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A Guide to Choosing Piano Materials for Beginners If one is just beginning to
play the piano and wants to get started in the right direction, what are some
good songs and exercises to begin practicing?
Some of the basics are to learn beginning repertoire, |
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establish a scale routine for technique, and gain an
understanding of at least basic theory.
Below are some materials that can help develop piano skill. Basic Repertoire Beginners should start
with simple material and play even very ‘easy’ pieces. The important thing at this stage is to
become comfortable reading notes and playing in a smooth, relaxed
manner. It is much better to be able
to play a simple piece with strong technique and accuracy, than to struggle
with a harder piece without having first developed good habits. |
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Suitable pieces include
some of the basic texts for beginning piano students, such as the James
Bastien series. These books contain simple songs only a
page or two long, that are often condensations of famous works by Haydn,
Mozart, and others. The benefit of
these pieces is that the notation is not complex, meaning that the player |
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can focus on fully
understanding and executing each basic element. For example, a piece might feature isolated
staccatos, or two-note slurs, or only a few dynamic markings. The pieces also introduce common tempos and
meters. The Bastien
series has a Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 for favorite melodies, as well as
basic Theory, Hymns, and a range of other good repertoire for beginners. Students may also want to purchase basic
repertoire from other good methods such as Alfred's
Basic Piano Course. Books of easy to play styles of music can
also be good practice, such as Lee
Evans' Jazz Standards Arrangements
or the Bill
Boyd Easy Christmas Collection. A collection of these books and simple
pieces should provide weeks or months of practice. Scales and Arpeggios |
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In
conjunction with playing pieces the student enjoys, developing a scale and
arpeggio routine is very important for learning piano well. The MacFarren Scale and Arpeggio Manual
provides an excellent catalog of everything needed in every key. There are minor and major scales; minor,
major, and dominant arpeggios; and other useful types of scales and broken
chords. Players of all levels benefit
from starting each practice session |
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by playing through a cycle
of scales using a metronome, focusing on technique, accuracy, and familiarity
with each key. More information on
these areas is in How
to Practice Arpeggios, and a good teacher will also help develop strong
ways of practicing scales. |
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Theory Finally, a beginning piano
student should try to develop an understanding of at least basic theory. A basic text such as the HarperCollins
College Music Theory Outline can
be a useful reference. The more a
student knows about harmony, chord progressions, and scales, the better the
student will be able to create his or her own music and interpret composers’
works. For example, by understanding
the unique sound and structure of a IV chord, and
knowing how it could resolve to a I chord, a student gains fluency in musical
language. When a
IV-I progression arises in a piece by Beethoven or Mozart, the student knows
that vocabulary and can better express the ideas in the music. Once you have purchased
some basic texts on theory, scales, and basic repertoire, try perusing the
rest of LIFTOFF!’s Piano section for ways
to develop further skill. Many Composition and
other articles can also help in improving musicianship. |
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All articles (c) 1999-2006 by LIFTOFF! |