Pentascale Pro, Book 1: Piano Book

Name: Pentascale Pro, Book 1: Piano Book
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-31999
Price: 8.95 USD
Availability: InStock

An Introduction to Major and Minor 5-Finger Patterns

By Melody Bober, Gayle Kowalchyk, and E. L. Lancaster

Level: Elementary

Item: 00-31999

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These first books in Alfred's Lesson Enhancement Series introduce students to all major and minor five finger patterns in all 12 keys. The pentascales are divided into similar groups to promote ease in learning. Book 1 includes the Group 1 Keys (C, G, F major and minor) and the Group 2 Keys (D, A, E major and minor). Book 2 includes the Group 3 Keys (D-flat, A-flat, E-flat major and minor) and the Group 4 Keys (B-flat, B, G-flat or F-sharp major and minor). In each book, technical exercises are provided in each key with an interesting teacher accompaniment. A short solo is included for each key, in addition to an optional teacher duet accompaniment. Two or three of these solos can be grouped together for variety in performance.

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Series: Lesson Enhancement Series

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 44

ISBN10: 0-7390-5775-8

ISBN13: 978-0-7390-5775-9

UPC: 038081348513

SKU: 00-31999

More about this title

About the Composer: Melody Bober

Melody Bober combines practical teaching experience with compositional craft. She holds a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and a Master of Arts in piano performance from Minnesota State University, Moorhead. Her teachers included Joel Shapiro and Andrew Froelich (piano), Mary Hoffman (music education), and Tony Caramia (jazz). Over her career, she has taught piano privately, directed church music programs, worked in public schools for two decades, and taught at the university level.

Bober's reputation rests on her ability to write motivational music that deepens students' connection to their instrument and to music itself. She is a sought-after clinician at piano teacher conventions and workshops throughout North America, where she shares her insights on repertoire and pedagogy. She lives in Minnesota with her husband Jeff.

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Why we love this

This series transforms pentascale practice from rote repetition into purposeful musical learning. Each key includes both technical exercises with engaging teacher accompaniments and short solos that students can actually perform, so technical work immediately connects to real repertoire. The logical grouping of keys by difficulty and the inclusion of optional duet parts make this resource flexible enough to work in group settings, studio lessons, or as homework.

What to expect

Fresh and exploratory. Each key opens a new sonic world, and the short solos feel genuinely musical rather than like exercises. The teacher accompaniments add warmth and encouragement, making practice feel collaborative rather than isolating.

Who it's for

Beginning pianists working through their first year or two of study who are ready to explore multiple keys systematically. This book works well alongside a primary method book and fills the technical foundation gap that general method books sometimes rush past.

How to get the most out of it

Play through the technical exercises in a key before moving to its solo so your fingers know the terrain and the pattern becomes muscle memory rather than sight-reading.
If you're performing one of the solos, collaborate with your teacher on the accompaniment during rehearsal; the interplay between your line and the teacher's part transforms a simple piece into an actual duet.
Group two or three solos from different keys in a practice session to build key awareness and keep your ears alert to tonal shifts.

How to use it

Assign the Group 1 and Group 2 keys sequentially throughout the year as students progress through their primary method. The solos work beautifully in studio recitals or casual performance settings where you might program three keys in a row to show growth and variety.