Treasures in Technique, Book Four - Speed and Positioning: All levels Piano Book

Book Four delivers exactly what pianists need when speed and control become central concerns. The progression from wrist staccato through arpeggios is logical and musically grounded, so technique never feels divorced from actual playing. Teachers appreciate how each concept connects to repertoire students will encounter.

Focused and purposeful. Each exercise targets a specific technical challenge without unnecessary ornamentation, so students know exactly what they're building and why. The work feels efficient and satisfying as skills accumulate.

Students who have moved beyond foundational technique and are ready to refine precision and velocity. This book suits pianists preparing for examinations, competitions, or who are tackling pieces requiring clean passagework and confident voicing.

• Isolate wrist rotation from arm motion by practicing with a relaxed shoulder; the movement originates in the wrist joint, not the forearm.
• Build sixteenth-note facility slowly by first speaking the rhythm aloud, then playing at a tempo where note clarity remains absolute.
• Practice scale fingerings in both hands separately before combining them; muscle memory for the 'awkward' fingers (3-4 and 4-5 transitions) takes longer to establish.
• Work on chord inversions by playing each inversion shape repeatedly at the same hand position before moving to the next; this builds tactile awareness of finger spacing.

Assign chapters sequentially alongside repertoire that demands the same technical tools; a student working through a Baroque minuet benefits from simultaneous study of scale patterns and inversions. Some teachers use selections from this book as warm-up material in group lessons or studio classes.

• Wrist staccato and rotational independence from the arm
• Sixteenth-note articulation and rhythmic precision
• Diatonic and chromatic scale fingerings in multiple keys
• Cross-hand blocked and broken triad voicing
• Chord inversions with secure hand positioning
• Two-octave arpeggio patterns in varied keys
• Repeated-note technique with consistency and control