Piano
115 articles
Circle of fifths
The one diagram that turns key signatures, related keys and chords into something you can reason about — the circle of fifths, explained.
Dynamics, Slurs, and Articulations
Play Clementi's "Sonatina in C Major" while learning dynamics, slurs, articulations, and cut time to shape phrases with smooth, separated, loud, and soft notes.
Diatonic Four-Part Chords and Progressions
Discover how four-part seventh chords stack onto every degree of the major scale to form the diatonic chords behind countless progressions.
Dominant Seventh Chords and Inversions
Construct the dominant seventh chord, decode why a bare 7 suffix signals it, and practice its inversions in both hands from every root.
Minor Seventh (With Flatted Fifth) Chords and Inversions
Flatten the fifth of a minor seventh to form the half-diminished chord, meet the diminished interval, and practice its inversions.
Minor Seventh Chords and Inversions
Build the minor seventh chord and its inversions, one of the most commonly used four-part chords in pop, jazz, and beyond.
Major Seventh Chords and Inversions
Step beyond triads into four-part chords, building the major seventh chord from a C major scale and learning to read its Cmaj7 symbol and inversions.
Introducing “Slash Chord” Symbols
Read slash-chord symbols like "C/E" that tell you to put a chord tone other than the root on the bottom, a staple of popular sheet music.
Voice Leading Between Inversions
Connect chords smoothly by following the inner melodic lines, learning how stepwise motion between voices keeps progressions sounding seamless.
Inverting Minor Triads
Apply the same inversion process to minor triads, starting with C minor and writing out first and second inversions by hand to cement the skill.
Inverting Major Triads
Reshape the C major triad into first and second inversions, then learn to invert major triads across every key without changing the chord.
What Are Inversions and Why Do We Use Them?
Discover why chords sound smoother and sit easier under the hands when you move a note other than the root to the bottom through inversion.
Glossary
An A-to-Z glossary of the musical terms and symbols used throughout the book, from accidentals and arpeggios to articulation, ballads, and bass clef.
Staff Paper
Blank staff paper for writing your own piano lines once you finish the book, ready to photocopy so you never run out of room to compose.
Who’s Who Big List – 100 Piano Players
A sweeping list of 100 essential piano players across jazz, classical, rock, pop, and beyond, from Mose Allison and Bach to Ray Charles and Chopin.
Reference Sheet
A quick-reference chart of white and black key names, clefs, time signatures, rhythmic values, dotted and tied notes, plus common major scales and chords.
Keith Emerson
Discover the progressive-rock keyboard idol behind The Nice and ELP, celebrated for his showmanship and classically-influenced virtuosity that shaped the prog era.
Elton John
Meet the pop superstar and inventive piano stylist who, with lyricist Bernie Taupin, blended pop, rock, and soul into a string of 1970s chart-topping hits.
Chick Corea
Meet Chick Corea, the ever-reinventing pianist who moved from Miles Davis's Bitches Brew to high-octane fusion with Return to Forever and beyond.
Keith Jarrett
Discover Keith Jarrett, a defining pianist of the past fifty years renowned for his spontaneously improvised solo concerts as well as his celebrated jazz trio work.
Bill Evans
Meet Bill Evans, the jazz pianist behind Kind of Blue whose impressionist-inspired chord voicings and relaxed touch shaped the cool jazz sound and modern playing.
Art Tatum
Get to know Art Tatum, the largely self-taught jazz pianist whose astonishing boogie-woogie, stride, and swing playing was a full generation ahead of its time.
Franz Liszt
Discover Franz Liszt, the Romantic-era virtuoso and showman often called the greatest pianist ever, whose dazzling technique made him a true rock star of his day.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Meet Ludwig van Beethoven, the German composer and pianist whose groundbreaking symphonies, quartets, and sonatas reshaped classical music even as he lost his hearing.
Moving Your Piano
Heed one crucial rule when relocating your piano: always hire a professional, qualified piano mover rather than tackling this delicate instrument yourself.
Keeping Your Piano Clean and Healthy
Keep your acoustic or electronic piano in top shape with practical cleaning tips, from dusting between keys to safely caring for delicate inner mechanisms.
Where to Put Your Piano
Choose the right spot for your acoustic piano, learning why direct sunlight, heating ducts, and radiators can warp the wood and damage the finish.
Electric Pianos and Keyboards
Compare the three categories of electric instruments — digital pianos, synthesizers and workstations, and software instruments — to find which best suits your playing.
Acoustic Pianos
Explore the two families of acoustic pianos, vertical and horizontal, and how spinet, console, studio, upright, and grand models differ in size, power, and balance.
Studio Tips
Get an overview of the three stages of recording a CD — tracking, mixing, and mastering — and learn when a home studio works and when you need professional help.
Band Work
Learn where to gig with your band, matching original rock, covers, and acoustic jazz to the right clubs, bars, restaurants, and listening rooms.
Joining or Forming a Band
Find ways to join or form a band, from local music-store bulletin boards and rehearsal studios to ensemble classes, when you're missing some or all of your bandmates.
Solo Work
Explore the pianist's edge in solo work — playing melody, harmony, and rhythm at once — and find your first solo gigs at open-mic nights and coffee houses.
Showmanship and Faking It
Pick up performance survival tips from the trenches, including the golden rule of never stopping mid-piece and staying "in the pocket" so the audience misses your slips.
Interpretation and Improvisation
Discover when to play a piece exactly as written and when to improvise, with guidance on interpretation across classical, pop, and jazz performance settings.
Preparing for the Gig
Get gig-ready with practical advice on rehearsing your parts, running your set on consecutive days, and preparing to perform live whether it's a metal bash, jazz gig, or recital.
Song 5: “Misty” (Erroll Garner/Johnny Burke)
Play the beloved jazz standard "Misty" by Erroll Garner in a piano-bass-drums trio arrangement, comping behind the vocal in authentic jazz style.
Song 4: “Takin’ Care of Business” (BTO)
Rock out with BTO's 1974 hit "Takin' Care of Business," pairing left-hand root–5th and root–6th intervals with bluesy right-hand phrasing for great rock 'n' roll piano.
Song 3: “Benny and the Jets” (Elton John)
Tackle Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets," learning the percussive piano downbeats marked by eighth notes and rests, plus honky-tonk-style playing on the verses.
Song 2: “Come Sail Away” (Styx)
Play Styx's classic 1970s power ballad "Come Sail Away" using left-hand arpeggios, right-hand triads, and an Alberti bass — staple pop/rock piano techniques.
Song 1: “Minuet in G” (J.S. Bach)
Play Bach's graceful "Minuet in G" — a right-hand melody in the upper register supported by light left-hand harmony, the perfect introduction to Baroque keyboard style.
Introduction to Classical Styles
Trace the evolution of classical piano across the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and modern periods, from Bach's contrapuntal harpsichord works to the composers who shaped the keyboard repertoire.
Introduction to Country Styles
Learn the piano's role in country music's true-to-life storytelling, from 1920s old-time and cowboy songs through western swing, bluegrass, and honky-tonk.
Introduction to Pop/Rock Styles
Get into pop/rock piano of the '70s and '80s, with driving left-hand patterns and right-hand triads behind artists like Billy Joel, Elton John, and Journey.
Introduction to Jazz Styles
Survey the evolution of jazz piano from New Orleans and swing through bebop, cool jazz, and fusion, and the harmonies and rhythms that define each era.
Introduction to Blues Styles
Trace the roots of blues piano, an American style born in the late 1800s with deep ties to gospel, country, and jazz.
Introduction to Rock ’n’ Roll Styles
Explore the energetic 1950s rock 'n' roll piano of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, with repeated right-hand eighth notes and showmanship flair.
Introduction to Boogie-Woogie Styles
Discover the fast tempos and driving left-hand patterns of boogie-woogie, the percussive blues-rooted style pioneered by Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson, and Meade Lux Lewis.
Using the 7th and the 3rd of the Chord Below the Melody
Master the jazz staple of voicing the 7th and 3rd of a chord below the melody, demonstrated on the standard "All the Things You Are."
Using Right-Hand Triads with Single Notes in the Left Hand
Arrange Sarah McLachlan's gospel ballad "Angel" in 3/4 with right-hand triads over a static left hand, while learning add9 chords and bass-note walkdowns.
Forming Triads Below the Melody
Build fuller right-hand arrangements by forming basic and upper-structure triads beneath the melody, adding two chord tones under each melody note.
Using Intervals Below the Melody
Add warmth to a melody by placing 6ths and 3rds beneath it in the right hand, building fuller arrangements without obscuring the tune.
More Advanced Left-Hand Patterns with Arpeggios
Expand your left-hand accompaniment with open triad arpeggios, spreading chord tones beyond an octave to create richer, fuller broken-chord patterns from fake-book symbols.
Applying the Techniques to Songs
See comping techniques at work on real songs, starting with the Beatles' instantly recognizable "Let It Be" piano figure and its octave doubling and upper-structure voicings.
Introduction to “Upper Structure” Triad Voicings
Learn upper-structure voicings — playing a triad over a bass root — as a faster, easier way to grab big four-part and larger chords while comping.
The Two Stages to “Faking It”
Begin the art of "faking it," turning a bare chord chart into your own piano comping arrangement built straight from the chord symbols.
What Is “Comping” from a Fake Book?
Get to grips with comping and fake books, learning how lead sheets give you just melody, lyrics, and chord symbols to improvise your own accompaniment.
Arpeggios
Break left-hand chords into flowing arpeggios in a new version of "Wonderful Tonight," working with a metronome and the damper pedal for a lush pop-ballad sound.
Pop and Classical Tunes
Tackle real repertoire with arpeggios and triad voicings across Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight," Dire Straits' "Walk of Life," and classical works by Clementi and Satie.
Moving Your Hands to the Notes as Needed
Break free of fixed five-finger positions and learn to move your hands freely to the notes, looking ahead to anticipate register changes.
Using the Damper Pedal
Master the damper (sustain) pedal to blend chords expressively in ballads, and learn the pedal timing that keeps chord changes from smearing together.
Adding Triads in the Left Hand
Accompany the melody of "Buffalo Gals" with full left-hand triads, practicing the 5-3-1 fingering and the back-and-forth hand shifts between F and C chords.
Adding Single Notes in the Left Hand
Give your right-hand melody a left-hand bass line in "Ode to Joy," with a finger-crossing move that makes the two hands sound truly independent.
Playing the Melody with Both Hands
Play your first true hands-together song with "Jingle Bells," doubling the melody an octave apart in both hands while staying in C position.
Diatonic Triads and Progressions
Build a triad on every note of the C major scale to reveal its major, minor, and diminished qualities and how Roman numerals map chord function.
Creating Three-Note Chords (Triads)
Stack two intervals to spell your first three-note chords, building major triads from a root, third, and fifth drawn straight from the major scale.
Using Intervals in Songs
Hear how major and minor 2nds shape real melodies, and discover why these whole- and half-step intervals are the everyday building blocks of music.
Creating Intervals from the Major Scale
Build every interval from the C major scale, hearing major and perfect intervals as you play harmonic pairs of notes together.
Introduction to Intervals
Begin the theory behind intervals, learning to measure the distance between two notes by counting letter names from the bottom up.
Introducing 6/8 and 12/8 Time
Count in eighth notes with the 6/8 and 12/8 time signatures, then play a traditional tune in the new key of B-flat major.
Introducing 3/4 Time
Count in threes with 3/4 waltz time, tracing its roots to Strauss and Lanner before playing a folk tune in this lilting meter.
Alternatives to 4/4 Time
Move beyond familiar 4/4 time by understanding what a time signature's top and bottom numbers really mean, opening the door to new rhythms.
Using Accidentals
Step outside a key signature using sharp, flat, and natural signs called accidentals, and learn how long they stay in force within a measure.
Introducing Key Signatures
Discover how the sharps or flats at the start of a piece form a key signature that tells you which key you're in and which major scale a song is built on.
Building Major Scales
Build a C major scale step by step using the whole-and-half-step formula, discovering why C uses only white keys while other starting notes mix in black ones.
Moving Hand Positions While Playing
Shift between hand positions mid-song to cover a wider range, using thumb-turns and finger crossings on the Beatles' "All My Loving."
Extending the Basic Five-Finger “G Position”
Extend G Position so both hands can stretch up to E, then play the spiritual "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" with smart fingering for repeated notes.
G Position
Find your way into G Position, placing the right thumb on G and the left pinkie two octaves below, building on the positions you already know.
Extending the Basic Five-Finger F Position
Stretch your thumb and pinkie out of the basic F Position to reach extra notes, then put it into practice with the folk tune "Marianne."
F Position
Set up F Position with both hands, resting your right thumb on F and remembering the B-flat the key of F requires, ready to move beyond the basic five-finger shape.
The Building Blocks of Scales
Explore the major scale, the foundation of most Western melodies, and learn how whole steps and half steps combine to build its distinctive pattern.
“Straight Eighths” vs. “Swing Eighths”
Drop the middle note of each triplet to hear where swing eighths come from, and learn why the "&" lands later than in straight rhythms.
4/4 Time Signature
Decode the 4/4 time signature placed after the clef, where the top number sets four beats per measure and the bottom number defines the beat's rhythmic value.
The Sixteenth Rest
Get to know the two-flagged sixteenth rest and play a melody that weaves together quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes with their matching rests.
Introducing Sixteenth Notes
Learn the sixteenth note, worth a quarter of a beat, along with its double flags and beams and the new "e & a" counting that divides each beat into four.
Introducing Dotted Eighth Notes
Add a dot to an eighth note to stretch it to three-quarters of a beat, then pair it with a sixteenth note to fill a single beat.
Eighth-Note Triplets
Squeeze three eighth notes into a single beat to create triplets, counting "1 trip-let 2 trip-let" evenly while spotting the telltale beamed "3."
The Eighth Rest
Get acquainted with the eighth rest, a half-beat silence, and practice a melody that mixes eighth notes and rests by clapping before you play.
Introducing Tied Notes
Discover how a tie links two same-pitch notes into one sustained sound, letting a note ring across the barline when beats run short.
Introducing Dotted Notes
Add a dot after a note to extend its length by half again, turning half notes into three-beat values and quarter notes into one-and-a-half.
Introducing Eighth Notes
Meet the eighth note, lasting half a beat, and learn how flags and beams notate it whether it stands alone or joins its neighbors.
The Left-Hand C Position
Move your left hand into C position and play your first left-hand song, the spiritual "Dry Bones," while mastering fingering, steady counting, and a tricky pickup measure.
Fingers and Finger Numbers
Start developing left-hand technique and bass-clef reading with the 1-to-5 finger numbers, keeping both hands progressing at the same pace from the outset.
Pickup Measures
Find out why many songs start partway into the first measure and how composers use pickup measures to drop the opening rests before the melody begins.
The Right-Hand C Position
Set up the right-hand C Position, resting your thumb on middle C and pinkie on G, the anchored five-note shape behind your first one-position songs.
Fingers and Finger Numbers
Learn the 1-to-5 finger-numbering system for both hands and why beginners need fingerings marked beside the notes before playing their first songs.
Introducing Rests
Understand rests as measured beats of silence, learning to count and observe one-, two-, and four-beat pauses just as carefully as the notes you play.
Counting Rhythms with Quarter, Half, and Whole Notes
Count your way through a 4/4 example by placing the right number of beats under each note, ensuring every measure adds up to the time signature.
Introducing Note Lengths
Get to grips with quarter, half, and whole notes, learning how each note's shape and stem tell you exactly how many beats it lasts.
Separating Music into Measures
Meet the rhythmic pulse behind music and learn how beats are grouped into measures with bar lines, including the final double bar that marks a song's end.