Contemporary Class Piano

Highly acclaimed for its creative approach to beginning piano, Contemporary Class Piano presents materials in an engaging manner and in a logical progression of difficulty. Easily accessible to students with no prior music or keyboard experience, the book offers a well-rounded and abundant solo and ensemble repertoire-including classical pieces and folk, jazz, rock, pop, and blues tunes-with ample opportunities for students to improvise, transpose, harmonize, and compose accompaniments. New to the Enhanced Edition: * Incorporates thirty-five new reading, repertoire, and ensemble pieces in various styles and levels of difficulty * Introduces a new "Classic Miniatures" section-featuring excerpts of original keyboard pieces written by master composers-that allows students to enjoy and play a broad mix of representative classical pieces early on in their keyboard study * Adds six new melodies at the end of Unit 5 that give students more opportunities to practice interpreting chord symbols and harmonizing folk songs, symphonic themes, and other styles, using a variety of accompaniment patterns * Each book is packaged with a free CD containing orchestration accompaniments to twenty-eight of the new pieces prepared by composer Jason Nyberg (in both practice and performance tempos) for students to use on their own. * FREE TO INSTRUCTORS UPON ADOPTION: In addition toa set of four MIDI disks-which are packaged separately from the text and contain approximately 200 orchestration accompaniments prepared by renowned composer Phillip Keveren-a new MIDI disk with accompaniments for twenty-eight of the additional pieces in the enhanced edition has been created by composer James Nyberg for in-class use. These accompaniments motivate students to practice and complete their assignments more readily. * A teacher's manual with suggested lesson plans and teaching tips for the first semester of study is available at www.oup.com/us/classpiano.

Table of Contents:
*=NEW TO THIS EDITION ; UNIT 1. KEYBOARD BASICS ; Keyboard Posture ; Finger Numbers ; Basic Note Values ; The Keyboard ; The Major Five-Finger Pattern ; Dynamics ; Reading Notes ; Intervals ; Keeping Time ; Slur and Phrase Markings ; Key Signature ; Transposition ; Eighth Notes and Eighth Rests ; Drone Bass ; Repertoire ; Improvisation ; Harmonization ; Sightreading Studies ; Technical Studies ; Rhythmic Studies ; Ensemble Pieces ; Worksheet Review ; READING ; * Keveren, ; * Beethoven, Shepherd's Song ("Pastoral" from Symphony No. 6) ; * Classic Miniatures: Gurlitt, The Contest, Op. 136, No. 3; Beyer, Two Etudes ; REPERTOIRE ; * Bartok, Melody (No. 1 from First Term at the Piano) ; * ENSEMBLE PIECES ; * Wohlfahrt, Waltz, Op. 87, No. 39 (from The Children's Musical Friend) ; * Mach, Ancient Chinese Bells ; UNIT 2. THE FIVE-FINGER PATTERN ; Playing in Different Registers ; Tempo Markings ; More Dynamic Markings ; Dotted Quarter Notes ; Accidentals ; Slurs ; Parallel Motion ; 6/8 Time ; Identifying Flat Key Signatures ; Change of Dynamics ; Contrary Motion ; Major Triads ; Five-Finger Studies and Triads in Major ; The Minor Five-Finger Pattern ; Minor Triads ; Five-Finger Studies and Triads in Major and Minor ; More Tempo Markings ; Pieces Using Major and Minor Triads ; The Dominant Seventh Chord ; Block-Chord Accompaniment with I and V6/5 ; Music Chord Symbols ; Five-Finger Melodies with Letter-Name Chord Symbols for I and V6/5 Chord Accompaniments ; The Subdominant Chord ; Cadences ; The Circle of Fifths and Major Key Signatures ; Pieces with I-IV6/4-V6/5 Accompaniments ; Five-Finger Melodies with Letter-Name Chord Symbols for I, IV6/4, and V6/5 Chord Accompaniments ; Changing Five-Finger Positions ; Repertoire ; Improvisation ; Creative Music and Harmonization ; Sightreading Studies ; Rhythmic Studies ; Technical Studies ; Ensemble Pieces ; Worksheet Review ; READING ; * Mach, Sahara ; * Mach, Shoestring Boogie ; * Classic Miniatures: Reinagle, Minuet; Beyer, Etude in A Minor, Op. 101, No. 60 ; REPERTOIRE ; * Beyer, Etude in D ; ENSEMBLE PIECE ; * Diabelli, Scherzo, Op. 149, No. 6 (from Melodious Pieces) ; UNIT 3. PIECES WITH EASY ACCOMPANIMENTS ; Major Scales ; Major Scales in Tetrachord Position ; Major Scales with Fingerings for Both Hands Together ; Scale Studies in Clusters ; Triads on Major-Scale Degrees ; Intervals of a Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth (Octave) ; Extending the Five-Finger Position ; Sixteenth Notes and Sixteenth Rests ; The Dotted Eighth Note ; Musical Forms: AB and ABA ; Melodies with Letter-Name Chord Symbols for I, IV6/4, and V6/5 Chords ; Broken-Chord Accompaniment Patterns ; Waltz Pattern ; Arpeggio Accompaniment Patterns ; Syncopation ; The Damper Pedal ; Other Accompaniment Patterns ; Secondary Chords ; Intervals Within the Scale ; Melodic Lines with Intervals ; Chord Inversions ; The Damper Pedal (Indirect Pedaling) ; Hymn Style ; Augmented and Diminished Triads ; Repertoire ; Improvisation ; Creative Music and Harmonization ; Sightreading Studies ; Rhythmic Studies ; Technical Studies ; Ensemble Pieces ; Worksheet Review ; READING ; * Gurlitt, Moving Along ; * Mach, Apple Street Rag ; * Classic Miniatures: Kuhlau, Scotch Dance; T:urk, Teasing ; REPERTOIRE ; * Mach, Perpetual Motion ; * Oesten, Hunting Horns ; ENSEMBLE PIECES ; * Howard, Hello, Ma' Baby ; UNIT 4. TONALITY AND ATONALITY ; Minor Scales ; Minor Key Signatures ; Natural Minor Scales in Tetrachord Positions ; Harmonic Minor Scales ; i-iv6/4-i-V6/5-i Chord Progression ; Parallel Major and Minor Scales ; Other Scale Forms (Modes) ; The Chromatic Scale ; Jazz ; Pandiatonicism ; The Whole-Tone Scale ; Bitonality ; Atonality ; Innovative Notations ; Quartal Harmony ; Repertoire ; Bitonal Improvisation ; Sightreading Studies ; Ensemble Pieces ; Worksheet Review ; READING ; * Classic Miniatures: K:ohler, Etude, Op. 190, No. 31; Rousseau, The Village Prophet ; REPERTOIRE ; * Salutrinskaya, Shepherd Pipes ; ENSEMBLE PIECES ; * Tchaikovsky, Sugar Plum Fairy Dance (from The Nutcracker Suite) ; * Wells, Gallop ; UNIT 5. LETTER-NAME CHORD SYMBOLS ; Letter Names of I, IV, and V7 Chords ; Melodies with Letter-Name Chord Symbols ; Famous Themes ; Strumming Accompaniments ; Arpeggio Accompaniments ; Major and Minor Seventh Chords ; Letter-Name Chord Chart ; Ensemble Pieces ; MELODIES TO HARMONIZE ; * Dona Nobis Pacern ; * Hush Little Baby ; * Offenbach, O Mon Cher Amant (from La Perichole) ; * Two Guitars ; * Danube Waves ; * Mozart, Theme from Symphony No. 40, K. 550 ; UNIT 6. THIRTY PIANO CLASSICS ; 1. Rameau ; 2. Schein ; 3. Corelli ; 4. Krieger ; 5. Witthauer ; 6. Telemann ; 7. Mozart, L., Burleske (from Notebook for Wolfgang) ; 8. Haydn ; 9. Bach/Ricci ; 10. Mozart, W.A. ; 11. Beethoven ; 12. Schumann, Melody (from 43 Piano Pieces for the Young, Op. 68) ; 13. Rebikoff ; 14. Bartok, Springtime Song (No. 2 from For Children, Vol. 1) ; 15. Kadosa ; 16. Kabalevsky, A Conversation (Op. 39, No. 7) ; 17. Hovhaness, Moon Dance (No. 2 from Mountain Idylls ; 18. Starer ; 19. Gillock ; 20. Hartsell ; 21. Mier ; 22. Tingley ; 23. Tingley ; * 24. Miller ; * 25. Rameau ; * 26. Beethoven ; * 26. Gurlitt ; * 27. Tchaikovsky ; * 28. Schytte ; * 29. Tansman ; * 30. Olson ; APPENDIX A. SCORE READING ; Three-Part Texture ; Four-Part Texture ; APPENDIX B. MAJOR AND HARMONIC MINOR SCALES IN TWO OCTAVES ; Major Scales in Two Octaves ; Harmonic Minor Scales in Two Octaves ; APPENDIX C. THREE PATRIOTIC SONG ARRANGEMENTS ; 1. Carey ; 2. Bates/Ward ; 3. Key/Smith ; APPENDIX D. PERFORMANCE TERMS AND SYMBOLS

About the Author :
Elyse Mach is Professor of Music at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. She has given concerts throughout Europe and the United States, appearing as piano soloist with the NBC Symphony and the Netherlandische Philharmonic Broadcasting Orchestra. She has written nine books on piano and pianists and has been a contributing music critic for the Chicago Sun Times

Review :
The sixth edition of Contemporary Class Piano has expanded repertoire, additional harmonizations in a variety of styles, and MIDI accompaniments. With the additional material, extra teaching resources, and flexible format, Contemporary Class Piano is a welcome publication and an excellent choice for adult group piano teachers. Mary Beth Molenaar, Northwestern University, in Clavier magazine Both my students and I have had numerous fun-filled and stimulating sessions due to the wide variety of materials presented from the earliest stages. The occasional inclusion of rock rhythms ... modern music ... exotic scale patterns ... and Mexican style... are some of the diverse examples that create a very colorful learning environment. Roberta Kraft, Hope College I feel that Contemporary Class Piano is easily adapted to fit one's own curricular goals. Peter Collins, Southwest Missouri State University