Full Description
More than 20 million Americans play the piano, making it the country's most popular instrument. This information-packed guide covers all the basics of reading music and playing the piano. It features full-color photographs that demonstrate the principles and techniques, progressing from playing basic notes to common chords to intermediate skills. Step-by-step text instructions accompany each photograph. It's perfect for piano students, people who want to learn to play a few songs, and adults who played as children and want to play it again! Mary Sue Taylor (Roswell, GA) has filled her share of musical requests, having played piano in the Atlanta area since 1954. Over the years, she's dusted the keys of nearly every piano in town, from formal society clubs to dim, smoke-filled jazz bars to the hottest house parties. She has taught beginning piano, jazz, improvisation, chord study, and other related topics to a diverse array of students for five decades. Tere Stouffer (Knoxville, TN) is a freelance writer and editor whose published books include Marathon Training For Dummies (0-7645-2510-7).
Contents
Chapter 1Board. Pedals. The Keyboard. Playing Position, Posture, and Hand Position. Chapter 2: Reading Music and Playing Notes. The Staff. Notes on the Staff. Sharps, Flats, and Naturals. Key Signature and Time Signature. Ledger Lines and Octave Signs. Some Exercises. How to Practice Your Fingering. Chapter 3: Steps and Intervals. Steps on the Piano Keyboard. Keyboard Intervals. Exercises in Steps and Intervals. Arpeggios. Answers to Intervals Test. Chapter 4: Dynamics and Tempo. Dynamics. Ties. Syncopation. Phrases. Tempo. Chapter 5: Warming Up. Right-Hand Five-Finger Warm Ups with Numbers. Left-Hand Five-Finger Warm Ups with Numbers. Right-Hand Five-Finger Warm Ups with Note Names. Left-Hand Five-Finger Warm Ups with Note Names. Playing a Solo with Your Right Hand. Playing Both Hands Together. Playing without Finger Numbers or Note Names. Chapter 6: Chords. C Chord. F Chord. G Chord. Solid and Broken Chords. Crossing Fingers Over and Under. Exercises. Inversions. Lead Sheets. Three Jazz Pieces to Practice Chords. Chapter 7: Meter, Harmony, and Movement. Playing in Waltz Time. Sight Reading. Playing Four-Part Harmony. Parallel Motion. Upbeats. Contrary Motion. Chapter 8: Advanced Musical Terms. Staccato and Legato. Repeat Signs. How Fast and How Loud? Triplets. Additional Exercises. Chapter 9: Advanced Chords. Major-Minor Keys: Memorizing Key Signatures. Major-Minor Triads: Building Thirds. Suspended Fourth Chord. Flat-Five Chord. Sixth Chord. Seventh Chord. Chord Dictionary. Playing Three Old Favorites. Chapter 10: Musical Styles. Ragtime. Jazz. The Blues. Boogie Woogie. Country. Rock 'n' Roll. New Age. Improvising a Melody with Chords. Making Up a Solo. Additional Piano Pieces. Famous Composers, Pianists, and Compositions. Glossary. Index.
