Contains all the standard scale and arpeggio patterns, and now includes whole-tone scales, augmented arpeggios and additional broken chord patterns. Includes an informative introduction, with technical guidance and practice suggestions. This new edition with its clear page layout and accessible structure is an excellent resource for all pianists.
The most highly acclaimed jazz piano method ever published! Over 300 pages with complete chapters on Intervals and triads, The major modes and II-V-I, 3-note voicings, Sus. and phrygian Chords, Adding notes to 3-note voicings, Tritone substitution, Left-hand voicings, Altering notes in left-hand Stride and Bud Powell voicings, Block chords, Comping ...and much more! Endorsed by Kenny Barron, Down Beat, Jamey Aebersold, etc.
The Deluxe Encyclopedia of Piano Chords is a thorough analysis of chords and how to use them as applied to the piano keyboard. Virtually every conceivable chord in all inversions is shown in bass and treble clef notation as well as in keyboard graphics. This study does not only list chord types; it also explains how each type of chord is constructed. In addition, the text provides information on usage, scales, and rhythm patterns. This valuable volume will enable the keyboardist to effectively use and apply the full diversity of chord possibilities in creating interesting, personal, and colorful musical styles.
(Instructional). A guide to learning the basic tools for becoming a good player and musician. Includes Al's own lesson plan system, tunes, blues patterns, jazz chord exercises, playing and practicing tips, and a complete guide to chords, scales and arpeggios.
*NEW Color Edition!* You've never seen a scales manual like this. Packed with thousands of creative, bite-sized practice challenges to complete, Scales Bootcamp makes mastering scales fun, one Achievement at a time. Designed by Philip Johnston, author of the "The Dynamic Studio," and one of music education's best known writers and thinkers.
Based on an article written in 1923 by legendary Russian pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943), this volume presents the series of chords, arpeggios, and scales that Rachmaninoff himself studied as a young man. The Preface contains a short history explaining Rachmaninoff's use of this exercise and demonstrates that similar studies were included in some of the earliest keyboard methods dating to the eighteenth century. More than finger exercises, these patterns encourage harmonic thinking and reflect the modern approach to piano technique with its emphasis on engaged practice. Having its roots in the earliest history of keyboard pedagogy, and practiced and promoted by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Josef Lhèvinne, Franz Liszt, and other legendary pianists, the exercises in this volume are a true link to the Golden Age of piano performance. Without question, diligent study will greatly improve every dedicated student's musicianship and technique.
Though incomplete at the time of his death in 1849, Chopin's Projet de méthode was nonetheless revolutionary in many respects. But with his Fundamental Pattern, Chopin announced the recognition, if not discovery, of the keyboard's extraordinary topographical symmetry and postulated a core formulation for a new "pianistic" pedagogy. More than a hundred years later the now-legendary Heinrich Neuhaus would passionately plead for this pedagogy and a pianism rooted in it. Natural Fingering explores this remarkable symmetry, significantly as it sheds light on fingering matters for the now vast catalogue of repertoire. It also examines the revolutionary impact of equal temperament on compositional key choice as well as the liberating influence of Charles Eschmann-Dumur's unique discoveries regarding symmetrical inversion. Author Jon Verbalis develops principles for a topographically-based fingering strategy that reflect a surprising compatibility of this fixed symmetrical organization with the most efficient biokinetic capabilities of the pianist's playing mechanism. He addresses previously neglected or overlooked technical aspects of pianism as they relate to movement in keyboard space generally as well as fingering specifically. Symmetrical fingerings for all the fundamental forms are presented in innovative, instructive format. The reader will also find an unusually extensive, in-depth discussion of double note challenges. Answering Neuhaus's call for the reappraisal of a certain pedagogical status quo, several chapters are devoted to the relevant implications of Chopin's Fundamental Pattern. The author also advances guidelines for a progressive implementation of natural fingering principles from the very start, as well as "retooling" for teachers and students alike. Of special note are the cross-hand major and minor scales for the earliest stages, in which the necessity of thumb under/hand over pivoting actions is eliminated. Natural Fingering is the first comprehensive discussion of fingering solutions for pianists since Hummel's monumental treatise of 1828. The book is complemented by a companion website, which serves as a supplement to the printed edition. The website features copious excerpts from the extant repertoire, extended discussions on relevant topics, and a comprehensive manual of the fundamental forms with symmetrically adjusted fingerings.
