PIANO SKILLS PREVIEW S T E P H EN G EA R R Y
© 2010 by Zebraline Publishing International copyright secured All rights reserved Published by Zebraline Publishing Email: zebraline@europe.com www.zebralinemusic.co.uk
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ABOUT THE SERIES Three years in the making, Piano Skills truly is an innovation in piano tuition, designed for use in lessons and also for reference at home. Each book focuses on one of five key areas of piano study: Theory, Sight-reading, Dexterity, Interpretation, and Practice - and this structures the method of learning into a flexible yet organised format. Each book may be used in sequence (Book 1 through to 5) or in combination to specifically target weak areas, and furthermore, 'simultaneous learning' is still an option for teachers but with the added benefit of independent study available for the student. Dedicated to the beginner, only white notes are used throughout the whole series, and a fully proven, userfriendly interface of five-note sets (see centre pages) ensures a high rate of learning, crucial for building confidence in the early stages. The concept of five-note sets aims to encourage methodical use of finger notation by providing an easy system with which to catalogue and emphasise the simplicity of five-note hand positions to the beginner, and this system enables the student to learn exercises quicker as a result of musical material being presented as preanalysed. Logical structure, direct writing style, clear layout, and polished melodic content all serve to make the first steps in music as rewarding as possible. Enjoy!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Stephen Gearry is an accomplished pianist, teacher, and composer with over 15 years of st musical experience. After graduating at the University of Hull with 1 -class honours in music he has dedicated himself to the development of the Piano Skills resource. In 2006, he was awarded the Andrew Brown Memorial Prize in Music for distinction in solo piano performance and is also on the judging panel for the Nottinghamshire Young Pianist of the Year. st
Having received tuition from 1 -class Moscow Conservatoire graduate, Irina Glushenkova, he has since appeared in masterclasses with established artists such as Neil Immelman, Richard Meyrick, and Sarah Briggs.
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CONTENTS Page HAND POSITIONS – FIVE-NOTE SETS Left hand Right hand
6 7
SECTION 1 – THEORY
8
SECTION 2 – SIGHT-READING
12
SECTION 3 - DEXTERITY
16
SECTION 4 - INTERPRETATION
19
SECTION 5 - PRACTICE
21
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HAND POSITIONS Five-note Sets Finger notation and hand positions explained
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
“A simple system of circled letters indicate hand positions in the score. They were invented to enable students to learn exercises quicker and also to encourage score analysis.” – Stephen Gearry
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LEFT HAND Set
In finger notation (or fingering) each finger is represented by a certain number, as shown on both hand diagrams. On a score, a number above or below a note indicates the best possible finger to use for that note.
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RIGHT HAND Set
A five-note set is a hand position on the keyboard which comprises five adjacent white notes. A system of circled letters is used throughout this book series to indicate which hand position (or set) to assume when playing in any particular score. Numbers shown on the keyboard diagrams above represent the position of each finger within each set. Circled letters are not used for recurrently stepwise changes of fivenote sets.
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SECTION 1 Theory Sample pages taken from Book I – Theory
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
“The purpose of this book is to hopefully provide musical enjoyment in the first few lessons, by offering 10 duets. As a result of these, complete beginners can take part in practical study from the very beginning and quickly become acquainted with the rewards that piano playing can offer. To complement this, crucial theoretical study is available for use in lessons or for reference material at home.” – Stephen Gearry FEATURES: 10 DUETS, 20 ACTIVITIES, 20 EXERCISES
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Page taken from Piano Skills – Theory (Stephen Gearry) © Zebraline Publishing 2010
The Keyboard There here are seven letters in the musical alphabet:
ABCDEFG
The names of the white keys follow a recurring alphabetical sequence from left to right across the entire keyboard:
A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G etc.
This sequence starts from bottom A (the key usually furthest left on a piano) and continues repeatedly all the way up to top C (the key usually furthest right).. However, some s pianos have larger or smaller ranges, but the range from bottom A to top C is the standard limit of a piano.
Middle Notes – On the Keyboard Middle notes in the central part of the keyboard are identified here:
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Page taken from Piano Skills – Theory (Stephen Gearry) © Zebraline Publishing 2010
The Stave
Below is a blank stave which comprises five lines and six spaces:
Each line and each space are the components of a stave upon which notes are placed.
Notes are represented by oval-shaped dots which either cross through a line or rest within a space.
Notes on the lines:
Notes in the spaces:
Activity Practice drawing notes: On the lines
In the spaces
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Page taken from Piano Skills – Theory (Stephen Gearry) © Zebraline Publishing 2010
Note Values All fundamental note values are shown below along with their names as used in the UK and USA:
UK
USA
Semibreve
Whole note
Minim
Half note
Crotchet
Quarter note
Quaver
Eighth note
The following grid shows how the the note values relate to each other in terms of length:
Activity Practice drawing note values on the following rhythm stave:
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SECTION 2 Sight-reading Sample pages taken from Book II – Sight-reading
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
“This volume was one of the most important and a lot of creative thought went into how rhythm could be displayed in a more accessible format. This is how and why Beat Boxes were invented. They were specifically designed to help with understanding difficult rhythms by giving students something to compare with standard notation.” – Stephen Gearry FEATURES: OVER 200 PROGRESSIVE EXERCISES
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Beat Boxes Beat Boxes are user-friendly friendly visual aides to assist with the understanding of rhythmic notation. Here is an example of a Beat Box grid:
Each row in the grid represents one bar of four beats, denoting the time signature,
.
When using a Beat Box grid, all grey areas represent sound, whereas the white areas represent silence.
Grey - Instructs a clap
White - Instructs ucts silence
Rhythm Staves Rhythm staves have only one line upon which note values are placed to notate rhythm.
For all exercises in this section clap the rhythms of each Beat Box as instructed and then clap the same rhythm on their respective rhythm r stave.
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Crotchets
Crotchet
Crotchet rest
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
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Treble Clef
The skills developed in the two previous sections are now combined to test pitch and rhythmic recognition at the same time. There are five melodic melodic exercises for each five-note five set. Practice equally with each hand.
Set A
[In the actual book, there here are five of these exercises for each five-note five set in both the treble and bass clefs, in two different octave registers – this totals 140 exercises.. Incidentally, the Beat Box exercises explore all fundamental note values from dotted notes to semiquavers.] semiquavers.
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SECTION 3 Dexterity Sample pages taken from Book III - Dexterity
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
“I used to always sympathise with those who were so keen to develop their hand strength, and with nothing comprehensive available in the market this was the stimulus for this volume. There’s a different musical lesson on each page and as a result, the student is usually more concerned with the lesson behind the physical exercise.” – Stephen Gearry FEATURES: 50 TECHNICAL EXERCISES
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Page taken from Piano Skills – Dexterity (Stephen Gearry) © Zebraline Publishing 2010
Accents
This short exercise specifically targets the naturally weaker fingers of both hands - 4 and 5. Use the accents to enforce the correct correct placement of fingers. During each practice the repeat should be played as many times as necessary to secure both rhythmic stability and good legato at a desirably fast speed.
Triad Scale
This exercise will improve orientation on the keyboard keyboard as it is not always possible to keep your eyes on what each finger is doing. As you you move to the next chord, keep your y fingers quite rigid and rely on the ‘template’ you create from playing the very first chord. It might be advisable to prepare the leap eap ending before playing through.
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Page taken from Piano Skills – Dexterity (Stephen Gearry) © Zebraline Publishing 2010
Mixed Tremolos
Here is a study to perform all tremolos learnt so far, with the addition of tremolo fourths. When dealing with the octave leap, learn to look ahead so that you are able to prejudge the location of where your hands are to go next.
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SECTION 4 Interpretation Sample pages taken from Book IV – Interpretation
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
“This book is the most personal of the five yet it remains true to the needs of the student. It is an unusual repertoire book of 10 different classical styles that never deviates from the promises of ‘five-note ranges’ or ‘all white notes’. However, this volume is more adventurous in taking these five-note ranges deeper into the outer registers of the keyboard. ” – Stephen Gearry FEATURES: 10 STUDY PIECES (INC. 2 DUETS)
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Page taken from Piano Skills – Interpretation (Stephen Gearry) © Zebraline Publishing 2010
“Waterfall” Impressionist
Time period: c.1860-1940
Excerpt taken from Piano Skills - Interpretation
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SECTION 5 Practice Sample pages taken from Book V - Practice
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
“This book is a dedicated attempt to encourage the communication between teacher and student about all areas of practice. I have incorporated practical strategies into the most easily neglected discipline of piano study.” – Stephen Gearry FEATURES: 5 PRACTICE PIECES + PRACTICE DIARY
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Page taken from Piano Skills – Practice (Stephen Gearry) © Zebraline Publishing 2010
Environment Your practice environment is a very important aspect to consider. The following factors contribute to making the ideal environment:
Warmth – playing with colds hands will result in a rigid technique and can be painful Quiet – find time when you can practice alone and undisturbed Instrument quality – the limit of your playing can only be matched by the limit of your piano Neighbours – for very loud pieces or late practice, consider a digital piano (with headphones) Seating – consider an adjustable stool if you are not sitting comfortably
Practice Regime Practice regimes will differ depending on the level of dedication and schedule of each individual. Recommended practice times are provided below but they are by no means compulsory - some students may find longer or shorter periods of time to be more productive. If you are easily distracted then you must pay attention to discipline yourself. Always remember that consistent practice is the key.
Level Complete beginners Intermediate beginners Advanced beginners
Daily practice time 15-30 mins per day 30 mins-1 hour per day 1 hour-2 hours per day
A well-varied, one hour routine might be:
10 minutes 10 minutes 10 minutes 5 minutes 25 minutes
scales and arpeggios sight-reading five-note exercises experimentation pieces of music
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Page taken from Piano Skills – Practice (Stephen Gearry) © Zebraline Publishing 2010
Self-assessment Learn and play through the five practice pieces in this section and rate your overall performance on a scale of 1 to 10 below (where 1 is poor and 10 is excellent):
Overall 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Piece 1 Piece 2 Piece 3 Piece 4 Piece 5
Now assess your performances in the following key areas to give yourself a clear idea of where you need to focus:
Accuracy 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
6
7
8
9
10
7
8
9
10
Piece 1 Piece 2 Piece 3 Piece 4 Piece 5
Technique 1
2
3
4
5
Piece 1 Piece 2 Piece 3 Piece 4 Piece 5
Interpretation 1
2
3
4
5
6
Piece 1 Piece 2 Piece 3 Piece 4 Piece 5
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Page taken from Piano Skills – Practice (Stephen Gearry) © Zebraline Publishing 2010
Practice Piece 3 – “Vortex”
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Thank you for downloading the Piano Skills Preview. We genuinely hope that you have found it enjoyable and useful. If not, please let us know why and we will do our best to improve your experience.
Zebraline Music is a brand new publisher which means that Piano Skills is only available online or at special stores at the moment. Thank you for your interest.
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All content Š Zebraline Publishing 2010 All rights reserved
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