening to a soprano such as Maria Callas sing this melody takes my breath away, and I thought you might enjoy playing it on your piano this month.

I have arranged O Mio Babbino Caro as an "early intermediate" piano solo, but late-ish beginners can play the melody perhaps with the first bass note of each measure, as well.

click to print: O Mio Babbino Caro

Here is a demonstration of my arrangement:

https://youtu.be/2yLTA229yHo

How are you doing? I think these are properly called the dog days of summer, an expression tied to the summer rise of the dog star Sirius. But maybe it also means you're so hot and tired, all you want to do is sleep all day like a dog!

I am doing well now, but had a cough that lasted almost a month. My rib cage is still aching. It was difficult to imagine I would ever get past it. Similarly, sometimes when we are learning a piece, it feels as though we will never be able to play it smoothly. We will never work through those difficult passages, never be able to make our piece sound musical. It helped me to listen to guided meditations and affirmations for restoring health on the app Insight Timer (there is a free version on iPhones and I would guess other phone brands as well). I would repeat daily affirmations such as, "I am sending vitality and love to every organ and every cell in my body;" "I am releasing obstacles to my good health;" "My healing is already in process;" and "I am healthy, whole and complete." Similarly you might repeat some morning affirmations related to your piano practice such as, "Each time I play the piano, I play with more ease;" "I am learning a piece that I love and every minute I practice is well spent;" "I am releasing all obstacles to playing smoothly;" "I play the piano well, and I am already playing my piece beautifully." Affirmations are so powerful, and the more we repeat them, the more deeply our brains begin to believe them, and the better we become at manifesting our goals. Give affirmations a try! I felt a shift in my healing when I started saying my daily health affirmations.

Do you meditate or say affirmations to help move through obstacles? Tell us about your experiences in the comments section below, please! And tell us what you are playing now! With love and music, Gaili

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P.S. If you are new to this blog, welcome! I post free sheet music every month, arranged for beginning to intermediate piano students, plus worksheets, practice tips and information on music and the brain. I have written piano instruction books for older adults (UpperHandsPiano.com), younger adults and teens called Piano Powered (click then scroll down), Songs of the Seasons piano sheet music books for seasonal classical and popular favorites, and my latest piano/guitar/vocals books called The Music Remedy: sheet music collections to restore and revitalize the spirit.

In her review of my Upper Hands Piano BOOK 1 for Clavier Companion, The Piano Magazine, Susan Geffen writes: “Upper Hands Piano, Gaili Schoen’s comprehensive method for adults over fifty, is so good and so original that it’s difficult to know where to begin. With the expert selection of repertoire? Or perhaps with Schoen’s emphasis on the mental benefits of playing the piano? Or maybe with her friendly, encouraging tone? And certainly her well-considered approach to harmony is worth mention.”

I hope you will check out my books on the links above as book sales support this blog and make my giveaways possible. Thanks so much for your support!