You will continue to work on rhythmic skill and awareness, hand position, and posture through an approved technical exercise. For the chord symbol improvisatory piece, you will be introduced to voicing in 4ths and more advanced upper-structure triads. Along with your instructor, you will explore the concept and application of the transposition of chord symbol improvisatory tunes into easier keys while utilizing all previous harmonization concepts.

As in other levels, you are required to learn and memorize a specifically notated piece in any style as well as a chord symbol improvisatory piece, which can be in any contemporary style, such as jazz, pop, R&B, rock, blues, gospel and more. The harmonic texture required for Level 6 is to play the melody harmonized in the RH using more advanced open-position voicings, voicing in 4ths, with left-hand close position with chord tones and tensions, and upper-structure triad voicings. In both pieces, you will work with your instructor to arrange an approved piece employing proper harmonization and voice leading, expressive elements, fingering, and technical elements.

In Level 6, you will continue to study improvisation concepts such as comping, rhythmic and voicing techniques, including appropriate melodic and harmonic vocabulary for specific song styles. You will study improvisation on more difficult 12-bar blues keys, more difficult multi-key-center tunes, and/or a diatonic chord progression in various styles. You will then apply improvisation concepts to your chord symbol improvisatory tune. From Level 6 onward, improvisation will be required on your chord symbol improvisatory tune for the final exam.

By the end of Private Piano Lesson Level 6, you will be able to:

• Perform Lydian and Mixolydian modal scales in all twelve keys, hands together, four octaves, at 72 BPM, in rhythmic groupings of 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, and 4:1, memorized
• Perform diminished 7th, root-position chord arpeggios in 12 keys, hands together, four octaves, at 72 BPM, in rhythmic groupings of 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, and 4:1, memorized
• Perform secondary dominant 7th chord progressions in 12 keys, memorized
• Learn and 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 6 repertoire
• Learn, memorize, and perform a minimum of one specifically notated piece in any style
• Learn, memorize, and perform a chord symbol improvisatory style with a harmonized melody, using more difficult open-position voicings, voicing in 4ths, left-hand close position with chord tones and tensions, upper-structure triad voicings, and comping techniques with melodic and rhythmic improvisation on the chord symbol improvisatory tune