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Articles & Books From David Pearl
The ideal hands-on reference for piano students who want to strengthen their skills and refine their technique--and the perfect companion and next step to the bestselling Piano For Dummies. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.
The comprehensive go-to guide for building keyboard skillsBeing able to play a tune on the piano can bring you a lifetime of sheer aesthetic pleasure—and put you in serious demand at parties! Whatever your motivation for tinkling the ivories, the latest edition of Piano & Keyboard All-In-One For Dummies gives you the essentials you need both to build your playing skills and expand your knowledge of music theory, from deciding what keyboard suits you best to musing on the science of what makes music so emotionally compelling.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-22-2022
Piano exercises can improve the way you play and heighten awareness of your mental and physical approach to the piano. Warm up before piano exercises by stretching and contracting your wrists; and then try your hand at chord relaxation and playing with one hand on top of the other. And remember to incorporate fluid breathing as you play.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-15-2022
Playing piano and various keyboard instruments can become a lifelong passion, so be careful what you wish for. But it all starts with — and often, even for the masters, comes back to — the basics. This includes scales, posture, and determining which type of keyboard you'd like to play.Building a musical scalePut simply, a musical scale is a series of notes in a specific, consecutive order.
Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016
If you hope to be a piano or keyboard player, you need to know the key signatures. Here’s a rundown of the major and natural minor key signatures and a couple of octaves’ worth of notes in those keys, arranged in a scale. (The key signatures are ordered following the Circle of Fifths instead of alphabetical order.
Step by Step / Updated 10-27-2023
When the singer needs a good intro, who’s going to play it? The drummer? Probably not. You are. A piano or keyboard intro is a great addition to a song. And it can’t be any old intro — it’s gotta be good. The audience has a tendency to talk between songs, so it’s your job to shut ’em up and announce the start of the new song.
Step by Step / Updated 10-27-2023
You can use the pedal on the piano or keyboard to achieve different effects with your musical sound and add a whole new dimension to your playing. Give these exercises a try for some practice.Uniform Pedal Changes on One LineAlthough changing the pedal with the change of harmony is a general rule, change it more frequently when you’re also playing a melodic line.
Step by Step / Updated 10-27-2023
The key to making good, accurate jumps on the piano or keyboard is the same whether the jump is big or small: Maintain a comfortable, balanced hand position as you jump from the starting hand position across the keyboard to your landing destination. Jumping with an overextended pinky and your hand outstretched like the descent of a giant hawk upon its prey is very common.
Step by Step / Updated 10-27-2023
To expand your piano expertise, you should try some broken chord exercises. Broken-chord patterns are common in accompaniment figures and can help make you a well-rounded player. Check out these four patterns found in a wide range of styles.Alberti bass exerciseThe Alberti bass is common in classical-style accompaniments.
Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016
On a piano or keyboard, a handoff is achieved by passing a melodic line from one hand to the other. Typically your left hand will hand off an ascending line to your right hand, and vice versa.
A hand crossover is for when you find it handy (and impressive) to cross one hand over the other to grab a note or a chord or two.