Piano

Equivalent Book Recommendations

Level 1

Original Books and Concepts

My First Music Theory Book - Lisa Ng

  • Concepts:

    • Writing treble and bass clefs

    • Note names and counting

    • Time signatures

    • The piano keyboard

    • Writing notes in treble and bass clefs

    • Rests

    • Accidentals

    • Stem positions

    • Time signatures

    • Completing bars with missing notes or missing rests

Preparatory Level of Ear Training Basics - Julie McIntosh Johnson

  • Concepts:

    • Identify simple melodies

    • Rhythm including quarter notes, half notes, quarter rests, and half rests

    • Major and minor five-finger patterns

    • Dynamics: forte & piano

    • Articulation: staccato and legato.

Equivalent Book Recommendations

Level 2

Original Books and Concepts

My Second Music Theory Book - Lisa Ng

  • Concepts:

    • Finding notes on a piano keyboard

    • New notes in the treble and bass clefs

    • Rests

    • Quavers

    • Quaver rest

    • Tie

Level 1 of Ear Training Basics - Julie McIntosh Johnson

  • Concepts:

    • Identify major and minor five-finger patterns and triads

    • Identify intervals by number up to one octave

    • Rhythm patterns

    • Simple melodies

    • Dynamics

    • Articulation

Equivalent Book Recommendations

Level 3

Original Books and Concepts

Fundamentals of Piano Theory Level 1 - Keith Snell & Martha Ashleigh

  • Concepts:

    • Note naming

    • 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 3/8, and 6/8 time signatures

    • Dotted note and triplet rhythms

    • Intervals up to one octave

    • Accidentals

    • 5 finger patterns

    • Triads and inversions

    • Tetrachords and major scales

    • C, G, D, F, and Bb Major key signatures

    • A, E, B, D, and G minor key signatures

    • Transposition

    • Dynamics and articulation

    • Form

    • Music History

Level 2 of Ear Training Basics - Julie McIntosh Johnson

  • Concepts:

    • Identify major and minor melodies and triads

    • Intervals by number up to one octave

    • Rhythm patterns

    • Four-measure melodies

    •  Dynamics

    • Articulation

Improve Your Sight Reading! Piano Level 1 - Paul Harris

  • Concepts:

    • Quarter notes/rests

    • Half notes/rests

    • Dotted half notes

    • Eighth notes

    • Tied notes

    • C, G, and F major

    • D and A minor

    • Time signatures (4/4, 3/4, and 2/4)

    • Small leaps

    • Articulation (staccato, slurs, and accents)

    • Mixing left and right hands

Equivalent Book Recommendations

Level 4

Original Books and Concepts

Fundamentals of Piano Theory Level 2 - Keith Snell & Martha Ashleigh

  • Concepts:

    • 2/2 time signature

    • Dotted eighth and sixteenth notes

    • Syncopation

    • Half steps and whole steps

    • Tetrachords and major scales

    • Major flat and sharp key signatures

    • Minor key signatures

    • Circle of fifths

    • Harmonizing and transposition

    • Triads and inversions

    • Primary chord progression

    • Authentic, Plagal and Half cadences

    • Binary and Ternary forms

Level 3 of Ear Training Basics - Julie McIntosh Johnson

  • Concepts:

    • Identify major and minor melodies and triads

    • Major and perfect intervals up to one octave

    • Rhythm patterns in 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4

    • Dotted notes

    • Triplets

    • Tempos

    • Articulation

Improve Your Sight Reading! Piano Level 2 - Paul Harris

  • Concepts:

    • Simple hands together

    • Movement between the hands

    • E and G minor

    • D Major

    • Dotted quarter-eighth notes in 4/4 and 3/4

    • Articulation (staccato, slurs, and accents)

    • Consecutive eigth notes

    • Revision of keys

Equivalent Book Recommendations

Level 5

Original Books and Concepts

Fundamentals of Piano Theory Level 3 - Keith Snell & Martha Ashleigh

  • Concepts:

    • Tetrachords and major scales

    • Major flat and sharp key signatures

    • Minor key signatures

    • Circle of fifths

    • Triads and inversions

    • Dominant seventh chords

    • Authentic, Plagal and Half cadences

    • Structure, style and forms in music

    • Music History

Level 4 of Ear Training Basics - Julie McIntosh Johnson

  • Concepts:

    • Includes major and minor melodies and triads

    • Major and perfect intervals up to one octave

    • Rhythm patterns in 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4

    • Tempos

    • Repetition and sequence

    • Simple rhythmic and melodic dictation. 

Improve Your Sight Reading! Piano Level 3 - Paul Harris

  • Concepts:

    • Changing hand position

    • Chords

    • A, B, and G minor

    • Bb, D, and Eb major

    • Dotted eighth - sixteenth

    • 3/8 time signature

    • Revision of keys and rhythms

Equivalent Book Recommendations

Level 6

Original Books and Concepts

Fundamentals of Piano Theory Level 4 - Keith Snell & Martha Ashleigh

  • Concepts:

    • Meter

    • Minor scales

    • Triads (Major, perfect, diminshed, and augmented)

    • Intervals (Major, minor, diminshed, and augmented)

    • Scale degrees

    • Chord progression (I, IV, and V7)

    • Harmonizing and transposing

    • Ornaments (trills and mordents)

    • Texture (polyphonic and homophonic)

    • Melodic phrase structure (repetition, imitation, sequence, and motive)

    • Musical forms (sonatina first movement)

    • Signs and terms

    • Music history

    • Sight reading

    • Ear training

Level 5 of Ear Training Basics - Julie McIntosh Johnson

  • Concepts:

    • Major and minor melodies and triads

    • Major and harmonic minor scales

    • Major and perfect intervals up to one octave ascending and descending

    • Rhythm patterns in 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4

    • Tempos and performance terms

    • Mordents and turns

    • Simple rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation. 

Improve Your Sight Reading! Piano Level 4 - Paul Harris

  • Concepts:

    • Playing musically

    • Simple syncopations

    • Sixteenth notes

    • Time signatures (6/8 and 3/8)

    • Triplet eigth notes

    • Dotted quarter-quarter-eighth notes

    • Revision of keys and rhythms

Equivalent Book Recommendations

Level 7

Original Books and Concepts

Fundamentals of Piano Theory Level 5 - Keith Snell & Martha Ashleigh

  • Concepts:

    • Meter and rhythm

    • Minor scales

    • Triads (Major, perfect, diminshed, and augmented)

    • Intervals (Major, minor, diminshed, and augmented)

    • Scale degrees

    • Chord progression (I, IV, ii, V7, I)

    • Chromatic scale

    • Ostinato

    • Ornaments (trill, turn, mordent, and appoggiatura)

    • Melodic phrase structure (repetition, imitation, sequence, and motive)

    • Sonatina Form

    • Signs and terms

    • Music history

    • Sight reading

    • Ear training

Level 6 of Ear Training Basics - Julie McIntosh Johnson

  • Concepts:

    • Major and minor melodies and triads

    • Major, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scales

    • Major and perfect intervals up to one octave ascending and descending

    • Chord progressions

    • Authentic, half, plagal, and deceptive cadences

    • Rhythm patterns using a variety of time signatures

    • Tempos and performance terms

    • Rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation

Improve Your Sight Reading! Piano Level 5 - Paul Harris

  • Concepts:

    • Pianistic styles

    • C, F#, and Ab minor

    • E major

    • Thicker textures

    • Complex rhythms in 3/8 and 6/8

    • Syncopation

    • Mixing rhythms and triplets

Equivalent Book Recommendations

Level 8

Original Books and Concepts

Fundamentals of Piano Theory Level 6 - Keith Snell & Martha Ashleigh

  • Concepts:

    • Rhythm

    • Accidentals (double sharp and double flat)

    • Minor scales

    • Triads (Major, perfect, diminshed, and augmented)

    • Intervals (Major, minor, diminshed, and augmented)

    • Scale degrees

    • Dominant seventh chords

    • Modulation

    • Cadences (authenitc, plagal, half, and deceptive)

    • Melodic phrase structure (repetition, imitation, sequence, and motive)

    • Sonatina Form

    • Signs and terms

    • Music history

    • Sight reading

    • Ear training

Level 7 of Ear Training Basics - Julie McIntosh Johnson

  • Concepts:

    • Major and minor tonalities

    • Major, minor, diminished and augmented triads

    • Natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scales

    • Major, perfect, minor, augmented, and diminished intervals up to one octave ascending and descending

    • Chord progressions

    • Authentic, half, plagal, and deceptive cadences

    • Rhythm patterns using a variety of time signatures

    • Tempos and performance terms

    • Alberti bass and ostinato

    • Rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation.

Improve Your Sight Reading! Piano Level 6 - Paul Harris

  • Concepts:

    • Time signatures (5/4 and 5/8)

    • Part playing

    • Ties

    • F and C# minor

    • Moving round the piano

    • Triplets

    • Subdividing andmore patterns in 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4

    • Revision of keys

    • Concentration

    • 9/8 time signature

    • Thinking and playing musically

Equivalent Book Recommendations

Level 9

Original Books and Concepts

Fundamentals of Piano Theory Level 7 - Keith Snell & Martha Ashleigh

  • Concepts:

    • Rhythm

    • Key Signatures

    • Major and minor scales

    • Intervals

    • Triads

    • Seventh chords

    • Figured bass

    • Cadences

    • Chord Progressions

    • Secondary dominants

    • Modulation

    • Harmonic analysis

    • Two part inventions

    • Sonata-allegro form

    • Signs and terms

    • Music history

    • Sight reading

    • Ear training

Level 8 of Ear Training Basics - Julie McIntosh Johnson

  • Concepts:

    • Major and minor tonalities

    • Major, minor, diminished, and augmented triads

    • Natural, harmonic, and melodic minor scales

    • Major, perfect, minor, augmented, and diminished intervals

    • Chord progressions

    • Cadences

    • Rhythm patterns

    • Texture

    • Dictation

Improve Your Sight Reading! Piano Level 7 - Paul Harris

  • Concepts:

    • Reading ahead and memory

    • Ties and new rhythms

    • Thicker and more complex textures

    • Harmonic and rhythmic patterns in 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 7/4, 3/8, 4/8, 5/8, and 7/8

    • Rhythms in 6/8 and 9/8

    • Revision

Equivalent Book Recommendations

Level 10

Original Books and Concepts

Fundamentals of Piano Theory Level 8 - Keith Snell & Martha Ashleigh

  • Concepts:

    • Rhythm

    • Key Signatures

    • Major and minor scales

    • Intervals

    • Triads

    • Seventh chords

    • Modulation

    • Cadences

    • Chord Progressions (modulations to the dominant)

    • Augmentation and diminution

    • Pedal point

    • Texture

    • Two part inventions

    • Sonata-allegro form

    • Signs and terms

    • Music history

    • Sight reading

    • Ear training

Level 9 of Ear Training Basics - Julie McIntosh Johnson

  • Concepts:

    • Major and minor tonalities

    • Major, minor, diminished, and augmented triads

    • Natural, harmonic, and melodic minor scales

    • Major, perfect, minor, augmented, and diminished intervals

    • Chord progressions

    • Authentic, half, plagal, and deceptive cadences

    • Rhythm patterns using a variety of time signatures

    • Texture

    • Musical style

    • Rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation

Improve Your Sight Reading! Piano Level 8 - Paul Harris

  • Concepts:

    • Wide leaps

    • Ledger lines

    • Changing meter and spread chords

    • Contrapuntal textures

    • Harmonic and rhythmic patterns in 3/4, 4/4, 3/8, 5/8, 6/8, and 5/4

    • Time signatures (9/8 and 12/8)

    • Revision

Equivalent Book Recommendations

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