01 December 2024
I wanted to summarise everything covered so far in Simply Piano to get a clear picture of what I have actually learned in the last 3 years. When all levels are completed it is the equivalent to Grade II. It is possible to obtain a certificate from Trinity College, London.
Piano Basics
First 4 notes C, D, E, F with right hand. Finger numbers.
Essentials I
C Position, First 5 notes with left hand. Right and left hand coordination
Rhythm: quarter, half, 8th notes & rest
Right hand 2nd and 3rd intervals
Essentials II
Note A – extended pinky 5 and thumb 1
5th intervals
F position. First full octave range (covered by C + F positions)
Essentials III
C major scale, dotted quarter note rhythm intro
Introduction to sharps and flats (accidentals)
Classical I
Classical pieces Spring, Minute in G, Sonate 11, New World Symphony, Zarathustra
Intro to Classical Musical Periods
Theory 101
Basic notation, rhythm, harmony, steps & half steps, intervals & chord basics
Intermediate I
D position, common left hand intervals, crossing over thumb technique
Rhythm: Quarter dotted note, Syncopation intro (1+2+3+4+)
Intermediate II
Extended C position, Switching between C, D & F positions
Intro to ties
Intermediate III
Extended F & D positions, Switching between extended positions
C Scale
Intermediate IV
G Position, High C Position – Shifting to all positions
D & G scales
Pop Chords I
First four chords C, G, D, Em
See table with all chords learned + suggested fingers.
Chord Styling I
New chord Am
Style pattern 1: root then 3&5 together
Style pattern 2: LH Bass note joining right hand full chord on every other beat
Pop Chords II
New chords F, Dm
Chord Styling II
Rock pattern & Ballad pattern
Chord Styling III
Alternating Bass style
Further work on Ballad Pattern
Mixing up chord styles in the same song
Pop Chords III
New chords E, A & Bm
Lead Sheet I, II & III
Chords on the left hand and melody with the right hand, with increasing complexity and shifting positions.
Lead Sheet I
Left Hand Chords C, G, F, Am Right hand in C Position, after Essentials III & Chord Styling I
Lead Sheet II
Left Hand Chords D, Em, Dm – Right hand in C & F positions – after Int II & Chord Styling III
Lead Sheet III
Left Hand Chords A, Bm – Right hand shifting between more positions – after Int IV & Pop Chords III
The following chords courses require knowledge of 10 Chords. Need to have completed Pop Chords I, II, III.
Blues Chords I
New chords G7, C7, D7
Swing Pattern, 12 Bar Blues in G
12 Bar Blues in G
G7 C7 G7 G7
C7 C7 G7 G7
D7 C7 G7 D7
Jazz Chords I
New chords Dm7, Cmaj7, Am7
Jazz Pattern; 2,5,1 & turnaround chord progressions.
ii, V, I chord progression
ii V I
Dm7 G7 Cmaj7 -> jazzy version of C
2, 5, 1 i.e. Dm, G, C in the key of C
Turnaround chord progression
I vi ii V
Cmaj7 Am7 Dm7 G7
1, 6, 2, 5 i.e. C, Am, Dm, G in the key of C
Jazz Chords II
Seven new chords! E7, Em7, F7, Fmaj7, Gmaj7, A7, Bdim (six 7th chords + one diminished chord)
Jazz Waltz pattern, Minor 2, 5, 1 chord progression
ii V i chord progression
Bdim E7 Am (Minor 2, 5, 1 i.e. Bdim, E7, Am in the key of Am)
Slash Chords I
Regular chords with different base notes. Notation F/C means F chord with C note, F over C. On this course the chord is played with RH and note is played with LH.
Pedal Bass – chord progression with same bass note. i.e. LH is on C bass, right hand shifts between C, F, C chords. Pedal bass on C, A, E, D exercises.
Moving Bass – RH plays same chord, i.e. G, LH moves between bass notes, i.e. G, F# and E. The notation would be G, G/F#, G/E. Moving Bass G, Am and A variations exercises
Chord Inversions – i.e. C (C E G) chord on RH with C as bass note on LH. C chord with E bass = C/E. C chord with G bass = C/G. Chord Inversions C, F, Em, G, Am, D, Dm and E exercises.
Arpeggios I
Arpeggio is a broken chord with notes played one by one, i.e. The Alberti Bass.
Right-Hand inversions music sheet in Play for practice.
Upwards arpeggio pattern + sheet music in Play for practice. i.e. C E G + inversions. C, F, G exercises and adding left hand bass.
Gmaj7 chord (see Jazz Chords II) played arpeggiated
Up and down arpeggio pattern RH – C E G E C
Left hand intervals C, G/B, Am, F.
Pre-Advanced I
Intro to keys, and key Signatures G, D & F
F Scale – Rhythm: 16th notes
Pre-Advanced II
Left hand development with Triads (C, F, G) – I just called LH Am, Dm, G (inversion D G B), C
Oompah(Swing bass) – Are you Lonesome Tonight? and Alberti Bass – Amelie’s Theme
Pre-Advanced III
Triplets – Rhythm: 1/8th note swing
Position free playing
Major & Minor scales
Optional Songs
After Int IV: Für Elise, Bohemian Rhapsody,
Taste of Bach I (Minuet in G and Arioso),
Taste of Bach II (Minuet in Gm and Air On The G String)
After Pre-Advanced I: The Entertainer, Turkish March
After Arpeggios I: Someone Like You
Chords Learned + Suggested fingerings LH / RH
| C C E G 5 3 1 | Cm C Eb G 5 3 1 | C7 C E G Bb 5 3 2 1 | Cmaj7 C E G B ————5 1 3 5 | RH C – C D E F G Cm C D Eb F G |
| G G B D 5 3 1 | Gm G Bb D 5 3 1 | G7 G B D F 5 3 2 1 | Gmaj7 G B D F# ————-5 3 2 1 | RH G – G A B C D Gm G A Bb C D |
| D D F# A 5 3 1 | Dm D F A 5 3 1 | D7 D F# A C 5 3 2 1 | Dm7 D F A C ———5 4 2 1 | RH D – D E F# G A Dm D E F G A |
| A A C# E 5 3 1 | Am A C E 5 3 1 | A7 A C# E G ——5 3 2 1 | Am7 A C E G ———5 4 2 1 | RH A – A B C# D E Am A B C D E |
| E E G# B 5 3 1 | Em E G B 5 3 1 | E7 E G# B D 5 3 2 1 | Em7 E G B D ———5 4 2 1 | RH E – E F# G# A B Em E F# G A B |
| B B D# F# 5 3 1 | Bm B D F# ——–5 3 1 | Bdim B D F ———–5 3 1 | RH B – B C# D# E F# Bm B C# D E F# | |
| F F A C 5 3 1 | Fm F Ab C 5 3 1 | F7 F A C Eb 5 3 2 1 | Fmaj7 F A E C ————5 3 2 1 | RH F – F G A Bb C Fm F G Ab Bb C |
| Bb Bb D F 5 3 1 | Bbm Bb Db F 5 3 1 | RH Bb – Bb C D Eb F Bbm Bb C Db Eb F |
Left Hand Chords Practice
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