How to play tiny dancer

How to Play “Tiny Dancer” (5 Levels)

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You don’t have to be a piano expert to play your favorite songs!

That’s because there are numerous ways to play one pop song on the piano.

This makes it possible for any pianist at any ability level to have tons of fun and sound great.

I’m going to show you how to play “Tiny Dancer” at five different levels.

It’s one of my favorite songs, and if you’re looking for “Tiny Dancer” sheet music, we have a free lead sheet that can be used by pianists at any level.

Level 1: The Casual Hobbyist

If you’re a Casual Hobbyist, you tinker on the piano now and then. Casual Hobbyists tend to look at a lead sheet and play the chords in their simplest forms.

No matter what your level, this is a great place to start any song. Learning how to move between the chords of a song will help you connect with the music.

You can learn how to play chords on the piano with our free chording series.

Level 2: The Weekend Warrior

Weekend Warriors can be very passionate about the piano and may spend lots of time playing on the weekends.

At this level, you’re starting to pick out riffs, and you may vary your rhythm a bit.

Now, you might make mistakes, you might not pay at full speed.

But at this stage, you’re sure to have fun figuring out those iconic parts of the song.

Level 3: I Take Lessons

If you’re in this stage you might take regular piano lessons or use a learning platform like Pianote.

At this level, you’re developing hand coordination and sight-reading skills along with learning songs, and you might play the melody with the chords.

You’re more comfortable with the piano by now, so you may even begin to add your own creative flair to songs.

You may even throw in an original riff here and there!

Level 4: Playing in a Band

By this level, you’re pretty confident at the piano.

You’re comfortable with chord structures and hand coordination, and you keep tempo consistently because you’re playing in time with a band!

You may carry the melody if needed by the band, piano feels easy to you, and you’re creating original riffs and fills at this stage.

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Level 5: Elton John!

At the “Elton John” level, you’re breezing through the song with no difficulty, adding flares here and there and playing confidently.

But you don’t have to be at Elton John’s level to enjoy yourself.

The point of this lesson is that no matter what your piano level, you can have an awesome time playing, singing, and delighting an audience.

What’s Your Piano Level?

If you’re curious about your piano level, check out our post on how to find your piano level.

And if you think you have what it takes to be an intermediate piano player, check out our checklist and see how many skills you can cross off!

And finally, I hope this lesson on how to play “Tiny Dancer” has shown you that you don’t have to wait until you reach some imaginary level before you can start playing (and enjoying) your favorite songs.

So what will you play next?

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Lisa Witt has been teaching piano for 19 years and in that time has helped hundreds of students learn to play the songs they love. Lisa received classical piano training through the Royal Conservatory of Music, but she has since embraced popular music and playing by ear in order to accompany herself and others.

How to play Elton John’s Tiny Dancer on the piano: chords, structure and lesson video

Released in 1971 on Madman Across The Water, Elton John’s fourth album, Tiny Dancer is now widely regarded as one of his greatest songs, and one that’s become a staple of his live sets. However, due to its six-minutes-plus length, it wasn’t even a single in the UK, and only hit number 41 in the US.

Success for a song this good was never going to be denied, though, and Tiny Dancer was finally thrust into the spotlight in 2000, when it soundtracked a pivotal scene in director Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical rock road movie Almost Famous .

SInce then, it’s become inescapable. There was a notable (and excellent) live cover by Ben Folds , and Tiny Dancer crossed the generational divide again when Ed Sheeran referenced it repeatedly in the chorus of his 2017 hit Castle On The Hill .

All of which means that, if you’re a piano player, Tiny Dancer is a great song to have in your locker. Everyone knows it and can make a fist of singing along (sort of), so it’s a great one to be able to whip out at a social gathering. What’s more, it’s not particularly difficult to play.

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Composition

Tiny Dancer is written in the key of C major, and the famous eight-bar intro is made up of an arpeggiated riff over the chords C major (first inversion) and F major, with a C in the bass. This pattern makes up a good deal of the verse, too, though there’s also a quasi-bridge section that gets a bit more complicated.

After a couple of verses, we get to the pre-chorus, which modulates to Ab major and has a more regimented, rhythmic feel.

This leads into the chorus, which steps down from an F major chord to C major with an E in the bass and then to D minor. There’s a nice G major over A chord at the end of the ‘you had a busy day today’ line, too.

Then we get another verse, pre-chorus and chorus, followed by the outro, which closely resembles the intro.

How to play Tiny Dancer on the piano

One of the best Tiny Dancer tutorials we’ve seen comes from Pianote , the online piano lesson platform, as it features both top-down video and a sheet music display for those who can read. The production values are high and the teaching is clear, concise and accurate.

The lesson is freely available and suitable whether you want to play just the chords in Tiny Dancer so that you can sing along, or the melody as well.

Pianote also has a Tiny Dancer video that shows you how to play the song at different skill levels, ranging from ‘Casual Hobbyist’ to the way that Elton John does it. So, you can pick the one that’s right for you and your current ability.

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.

What is the story about the tin soldier. The Steadfast Tin Soldier: A Short Love Story

There were once twenty-five tin soldiers in the world, all brothers, because they were born from an old tin spoon. A gun on his shoulder, looking straight ahead, and what a magnificent uniform - red and blue! They lay in a box, and when the lid was removed, the first thing they heard was:
- Oh, tin soldiers!
It was a little boy who screamed and clapped his hands. They were given to him for his birthday, and he immediately arranged them on the table.
All the soldiers turned out to be exactly the same, and only one was a little different from the rest: he had only one leg, because he was cast last, and there was not enough tin. But even on one leg he stood as firmly as the rest on two, and now a wonderful story will happen to him.
There were many other toys on the table where the soldiers ended up, but the most noticeable was a beautiful palace made of cardboard. Through the small windows one could look directly into the halls. In front of the palace, around a small mirror that depicted a lake, there were trees, and wax swans swam across the lake and looked into it.
It was all very cute, but the sweetest thing was the girl standing at the door of the castle. She, too, was cut out of paper, but her skirt was of the finest cambric; over her shoulder was a narrow blue ribbon, like a scarf, and on her chest sparkled a sparkle no smaller than the head of the girl herself. The girl stood on one leg, her arms outstretched in front of her - she was a dancer - and threw the other so high that the tin soldier did not see her, and therefore decided that she was also one-legged, like him.
"I wish I had such a wife!" he thought. "Only she, you see, from the noble ones, lives in the palace, and I only have something like a box, and even then there are twenty-five of us in it, no place she's there! But you can get to know each other!"
And he hid behind a snuffbox, which was right there on the table. From here he had a perfect view of the lovely dancer.
In the evening, all the other tin soldiers, except for him alone, were placed in a box, and the people in the house went to bed. And the toys themselves began to play - and to visit, and to the war, and to the ball. The tin soldiers stirred in the box - they also wanted to play - but they could not lift the lid. The Nutcracker tumbled, the stylus danced across the board. There was such a noise and uproar that the canary woke up and how it whistled, and not just, but in verse! Only the tin soldier and the dancer did not move. She still stood on one toe, her arms outstretched, and he stood bravely on his only leg and did not take his eyes off her.
Twelve has struck, and - click! - the lid of the snuff box bounced off, only it turned out to be not tobacco, no, but a small black troll. The snuffbox was with a focus.
- Tin soldier, - said the troll, - don't look where you don't need to!
But the tin soldier pretended not to hear.
- Well, wait a minute, morning will come! - said the troll.
And the morning came; the children got up and put the tin soldier on the windowsill. Suddenly, by the grace of a troll, or from a draft, the window will burst open, and the soldier will fly headfirst from the third floor! It was a terrible flight. The soldier threw bliss into the air, stuck his helmet and bayonet between the stones of the pavement, and stuck upside down.
The boy and the maid immediately ran out to look for him, but they could not see him, although they almost stepped on him with their feet. Shout it to them: "I'm here!" - they probably would have found him, but it just didn’t become for a soldier to shout at the top of his lungs - after all, he was wearing a uniform.
It began to rain, the drops fell more and more often, and finally a real downpour poured. When it was over, two street boys came.
- Look! - said one. - There is a tin soldier! Let's send him to the sea!
And they made a boat out of newsprint, put a tin soldier in it, and it floated through the gutter. The boys ran around and clapped their hands. Fathers, what waves were moving along the ditch, what a swift current it was! Still, after such a downpour!
The ship was thrown up and down and twirled so that the tin soldier was trembling all over, but he held on steadfastly - a gun on his shoulder, head straight, chest forward.
Suddenly the ship dived under a long walkway across a ditch. It became so dark, as if the soldier had fallen into the box again.
"Where is it taking me?" he thought. "Yes, yes, all these are the tricks of a troll! Oh, if that young lady were sitting with me in the boat, then be at least twice as dark, and then nothing!"
Here appeared a large water rat that lived under the footbridge.
- Do you have a passport? she asked. - Show your passport!
But the tin soldier filled his mouth like water and only tightened his grip on the gun. The ship carried everything forward and forward, and the rat swam after it. Wu! How she gnashed her teeth, how she screamed at the chips and straws floating towards them:
- Hold him! Hold on! He didn't pay the toll! He's passportless!
But the current was getting stronger and stronger, and the tin soldier could already see the light ahead, when suddenly there was such a noise that any brave man would have been frightened. Imagine, at the end of the bridge, a gutter emptied into a large canal. For the soldier it was as dangerous as for us to rush in a boat to a large waterfall.
Now the canal is already very close, it is impossible to stop. The ship was carried out from under the bridge, the poor fellow held on as best he could, and did not even blink an eye. The ship was turned three, four times, filled with water to the brim, and it began to sink.
The soldier was up to his neck in the water, and the boat sank deeper and deeper, the paper got soaked. Now the water covered the soldier with his head, and then he thought about the lovely little dancer - he would not see her again. In his ears sounded:
Strive forward, warrior,
Death will overtake you!
Then the paper completely unraveled, and the soldier went to the bottom, but at the same moment he was swallowed by a big fish.
Oh, how dark it was inside, even worse than under the bridge over the gutter, and cramped to boot! But the tin soldier did not lose courage and lay stretched out to his full height, not letting go of his gun...
The fish came in circles, began to make the most outlandish jumps. Suddenly she froze as if struck by lightning. A light flashed, and someone shouted: "Tin soldier!" It turns out that the fish was caught, brought to the market, sold, brought to the kitchen, and the cook cut open her belly with a large knife. Then the cook took the soldier with two fingers by the small of his back and brought him into the room. Everyone wanted to look at such a wonderful little man - still, he made a trip in the belly of a fish! But the tin soldier was not at all proud. They put it on the table, and - what only miracles do not happen in the world! - he found himself in the same room, saw the same children, on the table were the same toys and a wonderful palace with a lovely little dancer. She still stood on one leg, throwing the other high up - she was also steadfast. The soldier was touched and almost burst into tears of tin tears, but that would not have been nice. He looked at her, she at him, but they did not say a word to each other.
Suddenly, one of the kids grabbed a tin soldier and threw it into the stove, although the soldier did nothing wrong. This, of course, was set up by the troll that was sitting in the snuffbox.
The tin soldier stood in flames, he was seized by a terrible heat, but whether it was fire or love, he did not know. The color had completely disappeared from him, no one could say why - from travel or from grief. He looked at the little dancer, she looked at him, and he felt that he was melting, but he still held firm, not letting go of the gun. Suddenly the door to the room flung open, the dancer was caught by the wind, and like a sylph, she fluttered right into the stove to the tin soldier, flared up at once - and she was gone. And the tin soldier melted into a ball, and the next morning the maid, shoveling out the ashes, found a tin heart instead of the soldier. And from the dancer there was only one sparkle, and she was burnt and black, like coal. That's

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The Steadfast Tin Soldier is a fairytale story about faithful, devoted, lasting and at the same time very tearful and sad love. This story can be read online on one of the pages of our website. With you, a fascinating fascinating story will open about how even in the most difficult times the human soul is capable. You will be able to follow and see the incredible coincidence that life can be capable of. The reader, together with the soldier, will make it. With the help of this fairy tale, you will show examples of self-sacrifice. Only devoted love is ready for such actions, when there is not the slightest other choice left. All this is and can be read in a very simple but popular fairy tale called The Steadfast Tin Soldier. You can read it online on our website.

What the fairy tale teaches and what the author wanted to tell the children

This tale is about a wonderful, beautiful and wonderful love story of a tin soldier and a porcelain dancer. Who could have imagined that a brilliant Danish writer could be inspired by a small and simple piece of tin, and no less large, the same piece of porcelain. It was their writer who discovered on a winter morning in the chimney ash. At the beginning of the tale, he warned young readers that mutual, true love is a very rare phenomenon. If it appeared, then it must be protected from such negative characters as trolls, as we see in the fairy tale that is before you now.

Text of the fairy tale The Steadfast Tin Soldier

There were once twenty-five tin soldiers, mother's brothers - an old tin spoon; a gun on his shoulder, a straight head, a red and blue uniform - well, what a charm, what kind of soldiers! The first words they heard when they opened their box house were: "Ah, tin soldiers!" It was shouted, clapping his hands, by a little boy who was presented with tin soldiers on his birthday. He immediately began to arrange them on the table. All the soldiers were exactly the same, except for one, which was on one leg. He was cast last, and the tin was a little short, but he stood on his one leg as firmly as the others on two; and he just turned out to be the most remarkable of all.

There were a lot of different toys on the table where the soldiers found themselves, but the most striking thing was the wonderful palace made of cardboard. Through the small windows one could see the palace chambers; in front of the palace, around a small mirror that depicted a lake, there were trees, and wax swans swam and admired their reflection on the lake. All this was a miracle, how sweet, but the sweetest of all was the young lady who stood on the very threshold of the palace. She was cut out of paper and dressed in a skirt of the finest cambric; over her shoulder was a narrow blue ribbon in the form of a scarf, and on her chest sparkled a rosette the size of the face of the young lady herself.

The young lady stood on one leg with her arms outstretched - she was a dancer - and raised the other leg so high that our soldier could not see her at all, and thought that the beauty was also one-legged, like him.

“I wish I had a wife! he thought. - Only she, apparently, from the nobles, lives in the palace, and I only have a box, and even then there are twenty-five of us in it: she does not belong there! But it doesn't hurt to get to know each other. "

And he hid behind a snuffbox, which was right there on the table; from here he could perfectly see the lovely dancer, who was still standing on one leg, not losing her balance.

Late in the evening all the other tin soldiers were put in a box and all the people in the house went to bed. Now the toys themselves began to play “for a visit”, “for war” and “for a ball”. The tin soldiers began to knock on the walls of the box - they also wanted to play, but they could not lift the lids. The Nutcracker tumbled, the stylus danced on the board; there was such a noise and uproar that the canary woke up and also spoke, and even in verse! Only the dancer and the tin soldier did not budge: she still held on to her outstretched toe, stretching her arms forward, he stood cheerfully under the gun and did not take his eyes off her.

Twelve struck. Click! - the snuffbox opened.

There was no tobacco, and a small black beech - what a trick!

Tin soldier, - said the beech, - there is nothing for you to look at!

The tin soldier didn't seem to hear.

Wait a minute! Buka said.

In the morning the children got up and put the tin soldier on the window.

Suddenly - whether by the grace of beeches or from a draft - the window flew open, and our soldier flew headfirst down from the third floor - only his ears whistled! A minute - and he was already standing on the pavement with his foot up: his head in a helmet and a gun was stuck between the stones of the pavement.

The boy and the maid immediately ran out in search, but no matter how hard they tried, they could not find the soldier; they almost stepped on him with their feet, and yet they did not notice him. He shouts to them: "I'm here!" - they, of course, would immediately find him, but he considered it indecent to shout in the street: he wore a uniform!

It began to rain; stronger, stronger, finally came a real downpour. When it cleared up again, two street boys came.

Hey! - said one. - There is a tin soldier! Let's send him sailing!

And they made a boat out of newsprint, put a tin soldier in it and put it into the groove. The boys themselves ran around and clapped their hands. Eh-ma! That's how the waves went along the groove! The current carried on - no wonder after such a downpour!

The boat was thrown and turned in all directions, so that the tin soldier was trembling all over, but he held firm: the gun on his shoulder, head straight, chest forward!

The boat was carried under the long walkways: it became so dark, as if the soldier had fallen into the box again.

“Where is it taking me? he thought. - Yes, these are all the things of an ugly beech! Oh, if that beauty were sitting with me in the boat, for me be at least twice as dark!

At that moment, a large rat jumped out from under the bridge.

Do you have a passport? she asked. - Give me your passport!

But the tin soldier was silent and held his gun tightly. The boat was carried away, and the rat ran after it. Wu! How she gnashed her teeth and screamed at the chips and straws floating towards her:

Hold him, hold him! He did not pay the duty, did not show his passport! But the current carried the boat faster and faster, and the tin soldier could already see the light ahead, when he suddenly heard such a terrible noise that any brave man would have chickened out. Imagine - at the end of the bridge, the groove fell into a large channel! It was as scary for the soldier as it was for us to rush in a boat to a large waterfall.

But it was already impossible to stop. The boat with the soldier slid down; the poor fellow was still on his toes and did not even bat an eyelid. The boat spun... One, two - filled with water to the brim and began to sink. The tin soldier found himself up to his neck in the water; further - more ... water covered him with his head! Then he thought of his beauty: he would never see her again. In his ears sounded:

Strive forward, O warrior,

And calmly meet death!

The paper was torn, and the tin soldier was about to sink, but at the same moment he was swallowed by a fish.

How dark! Worse than under the footbridges, and fear how narrow it is! But the tin soldier held firm and lay at full length, tightly clutching his gun.

The fish darted back and forth, made the most amazing jumps, but suddenly froze, as if struck by lightning. A light flashed, and someone shouted: “Tin Soldier!” The fact is that the fish was caught, brought to the market, then it got into the kitchen, and the cook cut open her belly with a large knife. The cook took the tin soldier by the waist with two fingers and carried him into the room, where all the households ran to look at the wonderful traveler. But the tin soldier did not become proud. They put him on the table, and - what-what happens in the world! - he saw himself in the same room, saw the same children, the same toys and a wonderful palace with a beautiful dancer! She still stood on one leg, holding the other high. That's so resilience! The tin soldier was touched and nearly burst into tears with tin, but that would have been indecent, and he restrained himself. He looked at her, she at him, but they did not exchange a word.

Suddenly one of the boys grabbed a tin soldier and for no apparent reason threw him directly into the stove. Probably, it's all beech rigged! The tin soldier stood engulfed in flames. He was terribly hot, from fire or from love - he himself did not know. The colors have completely peeled off from him, he has shed all over; who knows why - from the road or from grief? He looked at the dancer, she looked at him, and he felt that he was melting, but he still held firm, with a gun on his shoulder. Suddenly the door in the room flew open, the wind picked up the dancer, and like a sylph, she fluttered right into the stove to the tin soldier, flared up at once, and - the end! And the tin soldier melted and melted into a lump. The next day the maid was picking out some ashes from the stove and found it in the form of a small pewter heart; from the dancer, only one rosette was left, and even that one was all burned and blackened like coal.

Listen to The Steadfast Tin Soldier online

Watch The Steadfast Tin Soldier online

Andersen's fairy tale The Steadfast Tin Soldier appeared after one boy gave the storyteller his favorite toy - a soldier. The adventures of an amazing courageous hero will interest young readers. We recommend a fairy tale for online reading with children.

Fairy tale The Steadfast Tin Soldier read

One of the soldiers presented to the boy turned out to be unusual. He had only one leg, but he never lost heart. Finding himself among the other toys of the boy, the soldier noticed a cardboard ballerina. She was so beautiful that our hero immediately fell in love with her. He decided that he needed to get to know her. Late in the evening the toys began to play like children. The soldier did not take his eyes off the dancer. And at midnight, a troll appeared from their snuffboxes. He noticed the soldier's interest in the ballerina and threatened him not to dare to look at the dancer. The next day, either by the will of the troll, or by coincidence, the hero's troubles began. He fell out of the window. The boys put him in a paper boat. The soldier had to go sailing. A huge rat was chasing him. Then the ship began to sink. Danger lay in wait for him at every turn. He was ready to face death with courage. The brave man struggled with difficulties and thought about the beautiful dancer. He got into the belly of a huge fish, and this was his happiness. Again he found himself in a familiar house and saw a beautiful dancer. The boy threw the soldier into the stove. He began to melt, but did not take his eyes off his beauty. Fate gave the soldier a gift: from a draft, a light cardboard figurine of a dancer fluttered like a butterfly into the stove. So the brave soldier burned down along with his beloved. Only a pewter heart and a dancer's brooch were found in the ashes. You can read the story online on our website.

Analysis of the fairy tale The Steadfast Tin Soldier

The meaning of the instructive fairy tale is revealed through the image of the Steadfast Soldier. Such a quality as resilience is inherent in the image of the hero from the very beginning. This is the ability to stand on one foot, with optimism and courage to deal with difficulties. The hero understood that he was not destined to be with his beloved, but did not despair. The tests helped the soldier to become stronger in spirit. The ability to boldly face difficulties without losing self-esteem makes the image of a steadfast tin soldier very attractive. However, each reader will see something of his own in the image of a persistent hero. The fairy tale The Steadfast Tin Soldier raises eternal questions about the values of being, about good and evil, responsibility for one's actions, about the inevitability of fate.

Moral of the tale The Steadfast Tin Soldier

One must overcome weakness in oneself, not give in to difficulties – this is the main idea of the tale The Steadfast Tin Soldier. A strong one who, having been defeated, does not lose heart. You need to find the strength in yourself to go forward at all costs - that's what a fairy tale teaches him.

Proverbs, sayings and expressions of a fairy tale

Not well tailored, but tightly sewn.
Breaking the back is easy, breaking the will is difficult.

Fairy tale The Steadfast Tin Soldier read:

There used to be twenty-five tin soldiers, mother's brothers - an old tin spoon, a gun on his shoulder, a straight head, a red and blue uniform - well, what a delight, what kind of soldiers! The first words they heard when they opened their box house were: "Ah, tin soldiers!" It was shouted, clapping his hands, by a little boy who was presented with tin soldiers on his birthday. And he immediately began to arrange them on the table. All the soldiers were exactly the same, except for one, which was with one leg. He was cast last, and the tin was a little short, but he stood on his foot as firmly as the others on two; and he just turned out to be the most remarkable of all.

There were a lot of different toys on the table where the soldiers ended up, but the cardboard palace caught the eye the most. Through the small windows one could see the palace chambers; in front of the palace, around a small mirror that depicted a lake, there were trees, and wax swans swam and admired their reflection on the lake. All this was a miracle, how sweet, but the sweetest of all was the young lady who stood on the very threshold of the palace. She, too, was cut out of paper and dressed in a skirt of the finest cambric; over her shoulder was a narrow blue ribbon in the form of a scarf, and on her chest sparkled a rosette the size of the face of the young lady herself. The young lady stood on one leg, her arms outstretched - she was a dancer - and raised the other leg so high that our soldier did not see her, and thought that the beauty was also one-legged, like him.

“I wish I had such a wife! he thought. “Only she, apparently, from the nobility, lives in the palace, and I only have that box, and even then there are twenty-five of us packed in it, she doesn’t belong there!” But it doesn't hurt to get to know each other."

And he hid behind a snuffbox, which was right there on the table; from here he could perfectly see the lovely dancer, who was still standing on one leg, not losing her balance.

Late in the evening all the other tin soldiers were put in a box and all the people in the house went to bed. Now the toys themselves began to play as guests, at war and at the ball. The tin soldiers began to knock on the sides of the box - they also wanted to play, but they could not lift the lids. The Nutcracker tumbled, the lead wrote on the board; there was such a noise and uproar that the canary woke up and also spoke, and even in verse! Only the dancer and the tin soldier did not budge: she still held on to her outstretched toe, stretching her arms forward, he stood cheerfully and did not take his eyes off her.

Twelve struck. Click! — The box opened.

There was no tobacco, but a little black troll was sitting; the snuffbox was with a focus!

“Tin soldier,” said the troll, “you don’t have to look!

The tin soldier didn't seem to hear.

- Wait a minute! the troll said.

In the morning the children got up and put the tin soldier on the window.

Suddenly, whether by the grace of a troll or a draft, the window flew open and our little soldier flew head first down from the third floor - only his ears whistled! A minute - and he was already standing on the pavement with his foot up: his head in a helmet and a gun were stuck between the pavement stones.

It began to rain; stronger, stronger, finally poured downpour. When it cleared up again, two street boys came.

- Look! one said. "There's the tin soldier!" Let's send him sailing!

And they made a boat out of newsprint, put a tin soldier in it and put it into the groove.

The boys themselves were running around and clapping their hands. Well well! That's how the waves went along the groove! The current carried on - no wonder after such a downpour!

The boat was thrown and spun in all directions, so that the tin soldier was trembling all over, but he held firm: the gun on his shoulder, head straight, chest forward!

The boat was carried under the long walkways: it became so dark, as if the soldier had fallen into the box again.

“Where is it taking me? he thought. Yes, it's all the jokes of the nasty troll! Oh, if that beauty were sitting with me in the boat - for me, be at least twice as dark!

At that moment, a large rat jumped out from under the bridge.

— Do you have a passport? she asked. - Get your passport!

But the tin soldier was silent and clutched his gun even tighter. The boat was carried away, and the rat swam after it. Wu! How she gnashed her teeth and shouted to the chips and straws floating towards:

— Hold it, hold it! He did not pay the duty, did not show his passport!

But the current carried the boat faster and faster, and the tin soldier had already seen the light ahead, when he suddenly heard such a terrible noise that any brave man would have chickened out. Imagine, at the end of the bridge, the water from the groove rushed into a large channel! It was as scary for the soldier as it was for us to rush in a boat to a large waterfall.

But the soldier was carried farther and farther, it was impossible to stop. The boat with the soldier slid down; the poor fellow remained steadfast as before and did not even bat an eyelid. The boat spun… One, two — filled with water to the brim and began to sink. The tin soldier found himself up to his neck in the water; further more ... the water covered him with his head! Then he thought of his beauty: not to see him again. In his ears sounded:

Strive forward, warrior,

And meet death calmly!

The paper was torn, and the tin soldier was going to sink, but at the same moment he was swallowed by a fish.

What darkness! Worse than under the bridges, and even fear how crowded! But the tin soldier held firm and lay stretched out at full length, holding his gun tightly to him.

The fish darted back and forth, made the most amazing jumps, but suddenly froze, as if struck by lightning. A light flashed and someone shouted: "Tin soldier!"

The fact is that the fish was caught, brought to the market, then it got into the kitchen, and the cook cut open its belly with a large knife. The cook took the tin soldier by the waist with two fingers and carried him into the room, where all the households ran to look at the wonderful traveler. But the tin soldier was not at all proud. They put him on the table, and - something that does not happen in the world! - he found himself in the same room, saw the same children, the same toys and a wonderful palace with a lovely little dancer. She still stood on one leg, holding the other high. That's so resilience! The tin soldier was touched and nearly burst into tears with tin, but that would have been indecent, and he restrained himself. He looked at her, she at him, but they did not say a word.

Suddenly one of the boys grabbed a tin soldier and for no apparent reason threw him directly into the stove. It must have been a troll setting it all up! The tin soldier stood engulfed in flames: he was terribly hot, from fire or love - he himself did not know. The colors have completely peeled off from him, he has shed all over; who knows from what - from the road or from grief? He looked at the dancer, she looked at him, and he felt that he was melting, but he still held on steadfastly, with a gun on his shoulder. Suddenly the door in the room flung open, the wind picked up the dancer, and like a sylph, she fluttered right into the stove to the tin soldier, flared up at once and - the end!

And the tin soldier melted and melted into a lump. The next day the maid was raking the ashes out of the stove and found a small pewter heart; from the dancer, only one rosette was left, and even that one was all burned and blackened like coal.

- Oh, tin soldiers!

It was a little boy shouting and clapping his hands. They were given to him for his birthday, and he immediately arranged them on the table.

All the soldiers turned out to be exactly the same, and only one was a little different from the rest: he had only one leg, because he was cast last, and there was not enough tin. But even on one leg he stood as firmly as the rest on two, and now a wonderful story will happen to him.

There were many other toys on the table where the soldiers ended up, but the most noticeable was a beautiful palace made of cardboard. Through the small windows one could look directly into the halls. In front of the palace, around a small mirror that depicted a lake, there were trees, and wax swans swam across the lake and looked into it.

It was all very sweet, but the sweetest thing was the girl who stood at the door of the castle. She, too, was cut out of paper, but her skirt was of the finest cambric; over her shoulder was a narrow blue ribbon, like a scarf, and on her chest sparkled a sparkle no smaller than the head of the girl herself. The girl stood on one leg, her arms stretched out in front of her - she was a dancer - and threw the other so high that the tin soldier did not see her, and therefore decided that she was also one-legged, like him.

“I wish I had such a wife! he thought. “Only she, you see, from the noble ones, lives in the palace, and I only have something like a box, and even then there are twenty-five of us in it, there’s no place for her there!” But you can meet!

And he hid behind a snuffbox, which was right there on the table. From here he had a perfect view of the lovely dancer.

In the evening, all the other tin soldiers, except for him alone, were placed in a box, and the people in the house went to bed. And the toys themselves began to play - and on a visit, and in the war, and in the ball. The tin soldiers stirred in the box, because they also wanted to play, but they could not lift the lid. The Nutcracker tumbled, the stylus danced across the board. There was such a noise and uproar that the canary woke up and how it whistled, and not just, but in verse! Only the tin soldier and the dancer did not move. She still stood on one toe, her arms outstretched, and he stood bravely on his only leg and did not take his eyes off her.
Twelve has struck, and - click! - the lid of the snuff box bounced off, only it turned out not to be tobacco, no, but a small black troll. The snuffbox was with a focus.

“Tin Soldier,” said the troll, “don't look where you don't belong!”

But the tin soldier pretended not to hear.

- Well, wait a minute, morning will come! the troll said.

And the morning came; the children got up and put the tin soldier on the windowsill. Suddenly, by the grace of a troll, or from a draft, the window will burst open, and the soldier will fly headfirst from the third floor! It was a terrible flight. The soldier threw bliss into the air, stuck his helmet and bayonet between the stones of the pavement, and stuck upside down.

The boy and the maid immediately ran out to look for him, but they could not see him, although they almost stepped on him with their feet. He shouts to them: "I'm here!" - they probably would have found him, but it just didn’t become for a soldier to shout at the top of his lungs - after all, he was wearing a uniform.

It began to rain, the drops fell more and more often, and finally a real downpour poured. When it was over, two street boys came.

— Look! one said. "There's the tin soldier!" Let's send him to the sea!

And they made a boat out of newsprint, put a tin soldier in it, and it floated down the gutter. The boys ran around and clapped their hands. Fathers, what waves were moving along the ditch, what a swift current it was! Still, after such a downpour!

The ship was tossed up and down and twirled so that the tin soldier was trembling all over, but he held on steadfastly - a gun on his shoulder, head straight, chest forward.
Suddenly the ship dived under a long walkway across a ditch. It became so dark, as if the soldier had fallen into the box again.

“Where is it taking me? he thought. “Yes, yes, it’s all the tricks of a troll!” Oh, if that young lady were sitting with me in the boat, then be at least twice as dark, and then nothing!
Here appeared a large water rat that lived under the footbridge.

— Do you have a passport? she asked. - Show me your passport!

But the tin soldier filled his mouth like water and only tightened his grip on the gun. The ship carried everything forward and forward, and the rat swam after it. Wu! How she gnashed her teeth, how she screamed at the splinters and straws floating towards them:0037

- Hold him! Hold on! He didn't pay the toll! He's passportless!
But the current was getting stronger and stronger, and the tin soldier could already see the light ahead, when suddenly there was such a noise that any brave man would have been frightened. Imagine, at the end of the bridge, a gutter emptied into a large canal. For the soldier it was as dangerous as for us to rush in a boat to a large waterfall.

Now the canal is already very close, it is impossible to stop. The ship was carried out from under the bridge, the poor fellow held on as best he could, and did not even blink an eye. The ship was turned three, four times, filled with water to the brim, and it began to sink.
The soldier was up to his neck in the water, and the boat sank deeper and deeper, the paper got wet. Now the water covered the soldier with his head, and then he thought of the lovely little dancer - he would not see her again. In his ears sounded:

Strive forward, warrior,
Death will overtake you!

Then the paper completely unraveled, and the soldier went to the bottom, but at the same moment he was swallowed by a big fish.

Oh, how dark it was inside, even worse than under the footbridge over the gutter, and cramped to boot! But the tin soldier did not lose courage and lay stretched out to his full height, not letting go of his gun ...

The fish came in circles, began to make the most outlandish jumps. Suddenly she froze as if struck by lightning. A light flashed, and someone shouted:

"Tin soldier!" It turns out that the fish was caught, brought to the market, sold, brought to the kitchen, and the cook cut open her belly with a large knife.

Then the cook took the soldier with two fingers by the small of his back and brought him into the room. Everyone wanted to look at such a wonderful little man - still, he made a trip in the belly of a fish! But the tin soldier was not at all proud. They put him on the table, and - what only miracles do not happen in the world! - he found himself in the same room, saw the same children, the same toys were on the table and a wonderful palace with a lovely little dancer. She still stood on one leg, with the other held high—she, too, was steadfast. The soldier was touched and almost burst into tears of tin tears, but that would not have been nice. He looked at her, she at him, but they did not say a word to each other.

Suddenly, one of the kids grabbed a tin soldier and threw it into the stove, although the soldier did nothing wrong. This, of course, was set up by the troll that was sitting in the snuffbox.

The tin soldier stood in flames, he was seized by a terrible heat, but whether it was fire or love, he did not know. The color had completely disappeared from him, no one could say why - from travel or from grief. He looked at the little dancer, she looked at him, and he felt that he was melting, but he still held firm, not letting go of the gun. Suddenly the door to the room flung open, the wind caught the dancer, and like a sylph, she fluttered right into the stove to the tin soldier, flared up at once - and she was gone. And the tin soldier melted into a ball, and the next morning the maid, shoveling out the ashes, found a tin heart instead of the soldier. And from the dancer there was only one sparkle, and she was burnt and black, like coal.

Marvel's Avengers - release date, estimates, system requirements, official site

Marvel's Avengers is an action-adventure game developed by American company Crystal Dynamics and published by Japanese company Square Enix. Based on the Avengers superhero team from Marvel comics, the game is inspired by long-term comic book mythology and adaptations in other media formats. The game's main storyline takes place 5 years after Day A, a celebratory day for the Avengers when tragedy resulted in death and destruction and the Avengers were blamed. The team is forced to reassemble to save the world from danger in the form of A.I.M., led by George Tartleton / M.O.D.O.K., who threatens to destroy the world with superpowers.

The game is presented in 3rd person. You can play solo and in multiplayer. There is an online cooperative mode where you can assemble a team of heroes. Original playable characters - Steve Rogers / Captain America, Tony Shark / Iron Man, Bruce Banner / Hulk, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel; more characters will be available in free updates after the release; in the same updates there will be new game regions. Each Marvel's Avengers hero has a variety of costume customization options, the ability to upgrade their powers and abilities through a skill tree.

Gameplay

Marvel's Avengers is a third-person action-adventure game that combines an original cinematic story with single-player and co-op gameplay. You can play offline solo or online with 4 players. There are customization options covering abilities and costumes that can be upgraded through the skill tree. The costumes are lootable from "every corner of the Marvel Universe", can be obtained in-game, or purchased separately as DLC. In free updates, the player will receive new regions and new characters.

Plot

The story begins on Day A, when 5 members of the Avengers - Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow and the Hulk - are celebrating the opening of their second headquarters in San Francisco. At the same time, they present their own helicarrier (advanced airship) "Chimera", working on the Terrigen crystal. The ceremony is soon disrupted by a terrorist attack led by Taskmaster. As a result, the Golden Gate Bridge and most of the city are destroyed, and Captain America is killed. In addition, due to the destruction of the Terrigen Crystal, the Terrigen Mist began to spread. The fog transforms a mass of people into strong beings known as Inhumans. Blamed for the tragedy, the Avengers disband.

5 years later, the rebuilt San Francisco is under the control of the scientific organization A.I.M., led by former Avengers scientist George Tartleton. Superheroes, including those who were members of the Avengers, are outlawed. A teenager and non-human Kamala Khan receives evidence that Tarleton managed to lock Captain America before the explosion of the reactor. Soon Kamala is contacted by Tiny Dancer, a member of the Resistance, to say that Kamala is being hunted by A.I.M. Kamala tries to meet Tiny Dancer at Heroes Park, but she is pursued and captured by scientist A.I.M. Monica Rappacchini. Kamala manages to escape and leave Utah to find the Resistance, led by Hank Pym.

Kamala's search leads her to the wreckage of the Chimera, where she discovers that Bruce Banner is still alive after a run-in with the Hulk. Kamala shows him the footage and convinces a skeptical Banner to help her prove the Avengers' innocence. Traveling to the former S.H.I.E.L.D. compound to retrieve J.A.R.V.I.S., they encounter A.I.M. and one of their operatives, the Abomination. The Hulk defeats the Abomination and they return to the Chimera to reactivate the J.A.R.V.I.S.

The pair are about to team up with the Avengers, starting with Tony Shark, now living in seclusion in his family home. When they find Shark, he is reluctant to help due to Banner's A-Day testimony, which incriminated the Avengers and led to the acquisition of Stark Industries into A.I.M. Upon learning of the evidence obtained by Kamala, Shark agrees to join them and work to restore the Chimera while A.I.M. did not know their location. Meanwhile, Kamala and Banner search for parts needed to repair the Chimera and stumble upon Ant Hill, an Inhuman shrine run by Pym and the Resistance's headquarters. While helping the Resistance, Kamala disobeys orders and attempts to break into the A. I.M. prison to rescue the imprisoned Inhumans, but is captured. While in custody, she overhears Rappacchini admit that her attempts to heal the Inhumans were unsuccessful, so Tarleton shifted priority to the Adaptoid robots. These robots can mimic the powers of nonhumans. Romanoff invades the facility, captures Rappacchini, frees Kamala and reveals that she is Tiny Dancer.

Banner tries to interrogate Rappacchini about the location of the Adaptoid lab, but Rappaccini refuses to answer. The powers of A.I.M. attack the Chimera and take the Rappacchini. Thor sees the attack and intervenes, reuniting with the Avengers. However, J.A.R.V.I.S. manages to obtain additional footage of Captain America ordering Tarleton to seal him in the reactor room, then proceed to destroy the reactor, likely causing an explosion. The Avengers are divided by this discovery, as they realize that Day A was their mistake. Kamala is left alone. Kamala realizes that the Adaptoid Lab is located on the Ambrosia satellite in Earth's orbit. She relays this information to the Avengers and listens to a heartfelt speech about the fact that people still believe in the ability of the Avengers to do good. The Avengers are reunited, Stark upgrades his suit to travel through space and reach Ambrosia.

While on board the Ambrosia, Stark learns that a prisoner is being held there, who is producing a regeneration formula that Tartleton depends on for survival and that serves to fuel the adaptoids. Stark frees the prisoner and is surprised to learn that it is Captain America who survived, but Rappaccini secretly placed him in stasis and harvested his blood for the past 5 years. With Thor's help, they escape from the station. Captain America informs Stark that he destroyed the reactor, as the reactor was pulling something out of the ground that could destabilize San Andreas, which could lead to the total destruction of San Francisco. On Earth, a heavily mutated Tarleton discovers a regeneration formula made from Captain America's blood and kills Rappacchini with a lethal dose of the formula for lying to him.

Since there is no cure for the non-humans, Tarleton decides to eliminate all the non-humans with a fleet of air warships. He intends to spray D.A.R.K. Terrigen over the world, this substance is deadly for nonhumans. Left with no other choice, the Avengers attack Tarleton's stronghold in San Francisco. They fight their way to the depths of the fortress and there they find a Kree Sentinel buried under the bay. Because of him, the Terrigen crystal became unstable. Tarleton activates the Kree and sends it against the Avengers. The Avengers have a hard time until Kamala, with the help of her powers, grows to a gigantic size. Kamala destroys the Kree and causes Tarleton to fall into the sea. The Avengers are reunited, Tarleton is defeated, Kamala returns home.

In the post-credits scene, Rappaccini is revealed to have survived and taken the lead of A.I.M., becoming the new Chief Scientist. More radical experiments are expected. Meanwhile, the Kree debris launches a pod into space.

Release

A teaser trailer announcing the game was released on the Marvel Entertainment YouTube channel in January 2017. The game was developed under the working title The Avengers Project. More than two years later, at E3 2019, Square Enix held a press conference where they revealed more details about the game; a full trailer was shown and a release date was announced. The 14-minute presentation showed a trailer made in game shooting, a brief description of the gameplay with characters, multiplayer and customization, a preview of the actors who participated in the game. A playable demo was shown to attendees behind closed doors.

The closed beta was available to those who pre-ordered the game. For PlayStation 4, it worked on August 7-9, for Xbox One and Windows it worked on August 14-16 (the same week the open beta was available on PlayStation 4). The final open beta went August 21-23 for all platforms except Stadia.

Marvel's Avengers was originally scheduled to release on Stadia, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows in May 2020, but has been pushed back to September 4 in order to tweak and refine the game.