March of the Wooden Soldiers (Op. 39 No. 5)

Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovski · Level 3 (Late beginner) · Romantic · Piano

A spirited little march of toy soldiers. From the Album for the Young Op. 39 (1878), 24 easy pieces inspired by Schumann’s Album. D major, 2/4, 48 bars (about one minute), complete score.

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• For chords, shape the hand in the air before landing, all notes together. Fast writing: work section by section in Wait mode, then in dotted rhythms, and raise the tempo in steps of 5–10%.

More pieces by Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovski

• Swan Lake: Neapolitan Dance (piano arrangement)
• The Seasons: January (O 37,1)
• The Seasons: February (Carnival)
• The Seasons: August (Harvest)
• Morning Prayer (Op. 39 No. 1)
• Old French Song (Op. 39 No. 16)
• Swan Lake, swan theme
• Winter Morning (Album for the Young Op. 39 No. 2)

Source : Mutopia Project · Public Domain