FingerTips With a Touch of Theory, Book 3: Piano Technique Book

Working through Book 3 feels like opening doors to the harmonic vocabulary of the Baroque and Classical repertoire. Each scale and cadence exercise builds confidence with chromatic alterations and harmonic color, transforming abstract theory into tangible finger patterns.

Intermediate pianists preparing for guild auditions, festival competitions, and music theory assessments will find this book essential scaffolding. Teachers building a comprehensive technique curriculum appreciate the coordination between theory concepts and the hands-on keyboard application.

• Spend focused time on the plagal cadence before moving forward; students often rush through iv-I progressions without hearing the distinct harmonic color that separates it from authentic progressions.
• Work harmonic minor scales hands separately until the raised seventh degree becomes automatic, then gradually increase tempo to build fluency.
• Use the diminished triad exercises to establish clarity in voice leading; these voicings expose sloppy finger independence immediately.

Assign Book 3 as the core technique text during the fall festival preparation season, pairing it with repertoire that features the harmonic language students are drilling. The black key major scale section works naturally alongside Chopin nocturnes or preludes that exploit these fingerings.

• Recognizing and playing first inversion triads in all keys
• Constructing diminished triads and using them in progressions
• Playing the plagal cadence (iv-I) with harmonic awareness
• Executing black key major scales, triads, and cadences with consistent fingering
• Building harmonic minor scales in D, G, C, and F with secure raised seventh degree
• Understanding and performing harmonic minor triads and cadences