Berklee Keyboard Method will help you to develop basic technique, reading, and chord playing skills essential to working with lead sheets. You will spend most of your time at your piano keyboard, after reading each week's online lesson.
With the materials presented in this course, and through regular and thoughtful practice, the piano keyboard can become your most productive musical tool, as well as a flexible and inspiring performance instrument. Work hard but have fun, and enjoy the journey.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Identify pitches, rhythms, and accidentals notated in treble clef, bass clef, and the grand staff
- Play pieces on the piano from music notation
- Play pieces that have the same parts in each hand
- Play pieces that have different parts in each hand (hand independence)
- Harmonize a melody using major and minor triads in the right hand
- Voice lead triads in accompaniment and melodic parts
- Comp by playing a bass line in the left hand and arpeggiated triads in the right hand
- Comp by playing a bass line in the left hand and chord voicings in the right hand
- Comp by playing a bass line and chord voicings, both in the left hand
- Identify slash chords and interpret them to comp using chords in the right hand and a bass note in the left hand
- Comp and voice lead the IImi7 V7 IMa7 progression
- Play a song from a lead sheet, using voice-led chords, the 3rd and 7th, shell voicings, and bass lines in the left hand
- Comp using 7th chords, adding tensions 9 and 13 to dominant 7th chords
- Identify and play the blues form
Syllabus
Lesson 1: Treble Clef
- Treble Clef Notation
- Treble Clef on Keyboard
- Finger Numbering
- C through G
- Practice Exercises: Playing a Melody
- Practice Exercises: Moving the Five-Note Hand Position
- Practice Exercises: Thumb Study
- Assignment 1.1: Playing a Melody Using One Hand Position
- Assignment 1.2: Playing a Melody Using Two Hand Positions
Lesson 2: Bass Clef
- Bass Clef Notation
- Bass Clef on Keyboard
- Left-Hand Finger Numbers
- C Through F
- Practice Exercise: Playing a Melody
- Practice Exercise: Moving the Hand Position
- Practice Exercise: Thumb Study
- Assignment 2.1: Walking Bass Line
- Assignment 2.2: Popular Melody with Two Hand Positions
Lesson 3: Grand Staff
- Grand Staff Notation
- Playing With Both Hands Simultaneously
- Moving Hand Positions Simultaneously in Both Clefs
- Practice Exercise: Melodies That Move Between Clefs
- Practice Exercise: Thumb Study
- Assignment 3.1: Two Clef Melody
- Assignment 3.2: Melody Using Three Hand Positions
Lesson 4: The Black Keys/Accidentals
- The Black Keys
- Practice Exercise: Reading Melodies with Accidentals
- Practice Exercise: Adding Accidentals to a Melody
- Practice Exercise: Moving Hand Positions in Both Hands Including Accidentals
- Establishing Major and Minor Tonalities
- Practice Exercise: Thumb Study
- Assignment 4.1: Accidentals in a Melody
- Assignment 4.2: Accidentals in One Hand Position
Lesson 5: Independence Between Hands
- Practice Exercises: Playing Different Notes with Both Hands Simultaneously
- Practice Exercises: Rhythmic Independence Studies
- Practice Exercises: Playing Two Notes Simultaneously in One or Both Hands
- Practice Exercise: Thumb Study
- Assignment 5.1: 'Blues in the Closet'
- Assignment 5.2: 'Blues in G'
Lesson 6: Major and Minor Triads
- Five-Note Major Scales
- Practice Exercises: Five-Note Major Scales
- Major Triads in Root Position
- Five-Note Minor Scales
- Minor Triads in Root Position
- Triad Inversions
- Practice Exercise: C Major Triads in Root Position and First and Second Inversion
- Inversions of Minor Triads
- Slash Chord Notation
- Harmonizing a Melody
- Creating Bass Lines
- Practice Exercise: Thumb/Scale Study
- Assignment 6.1: Harmonizing a Melody
Lesson 7: Voice Leading Triads
- Triads and the Major Scale
- Diatonic Triads
- Triad Qualities
- Voice Leading the I IV V I (One, Four, Five, One) Diatonic Progression
- Practice Exercises: Voice Leading
- The I V VImi IV I (One, Five, Six Minor, Four, One) Diatonic Progression
- Practice Exercise: Thumb/Scale Study
- Assignment 7.1: I, IV, V Triads in Reggae
- Assignment 7.2: I, V, VImi, IV Triads in Pop/R&B
Lesson 8: Left-Hand Chord Playing
- Authoring
- Introduction
- The Best Range for Left-Hand Chords
- Voice Leading Triads With the Left Hand
- The I V VImi IV I (One, Five, Six Minor, Four, One) Diatonic Progression
- Interpreting Lead Sheets Using Voice-led Triads in the Left Hand
- Thumb/Scale Study
- Assignment 8.1: 'Pachelbel’s Canon' with LH Triads
- Assignment 8.2: 'Wild Horses' with LH Triads
Lesson 9: Right-Hand Chord Playing
- Playing Triads with the Right Hand
- Playing in a Minor Key
- I, IV, V, I Progression in Major and Minor Keys
- Triadic Accompaniment in the Context of Lead Sheets
- Various Comping Textures Using Triads
- Practicing Voice-Led Triads in Various Textures
- Slash Chords
- Thumb/Scale Study
- Assignment 9.1: Slash Chords in 'Ain’t No Sunshine'
- Assignment 9.2: Slash Chords in Ravel’s 'Pavane'
Lesson 10: Left-Hand Shell Voicings for Seventh Chords
- Introduction to Seventh Chords
- Chord 'Qualities'
- Determining Seventh Chord Qualities
- Close Position, Open Position
- Left-Hand Shell Voicings for Seventh Chords
- Voice Leading Shells
- The IIm7 V7 Imaj7 Progression
- Two Classic Shell Voicings for the II V I Progression
- Preparing for Assignment Repertoire
- Using Left-Hand Shells to Support Right-Hand Activity
- Adding Rhythmic Activity to Left-Hand Shells
- Thumb/Scale Study
- Assignment 10.1: 'Leaves Are Falling'
- Assignment 10.2: 'New York State of Mind'
Lesson 11: Accompanying with Guide-Tones
- Guide Tones in the Right Hand, Roots in the Left
- Prepare Your Voicings
- Practice the Voicings
- Adding Rhythmic Activity to Comping with Guide Tones
- Jazz
- Left-Hand Guide Tones to Support the Melody
- Thumb/Scale Study
- Assignment 11.1: 'Bossa Time'
- Assignment 11.2: 'Lately'
Lesson 12: Three-Part Chords
- Spread Voicings
- Chord Tensions, Chord Extensions, Color Tones
- The 'Plus One' Note: Adding the 5th, 9th, and 13th
- Transforming the Dominant 7th to a Dominant 7sus4 Chord
- Comping Patterns Using Three-Note Chords (RH) and Root (LH)
- The Blues Progression
- Thumb/Scale Study
- Assignment 12: 'Freddie Freeloader'
Requirements
Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements
Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
At least one year of experience on a musical instrument is required.
Knowledge of basic pitch notation:
- Letter names of notes
- Some reading ability with one clef
- Bar lines, measures, double bar lines, fine bar lines, repeats
- Sharps, flats, naturals
- Key signatures
- Phrase markings
- Few ledger lines
Knowledge of basic rhythm notation: - Note and rest values up to eighths
- Their value in common meters like 4/4; 3/4
- Dotted note values, ties
- Some ability to read these rhythms
Knowledge of basic harmony: - Basic level of diatonic concepts (helpful but not absolutely necessary)
- Major and minor scales
- Seventh chords and chord construction, inversion
Textbook(s)
- No textbooks required
Recording
- Students are required to record video while playing along with a backing track for their assignments. Options for recording video include:
- Smartphone
- Digital camera
- External webcam
- Note: The camera view must be from above, recording the keys right side up. It is imperative that the videos show the student's fingerings. You may need certain accessories to accomplish this, such as a goose-neck camera holder, tripod, etc.
Instrument
- Piano or keyboard instrument with at least 61 keys and a sustain pedal
- If using a MIDI keyboard controller, a high-quality piano software instrument is also required.
- If using a digital piano or keyboard workstation without built in speakers, an audio interface or amplifier is also required.
Hardware
- Students are required to capture their instrumental performance, as well as monitor audio output. Options include:
- Input (one required if not using MIDI and software instruments):
- Keyboard connected directly to audio interface (recommended non-acoustic option; alternatively, the microphone options below can be used with amplified instruments)
- XLR microphone and audio interface (recommended acoustic piano option)
- USB microphone
- Built-in computer/mobile device microphone
- Output (one required):
- Headphones (recommended option; required if multitracking and/or input monitoring a microphone)
- Studio monitors and audio interface
- Built-in or external computer speakers
- Input (one required if not using MIDI and software instruments):
- Note: Depending on your setup, you may also need XLR/instrument cables and microphone stand(s).
Student Deals
After enrolling, be sure to check out our Student Deals page for various offers on software, hardware, and more. Please contact support@online.berklee.edu with any questions.
General Course Requirements
Below are the minimum requirements to access the course environment and participate in Live Classes. Please make sure to also check the Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements section above, and ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements for all software needed for your course.
Mac Users
PC Users
All Users
- Latest version of Google Chrome
- Zoom meeting software
- Webcam
- Speakers or headphones
- External or internal microphone
- Broadband Internet connection
Instructors
Author
Paul Schmeling (1938-2024) was a master pianist, interpreter, improviser and arranger who inspired countless students since he began teaching at Berklee in 1961. He has performed or recorded with jazz greats such as Clark Terry, Rebecca Parris, George Coleman, Carol Sloane, Frank Foster, Art Farmer, Herb Pomeroy, Phil Wilson, Dick Johnson and Slide Hampton. In the 1990s, the Paul Schmeling Trio released two inventive and critically acclaimed albums, interpreting the music of Hoagy Carmichael and songs associated with Frank Sinatra. He was chair of the piano department for 40 years, and he co-authored the Berklee Practice Method: Keyboard (2001) and Instant Keyboard (2002) and on his own he wrote Berklee Music Theory: Book 1.
Instructor
James Ross Ramsay, faculty in the Piano department at Berklee College of Music, has been teaching piano for 25 years, and has been included in the "Who's Who List of American Teachers" several times. He composes and produces music for local and nationally broadcast television, radio, cable, and video programs, and has been a featured soloist on piano and keyboards with various artists touring throughout the United States and Europe. Ramsay is a product specialist and clinician for Yamaha Corporation of America, Digital Musical Instruments, and Pro Audio Division. He received a Bachelor of Music from Berklee College of Music in 1986.
Instructor
Suzanna Sifter is a jazz pianist, author, and educator who has been on faculty at Berklee College of Music for 30 years. She holds a BM from Berklee and Master’s Degree from New England Conservatory.
Suzanna has traveled extensively with Berklee to places such as Europe, South America, the US, Canada and Japan giving master classes and performing. Suzanna has five recordings as a leader, composer, and arranger: Flowers for You, Awakening, The Illumination, Sophisticated Lady, and the play along CD to her book, Berklee Jazz Keyboard Harmony: Using Upper Structure Triads. The second edition of Suzanna's book was released through Hal Leonard/Berklee Press in May 2015.
Suzanna has performed with John La Porta,, Alan Dawson, John Lockwood, Yoron Israel, Dave Clark, and recorded with Casey Scheuerell, Jon Hazilla, Bruce Gertz, Dino Govoni, Tony Lada, Larry Monroe, and Greg Badolato. Her compositions have been featured on “In the Library” (D. Govoni) and “On the Edge” (T. Lada).
Suzanna's fifth recording, Sophisticated Lady, is a musical tribute to her late mother and was released in July 2018. It features luminous solo jazz piano with relaxing yet poignant improvisations and arrangements. Read Less
Instructor
Ever since she began publicly performing in Korea at the age of nine, pianist and composer Hey Rim Jeon's outstanding musical talents have led to significant recognition in the international jazz community. Described as a “brilliant pianist” by legendary saxophonist Benny Golson, Ms. Jeon has been featured on NBC’s “Weekend Today in New York”, and KBN, Korea’s National TV network channel. As a leader of her own band, Hey Rim Jeon & Friends, she has performed both nationally and internationally. Her album, “Mona Lisa Puzzle”, has been described as an “intense, intelligent statement…” by Bill Milkowski of Jazz Times, won the Best Jazz Album category in the 2009 New England Urban Music Awards, and reached CD Baby’s Top 10 Modern Creative Jazz Albums list. As a recipient of Berklee’s prestigious Mentorship Award in 2021, Ms. Jeon has been serving as a Professor in the Piano Department at Berklee College of Music since 2010.
What's Next?
When taken for credit, Berklee Keyboard Method can be applied towards the completion of these related programs:
Related Certificate Programs
Related Degree Majors
Related Music Career Roles
Employers look for skills learned in this course, when hiring for the following music career roles:
Accompanist
Adaptive Arts Teacher
Bandleader
Church Musician
Concertmaster
Cover Band Musician
Cruise Ship Musician
Early Childhood Arts Educator
General Business Musician (Freelance Musician)
Instrument Repair Technician
Military Musician
Music Director (Theater and Opera)
Music Professor
Music Teacher PK-12
Nonprofit Artist
Orchestra Musician
Performing Songwriter
Piano Tuner
Pit Orchestra Musician
Private Music Instructor
Program Director (Performing Arts Education)
Recording Artist (or Group)
Repetiteur
Session Musician
Soloist
Teaching Artist
Television Band Member
Top-Line Songwriter
Touring Musician
Questions?
Contact our Academic Advisors by phone at 1-866-BERKLEE (U.S.), 1-617-747-2146 (INT'L), or by email at advisors@online.berklee.edu.
