Premier Piano Course, Lesson 4: Piano Book & CD

This book expertly balances technical growth with genuine musical enjoyment. Students encounter rhythmic sophistication (triplets, sixteenth notes) and harmonic concepts (minor scales, inversions, arpeggios) not as isolated drills but as working parts of compelling pieces that range from jazz and ragtime to classical styles. The included CD with both performance and practice tempos removes guesswork from interpretation and gives students a clear sonic target during practice.

A collection that pulses with energy and swagger. Triplets and sixteenth notes dance across the page in jazz and ragtime contexts where syncopation feels natural rather than academic, while classical pieces invite careful attention to the unfamiliar territory of minor scales and chord inversions. The varied styles keep fingers and ears engaged, each page offering something musically fresh.

Pianists at Level 4 ready to explore a wider keyboard range and tackle rhythmic and harmonic concepts that prepare them for intermediate classical and contemporary repertoire. These students benefit from the motivating variety of styles and the dual-tempo recordings that support independent practice.

• Engage the jazz and ragtime pieces early in your practice week when your mind is fresh for syncopation and phrasing nuances that distinguish these styles from classical repertoire.
• Record yourself playing the triplet and sixteenth-note pieces at the slower practice tempo first, then compare your articulation and rhythmic clarity to the CD recording before advancing to performance tempo.
• Use the arpeggios and chord inversions as mini-studies: isolate one instance of each new harmonic concept, play it five times with consistent tone, then return to the full piece with renewed awareness of how that gesture supports the musical line.
• Pay close attention to key signatures in the minor-key pieces; write out the scale patterns used in each piece on staff paper before your first full run-through to cement fingering patterns and harmonic awareness.

Assign pieces from this book throughout a semester or year to reinforce technical concepts introduced in the student's lesson studies. The range of styles makes individual pieces ideal for student recitals and informal performances, where the recorded accompaniments can provide harmonic support for students still building confidence in ensemble settings or performance situations.

• Reading and executing triplet rhythms within single-line and multi-hand textures
• Playing sixteenth-note passages with rhythmic precision and appropriate articulation
• Building natural and harmonic minor scales across the keyboard
• Constructing and voicing chord inversions in root position and upper inversions
• Playing one-octave arpeggios with consistent tone and proper fingering
• Interpreting jazz phrasing, syncopation, and ragtime rhythmic conventions
• Coordinating both hands in pieces with increased rhythmic independence and keyboard range