Piano For Dummies

Hal Leonard Corporation, headquartered in Milwaukee, WI, is the largest sheet music publisher in the world.Adam Perlmutter is a freelance music writer, transcriber, and engraver.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 3Beyond the Book 3Where to Go from Here 4Part 1: Getting Started with Piano 5Chapter 1: Preparing to Play a Piano 7Knowing Why the Piano is So Special 8Advantages to playing the piano 8Advantages to studying music at the piano 8A skill and an art 9Understanding Why People Take PianoLessons(And Why They Often Quit) 10Getting to Know Your Instrument 11Comprehending the Language of Music 12Developing an ear for horizontal and vertical music 13Getting to know musical forms and styles 13Starting to Play the Best Way 14Being Aware of What You Already Know about Playing the Piano 15Chapter 2: Meeting the Keyboard Family 17Looking at the Acoustic Ones 18Pianos 18Harpsichords 22Pipe organs 24Identifying the Electric Ones 25The nuts and bolts of electronic sound 26Synthesizers 26Digital keyboards 27Chapter 3: Finding the Perfect Keyboard 29To Hum or Not to Hum: Electric or Acoustic (Or Both)? 30Buying an acoustic 30Buying a digital 32Buying a hybrid 34Picking the Perfect Acoustic Piano 34Taking location into account 35Getting all the pedals you deserve 35Finding good buys (and avoiding scams) 36If you’ve heard one, you haven’t heard them all 37Looking at some specific piano brands 37Selecting a Digital Keyboard That Lasts 38Digital pianos and organs 39Arrangers 40Stage pianos 40Workstations 40Synthesizers 40Avoiding obsolescence 41Knowing the digital features you want 41Browsing some specific keyboard brands 43Other electric keyboards 45Before You Drive It Off the Lot: Sealing the Deal at the Store 45Taking it for a spin 45Loving and leaving it 46Refusing to pay the sticker price 46Shopping online 47The MIDI Places You Can Go 48A MIDI primer 48Keyboard to computer 49Keyboard to keyboard 50MIDI and music notation 50Chapter 4: Taking Good Care of Your Keyboard 51Providing a Good Place to Live 51Making It Shine: Cleaning Your Keyboard 52Calling In a Pro for General Checkups and Serious Repairs 54Tuning acoustic keyboards 54Keeping digital keyboards happy 56Dealing with serious keyboard problems 57Taking the Worry Out of Moving Your Acoustic Piano 58Chapter 5: Eighty-Eight Keys, Three Pedals, Ten Fingers, and Two Feet 59Finding the Keys, Easy Peasy 59The white keys 60The black keys 62Discovering What Your Parents Never Told You about Posture 63To sit or not to sit: That’s the real question 64Sitting down: Chairs versus benches 65Using stands and racks 67Paying Attention to Hand Positioning 68Arch those hands and fingers 68Fingering 69Giving your hands and fingers a rest 70Pedal Power: Getting Your Feet in on the Action 71Piano pedals 72Digital keyboard pedals 73Part 2: Deciphering Squiggles on Paper to Create Sound 75Chapter 6: Reading Lines and Spaces 77Your Guide to a Piano Score 78Employing a staff of five lines 78Hanging from a clef 80Double Your Staff, Double Your Fun 85Grand staff and ledger lines 85Climbing up the staff and beyond 87An octave above, an octave below 87Punctuating Music: Bar Lines 88Continuing to Read: Don’t Stop 89Chapter 7: Joining the Rhythm Nation 91Eyeing Tempo: The Beat Goes On 92Measuring the beat using tempo 92Grouping beats in measures 93Serving Some Musical Pie: Basic Note Values 94Quarter notes: One piece at a time 95Half notes: Half the pie 95Whole notes: The whole pie 96Counting all the pieces 97Faster Rhythms, Same Tempo 97Eighth notes 98Sixteenth notes and more 99Listening for the Sound of Silence: Rests 100Whole and half rests 100Quarter rests and more 101Counting Out Common Time Signatures 103Common time: 4/4 meter 104Waltz time: 3/4 meter 104March time: 2/4 meter 1056/8 time 106Playing Songs in Familiar Time Signatures 106Chapter 8: Changing the Beaten Path 111Getting a Jump on the Start: Pickup Beats and Measures 111Adding Time to Your Notes with Ties and Dots 113Linking notes using ties 113Extending notes using dots 113Playing Offbeat Rhythms 116Triplets love chocolate 117Swing and shuffle time 118Syncopation 120Playing Songs with Challenging Rhythms 121Part 3: One Hand at a Time 131Chapter 9: Playing a Melody 133Let Your Fingers Do the Walking 134Getting into the Right Position 135C position 135G position 140Shifting your hand position as you play 141Crossing Your Fingers and Hoping It Works 142Crossing over your thumb 142Passing your thumb under 143Playing Melodies in the Right Hand 144Chapter 10: Scaling to New Heights 149Building a Scale, Step by Step 150Stepping Up to the Majors 151Understanding major scales 152Trying a major scale exercise 154Exploring Minor Variations 155Natural minor scales 155Harmonic minor scales 156Melodic minor scales 157Trying minor scale exercises 158Showing Your Rebellious Side with Blues Scales 160Playing Songs Made of Scales 161Chapter 11: Hey, Don’t Forget Lefty! 165Exploring the Keyboard’s West Side 165Moving into position 166Getting used to the new neighborhood 166Tackling Some Left-Hand Melodies 169Practicing Some South-Paw Scales 170C, G, and F major 170A, E, and D natural minor 171A harmonic and melodic minor 172Trying Accompaniment Patterns 172Three-note patterns 173Four-note patterns 174Adding the Left Hand to the Right Hand 177Sharing the melody in both hands 178Melody plus one note 178Melody plus three-note accompaniment pattern 180Melody in unison octaves 180Playing Songs with Both Hands 182Part 4: Living in Perfect Harmony 187Chapter 12: The Building Blocks of Harmony 189Measuring Melodic Intervals 190Interval shorthand 191Seconds 192Thirds 193Fourths and fifths 194Sixths and sevenths 196Octaves 197Combining Notes for Harmonic Intervals 197Playing two notes together 197Adding intervals to the melody 198Harmonizing with the left hand 200Playing Songs with More Harmony 202Chapter 13: Understanding Keys 209Homing In on Home Key 209A whole ring of keys 210Using keys to play music 211Reading key signatures 212Leaving and returning to the “home” key 217Playing Songs with Key Signatures 218Chapter 14: Filling Out Your Sound with Chords 221Tapping into the Power of Chords 221Dissecting the Anatomy of a Triad 222Starting Out with Major Chords 223Branching Out with Minor Chords 224Exploring Other Types of Chords 225Tweaking the fifth: Augmented and diminished chords 225Waiting for resolution: Suspended chords 227Adding the Seventh 228Reading Chord Symbols 229Playing with Chord Inversions 232Putting inversions to work 233Flipping the notes fantastic 233Playing Songs with Chords 235Part 5: Technique Counts for Everything 241Chapter 15: Dressing Up Your Music 243Playing Dynamically 243Starting with basic volume changes 244Widening the range 244Making gradual shifts in volume 245Articulating the Positive 246Interpreting articulation symbols 247The power of articulation 248Controlling the Tempo 249Putting the Pedal to the Metal 250Using the damper pedal 250Getting the hard facts on soft-pedaling 251Eyeing the middle pedal 252Touching on Grace Notes 253Tackling Trilling 254Dazzling Your Audience: Gliss 255Trembling Tremolos 257Dressing Up Your Songs 260Chapter 16: Great Grooves 267Great Left-Hand Accompaniment Patterns 267Fixed and broken chords 268Chord picking 270Octave hammering 270Bouncy rock patterns 272Melodic bass lines 275Applying Great Intros and Finales 277The big entrance 279Exit, stage left 281Playing Songs with Left-Hand Grooves 284Chapter 17: Perusing the Aisle of Style 287Taking Aim at Classical Music 287Playing the Blues 290Clues for the blues 29012-bar ditties 290Changing it up 291Rockin’ around the Keys 293Rocking ingredients 294Slamming and jamming 294You’re a Little Bit Country 295Country-style cooking 295Finger-pickin’ good 295Pop! Goes the Piano 297Popular picks 297Topping the charts 297Soul Searching 298Saving your soul 298Motown sounds 299Funky sounds goin’ round 300All That Jazz 300Jazzing it up 301It’s up to you 301Substituting chords 301Playing Songs in Favorite Styles 304Part 6: The Part of Tens 311Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Improve Your Practice and Performance 313Be Comfortable at All Times 313Shut Off the Distractions 314Make a Schedule and a List 314Get into Deconstruction 315Use a Metronome 315Rehearse Your Dress Rehearsals 315Know Your Performance Piano 316If You Memorize . 316Preempt Post-Performance Syndrome 316Smile and Take a Bow 317Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Supplement This Book 319Working through Method Books 319Using Reference Books 320Buying Music to Play 321Types of printed music 321Arrangements and transcriptions 322Fake books 322Where to buy printed music 323Gigging with Others 324Piano duets 324Chamber groups 325Bands 325Checking Out the Masters 325Johann Sebastian Bach 325Ludwig van Beethoven 326Johannes Brahms 326Frederic Chopin 326Franz Liszt 326Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 327Sergei Rachmaninoff 327Attending Live Concerts 327Listening to Recordings 328Perusing record stores 328Shopping online 328Visiting the library 329Exchanging music with friends 329Exploring Piano Sites on the Web 329Enjoying Pianos on the Big Screen 330Realizing You’re Not Alone 331Chapter 20: Ten Questions to Ask Prospective Teachers 333Whom Else Have You Taught? 333How Long Have You Been Teaching and Playing? 334How Much Do You Expect Me to Practice? 334Would You Mind Playing Something for Me? 335What Repertoire Do You Teach? 336How Do You Feel about Wrong Notes, Mistakes, and Slow Learners? 336What Methods Do You Use to Teach Piano? 337Where Will the Lessons Take Place? 337How Much Do You Charge? 338Do You Have Student Recitals? 338Appendix: About the Website: Audio Tracks and Video Clips 339Index 345