Premier Piano Course, Technique 3: Piano Book

Technique 3 builds on a proven pedagogical sequence without wasting time. The four new technique tools arrive when students are ready to tackle them, and the structure ensures every exercise connects directly to the lesson material students already know. The integration of Artistic Etudes, Hands-Together Workshops, and Masterwork Etudes means technique never lives in isolation—students learn why these skills matter the moment they apply them to real music.

The pages balance precision with musicality. Technique exercises feel purposeful because they immediately connect to expressive settings where technique becomes a tool for interpretation. Hand contractions, double-note shifts, and finger changes begin to feel natural rather than mechanical as students apply them in Artistic Etudes that demand real musical choices.

Technique 3 serves piano students progressing through the Premier Piano Course at Level 3, typically children in early elementary through early middle school who are building independence and musical expression. Teachers implementing the full Premier Piano Course curriculum will use this book alongside the corresponding Lesson Book 3 to reinforce technical skills in a structured, progressive framework.

• Approach the Hands-Together Workshops as problem-solving sessions rather than pure drill. Isolate the specific coordination challenge, play hands separately at a slow tempo, then bring them together only when each hand feels secure.
• Use the Masterwork Etudes to bridge technique and standard piano literature. These pieces prepare students for the repertoire they will encounter later, so play them with the same musical intention you would bring to a recital piece.
• Return to earlier Artistic Etudes occasionally as technique expands. A piece learned at Level 2 gains new dimension when a student can now execute finger changes and hand contractions with control.

Integrate Technique 3 as the backbone of weekly lesson preparation for students on this course. The page-by-page correlation between Technique and Lesson books means each week's technical work directly supports that week's new repertoire. When students encounter a passage in an Artistic Etude or Masterwork Etude that requires one of the four new technique tools, you'll have already built competence through the preceding exercises.

• Changing fingers on repeated notes with smooth legato
• Double-note shifts and hand position adjustments
• Hand contraction and expansion for varied intervals
• Playing ovals for rotational hand motion and release
• Coordinating hands together at varying tempos and dynamic levels
• Reading and interpreting artistic markings in context
• Recognizing and executing techniques found in standard piano masterworks