{"id":9187,"date":"2022-10-21T08:48:30","date_gmt":"2022-10-21T15:48:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=9187"},"modified":"2023-09-14T08:34:50","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T15:34:50","slug":"turkish-march-sheet-music-tutorial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/turkish-march-sheet-music-tutorial\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkish March (Mozart) &#8211; Free Sheet Music &#038; Tutorial"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In this lesson, we&#8217;ll teach you how to play Mozart&#8217;s classic, Turkish March, with free sheet music downloads. Turkish March (aka &#8220;Rondo alla turca&#8221; or Piano Sonata No. 11) is one of piano&#8217;s most iconic pieces. It&#8217;s fun, it&#8217;s upbeat, and it&#8217;s impressive! We&#8217;ll give you some tips on how to progress in this piece so you can wow your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><p><strong>Table of Contents:<\/strong><\/p><nav><ol><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#turkish-march-sheet-music-free-downloads\">Download Turkish March Sheet Music<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#turkish-march-background-and-history\">Background and History<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#how-to-play-turkish-march-practice-tips\">Practice Tips<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#other-turkish-march-arrangements\">Other Arrangements<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h3 style=\"font-size: 22px;\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Don&#8217;t Miss Out on Free Song Tutorials<\/b><\/h3><p>We love helping people learn the songs they love. Each week, we release quick tips, song tutorials, and other free content for piano players, by piano players. Subscribe to our mailing list so you don&#8217;t miss out. You can unsubscribe any time.<\/p><iframe class=\"email-form-include\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"turkish-march-sheet-music-free-downloads\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Turkish March Sheet Music &#8211; Free Downloads<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can download the sheet music we use for this tutorial here, which is the first two sections of Turkish March. If you&#8217;d like the full original arrangement, download it for free through the <a href=\"https:\/\/imslp.org\/wiki\/Piano_Sonata_No.11_in_A_major,_K.331\/300i_(Mozart,_Wolfgang_Amadeus)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Petrucci Library<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/d1923uyy6spedc.cloudfront.net\/Turkish%20March%20-%20Mozart%20-%20Piano%20-%20Score-1666028615.pdf\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/08140311\/Turkish-March-Mozart-Piano-Score-1666028615-1-774x1024.png\" alt=\"Turkish March sheet music. Screenshot of first page.\" class=\"wp-image-14078\" style=\"width:387px;height:512px\" width=\"387\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/08140311\/Turkish-March-Mozart-Piano-Score-1666028615-1-774x1024.png 774w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/08140311\/Turkish-March-Mozart-Piano-Score-1666028615-1-227x300.png 227w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/08140311\/Turkish-March-Mozart-Piano-Score-1666028615-1-768x1017.png 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/08140311\/Turkish-March-Mozart-Piano-Score-1666028615-1-1160x1536.png 1160w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/08140311\/Turkish-March-Mozart-Piano-Score-1666028615-1-1547x2048.png 1547w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 387px) 100vw, 387px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<center><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/d1923uyy6spedc.cloudfront.net\/Turkish%20March%20-%20Mozart%20-%20Piano%20-%20Score-1666028615.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TUTORIAL SHEET MUSIC<\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"turkish-march-background-and-history\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Turkish March &#8211; Background and History<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Mozar&#8217;ts Turkish March is the third movement of his Piano Sonata No. 11. The third movement is labelled &#8220;alla turca&#8221; and is written in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.talkclassical.com\/threads\/defining-the-rondo-form-and-mozarts-turkish-rondo-in-sonata-k-331-300i.63420\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">altered rondo form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/2\/25\/Mehter_1917.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white photo of men in traditional Turkish clothing and turbans holding instruments while standing.\" style=\"width:402px;height:319px\" width=\"402\" height=\"319\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Mozart may have been inspired by the music of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicfm.com\/composers\/mozart\/music\/turkish-march-rondo-alla-turca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Turkish Janissary bands<\/a> of the Ottoman Empire. The Janissary bands (<em>mehter\u00e2n \u0645\u0647\u062a\u0631\u0627\u0646<\/em>) were perhaps the world&#8217;s first marching bands, and the first to be recorded.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"A brief history of the pianoforte - Leeds International Piano Competition 2012\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BMxqAKxWMYA?start=171&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Mozart also may have also designed Turkish March to be played on a pianoforte with a drum attachment. Yep, you could be a one-person band in the 1700s! Here\u2019s a video of one of these instruments in action.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-play-turkish-march-practice-tips\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>How to Play Turkish March: Practice Tips<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is an intermediate piece that may be tricky for beginners. But you can gain a lot of skills by practicing it, such as sight reading, advanced fingering skills, trills and ornaments, and large hand shapes. Here&#8217;s how to handle these challenges:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sight-reading\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Sight Reading<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A lot happens in this piece. Don&#8217;t be afraid to write down the names of notes you don&#8217;t immediately recognize. But at the same time, look for patterns. A lot of the music repeats and much of it can be broken down into a few basic chords. Spotting patterns helps with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-to-read-piano-notes\/#shapes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reading music faster<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/Turkish%20March%20Tutorial\/turkish%20march%20sight%20reading.png\" alt=\"First two lines of Turkish March sheet music with chords highlighted and labelled.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"fingering\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Fingering<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Not getting your fingers tied up can be difficult in a fast-moving piece like this one. Remember: the fingering you see in sheet music is not set in stone. Everyone&#8217;s hands are different, so if a fingering feels awkward for you, make up your own. As long as it works, it works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/Turkish%20March%20Tutorial\/turkish%20march%20fingering.png\" alt=\"Section B Turkish March sheet music with fingering markings.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Be patient, start slow, and slowly ramp up the speed only when you&#8217;re comfortable at a lower speed. It&#8217;s better to be consistent and accurate at a slower tempo than to be sloppy at a faster one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"trills-and-ornaments\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Trills and Ornaments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Turkish March is decorated with a lot of extra frills. There are gracenotes and trills and these can be tricky for a beginner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For gracenotes, focus on the downbeat \u2014 or what you&#8217;re gracenoting &#8220;towards.&#8221; This can help you line up your chords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/Turkish%20March%20Tutorial\/Turkish%20March%20ornaments%202.png\" alt=\"Turkish march sheet music m. 23-26 with lines showing how notes in right and left hands line up.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have trouble with hand coordination (we all do!) you can also draw lines in your Turkish March sheet music where the notes on each hand align.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/Turkish%20March%20Tutorial\/turkish%20march%20ornaments%201.png\" alt=\"Turkish March sheet music m. 27-32 with downbeats labelled and lines showing how right hand octaves line up with left hand.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"large-hand-shapes\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Large Hand Shapes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Lots of us find octaves challenging. When it comes to learning this piece, you don&#8217;t have to worry about the octaves right away when you&#8217;re just starting out. For example, you can practice playing the right-hand octaves in the B section with the thumb only while keeping your hands open. Then, place down your pinky once you&#8217;re more comfortable with the left-right hand coordination.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<video playsinline=\"\u201c\u201d\" autoplay=\"\u201c\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/Turkish%20March%20Tutorial\/turkish%20march.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Feeling stiff? Hands are more flexible after they&#8217;re warmed up. And warm your hands up <em>literally<\/em>, because warm hands tend to be stretchier!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dynamics-\ud83c\udfad\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Dynamics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, don&#8217;t forget your dynamics! Dynamics are a big part of this piece because Turkish March is all about contrasts. The A and B sections are softer while the C section is louder and more exciting. And in the complete unabridged sheet music, there&#8217;s a D section after that with some delicate, playful scale runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"other-turkish-march-arrangements\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Other Turkish March Arrangements<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope you&#8217;ve enjoyed our introduction to Turkish March! This piece has been iconic for centuries and over time, it&#8217;s spawned some very interesting arrangements. For example, check out Fazil Say&#8217;s<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/0_Whp1kWZ8Y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> jazz arrangement<\/a> and Arcadi Volodos&#8217; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/0qG9PZNJI_k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dark and virtuosic interpretation<\/a> (which should only be attempted by the brave of heart!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h3 style=\"font-size:22px;\"><b>Master the Piano YOUR Way \ud83d\udd25<\/b><\/h3><p>As a Pianote Member, you\u2019ll get access to our 10-step Method, song library, and growing community of piano players just like you. Plus: get coached by world-class pianists and learn whenever you  want, wherever you want, and whatever you want.<\/p><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TRY PIANOTE FOR 7 DAYS<\/a><\/center><br><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Expert tips on how to play Mozart&#8217;s &#8220;Turkish March&#8221; or &#8220;Rondo alla turca,&#8221; one of piano&#8217;s most iconic solo pieces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[837,508],"tags":[1089],"class_list":["post-9187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-classical-songs","category-song-tutorials","tag-cpqs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9187"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15369,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9187\/revisions\/15369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}