Private Piano Lesson Level 3

You will develop rhythmic skill and awareness, muscle memory, and hand strength, and these exercises will reinforce the skills required for Level 3.

A Level 3 traditionally notated piece in any style will be introduced. This you will learn from a specifically notated score working with your instructor, to adhere to all expressive, fingering, touch, and technical elements.

A Level 3 chord symbol improvisation piece will be introduced. These can be in any contemporary style, such as jazz, pop, R&B, rock, blues, and more. The harmonic texture required for Level 3 is to play the melody in the right hand harmonized with chord tones and tensions and bass line activity in the left hand. You will work with your instructor to arrange an approved piece employing proper voice leading, expressive elements, fingering, and technical elements.

The ensemble playing technique called comping will be introduced. Comping is an improvised accompaniment technique utilized in many contemporary styles. Level 3 will utilize open-voicing concepts for comping.

There will be continued study of improvisation concepts, including appropriate melodic and harmonic vocabulary for specific song styles, rhythmic and phrasing principals, and technical considerations. You will begin by improvising on a 12-bar blues form and/or a diatonic chord progression in various styles. You will then apply improvisation concepts to your chord symbol improvisation tune. (Improvisation will NOT be part of your final exam or final grade consideration. Grading considerations based on improvisation will not begin until Level 6.)

By the end of Private Piano Lesson Level 3, you will be able to:

• Play major scales hands together, four octaves ascending and descending with the proper fingers at 65 BPM in the keys of B, F♯, and C♯

• Play major triad root-position arpeggios hands together, four octaves ascending and descending with the proper fingers at 65 BPM in the keys of B, F♯, and C♯

• Perform triadic chord progressions I IV V I and I VI II V I in B, F♯, and C♯

• Perform a technical exercise designed to develop rhythmic skill and awareness, hand strength, and muscle memory essential for conventional movement and movement specific to Level 3 repertoire

• Perform a Level 3 piece in the traditionally notated style

• Perform a Level 3 piece in the chord symbol improvisation style, right-hand melody harmonized with chord tones and tensions and left-hand bass line activity

• Employ comping techniques on your Level 3 chord symbol improvisatory piece

• Employ melodic and rhythmic improvisation concepts to a 12-bar blues or diatonic chord progression