Scales My Way by Dennis Alexander and Martha Mier

Accidentals

Intervals

Sharps, flats and naturals that do not appear in a key signature.

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Blocked 6ths

Intervals

Two notes played together, usually in one hand but sometimes in both, whose distance is the interval of a 6th of any quality.

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Blocked Chord Accompaniment

Accompaniment Patterns

A type of accompaniment pattern that primarily uses major and minor triads with simple or slow-moving rhythms.

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Crescendo and Diminuendo

Expression

Indications instructing the player to play gradually louder (crescendo) or softer (diminuendo).

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Crossing Over Thumb

Hand and Finger Techniques

The physical motion of crossing fingers 2, 3, 4, or 5 over the thumb; used when playing scalar passages or outside of five finger scales.

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Legato

Expression

A type of articulation indicating the player to play smoothly and seamlessly, with the notes slightly overlapped.

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Major Scales

Scales and Hand Positions

Commonly used diatonic scales with the following sequence of intervals: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.

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Octave Higher or Octave Lower

Notes and Notation

Symbols that indicate playing a note or range of notes either an octave higher or lower than notated.

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Ostinato

Accompaniment Patterns

A continually repeated phrase or rhythm.

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Quarter Notes

Rhythm

Notes whose lengths are equal to one-fourth the value of a whole note.

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Quarter Rests

Rhythm

Silence that equals the length of one quarter note.

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Ritardando

Meter

An Italian term meaning "delaying"; an indication instructing the player to decrease speed, often gradually.

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Shifting Hand Positions

Hand and Finger Techniques

A technique that requires the player to pick up and move their hand to a new position; usually from a five finger scale to another.

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Staccato

Expression

A type of articulation indicating the player to play short and light; notes not held for their full value.

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Sustain Pedal

Expression

Also called the damper pedal, it is the rightmost pedal on the piano and used to sustain notes by moving the dampers away from the strings.

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Two Note Slurs

Expression

Two notes connected together smoothly where the second note is played softer and lighter.

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Whole Notes

Rhythm

Notes whose lengths are four beats.

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Scales My Way

Dennis Alexander
Martha Mier

Video

Elements

Accidentals

Blocked 6ths

Blocked Chord Accompaniment

Crescendo and Diminuendo

Crossing Over Thumb

Legato

Major Scales

Octave Higher or Octave Lower

Ostinato

Quarter Notes

Quarter Rests

Ritardando

Shifting Hand Positions

Staccato

Sustain Pedal

Two Note Slurs

Whole Notes

Details