Piano Exercises For Dummies

By David Pearl

Practice, practice, practice to play like Chopin or the Piano Man

The piano will help you add a touch of fun to your life, impress your friends at parties, and even reduce stress. It even makes you better at math (really!). Piano Exercises For Dummies is at your service as you learn to make those 88 black and white keys sing. You’ll get a quick overview of the basics before diving into practice routines and sample songs that you can use to improve your skill, whatever your level. This book gives you online access to audio files of the exercises along with digital access to the sheet music shared in the book. Learn from an experienced pianist, composer, and arranger, and start making beautiful music, the Dummies way!

• Refresh your knowledge of the piano basics so you’re poised and prepared to play the right way
• Play enjoyable practice exercises and songs designed to teach specific skills and techniques in all genres
• Go online to access all the audio files, anytime, anywhere
• Bring a little more joy into your life by stepping up your piano know-how

Piano Exercises For Dummies is for new and experienced pianists alike, and useful for improving your skill in any musical style.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wiley
• Release date: Feb 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781119873242

Book preview

Cover: Piano Exercises For Dummies, 2nd Edition by David PearlTitle Page

Piano Exercises For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2022 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2022930462

ISBN 978-1-119-87320-4 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-87325-9 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-87324-2 (ebk)

Piano Exercises For Dummies®

To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for Piano Exercises For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part 1: Waking Up Your Fingers

Chapter 1: Getting Ready to Practice

Warming Up Away from the Instrument

Perfecting Practice with Proper Posture

Chapter 2: Isolating and Exercising Your Fingers

Two-Finger Exercises for the Left Hand

Two-Finger Exercises for the Right Hand

Three-Finger Exercises for the Left Hand

Three-Finger Exercises for the Right Hand

Four-Finger Exercises for the Left Hand

Four-Finger Exercises for the Right Hand

Performance Piece: Come Back to Sorrento

Chapter 3: Music for Five Fingers

Smooth Articulation: Playing Legato

Short Articulation: Playing Staccato

Developing Right-Hand Finger Independence with Five-Finger Position Scales

Developing Left-Hand Finger Independence with Five-Finger Position Scales

Doubling the Fun: Putting the Hands Together

Performance Piece: Paganini Variation for Ten Fingers

Part 2: Developing a Strong, Supple, and Speedy Hand

Chapter 4: Passing Under and Crossing Over

One Under Two, Two Over One

One Under Three, Three Over One

One Under Four, Four Over One

Extending Scales with Crossovers and Pass-Unders

Performance Piece: Aria from La Cenerentola

Chapter 5: Playing Intervals

Playing Seconds with Different Finger Combinations

Playing Thirds with Different Finger Combinations

Playing Fourths with Different Finger Combinations

Playing Fifths, Sixths, and Sevenths

Performance Piece: Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Chapter 6: Playing Chords without Tension

Chord Relaxation

Voicing Chords

Chord Repetition

Simple Progressions, Adding Small Arm Motions

Chord and Melody Combination Exercises

Performance Piece: Battle Hymn of the Republic

Part 3: Including Your Arms and Body

Chapter 7: Extending Your Scales

The 12 Major, Harmonic Minor, and Melodic Minor Scales

The Three Diminished Scales

The Chromatic Scale

The 12 Blues Scales

Gaining Greater Command of Scales

Performance Piece: Variation VII from Variations on ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’

Chapter 8: Parallel and Contrary Motion

Parallel Movement at the Octave

Parallel Movement at the Interval

Contrary Motion Away from the Center

Contrary Motion Toward the Center

Combination Movement Exercise

Performance Piece: Turkey in the Straw

Chapter 9: Footwork: Using the Damper Pedal

Pedaling Chords

Pedaling Changes on a Single Line

Pedaling for Effect

Performance Piece: Simple Gifts

Chapter 10: Jumping Across the Keyboard

Jumping and Landing Accuracy Skills

Mastering More Complicated Jumps

Jumping with Both Hands Together

Left-Hand Accompaniment Patterns (with Pedal)

Left-Hand Accompaniment Patterns (without Pedal)

Performance Piece: Lily Pad Rag

Part 4: Integration and Independence

Chapter 11: Playing Arpeggios

Finger Jumps

The Arpeggiator

Broken Chords (and How to Fix Them)

Performance Piece: Harp Heaven

Chapter 12: Alternating Hands

Hand-to-Hand Scale Handoffs

Hand-to-Hand Arpeggio Handoffs

Crossing Over

One Hand on Top

Extreme Keyboard Positions

Full Keyboard Exercises

Chord Drumming

Performance Piece: El Choclo

Chapter 13: Stretching Out with Octaves and Broken Octaves

Opening Up to the Octave

Octave Jumps

Broken Octaves

Octave Chords

Performance Piece: Schumann’s Octave Workout

Chapter 14: Chord Progressions and Cadences

Triad Progressions

Seventh Chord Progressions

Chord Cadences and Familiar Patterns

Extended Chord Progressions

Chords in One Hand, Melody in the Other

Performance Piece: Awake, My Heart, and Sing

Chapter 15: Trilling Thrills and Other Fancy Ornaments

Grace Notes

Trills

Mordents

Turns

Repeated Notes

R-R-R-Rolling Chords

The Glissando

The Tremolo

Performance Piece: Caro Nome

Chapter 16: Maximum Independence: Challenging Rhythms and Syncopations

Combining Scale and Arpeggio Patterns

Exercises with Changing Note Values

Exercises with Changing Meters

Syncopation Exercises

Exercises with Polyrhythms

Performance Piece: I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise

Part 5: The Part of Tens

Chapter 17: Ten Dances for Your Hands

Jig: Captain Jinks

Calypso: Water Come-a Me Eye

Waltz: "Waltz from Faust"

Tarantella

Tango: El Porteñito

Mexican Hat Dance

Polka: Pizzicato Polka

Boogie: Johnson Rag

Hungarian Dance No. 5

Gypsy Dance from Carmen

Chapter 18: Ten Great Composers and Their Daily Workouts

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)

Muzio Clementi (1752–1832)

Karl Czerny (1791–1857)

Claude Debussy (1862–1918)

Enrique Granados (1867–1916)

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)

Edward MacDowell (1861–1908)

Carl Nielsen (1865–1931)

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)

Appendix: How to Use the Website

What You'll Find on the Website

Troubleshooting Website Problems

Index

About the Author

Advertisement Page

Connect with Dummies

End User License Agreement

List of Illustrations

Chapter 1

FIGURE 1-1: Use one hand to massage the other.

FIGURE 1-2: Cross your thumb and pinky to make an X shape.

FIGURE 1-3: Contract your hand by making a fist.

FIGURE 1-4: Hold your hands out and slowly move them in circles.

FIGURE 1-5: Continue rotating your wrists as a warm-up.

FIGURE 1-6: Use control during this forearm swing.

FIGURE 1-7: Place your outstretched hands on the wall in front of you.

FIGURE 1-8: Massage the tight areas in your shoulder.

FIGURE 1-9: Hunch and release your shoulders.

FIGURE 1-10: Use a strap to help you with this stretch.

FIGURE 1-11: Gently stretch your neck.

FIGURE 1-12: Round your back before reaching up to stretch.

FIGURE 1-13: Bend toward the floor.

FIGURE 1-14: Drape one hand around the fist of your other hand.

FIGURE 1-15: Count these eighth-notes.

FIGURE 1-16: Raise your wrists with your fingertips on the fallboard.

FIGURE 1-17: Put your hands in playing position on top of the fallboard.

FIGURE 1-18: Move your hands along the fallboard as if you’re playing the keys....

Introduction

Piano Exercises For Dummies is for people who love playing the piano and want to improve the way they play. I include more than 150 exercises, tips, and explanations to help you gain a greater understanding of your mental and physical approach to the piano. When you combine these exercises with a deeper understanding of how the piano works as an instrument, you can improve the quality of the music you make.

There is a certain paradox in linking exercise with playing the piano: Goals of building muscle strength and developing endurance through repetitive drills, and a no pain, no gain mindset don’t apply to music making. You can neither improve nor enjoy playing the piano if you’re bored, uncomfortable, or in pain. My goal is to encourage you to become more mentally and physically engaged