Advanced Arpeggio Playing Tips

 December is the month for the arpeggio challenge in my piano studio. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so canva comes in handy to compensate for my lack of artistic skills!

 I love to create visuals to post on my bulleting board to make the learning more memorable and pique the interest of students as they come each week.

This poster pairs with the concepts I posted about previously on Resources for Teaching Arpeggios.  There you can view more ideas for teaching hand over hand arpeggios, 1 octave and 2 octave arpeggio fingering tips. 

These videos are a bit lengthy, but I love the tips shared that I will be condensing and highlighting for my older students at group lessons next week.

Shift your Sit Bones

As you play music with arpeggios that cover a larger range of the keyboard, remember to lean on your "sit bones" towards the area you are playing on the keys. The feeling is similar to when you are shifting your body weight to navigate turns and corners while bicycling.

Watch the video by Jane Trotter about transferring weight on your sit bones (starting at 4:10)

Thumb Over

We often use thumb tucks in scale playing and 2 octave arpeggios, but for certain fast arpeggio passages (like the broken arpeggios patterns in Piano Adventures Level 4 Technique page 53) a thumb raise (float or over)  is more effective. Watch Graham Fitch Arpeggio Playing Tips by Graham Fitch as he demonstrates this motion starting at 6:45 in this video.

No Chicken Wings!

The "no chicken wings" principle applies to both scale and arpeggio playing. Watch out and don't let those elbows fly up and down. Instead aim for a gliding arm. Watch the same video starting at 3:10 to see the difference between the gliding arm and the chicken wing.

Nahre Sol's Arpeggio Practice Tips video includes some excellent specific technical tips for arpeggio practice.  These strategies can help you play arpeggios with more continuity, evenness and consistent fingering.

:45  Practice by altering the rhythm and/or adding accents

Play Long-Short, Short-Long, or triplet groups

3:53 Block practice based on hand positions

9:15 Teeter Totter repeating certain groups of notes

For more helpful visuals relating to simpler piano arpeggios, visit my previous post Resources for Teaching Arpeggios. 

Related Posts:

Flipped Learning in the Music Studio

Intermediate Piano Video for Flipped Learning

Monthly Piano Challenges

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Simply Sacred Christmas by Marshall McDonald

A few years ago, I discovered  Marshall McDonald's Simply Sacred Arrangements of hymns from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which you can hear samples of in my previous post.

Thanksgiving is not here yet, but I've already pulled out his Simply Sacred Christmas book this season. It has some of my favorite arrangements that calm my soul and a few that energize me, too. 

(click the image to purchase on Amazon)

I actually prefer the less textured sound of his hymn arrangements that I use regularly as prelude for church services or at funerals over many other arrangements because they sound so beautiful and calm and are filled with left-hand patterns that are easy for students to pick up and for me to sightread. Apparently, the congregation loves them too because, at every funeral I have played at since I purchased the books, I have had pianists come up asking where they can find these arrangements!

The outros, intros, and interludes add a sense of newness compared to just improvising or playing from the hymnbook, and the melodies stay mostly true to the original pieces we know and love, with only a few subtle surprises. 

Listen to the Music

Listen to a few of the pieces below to get a feel for the style. (sample recordings of pieces I sightread to demo for my students). There are 13 pieces  in the 42-page book.

Jesus Once of Humble Birth

What Child is This

t

Infant Holy (aka Stars Were Gleaming)

Notes for Piano Teachers

The book begins with simpler arrangements of Silent Night and Away in a Manger suitable for the late elementary pianist that are written in the more familiar keys of C, G. These selections are great for students with smaller hands who can't quite reach harmonic octaves but are ready for the sophisticated sound of broken intervals and chords in the left hand.

 The majority of pieces are early intermediate level and include frequent clef changes that create more interesting music by utilizing a wider range of the keyboard.  There are a variety of left-hand patterns that increase in difficulty, including some hand crossovers, ostinato repeating notes, rocking broken intervals, 1-5-8, harmonic intervals, and eventually patterns that require crossing, similar to 2 8va arpeggios. Its great for students to become familiar with these different styles that they will also see in other repertoire.

There are also a few more challenging pieces, like the finale piece "Angels from the Realms of Glory" that mimics the Piano Guys version. It starts with 4 flats and switches to 3 sharps. Ibelieve this is more suitable for mid to late intermediate level pianists who can navigate leaping left-hand octaves and more intricate left-hand arpeggios beyond 1 octave.

Simply Sacred Christmas by Marshall MacDonald (available on Amazon w/ fast free shipping if you have prime)  spiral bound physical copy book with sturdy cardstock covers. 

or 

You can order a pdf digital download directly from his site and add to a 3-prong folder with sheet protectors.

Related Posts

Free Piano Teaching Christmas Resource Roundup

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Harmonizing Your Music Studio with a Flipped Learning Music Buffet

This post includes resources that I mentioned in my presentation at UVMTA about flipped learning in the music studio. 

Click the image above to view the slideshow presentation for UVMTA on flipped learning in the music classroom, which includes hyperlinks or browse some of the resources that were mentioned below.

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn."

-Benjamin Franklin

Arranging from Lead Sheets with Sus Chord Colors

 What do you do when you see something "sus" in your music????

I'm not talking about a spider crawling across the page or suspicious coloring scribbles from your little brother!

SUS is an abbreviation often written in lead sheet chords and refers to suspended chords. 

If you are "suspended" from school you are temporarily removed. In Sus chords, often the 3rd of the chord is temporarily removed and replaced with the note a 2nd or 4th above the root instead of the normal 3rd. 

Suspended Chords 101

Watch this Pianote video about Suspended chords (Sus2 or Sus4) to see and hear the effect of Sus chords.

It is Well with my Soul"(free lead sheet on Pianosongdownload.com including Sus chords).

Arranging Music from a Lead Sheet

Watch the intro video about arranging music (2:16 up to 6:45).

Adding Chord Variety for Color

Compare the simple lead sheet of This Little Light of Mine from Pianosongdownload.com

to the embellished arrangement of This Little Light of Mine from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Hymns.

Can you hear how the slash chords, walk down bass and 7th chords create a more interesting jazzy sound compared to the simple lead sheet with just 4 chords?

Musical Cadences

Cadences are like the punctuation marks in music. Pairing chords in a certain order can create a feeling of tension, questioning, surprise or peaceful resolution. 

Watch this Short-ish Explanation of Cadences to learn more.

Click Teoria.com Cadences to listen to the samples of different types of cadences.

Perfect Authentic: V-I Sounds like the end.

Imperfect Authentic: V-I + inversion Sounds like the end...but less final than perfect.

Accompanist Challenge Videos and Music

Watch the tutorial or sample music videos or print the music below to help you complete the Accompanist Challenge

Lead Sheets

Print some free lead sheets and practice singing along as you play the chords

Free Christmas Lead Sheets from Michael Kravchuk
Free Familiar Tune Lead Sheets from Piano Song Download

This Little Light of Mine Lead Sheet Challenge

Elementary

Following the chord symbols, play the root or chords as you sing or listen to This Little Light of Mine.

Level 1 Play Only Left Hand Root Note

Sing the melody as you play just the root notes with your left hand. Choose the octave you prefer.  For example, does High G or Low G sound better? Which is easiest to play? Could you play both at the same time or alternate to make it more lively?

Level 2- Left Hand Root Position Chord

Play the chords in root position (stacked up like a snowman) as you move your hand like a cookie cutter to the different chords.

G=GBD    C=CEG    Em=EGB    D=DF#A

Late Elementary

Level 3- Left Hand Chord Inversion

Jumping around between root chords can be tricky! If you change the order of the notes (invert), it can make it easier to switch between chords.  GBD to CEG is a big leap, but if you play GBD and GCE instead you can feel the stretch up without having to look at your fingers.

Level 4-Left Hand Root Notes + Right Hand Melody 

Learn the right-hand melody , choosing fingering for legato phrases. Then add the left-hand root notes.

Intermediate

Play the arrangement from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of "This Little Light of Mine" as written OR create your own arrangement starting from the simpler Piano Song Download Lead Sheet of This Little Light of Mine and substitute, style, or color the chords.

Level 5-Left Hand Chord Inversions + RH Melody

Play the right-hand melody along with left-hand chord progressions.  You can substitute minor chords for major chords you are more familiar with playing or add Sus chords.   

Experiment with chords that share some of the same chord tones.  For example, in the key of C, the D minor (ii) chord D-F-A could be replaced with the more familiar F Major (IV) chord F-A-C because both include F and A.

• Substitutes for Red (I) are Purple (vi) and Orange (iii)
• Substitutes for Blue (IV) is (ii) Green and Purple (vi)
• Substitute for Yellow (V) is Orange (iii) or (vii) or (V7)

Ghost Playing.

Watch the tutorial video to Learn How to Ghost Play

Basic Conducting Patterns

Explore Free Printable Duets

Explore the videos of pieces to hear their melodies. The links to duets are piano arrangements that are different versions than the sample videos.

Elementary

Piano Adventures Primer Student Duets

Farmer and the Dell Boogie Duet - Making Music Fun

Bloom Pop Staff Duet Teach Piano Today

Intermediate

Skylore Celtic Duet Teach Piano Today

https://www.8notes.com/piano_duet/sheet_music/

Pirates of the Aegean by David Bruce 8 notes.com

Radetzky March by Strauss - 8 notes.com

Carol of the Bells Duet - 8notes.com

Come Thou Fount 8 notes.com

Aria from Suite in D by Bach - 8notes.com

Adagio from Pathetique Sonata by Beethoven

La Bamba - 8notes.com

Tarantella Napoletana - 8notes.com

More Duets available on https://www.8notes.com/piano_duet/sheet_music/

The Girl and Her Bunny - National Composition Contest Winner!

Being a piano teacher makes me happy! My new student Clara, is just one of the delightful children I get to spend time with each week. It made my day today to hear that she was recently featured on the news for winning the National Let's Play Music Composition Contest.

Click the link to hear her perform her piece and learn the storyline that goes with it!

8 Year Old Earns Top Honors at Music Composition Competition

or  Download her free piece "The Girl and Her Bunny"  and other student composition winners.

How can KPop Golden Help Improve Musicality?

 At my last piano group lesson, several of my students were talking about K-Pop. I'm out of the kid movie loop, so at first I thought, "Is this some new kind of candy?"😂

After the lesson, I explored some of the memorable music from this movie that just sticks in your mind after you hear it.  

Writing Effective Melodies

As I teach composing to students, I often start by emphasizing that using more steps and skips than leaps will create more effective melodies. Hopping around on the keys like a ping pong ball bouncing is not likely to create memorable music!

But music is an art, not a science. "Breaking the rules" sometimes is more effective than you think!

Intermediate Piano Festival Music Playlists for Heidi's Piano Studio

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL PIECES

Similar in Level to Piano Adventures 3A/3B or Piano Pronto 3

Slower/Expressive Piano Festival YouTube Playlist Intermediate Baroque/Classical/Romantic and Modern (Rastall 3)

Fast/Exciting Piano Festival YouTube Playlist Intermediate Baroque/Classical (Rastall 3)

Fast/Exciting Piano Festival YouTube Playlist Intermediate Romantic/Modern/Recent (Rastall 3)

MID INTERMEDIATE LEVEL PIECES

Similar in level to Piano Adventures 4, 5, Piano Pronto 4,5

Baroque Calm and Lively R4

Classical Calm and Lively R4

Romantic/Modern/Recent Calm R4

Lively Romantic Era R4

Lively Modern/Recent R4

Related Posts

Piano Festival Preparation Free Resources

Piano Festival Samples Elementary Level 2 Purple

Piano Festival Samples Late Elementary Level 3 Yellow

Piano Festival Samples Early Intermediate Level 4 Green

Piano Festival Samples Intermediate Level 5 Red 

Piano Festival Prep Student Checklist

Free Early Intermediate Duets from 8notes.com

This year in my piano studio, I have a lot of siblings coming to lessons. This makes it super convenient for them to practice duets together. I was happy to discover so many fun arrangements for intermediate level students at 8notes.com that I think they are going to love!

The solo version of "He's a Pirate" from Pirates of the Caribbean in Faber's Show Time Disney Book 2A is a piece that almost every student who has tried it in my studio loves! 

Musical Minute to Win It Intermediate Challenges

At piano group lesson week this fall I'll be reviving some of my Musical Min It to Win It Games from a previous post but also adding on a few new challenges for my intermediate students. 

Divide students into teams or have them compete individually. Tally points for each round. Each team that successfully completes the challenge in less than a minute earns a point. The first team to complete or to have the most correct answers earns a bonus point.

Interval Song Scattergories

Write down the name of a song that begins with each of the ascending intervals. Then add as many more songs as you can to the list before one minute is up.

Intermediate Piano Festival Playlists R4

MID INTERMEDIATE LEVEL PIECES

Similar in level to Piano Adventures 4, 5, Piano Pronto 4,5

Baroque Calm and Lively R4

Classical Calm and Lively R4

Romantic/Modern/Recent Calm R4

Lively Romantic Era R4

Lively Modern/Recent R4

Related Posts:

Intermediate Festival R3 Playlists

Intermediate Festival R3 Song List Links

Intermediate Festival R4 Song List Links
Piano Festival Preparation Free Resources

Music Staff Simon

How can Simon help you learn music faster?

Simon Nibbles a Note

Have you ever played the game of Simon which tests your musical memory skills in a fun way? I think this would be a fun game to keep in the waiting area of my music studio. But today I'm sharing a new way to use the concept of Simon in music lessons.

Wunderkeys Pop 2: Saorla Rising and Changing Clefs

This lesson plan includes practice tips for the Saorla Rising in B Minor in Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book by Andrea and Trevor Dow. 

Practice Tips

Listen to the performance as you tap the repeating syncopated rhythms in the left hand.

Watch out for the double Bass, Transfer to your left "sit bones" without scooting on the bench.

Supplementary Music with Changing Clefs

Tolling Bells by Stephen Heller

Related Posts

Practice Tips for Wunderkeys Pop 2 Wolf in Bflat Major-GMinor 

Practice Tips for Wunderkeys Pop 2 The Renewal in G Minor

Wunderkeys Pop 2 Lesson Plans

 Choose the link below for lesson plans and activities that correlate with pieces in Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book by Andrea and Trevor Dow.

The theory, improvisation, and music and movement activities can be done in private lessons, group lessons, piano lab, or assigned for at-home practice.

Piano Practice Challenge, Levels and Tips

 

More about the nightmares later...

First let's talk about focused practice!

Practicing the piano with specific goals in mind is significantly more effective than simply measuring the time spent and calling it good. This month, for my studio challenge, I'm inviting students to level up their practice by using focused practice strategy games during their practice. Obviously, effective practice includes spending time at the piano bench, but practicing with purpose not only helps the time pass quickly, it also helps students to be more productive so that progress happens in less time.

Gamified Piano Practice

I've seen the power of gamified practice during piano lab, where students just don't want to stop their practice until they've completed the next level of Rhythm Swing or earned 3 stars to unlock the next level on Piano Maestro. That same excitement of flow and achievement that comes from video games and music apps can also happen on the bench when students approach learning new pieces with gamified strategies using practice game cards.

As a college student, my practice was definitely more focused and enjoyable when I paired it with chocolate chips and "3 in a Row" (or Cross the River) practice. 

Boss Mode Practice

Overall piano practice success can also be compared to video game levels. I love this analogy shared by Nicola Cantan at the recent Piano Teacher Turboboost I attended!

Level 0 -Tutorial Mode (No Practice)

Level 1 - 1-3 Days per Week

Level 2 - 4-6 Days per Week

Level 3 - Add 3x Repetitions to your Level 2 Practice

Level 4 - Use practice card strategies for Focused Practice Sessions 

Level 5 - BOSS MODE - Pair clear and specific goals with your practice card games and record your progress for each practice session.

 While we might not achieve BOSS MODE every week, TUTORIAL MODE can kill the fun if students are stuck in it week after week. 

The challenge goal is to look at what level you are currently practicing at and make personal improvements to LEVEL UP!

Baby Piano Hands

I enjoyed many delightful moments teaching my own six children piano when they were young. In fact, piano preschool with 2 of them and a few neighbor children was the thing that prompted me to start this blog over 15 years ago. Now, most of them have moved out or moved on to their own favorite hobbies, which don't include piano. 

At first, I was sad about letting my dreams go of helping them reach new levels of proficiency in piano and felt I failed in some regard since they insisted on quitting to move on to athletics instead. But I love how Nicola Cantan described in her recent Teacher Turboboost the different archetypes of piano... appreciator, jammer, chamberist, unwinder, performer, teacher. Many students may be like my own children and music lessons will help them become mostly music appreciators (although it was fun to see a couple of my daughters teach young beginners for a short time).

I'm hoping my new granddaughter will live close enough when she's older that I can create some piano memories with her too. Can't help but dream of that when I see her perfect little, long, slender fingers! 

Teaching Tempo Terms with Songs

Several years ago, I posted some free printables and songs that I use to really help my students remember their tempo terms. Today, I revisited that tempo terms post to prepare for our group lesson on sightreading tips and added one more Lento tempo term poster to the mix. 

Sometimes it's so tempting to jump into new music at a fast pace, but practicing at the speed of no mistakes is super important so that muscle memory is paved in your brain with correct notes instead of errors. 

Sight Reading Challenge and Tips

This month at group lessons we will focus on sight reading strategies For the studio challenge, I invite students to level up their sight-reading skills by choosing a challenge to complete below. 

Sight Reading Challenges

• New Beginners: 90% Piano Key Names on Tonic Tutor & Flashnote Derby Landmarks
• Play PedaPlus Notes or PedaPlus Intervals 5 minutes a day for 15 days.
• Sightread new music 5 minutes a day for fifteen days in a row. (Students can choose a new book for sight reading each week from my library).
• Play Piano Maestro Journey Mode until you complete the next "10" level (10, 20, 30, 40, 50).
• Sight-read 50 measures in a row with accuracy at lessons with your teacher. You choose the speed. Slow is better!

Wunderkeys Pop 2: The Renewal

 

This lesson plan includes practice tips for the The Renewal in G minor in Wunderkeys Intermediate Pop 2 Performance Book by Andrea and Trevor Dow.

Rubato is an expressive way of playing by pushing and pulling the tempo but still keeping an underlying feeling of large beats in the music. Watch this video from Living Pianos about how to play rubato effectively.

Tap along with the beat as you listen to the 2 performers play this piece. Which person plays with more rubato?

Technique Tips 

Left Hand Stride (large leaps) can require a greater sense of body awareness and can become easier as you apply these practice tips for accurate jumps to the left hand part of The Renewal.

Supplementary Music in G Minor

Sherwood by Andrea Dow in WK Sherwood Solos

Darkness by Andrea Dow in WK Sherwood Solos

Pursuit by Andrea Dow in WK Sherwood Solos

Ensnared by Andrea Dow in WK Sherwood Solos

Related Posts

Wunderkeys Pop 2 Lesson Plans

Wolf in Bflat Major-GMinor 

Saorla Rising 

Ear Training Challenge Activity Links

For this month students can complete Tonic Tutor.com games or choose activities from the links below to strengthen their ear training skills to prepare to complete this month's ear training challenge of their choice.

Free Printable Expert Ears Challenge Sheet

Rhythm Challenge You Be the Teacher

Every month I invite my students to complete a musical challenge. The online resources below include some options for this month's Rhythm Challenge.

You Be the Teacher Videos

Choose a video below to watch and prepare to teach a 1-minute lesson about the musical concept at the group lesson. You can create a poster, a short game, or explain the concepts in a memorable way.

Rhythm Group Lesson Activities

You Be The Teacher

One option for this month's rhythm challenge is to watch a rhythm concept video below and come prepared to teach a mini-lesson (about 1 minute) to the other students during group lessons. Students could create a poster or game, use examples from music, or just explain it the concept in a memorable way.

Elementary Rhythm Concepts

• Basic Note Values Video QHDW

Piano Pedaling Tutorials by the Piano Prof

I recently discovered The Piano Prof YouTube channel hosted by piano professor Kate Boyd and am loving so many of her tutorial videos related to intermediate level music! She explains with such clarity and includes music samples demonstrating the concepts. I love using flipped learning and her helpful explanations are a great resource for my piano lab time lesson plans that correlate with method book pieces. 

Pedaling Tutorial Videos

Pedaling Basics

Intermediate Technique Tip Videos

Following are some intermediate technique concepts we cover in intermediate piano group lessons about technique. The videos provide helpful demonstrations and more detailed explanations. 

 How to play scales more evenly and quickly?

Watch starting at 6:00-6:30

Free Piano Teaching Game: V Chord Family Reunion

I love to introduce the concept of chord symbols early on to my piano students. The freedom of playing from lead sheets not only allows them to play more interesting music early on with basic primary chord progressions, but it also opens the door for them to create and improvise using different left-hand patterns. 

Remembering all of the traditional chord symbols can be a bit overwhelming for younger students.

I created this Free Printable V Chord Family Reunion Game to help my piano students solidify their knowledge of triad and seventh chord inversion symbols that are introduced in Piano Pronto Movement 2.  It can be played with a music teacher and student for a quick lesson opener or be played with a larger group at group lessons. If you were choosing the family reunion fun would you rather parachute or hike? In this game you get to do both!

V Family Reunion Gameboard