Basix®: Scales, Chords & Arpeggios for Keyboard: Keyboard/Piano Book & CD

This resource cuts through the noise of competing scale books by pairing every exercise with a recorded accompaniment. Students hear themselves in context from day one rather than drilling in isolation, which accelerates both technical confidence and musicality. The comprehensiveness (all major, minor, and chromatic scales plus chords and cadences across every key) means you can return to this book repeatedly as your students advance without outgrowing it.

Working through these exercises feels like having a patient partner at your side. The accompaniment is supportive rather than showy, letting your practice take center stage. There is honest satisfaction in the clarity that comes from drilling scales this way—the tactile knowledge of where your fingers belong on the keyboard builds steadily and without pretense.

This book serves students of all ages who are building or reinforcing foundational keyboard technique, from beginners establishing hand position through intermediate players solidifying their grasp of all twelve keys. It works equally well for self-guided practice and studio instruction, since the recorded accompaniment provides feedback and structure when a teacher is not present.

• Use the recorded accompaniment to establish a steady tempo before attempting the scales independently. Match the recorded pulse precisely, then gradually increase tempo as accuracy improves.
• Focus on evenness of tone and consistent finger action across all octaves rather than speed. Palmer's approach emphasizes technique first; velocity follows naturally once hand position and key strike are secure.
• Practice the chord progressions and cadences in various inversions and rhythmic patterns beyond what is written. This transforms dry technical material into practical harmonic knowledge you can apply to improvisation and sight-reading.
• Record yourself playing the scales and chords, then listen back without the accompaniment CD. Hearing your own rhythm and tone independently reveals inconsistencies the accompaniment might mask.

Assign specific pages or keys as weekly technical goals in private lessons, using the CD as an accountability tool between sessions. Students can also use this systematically during summer practice routines or as a warm-up ritual before tackling repertoire, building dexterity that directly transfers to more ambitious pieces.

• Major, minor, and chromatic scale fluency across all twelve keys
• Chord construction and voice leading in multiple inversions
• Cadence recognition and execution in all keys
• Hand independence and even finger action
• Rhythmic precision and steady pulse maintenance
• Sight-reading accuracy through systematic key exposure