The Contemporary Piano Method is recommended reference material for the AMEB's Contemporary Popular Syllabus. 'Twelve Bar Blues' and 'Rock it to me Blues' are set as Grade One list pieces for the ANZCA Modern Pianoforte examinations.
The overall objective of the material in Book 1A and 1B is to enable the student to play within the five-finger hand position over the range of four octaves, with extensions to the intervals of sixth, seventh and octave, in all major keys, using note-values from the whole note to the sixteenth note. Guide notes for teachers and students are included on page 65.
Contents
- Stage 1: Interval Reading in the five-finger hand-position – including reading without looking at the hands, playing by feel, developing the ear by listening for the intervals for correction, and transposition. Awareness of combined direction for both hands: up, down, in, out, same or oblique. Proportional notation for easy understanding of timing. Playing in all areas from Very High C to Very Low C (over the range of four octaves). The use of the Contemporary Theory Primer alongside the practical materials facilitates the reading of intervals and understanding of timing concepts.
- Stage 2: Introduction of Scales – for hand-position changes, to learn scale pathways on the keyboard, to learn key signatures and the cycle of fifths, to find chords in root position.
- Stage 3: Extension of the five-finger position using the larger intervals: sixths, sevenths and octaves.
- Stage 4: (a) Chords in Inversions, Block and Broken forms. (b) Primary Chords in Major Keys and the Chord Table – how to find chords on the written music, chordal analysis of each piece, 12-Bar Blues.
- Stage 5: Playing in all major keys via scale pathways and interval reading – using the key signature in the original sense of the word, as a 'key' to unlock the puzzle; more hand-position changes along pre-learned scale pathways; Chromatic scale. Throughout the entire course there is a progressive introduction of musical signs, touch markings, etc. plus the pieces give experience in reading in many time-signatures and all styles of music.
Recommended supplementary materials
For best results expand your student's repertoire and technique using the following Brandman supplementary materials. Page references for these materials are printed in the CPM.
- Junior Trax followed by Hot Trax
- Daily Dexter Flexers
- Dexter's Easy Piano Pieces
- It's Easy to Improvise
- Pictorial Patterns for Keyboard Scales and Chords
To develop a secure understanding of the musical concepts, use the CPM Bk1A together with the following ear-training and theory materials:
- Contemporary Theory Primer
- Contemporary Theory Workbook – Book 1
- Contemporary Aural Course – Preparatory Level and Set one
"I must tell you, I learnt so much from your books and found them so absolutely crammed full of juicy information!"— Abe Cytrynowski, ANZCA Examiner and Piano Teacher, Melbourne, Australia
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