"How to Play Piano" contains everything the new or intermediate piano player needs to know to really get to grips with making music on this most popular of instruments. Highly practical, it leads you from the basics to more complex techniques, covering playing with the left hand, right hand and both together, along with a basic introduction to reading music. The clear text is accompanied by illustrative photos and diagrams, and the guide is complemented by some classic practice pieces to try your hand(s) at, such as "Fur Elise" and "Pachelbel's Canon", as well as a glossary and further reading.

This book contains all the scales and arpeggios required for ABRSM's Grade 4 Piano exam. It covers all the new requirements from 2021.

This book has become a classic in all musicians' libraries for rhythmic analysis and study.

Designed to teach syncopation within 4/4 time, the exercises also develop speed and accuracy in sight-reading with uncommon rhythmic figures.

A must for all musicians, especially percussionists interested in syncopation.

This is the first biography of the jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan (1938-72). He was a prodigy: recruited to Dizzy Gillespie's big band while still a teenager, joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers not much after, by his early-20s Morgan had played on four continents and dozens of albums. The trumpeter would go on to cultivate a personal and highly influential style, and to make records - most notably, The Sidewinder - which would sell amounts almost unheard of in jazz. While what should have been Morgan's most successful years were hampered by a heroin addiction, the ascendant black liberation movement of the late-60s gave the musician a new, political impulse, and he returned to the jazz scene to become a vociferous campaigner for black musicians' rights and representation. But Morgan's personal life remained troubled, and during a fight with his girlfriend at a New York club, he was shot and killed, aged 33. Although Lee Morgan lived and died in sensational style, the story told in this book doesn't just stumble between stages, studios, bars and needles; such a narrative couldn't do justice to the richness of the trumpeter's music, nor to the culture from which it came. Here, then, the events of Morgan's life are presented not just as items of biography, but also as points of departure for wider historical investigations that aim to situate the musician and his contemporaries in changing aesthetic, social and economic contexts. The work draws on many original interviews with Morgan's colleagues and friends, as well as extensive archival research and critical engagement with the music itself.

Jazz, Rags & Blues, Books 1 through 5 contain original solos for late elementary to early advanced-level pianists that reflect the various styles of the jazz idiom. An excellent way to introduce your students to this distinctive American contribution to 20th century music. Available separately (item #18115), the CD includes dynamic recordings of each song in Books 1-3 of this series.

40 really easy arrangements of popular classical tunes graded in order of increasing difficulty. Children (and adults ) will enjoy learning them as a welcome break from slogging away at all those exam pieces.

As there are several hundred piano studies by Czerny, it might become confusing to attempt to pick out the most effective exercises. To overcome this problem, Heinrich Germer, the original editor, chose those he thought were best. Willard A. Palmer has made several changes to metronome markings, fingerings and pedal indications where he felt certain passages needed clarification.

Since the early days of silent film accompaniment, the piano has played an integral part in the history of cinema. Film's fascination with the piano, both in soundtracks and onscreen as a status symbol and icon of popular romanticism, offers a revealing opportunity to chart the changing perception of the instrument. From Mozart to Elton John, this book surveys the cultural history of the piano through the instrument's cinematic functions. Composer biopics, such as A Song to Remember, romantic melodramas like the Liberace vehicle Sincerely Yours, and horror films such as The Hands of Orlac, along with animated cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry demonstrate just how pervasive the cinematic image of the piano once was during a period when the piano itself began its noticeable decline in everyday life. By examining these depictions of the piano onscreen, readers will begin to understand not only the decline of the piano but also the decline of the idealistic culture to which it gave birth in the nineteenth century.

The widely held belief that Beethoven was a rough pianist, impatient with his instruments, is not altogether accurate: it is influenced by anecdotes dating from when deafness had begun to impair his playing. Presenting a new, detailed biography of Beethoven's formative years, this book reviews the composer's early career, outlining how he was influenced by teachers, theorists and instruments. Skowroneck describes the development and decline of Beethoven's pianism, and pays special attention to early pianos, their construction and their importance for Beethoven and the modern pianist. The book also includes new discussions of legato and Beethoven's trills, and a complete annotated review of eyewitnesses' reports about his playing. Skowroneck presents a revised picture of Beethoven which traces his development from an impetuous young musician into a virtuoso in command of many musical resources.

In 2009 the legendary Les Paul passed away at the age of 94. In celebration of his life this book capturing Paul's own reflections on his remarkable inventions and guitar playing was published as a high-end collector's edition. In 2015 Les Paul reached his centennial and Backbeat Books is pleased to celebrate the legend once more in the first-ever paperback edition of ÊLes Paul in His Own WordsÊ making his fascinating story available to a wide range of readers.ÞThis book is the definitive work on the recording and electric guitar pioneer whose prodigious talents and relentless work ethic single-handedly launched a new era in American popular music. This authentic account of Les Paul's life is packed with words of wisdom and experience from one of the most important contributors to modern music.

The Technic is Fun series offers piano students a series of graded studies for the development of technic, style, and musicianship. These studies reinforce the technical requirements found in method books and in standard piano repertory. The etudes found in this series not only build technic and musicality but have been carefully selected to provide refreshing recital repertoire as well as to develop a strong musical and technical foundation.

In The New Guitarscape, Kevin Dawe argues for a re-assessment of guitar studies in the light of more recent musical, social, cultural and technological developments that have taken place around the instrument. The author considers that a detailed study of the guitar in both contemporary and cross-cultural perspectives is now absolutely essential and that such a study must also include discussion of a wide range of theoretical issues, literature, musical cultures and technologies as they come to bear upon the instrument. Dawe presents a synthesis of previous work on the guitar, but also expands the terms by which the guitar might be studied. Moreover, in order to understand the properties and potential of the guitar as an agent of music, culture and society, the author draws from studies in science and technology, design theory, material culture, cognition, sensual culture, gender and sexuality, power and agency, ethnography (real and virtual) and globalization. Dawe presents the guitar as an instrument of scientific investigation and part of the technology of globalization, created and disseminated through corporate culture and cottage industry, held close to the body but taken away from the body in cyberspace, and involved in an enormous variety of cultural interactions and political exchanges in many different contexts around the world. In an effort to understand the significance and meaning of the guitar in the lives of those who may be seen to be closest to it, as well as providing a critically-informed discussion of various approaches to guitar performance, technologies and techniques, the book includes discussion of the work of a wide range of guitarists, including Robert Fripp, Kamala Shankar, Newton Faulkner, Lionel Loueke, Sharon Isbin, Steve Vai, Bob Brozman, Kaki King, Fred Frith, John 5, Jennifer Batten, Guthrie Govan, Dominic Frasca, I Wayan Balawan, Vicki Genfan and Hasan Cihat A-rter.

This book of parent-to-parent advice aims to encourage, support, and bolster the morale of one of music's most important back-up sections: music parents. Within these pages, more than 150 veteran music parents contribute their experiences, reflections, warnings, and helpful suggestions for how to walk the music-parenting tightrope: how to be supportive but not overbearing, and how to encourage excellence without becoming bogged down in frustration. Among those offering advice are the parents of several top musicians, including the mother of violinist Joshua Bell, the father of trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, the parents of cellist Alisa Weilerstein, and those of violinist Anne Akiko Meyers. The book also features advice from music educators and more than forty professional musicians, including Paula Robison, Sarah Chang, Anthony McGill, Jennifer Koh, Jonathan Biss, Toyin Spellman-Diaz, Marin Alsop, Christian McBride, Miguel Zenon, Stephanie Blythe, Lawrence Brownlee, and Kelli O'Hara. The topics they discuss span a wide range of issues faced by the parents of both instrumentalists and singers, from how to get started to encouraging effective practice habits, to how to weather the rough spots, cope with the cost of music training, deal with college and career concerns, and help young musicians discover the role that music can play in their lives. The parents who speak here reach a unanimous and overwhelming conclusion that music parenting is well worth the effort, and the experiences that come with it - everything from flying to New York on the weekends to searching a flute convention for the perfect instrument - enrich family life with a unique joy in music.

Time To Begin, the cornerstone of the Music Tree series, is a unique and highly effective approach to beginning piano instruction. Starting with off-staff notation, it leads the student to reading direction and intervals, and climaxes with the discovery of the Grand Staff. Also included is a carefully designed program of rhythm, technic and creative work. The cassette features electronic renditions of the music: it offers the accompaniment alone, or both the student's and teacher's parts. The Teacher's Handbook is an invaluable tool. This volume contains essays regarding how students learn, on technic, and how rhythm is presented. Teaching aspects are discussed, and suggestions are offered for each unit of the book.

Vaughan Williams's famous romance for solo violin and orchestra is given new life in this beautiful arrangement. For the first time, violinists can perform the original solo line as part of a string quartet, while also joining the other players for the longer tutti sections. Perfect as a rehearsal tool in preparation a larger-scale orchestral concert, the arrangement is also ideal for performance in a chamber recital.

Building an Award-Winning Guitar Program is a practical guide to assist secondary and post-secondary music educators with the tasks involved in establishing a successful music program. With the rising interest in guitar, Mariachi, rock band, handbells, bluegrass, music technology, and so on, more and more music educators are being asked to teach innovative music classes. Author Bill Swick has crafted this book to help these educators build such innovative music programs from the ground floor, based on his years of experience as a music educator specialized in guitar. The book will assist music educators with classroom management, scheduling, structure, organization, fund raising, festivals, travel, and other subjects related to teaching guitar in the classroom, but its principles are broadly relevant to any and all music educators hoping to create a unique program that stands out within their school district and state, attracting students, parents, educators and administrators alike.

Dance Music Spaces: Clubs, Clubbers, and DJs Navigating Authenticity, Branding, and Commercialism is about the production of social, cultural, physical, and digital spaces in dance music, spaces that share features of both rave authenticity and the commercialism of club culture. Using a concept she calls authenticity maneuvering to explain how clubs, clubbers, and DJs navigate authenticity, branding, and commercialism, Danielle Hidalgo argues that the strategic use of a rave ethos bolsters acceptance in dance music spaces while also making commercial practices less visible or problematic. She shows how the presence of both authenticity and commercialism enables and constrains three highly successful women DJs and their colleagues, requiring the ongoing performance of authenticity via branding. This book presents a compelling analysis of the complicated interplay between dancing bodies, digital practices, and spatial offerings in contemporary dance music.

J.G. Tromlitz's German tutor for the keyed flute explains in great detail how to play a flute of that period. In addition to a complete translation, this edition contains a study of the flute's history, and assesses Tromlitz's importance as a designer. It contains information vital to the historically informed performance of the music of the period.

This study of American liberty and war songs is among the first to examine them in a historical and literary context and to focus almost exclusively on the lyrics. Unlike other works that are primarily songbooks, this book provides a fresh view of an important aspect of American culture and offers new insight into the thoughts and feelings of Americans during periods of crisis. Special attention is given to the songs that emerged from the early American wartime experiences, including those written before and during the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Civil War, with an emphasis on the similarities and differences in song themes, techniques and styles.

Musicians' Migratory Patterns: The African Drum as Symbol in Early America questions the ban that was placed on the African drum in early America. It shows the functional use of the drum for celebrations, weddings, funerals, religious ceremonies, and nonviolent communication. The assumption that "drums and horns" were used to communicate in slave revolts is undone in this study. Rather, this volume seeks to consider the "social place" of the drum for both blacks and whites of the time, using the writings of Europeans and colonial-era Americans, the accounts of African American free persons and slaves, the period instruments, and numerous illustrations of paintings and sculpture. The image of the drum was effectively appropriated by Europeans and Americans who wrote about African American culture, particularly in the nineteenth century, and re-appropriated by African American poets and painters in the early twentieth century who recreated a positive nationalist view of their African past. Throughout human history, cultural objects have been banned by one group to be used another, objects that include books, religious artifacts, and ways of dress. This study unlocks a metaphor that is at the root of racial bias-the idea of what is primitive-while offering a fresh approach by promoting the construct of multiple-points-of-view for this social-historical presentation.

Each piece in the Solo Books coordinates page-by-page with the Lesson Books, reinforcing newly learned concepts presented at the lesson. Includes adorable full-color illustrations that enhance each piece.

Join the superhero world of Lang Lang and come on a piano adventure with The Lang Lang Piano Method Level 2. Level 2 builds on the first book by introducing: eighth notes (quavers) simple hands together and thumb-under technique. The five progressive books in The Lang Lang Piano Method provide a unique and imaginative way for complete beginners to learn the piano with the world's most successful concert pianist, Lang Lang. There's plenty to play all around the keyboard right from the start. Fun, imaginative pieces develop the left and right hands equally and supporting audio features exclusive performances by Lang Lang of the concert pieces. Musicianship is developed through theory pages and listening to exclusive performances by Lang Lang of piano classics for children. "I've written The Lang Lang Piano Method to inspire today's kids with my passion for the piano." Lang Lang