The Everything Playing Piano and Keyboards Book

by Halpin, Brooke

• ISBN13: 9781580626514
• ISBN10: 1580626513
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-07-01
• Publisher: Adams Media Corp

Summary

Learning the piano made fun and easy!

In America today, there are thousands of homes that have a piano sitting in the living room collecting dust because no one in the house knows how to play it.

Luckily, The Everything "RM" Playing Piano and Keyboards Book makes learning the piano fun and easy. Filled with clear, step-by-step instructions, finger positions diagrams, and tons of professional tips, anyone with a piano or a portable keyboard will be tickling those ivories in no time at all.

Professional pianist Brooke Halpin takes readers through the basics, from choosing an instrument to playing their favorite songs. Starting with the fundamentals for both left-and right-handed playing, this easy-to-follow book teaches beginners how to purchase a piano, read music, and develop an ear for the right chords. The book even explains how novices can record their arrangements.

The Everything "RM" Playing Piano and Keyboards Book features:

-- Easy-to-follow instructions for every beginner

-- The basics of reading sheet music

- - A complete introduction to

Author Biography

Brooke Halpin is an accomplished pianist and composer. He was the Program Director at the Museum of the American Piano in New York City, where he produced piano concerts with prestigious New York-based pianists, such as Jerome Lowenthal, Steven Mayer, and Robert DeGaetano. As a composer, he wrote the music to the Academy Award-winning film Molly's Pilgrim and Rudolph Nureyev's ballet Christopher Columbus for the Hungarian National Ballet Company. He lives in Malibu, California.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	xi
History of the Piano	1	(8)
The First Piano	2	(1)
The Square Piano	3	(1)
The Sustain Pedal	4	(1)
The Iron Frame	4	(1)
Upright Pianos	5	(1)
Piano Manufacturers	5	(1)
The Family of Keyboard Instruments	6	(3)
Classical Repertoire for the Piano	9	(10)
Piano Sonatas	10	(1)
Piano Sonata Composers	11	(5)
Romantic Composition Styles	16	(1)
Piano Concertos	16	(3)
Jazz and Pop Repertoire for the Piano	19	(8)
Well-Known Jazz Piano Pieces	20	(1)
Rock and Roll Piano	20	(1)
The Beatles and the Piano	21	(2)
The Year of Piano Pop	23	(1)
Piano in the 1970s	24	(2)
Into the '80s and '90s	26	(1)
Famous Classical Pianists	27	(8)
The Classical Composers	28	(1)
Recordings of the Classics	28	(2)
Victor Borge	30	(1)
Alfred Brendel	31	(2)
Glenn Gould	33	(2)
Famous Romantic Pianists	35	(16)
Fryderyk Francois Chopin	36	(1)
Van Cliburn	37	(2)
Vladimir Horowitz	39	(1)
Franz Liszt	40	(3)
Ignacy Jan Paderewski	43	(4)
Arthur Rubinstein	47	(1)
Rudolf Serkin	48	(3)
Famous Pop and Jazz Pianists	51	(12)
Types of Jazz	52	(1)
Ray Charles	53	(1)
Scott Joplin	54	(1)
Oscar Peterson	55	(3)
Art Tatum	58	(1)
Piano in Pop	59	(1)
Billy Joel	59	(2)
Elton John	61	(2)
Types of Pianos	63	(12)
Vertical Pianos	64	(1)
Horizontal Pianos	65	(1)
Exterior Parts of a Piano	66	(3)
Interior Parts of a Piano	69	(5)
Famous Models	74	(1)
Electronic Keyboards	75	(12)
Electric Pianos	76	(1)
Electric Piano Versus Acoustic Piano	76	(2)
Digital Pianos	78	(1)
Digital Piano Versus Acoustic Piano	79	(2)
Synthesizers	81	(3)
Synthesizer Versus Acoustic Piano	84	(3)
Finding the Right Piano	87	(8)
Decide on a Location	88	(1)
Determine a Price Range	88	(1)
Settle on a Size	89	(1)
Choose an Appropriate Style	89	(1)
Take Your Time	90	(1)
New Pianos	91	(2)
Used Pianos	93	(2)
Taking Care of Your Piano	95	(6)
The Importance of Humidity Control	96	(1)
Effects of the Sun	97	(1)
Keeping Your Piano in Tune	98	(1)
Restoration and Piano Repairs	99	(1)
How to Sell Your Piano	99	(2)
Practicing	101	(8)
When to Start Taking Piano Lessons	102	(1)
Piano Teachers for Children	103	(1)
Piano Teachers for Adults	104	(1)
How Often Should I Practice?	105	(1)
Keeping Your Concentration	106	(1)
Physical Positioning	107	(2)
Recording the Piano or Keyboard	109	(16)
Recording Studios	110	(1)
Home Recording Studios	110	(1)
Recording Equipment	111	(7)
Preparing to Record	118	(1)
Recording an Acoustic Piano	119	(1)
Recording a Non-acoustic Piano	120	(1)
Recording Techniques	121	(1)
The Mix	122	(1)
Pros and Cons of Digital Decks	123	(2)
Learning to Play the Piano	125	(16)
Music Terms and Definitions	126	(2)
Learning the Names of the Notes	128	(1)
Applying Your Fingers to the Keys	129	(2)
Noting the Symbols	131	(2)
Moving Up the Keyboard	133	(3)
Introducing Octaves	136	(1)
Playing a Simple Melody	136	(2)
Half and Whole Notes	138	(1)
Adding the Fourth and Fifth Fingers	139	(2)
Adding Your Left Hand	141	(14)
Playing a Bass Line	142	(4)
Playing Octaves with the Left Hand	146	(1)
Learning Eighth Notes	146	(2)
Practicing Techniques When Playing with Both Hands	148	(2)
The Thumb Goes Under the Fingers	150	(1)
Leaping over the Thumb	151	(1)
Putting It All Together	151	(4)
Learning Sharp Key Signatures	155	(22)
C Major	156	(4)
The Circle of Fifths	160	(1)
G Major	161	(5)
D Major	166	(4)
A Major	170	(1)
E Major	171	(1)
B Major	172	(2)
F-Sharp Major	174	(2)
Continuing the Circle of Fifths	176	(1)
Learning Flat Key Signatures	177	(18)
The Circle of Fourths	178	(1)
F Major	178	(2)
B-Flat Major	180	(3)
E-Flat Major	183	(5)
A-Flat Major	188	(3)
D-Flat Major	191	(1)
Enharmonic Equivalents	192	(1)
G-Flat Major	193	(2)
Learning Chords	195	(22)
What Is Harmony?	196	(1)
Major Chords	196	(2)
Minor Chords	198	(1)
Chords in a Major Key	199	(2)
Diminished Chords	201	(1)
Augmented Chords	201	(2)
Root Position and First- and Second-Inversion Chords	203	(1)
Chords in a Minor Key	204	(5)
A Harmonic Relationship	209	(1)
The Use of Chords in the Right Hand	210	(1)
The Use of Chords in the Left Hand	211	(6)
Listening and Basics of Music Theory	217	(16)
Listen to the Music	218	(1)
Analyze the Piece of Music	218	(1)
Four-Note Chords	219	(4)
Four-Note-Chord Exercises	223	(4)
Breaking It Down	227	(2)
Pulling It All Together	229	(4)
Advanced Chord Structures	233	(24)
Major Sevenths	234	(3)
Minor Seventh Chords	237	(2)
Harmonic Minor Sevenths	239	(1)
Dominant Seventh Chords	240	(1)
Seventh-Chord Inversions	241	(4)
Ninth Chords	245	(5)
Suspended Chords	250	(1)
Diminished Chords	250	(1)
Augmented Chords	251	(1)
Arpeggio Chords (Broken Chords)	252	(5)
Applying Music Theory to Playing the Piano	257	(20)
Abbreviated Chord Symbols	258	(3)
Improvisation	261	(1)
Chord Formulas	262	(1)
Tied Rhythm	263	(3)
Suspensions and Resolutions	266	(2)
Staccato	268	(4)
Syncopated Rhythm	272	(5)
Appendix A Quiz Answers	277	(4)
Appendix B Resources	281	(2)
Index	283