Succeeding at the Piano, Lesson and Technique Book - Grade 4 Cover Image

Succeeding at the Piano, Lesson and Technique Book - Grade 4: Piano Book

$7.95 USD
$7.95 USD
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Succeeding at the Piano, Lesson and Technique Book - Grade 4 Cover Image
Succeeding at the Piano, Lesson and Technique Book - Grade 4: Piano Book

Succeeding at the Piano, Lesson and Technique Book - Grade 4: Piano Book

Edited by Helen Marlais

Item: 98-FJH2075
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Description
In Grade 4 of Succeeding at the Piano® students continue to cultivate musicianship and a passion for playing piano! New concepts are: triads and inversions; two octave scales; the circle of fifths; dominant seventh chords in root position; the trill; the key of B flat Major; 3 forms of E minor and G minor; diminished triads; refined pedal technique; sixteenth notes and sixteenth notes variants. Bach’s Prelude in C BWV 846 and classical themes by Brahms, Liszt, Mozart, Beethoven and Grieg are interspersed with folk tunes and original solos by leading FJH composers. By reviewing the concepts of transposing, musical forms, intervals, and technical tips, Grade 4 supports the pedagogical foundation laid down in previous grades.

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Additional Details
Series: Succeeding at the Piano
Publisher: The FJH Music Company, Inc.
ISBN10: 1-61928-022-1
ISBN13: 978-1-61-928022-9
UPC: 674398230945
SKU: 98-FJH2075

More about this title

Why we love this

Grade 4 balances classical foundations with genuine musical variety, threading Bach alongside folk material and original solos so students experience different styles without losing sight of core technique. The pedagogical scaffolding is transparent: each new concept (circle of fifths, dominant sevenths, trills) builds on what came before, and the interspersed review sections keep earlier skills alive. Most importantly, the repertoire selection feels curated for real learners, not just a checklist of composers.

What to expect

A bridge between early learning and more autonomous musical thinking. The classical excerpts offer glimpses of the repertoire students will eventually tackle in full; the original solos give them space to apply new techniques without navigating dense notation or unfamiliar harmonic language.

Who it's for

Intermediate pianists ready to think more systematically about harmony and form. Students who have solid note-reading skills and can sustain focus on pieces that demand real musicianship, not just technical flash.

How to get the most out of it

  • Isolate trills in slow practice first. Set a comfortable speed where both the main note and trill note sound clear, then gradually increase tempo until the ornament becomes fluid.
  • Map out the circle of fifths on staff paper before tackling pieces that modulate through these relationships. Visual understanding transfers directly to hand position shifts and key changes.
  • Work pedal technique independently from the piece. Press and release the pedal on single notes and chords to develop the timing muscle memory before layering it into full passages.
  • Study the different inversions of each triad separately. Play root position, first inversion, and second inversion in sequence so the voice leading and hand position feel distinct.

How to use it

Use this as the spine of a student's private lesson sequence across the school year, or assign specific etudes and solos to reinforce concepts taught in group piano classes. The Bach prelude alone justifies a unit on preludes and fugues later in the curriculum.

Skills your students will build

  • Identifying and voicing triads in root position and inversions
  • Reading and playing two-octave scales across multiple keys
  • Understanding functional harmony through the circle of fifths
  • Recognizing and performing dominant seventh chords in context
  • Executing ornaments (trill, mordent, turn) with control and clarity
  • Playing in B flat Major and distinguishing the three forms of E minor and G minor
  • Reading and performing sixteenth-note rhythms and syncopated variants
  • Applying damper pedal technique with musical intent rather than habit
  • Transposing melodies and phrases to different keys
  • Recognizing musical forms (binary, ternary, rondo) in written music

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