Road to Your Song
Elton John · Grade 5
Your Song was written by Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin and released in 1970 on Elton John's self-titled second album. Taupin wrote the lyrics when he was seventeen years old. The song was Elton John's first major international hit, reaching number seven in the UK. Phillip Keveren's arrangement for the "Classical Piano" series adds inner voices and a fuller harmonic texture to the original piano part — the result is considerably more demanding than the original recording suggests, requiring tone colour to project the melody cleanly above the added inner voices.
About this plan
The Keveren arrangement asks for melody over accompaniment, tone colour (projecting the top melody above added inner voices), and pedalling. The prep sequence builds these in order, from simple melody-over-accompaniment through increasingly rich textures.
Skills you'll build
Estimated time: 10–14 weeks at 20–30 min/day
Books you'll need
The plan
A 4-piece path to playing Your Song. Register free to unlock it.
A warm singing melody over a left-hand pattern. This is where the melody-over-accompaniment texture is established, alongside the first practice of genuine phrase arcs.
A dreamlike character piece that demands sustained tonal control and phrase awareness. This is where tone colour first becomes a specific focus: the piece requires a consistent, beautiful tone throughout, not just correct notes.
Grieg's Arietta demands melody over accompaniment — sustained melody projection above a quiet, warm LH — alongside pedalling and tonal control. This is the direct preparation for the Keveren arrangement's demands.
See the full plan — guidance notes, recordings, and progress tracking.
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The destination. Your library covers melody over accompaniment, voicing the melody above inner voices, and pedalling after completing the three pieces above.
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