PlayPiano
The short answer
Ses jambes is a waltz by Erik Satie. PlayPiano puts it at Level 4, an estimate.
- waltz
- playful
- block chords
- voicing
History
Ses jambes completes Satie's three waltzes about a fastidious dandy. The score dedicates it to René Chalupt and opens with an unexpectedly practical quotation from Cato about inspecting the fields and work on one's farm.
Sources
What to listen for
Both layers use changing pairs
The opening has changing two-note shapes in both tracks. One lower pitch recurs while the other shifts; hear that small internal movement beneath the upper pairs.
A short pattern repeats
The next sequence repeats the opening pairs with the same regular spacing. Keep the recurring pulse clear while listening to the separate paths inside the chords.
How to practise it
- Play the lower two-note shapes alone, identifying the recurring pitch and the pitch that changes. Add the upper pairs while keeping that internal lower movement audible.
- Practise the recurring upper pairs alone and the lower pairs alone with their original spacing. Combine them and check each shared arrival, then repeat the segment without an extra pause.
How hard is it
Compact character gestures require consistent pulse, balanced hands and controlled changes of articulation across short phrases.
About this piece
- Collection
- At the dance floor
- Licence
- Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0
- Source
- mutopiaproject.org
- Credit
- “Ses Jambes” by E. Satie (1866 to 1925). Mutopia edition maintained by Knute Snortum. Source: https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=2029. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Changes to the supplied file: none; any later conversion or edit must be disclosed separately.
More by Erik Satie
- Gymnopédie No. 3Level 4, estimatedWith Maestro
- Gymnopédie No. 1Level 4, estimatedOpen to everyone
- Gnossienne No. 2Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
