The Contemporary Piano Method Book 2A

The Contemporary Piano Method is recommended reference material for the AMEB's Contemporary Popular Syllabus

The overall objective in this book is the development of the octave span as a point of reference, and the increase of harmonic knowledge to include all major and minor keys and scales, as well as augmented, diminished, and suspended fourth chords and all standard four-note chords. Throughout there is also a progressive introduction of signs, ornaments and musical features.

STAGE 1:
Review
- All major scales and chords
- Primary triads in major keys and the 'chord table'
- Counting and colouring with proportional diagram

STAGE 2:
Minor scales - introduction
- Study of natural and harmonic minor forms first
- Later study of melodic minor forms
- Full major key 'chord table' including minor chords and then the diminished chord
- Diminished and augmented chords
- Naming of intervals as Perfect, Major and Minor, Diminished, Augmented
(N.B. Throughout the book various methods of changing position are introduced. (a) Chord Climbing, (b) Helping Hand exercises (c) Finger Swaps (d) Skimming over Keys and so on.)

STAGE 3:
Minor Chord Table
- Octave spanning exercises
- Pedalling
- Dominant Seventh Chords and Suspended Fourth Chords

STAGE 4:
Blues Scale; Boogie Patterns; Swing Timing; Shuffle Patterns
- Chord progressions; improvising on a chord pattern
- Cadences
- Diminished Seventh Chords

Apart from the original tunes that have been written for the book, there is music by such composers as Beethoven, Bach, Handel, Purcell.