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Welcome to Rocket Piano’s Intermediate Piano Course!A Personal Message from Us

Welcome back to Rocket Piano! In this book you’re going to learn more about chord progressions, new key and time signatures, dynamic signs, and much, much more! You’ll learn how to reach those tricky notes with ease using my hand positioning techniques.

You’ll also have over fifteen original compositions to play, as well as popular songs like “Amazing Grace” and “House of the Rising Sun.” Don’t forget to listen to the nearly 30 audio tracks included.

This book also continues on with all new Jam Tracks for you to play along with a real band!

W’ve also included the New Rocket Piano Progress Tracker so that you can have a checklist of all the techniques you can expect to learn in the course. It is also a Record of Learning for when you finish whether you want to revise your skills or just show off to your friends all the amazing skills and techniques that you have learned!

Once you have mastered a lesson or skill tick it off on the Progress Tracker, and move on to the next lesson! Commit yourself to ticking off the skills you learn as you go and see your improvement instantly!

Are you ready?

The Rocket Piano Team

0101

Every time you see one of these buttons, play the

relevant video or track!

Table ContentsWelcome!..................................................................3A.Personal.Message.from.Us...................................3Rocket.Piano.Progress.Tracker................................5

Chapter One ............................................6Review.of.Chord.Progressions.................................6She’ll.be.Comin’.Round.the.Mountain......................6Shifting.Inversions....................................................7New.Hand.Technique:.2nd.Finger.Over.Thumb.......8Re-cap.of.Rhythmic.Notation....................................98th.Note.Triplets.....................................................10Counting.8th.Note.Triplets......................................10Jam.Track.Six.........................................................14

Chapter Two ..........................................16A.New.Time.Signature............................................17Another.Key.Signature:.B.Flat.Major......................18Primary.Triads.in.B.Flat.Major................................19Amazing.Grace.......................................................20The.A.Major.Scale..................................................21Primary.Triads.in.A.major........................................22Play.it.Faster:.Vivace..............................................23Revision.Test:.Part.Three.......................................24Revision.Test:.Part.Three.continued.......................25Revision.Test:.Part.Three.Answers.........................26Jam.Track.Seven....................................................27

Chapter Three .......................................28More.Signs.that.Modify.Notes................................28The.E.Flat.Major.Scale...........................................30Primary.Triads.in.E.Flat.Major................................31Play.it.Slower:.Largo...............................................32Playing.the.Scales.over.Two.Octaves....................33Arpeggios.over.Two.Octaves..................................34Pedal.Practice........................................................35Jam.Track.Eight......................................................36

Chapter Four .........................................37Seventh.Chords......................................................37Dominant.7th.Chords..............................................39Minor.7th.Chords....................................................40Minor.7.Flat.5.Chords.............................................41Recap.of.7th.Chords...............................................417th.Chords.in.I,.IV,.V.Progressions.........................42Non.Troppo.Allegretto.............................................43Sforzando...............................................................45Jam.Track.Nine.......................................................46

Chapter Five .........................................48Three-note.7th.Chords...........................................48Adding.Inversions...................................................50Dominant.Chords.in.Four.Keys..............................51Andantino...............................................................52Jam.Track.Ten........................................................54

Chapter Six............................................56Key.of.E.Minor........................................................56E.Harmonic.Minor.Scale.........................................57E.Melodic.minor.scale............................................57Primary.Triads.in.E.Harmonic.Minor.......................58Revision.Test:.Part.Four.........................................62Revision.Test:.Part.Four.continued.........................63Revision.Test:.Part.Four.Answers...........................64So.Long!.................................................................65

Lesson or Skill Page # Date Signature Shifting inversions ............ ............. ......................... New Hand technique: 2 Finger Over Thumb ............ ............. ......................... 8th note triplets ............ ............. ......................... A New Time Signature: 6/8 ............ ............. ......................... Key Signature: B flat major ............ ............. ......................... Primary triads in B flat major ............ ............. ......................... The A major scale ............ ............. ......................... Primary triads in A major ............ ............. ......................... Performance direction: Vivace ............ ............. ......................... Accents ............ ............. ......................... Staccato & Staccatissimo ............ ............. ......................... Playing in unison ............ ............. ......................... The E flat major scale ............ ............. ......................... Primary triads in E flat major ............ ............. ......................... Performance direction: Largo ............ ............. ......................... Playing scales over two octaves ............ ............. ......................... Playing arpeggios over two octaves ............ ............. ......................... Pedal practice: Ped___ ............ ............. ......................... Seventh chords ............ ............. ......................... Dominant 7th chords ............ ............. ......................... 7th chords in a I IV V progression ............ ............. ......................... Three note 7th chords ............ ............. ......................... 7th chord inversions ............ ............. ......................... Dominant chords in:G ............ ............. ......................... In: F ............ ............. ......................... In: D ............ ............. ......................... In: Bb ............ ............. ......................... Performance direction: Andantino ............ ............. ......................... Key of E minor ............ ............. ......................... E harmonic Minor scale ............ ............. ......................... E melodic minor scale ............ ............. ......................... Primary chords in E harmonic minor ............ ............. .........................

Rocket Piano Progress Tracker

q = 126

6

10

Chapter OneReview of Chord Progressions

In Chapter 17 of the previous Rocket Piano book, you learned about chord progressions; the series of primary triads that begin on the first, fourth, and fifth notes of a scale. In this chapter, you will learn a few more pieces with a I, IV, V progression in order to familiarize yourself with this important sequence.

Exercise: This piece is a I, IV, V progression in the key of G major. Practice identifying the chords as you play.

She’ll be Comin’ Round the MountainAllegro

01

135

135

135

135

135

14

135

1 5 1 5 1 3

5 3 2 5 3 2 1

1 5 4 3 2

6

Shifting Inversions

You should be comfortable with chord and chord inversions. Now let’s look at shifting inversions and the difference in sound they can make. You may have noticed that a chord in root position always sounds very grounded and stable, while the same chord played in the various inversions has a very different quality. The more you play chords, the more you’ll notice their tonal qualities.

C major in root position and inversions in the right hand

Here are the same inversions for the left hand.

Moderato

Exercise: Practice chord inversion with the following piece.

Rootposition

1st inversion(with the rootnote C at thetop)

2nd inversion(with the 3rd note E at thetop)

Root position(now an octavehigher)

Root position

1st inversion(with the rootnote C at thetop)

2nd inversion(with the 3rd note E at thetop)

Root position(now an octavehigher)

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 4 1 5 1

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 5 3 2 1

02

New Hand Technique: 2nd Finger Over Thumb

At this stage, the pieces that you’re playing are going to demand more technical fingering and frequent hand position changes. To hit all the notes in a piece more easily, try this technique. When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece, let your 2nd finger go over the thumb. 2 finger

goes over

Allegretto

Exercise: Practice putting your 2 finger over the thumb with this piece.

24

03

1 2 1 21 1

135

135

135

125

15

15

14

14

25

25

14

135

5

9

13

1 2 1 1 2 1

1 2 1

1 2 1 1 2 1

Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation

It was a long, long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation, so here’s a brief re-cap to refresh your memory. Notice the new names for the quarter, half, whole, etc. notes. They are more difficult to remember but are used often, so it is important to be familiar with both.

Whole note or breve(4 beats)

Written as a single note Whole note rest

Written as a single note Half note rest

Quarter note rest

8th note rest

16th note rest

Written as a single note



Half note or minim(2 beats)

Quarter note or crotchet(1 beat)

8th note or quaver(½ beat)

16th note or semi-quaver(¼ beat)

8th Note Triplets

Eight note triplets occur when there are three 8th notes played in the time of two 8th notes, or one quarter note. When you play a triplet, then, you will spread the playing of the three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note.

When 8th note triplets are written, a small number ‘3’ appears above or below the group of notes.

Remember ...three 8th note triplets = one quarter note ORtwo 8th notes.

3

3

iiq = q OR

3

3

iiq = iq

Counting 8th Note Triplets

When counting 8th note triplets, you count:

one-and-then, two-and-then, three-and-then, four-and-then

Exercise: Clap the beats and count aloud the rhythm and also try clapping the rhythm and counting aloud the beats.

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

iiq iiqiiq iiq q

3

3

iiq

3

3

iiq

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

q q q q q44

one two three four one-and-then two three-and-then four

Listen to the following track, which will familiarize you with the sound of triplets.

triplet sign

3

04

25

q = 96

3

3

3

3

Exercise: Here’s a small piece just for the L.H to practice 8th note triplets. When notes in the L.H appear like this and have a repetitive pattern, the following can be called a bass line.

Andante moderato

Exercise: Try playing triplets with this piece.

05

06

q = 96

3

3

3

3

13

13

24

35

345 123 2 34

5

5

Exercise: This piece has a few 8th note triplets, so take it slowly at first to get your timing right. Then, speed up as you get the hang of it.

Moderato

2q = 96

3

3

3

6

3

3

11

3

3

3

3

3

3

16

3

3

3

3

q = 96

3

3

3

34 3 2 35

2 215 5423 415 3 5

3 3 42 1 215 555

55 31 2 3 4

534 5 3 4 2 5 1

07

Exercise: This piece also has a bass line in it. The bass line is the repetitive melodic line in the L.H. Again, play slowly at first until you feel comfortable with the piece.

It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together. Start by learning how to play the L.H (or bass line), then add the R.H.

Andante 08

q = 78

3

3

3

5

3

9

3

3

3

13

3

16

3

3 3

3

5 3

51

41

53

41

53

52

31

1 5 351

1

5 3 1 5 1

5 1 5 5

WE’RE JAMMIN’!

Jam Track Six

Exercise: This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 finger over thumb technique that you have been learning. Practice through your piano part a few times, before jamming it out with the Rocket band!

06

continued on next page..

5 4 13 52 1 3 1 2

24

5 4 3 2 5 51 543

12

13 5435

1 13

1254

5 12

1 3

1

2

52 1

Swing

6

11

16

06xNow let’s all try playing together. Listen to this track, and play along on your piano!

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13 2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24 21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

e

q

q.

‘one’ beat instead of a half beat=

=

‘one-two’ beats instead of one beat

=

h. =

iiq iiq iiq iiq q e q e q. iiqone two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

‘one-two-three-four-five-six’ instead of three beats. The dotted half note now makes up a whole bar in time.6

8‘one-two-three’ beats now instead of one and a half. This also divides the bar into half, so two dotted quarter notes make up a bar in time.6

8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44, 24 , and 43 time. In this chapter, we’ll look at a new

time signature: .

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half. With 68 time, however, the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided evenly into threes. A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes ( ).

Basically, the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6, while the 8 on the bottom means that an 8th note gets one beat.

This means that this time signature is quite different from those we’ve looked at before. All the previous time signatures you’ve seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note as the standard for one beat, which makes an eighth note last for half a beat. Now, the eighth note is the standard for one beat. This means that all the other note values change correspondingly.

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in 68 time.

q.

iiq iiqq. q.

68

4

Exercise: Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in 68 time.

Allegro09

1

Exercise: Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast, but for this piece - as with a lot of others - it is okay to play it slowly when you’re first learning, then speed up. It’s much more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away.

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

6

11

16

19

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

b bb b

Another Key Signature: B Flat Major

Now, you’re ready to learn another key signature: that of B major. B major has two flats in it, B and E . Below, you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff.

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note (Chapter 13 of the previous book). Therefore, the two tetrachords starting on B will make the B major scale.

Use the same R.H. fingering to play B major as you do in F major. The R.H fingering will go: 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, both ascending and descending. The thumb will go under the 4 finger on ascending, and on descending the 4 finger will go over the thumb.

Here’s the scale ascending.

bb

b

Exercise: Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending. Play over it several times slowly to begin with. Pay particular attention to the R.H fingering.

R.H.

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachordjoined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

L.H.

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachordjoined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Here is the I, IV, V chord progression in Bb major for the L.H, with the chords in the root position.

This time the same progression except now with the inversions we’ve used previously when looking at the primary chords.

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb, Eb, and F.

bChord

IIVV

TriadB majorE majorF major

Position1st note4th note5th note

b

I IV VR.H.

32 41

5 6 7 8

BbEb F

Exercise: Now play the inversions with both hands.

I IV VL.H.

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VL.H.

1 5Bb

(root position)Eb

(1st inversion)F

(2nd inversion)

432

Exercise: This piece has the same chords as the I, IV, V progression but in a different order than what you’ve been playing. This time, the chord progression goes: I, IV, I, V. Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression.

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

135

135

1

2

4

53

5

q = 88

3

5

3

9

3

13

3

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

The A Major Scale

Now that you’ve mastered the B flat scale, you’re ready for another: the A major scale. The A major scale has three sharps in it: F#, C#, and G#.

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below. Remember that you can create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole note principle.

joined

R.H.

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4


second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise: Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending. Use the normal fingering for the major scales.

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

L.H.

15 124 23 3


W HW W HWW

key signature

You can vary how you play the I, IV, V progression by using the inversions differently, which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords. As you already know, a chord that isn’t played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about it. On the other hand, a chord played in the root position feels more grounded. If you use the inversions differently, you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is played.

Look at the example below, in which inversions of the I chord are played. These inversions change what inversions you will use to play the other chords, as well as making the chord type easier to hear. Remember: if a chord is played too low on the keyboard, it loses quality, definition and becomes unclear.

Here is the same progression for the L.H with the chords in the root position.

Again, the same progression, except this time with the inversions.

ChordI

IVV

TriadA majorD majorE major


Primary Triads in A majorThe three primary triads in A major are A, D, and E.

IV VR.H.

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A D E

I IV VL.H.

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I

D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VL.H.

1 5A

(root position)D

(1st inversion)E

(2nd inversion)

432

Vivace

Play it Faster: Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator you’ll learn. It means to play the piece lively and quick. It is a faster tempo than allegro, so vivace is now the fastest tempo you’ve played.

Exercise: Try this piece. Remember what the staccato dot means? (If you don’t, refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book.)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f

6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25 1 4

35

1

Revision Test: Part Three

1. If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order, what is the 1st inversion of the C chord made up of?a. C G Eb. E G Cc. E C Gd. G C E

2. How many 8th note triplets fit into a measure of 4/4?a. 4b. 8c. 12d. 16

3. What does 6/8 at the beginning of a piece indicate? a. there are eight 6th notes per measureb. there are six 8th notes per stavec. there are six 8th notes per measured. there are 6 sharps and 8 flats in the key signature.

4. What is in the key signature of Bb major?a. Bbb. Bb and Ebc. A# and D#d. 5 flats

5. What are the sharps in the key of A major? Name them in order of their appearance on the stave from left to right.a. C# F# G#b. C# G#c. F# C# G#d. F# C#

Revision Test: Part Three continued..

6. What does the term vivace mean?a. play lively and quickb. play slow and solemnc. gradually getting fasterd. play sweetly

7. What is the defining characteristic of a harmonic minor scale?

a. it has no sharps or flatsb. the descending scale is different to the ascending scalec. it has a raised 7th noted. it is played with harmony in 3rds

8. What is the defining characteristic of a melodic minor scale?a. it has no sharps or flatsb. the descending scale is different to the ascending scalec. it has raised 7th noted. it is the opening melody of the song “House of the Rising Sun”

9. What is the defining characteristic of a natural minor?a. it has no sharps or flatsb. it has the same key signature as it’s relative majorc. it has the same key signature as E melodic minord. it played only on black notes

Revision Test: Part Three Answers

1. (b) The first inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2. (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note, so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3. (c) The 6/8 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in each measure. (pg 14)

4. (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb. (pg 16)

5. (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C# F# and G#. They are written on the stave from left to right as, F#, C#, G#. (Remembering that the sharps are placed on the key signature beginning with F# and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added.) (pg 19)

6. (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously, meaning lively and quick. (pg 21)

7. (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to it’s key signature. (pg 142 Beginner book)

8. (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending. Ascending it has a raised 6th and 7th, and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again. (pg 142 Beginner Book)

9. (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as it’s relative Major which is located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note. (pg 141 Beginner Book)

07x

07

Listen to this track, and play along with us!

WE’RE JAMMIN’!

Jam Track Seven

Exercise: This Jam Track is in the key of B flat major, and uses the time signature you’ve been learning about. Practice through your piano part a few times, before jam-ming it out with the Rocket band!

68

Slow

5

9

13 1.

2.

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5 2 43

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

q n

qqq>

>

nYou’ve seen the sign before. It is an accent sign, which tells you that you should play that note louder. You may also see a sign above or an sign below a note. Both mean the same as an accent sign.

n n>

_qqq. q q q....._ Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words, a little bit less staccato than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots).

- q

q

-

The sign is a wedge sign. When you see this sign, play the note super staccato. In other words, play the note as briefly as possible. This is referred to as staccatissimo.

-

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly more pressure to it.-q

q-

-

Chapter ThreeMore Signs that Modify Notes

Here are a few more signs that you should know. They are less frequent than the other signs we’ve looked at but they’re important to know in case they come up in any of the pieces.

Play it a Little Less Staccato:

Play it a Lot More Staccato:

Play it a Bit Harder:

Play it Louder:

26

Vivace

Exercise: Note the section below where the R.H and L.H play the same notes and same rhythm, but an octave apart. This is called playing in unison.

15

15

3 3

1214 1 4 1

5

15

3

14

1

45 1

5

1 4 5

45

1

13

2

q = 128

6

10

15

19

24

15 5

45

23

23 45 23 1 5

45 23 5 52

The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major. Eb major has three flats:

Eb, Bb, Ab.

L.H.

15

1242

33


W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise: Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending.

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

R.H.

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4


second tetrachordjoined

key signature

OR written this way,an octave lower

15 124 23 3


W HW W HWW

16

This time, when playing the I, IV, V progression, try using different inversions in different hands. It creates a different quality; the sound becomes more full. Try playing the standard inversions in both hands and then the different inversions in different hands and notice the tonal quality difference.

Here is the same progression for the L.H. with the chords in the root position.

The same progression with the inversions:

Primary Triads in E Flat Major

The three primary triads in Eb major are Eb, Ab, and Bb.

bChord

IIVV

TriadE majorA majorB major


bbIV V

R.H.

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1Eb Ab Bb

I(1st inversion)

IV(root position)

V(2nd inversion)

I(1st inversion)

I(root position)

V(1st inversion)

IV(2nd inversion)

I(root position)

I(root position)

IV(2nd inversion)

V(1st inversion)

I(root position)

I(2nd inversion)

IV(1st inversion)

V(root position)

I(2nd inversion)

17

I IV VL.H.

1 5Eb

(root position)Ab

(1st inversion)

Bb(2nd inversion)

432

I IV VL.H.

321 4 5BbAbEb

Play it Slower: Largo

Now that you’ve learned to play fast (vivace), it’s time to learn how to play slowly. Largo is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio, or in a slow and stately way. In fact, largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far.

Exercise: Practice this tempo with the following piece. 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

135

135

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

6

11

16

21

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

You’re now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave, but two. You’re going to need a new hand technique for this one. You’ll have to cross your thumb under your 4 finger after playing the first octave. Once the thumb has been repositioned, it can cover the second octave.

11 2 3 45

1 2 34

1 2 23 3

Here, the 1 thumb goes under the 4 finger so that the rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached.

123 12345

12 123 3 4

Now, on the descending, the 4 finger has to cross over the hand to make all the notes accessible.

Now, let’s apply the same technique to the left hand.

Exercise: Now, try playing the scales in unison with two octaves. Then go back and play the other scales you’ve learned so far with both hands and two octaves. These exercises are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used to warm up the fingers before playing.

On the ascending L.H scale, the 4 finger goes over the hand, making the rest of the notes accessible.

123

12345 12 123 3 4

Finally, on the descending scale, the 1 thumb goes under the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes in both octaves.

1 2 3 1

14 53 41 2 23 3

27

Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves, you need to know how to play arpeggios covering two octaves.

Let’s start with the right hand. This time, the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 finger as the right hand ascends. Upon descending, the 3 finger will have to go over the the 1 thumb.

1 2 3 1 2 3 5 123 123

1 thumb goes under the 3 finger

Now the 3 finger goes over the 1 thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand, except reversed. On ascending, the 3 finger will go over the 1 thumb. Upon descending, the 1 thumb will go under the 3 finger.

3 31125 512 23 23

3 finger goes over the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes under the 3 finger

Exercise: Now try both hands together. Go slowly until you get the hang of it.

Exercise: Once you’ve gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major, try playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys, using the same fingering.

R.H.

L.H.

Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11, of the beginner book, you learned how to use the pedal. The pedal sign may be modified with small upward arrows, as seen above. These tell you to release the pedal then press down again, so that you’re only releasing it for a moment.

q = 63

5

10

15

19

Dolce

Exercise: Practice with the following piece. Note the dynamic sign. Dolce is a performance indicator that means to play sweet and soft.

19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

WE’RE JAMMIN’!

Jam Track 8

Exercise: This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-cato notes within a band context! Practice through your piano part a few times, before jamming it out with the Rocket band!

08

08xPlay this track, to jam with the band!

5

9

13

1. 2.

54

3

51 3

13 2

4 35

13

1 3 5 4 1 3

21

5

31

531

521

5

3 142

3 5

Chapter FourSeventh Chords

All the chords you’ve played so far have had at most three stacked notes. Now, you’re ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord.

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad. It gets its name because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord.

Here is the 7th interval without the other chordal notes.

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord. The additional note adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct.

Now, let’s take a look at the left hand. The chord below is a C major 7th chord. It is built up from the C note in the root. It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top.

Seventh chords, like triads, can be major or minor. For now, think about the 7th chords that appear in the key of C major. The fingering for playing 7th chords is:

R.H. 1, 2, 3, 5 or 1, 2, 4, 5.L.H. 5, 3, 2, 1 or 5, 4, 2, 1.

At this stage use the fingering that is most comfortable for you. The fingering that appears on the music is simply a guide.

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1352 1

352

1352 1

352

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C major. It is quite a stretch, so don’t worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with.

29

As you can see, the 7th chord is named because there is a 7th interval in the chord.

q = 84

mf

5

9

13

17

21

1352

1352

Moderato

Exercise: Practice seventh chords with the following piece. 20

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further, you need to know about dominant 7th chords. It is when a minor 7th interval is added to the major V chord. It is called the Dominant 7 chord because adding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord.

In the I, IV, V progression that you already know, the V chord will be played as a dominant 7th chord. Below is an example using the C major key. Notice that the V chord (G major) now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7).

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression.

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales:

In C major, G is the V chord, so G becomes the dominant 7th chord.

In G major, D is the V chord, so D becomes the dominant 7th chord.

In F major, C is the V chord, so C becomes the dominant 7th chord.

In Bb major, F is the V chord, so F becomes the dominant 7th chord.

The notes in a G major dominant chord are G, B, D, F. So...

G is the root note.B is the 3rd note.D is the perfect 5th.F is the 7th note.

I V7

C G

I V7 I V7

I V7I V7

30

Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords. Basically, a minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a flattened 3rd note.

To get a minor 7th chord, take the major 7th chord. Flatten the 7th note (which makes it a dominant 7th). Then, flatten the 3rd note. Look at the example below.

13

75

C minor 7th chord(root position)

b

b

b

b

● The 7th note, B , is a minor 7th away from C.● The 5th note, G, is a perfect 5th away from C.● The 3rd note, E , is a minor 3rd away from C. This gives the chord its minor quality.● The root note is C.

Relative to the root note, a minor 7th chord goes 1, 3, 5, 7. It looks like a minor triad with a minor 7th on top.

b b

Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord you’ll learn in this book. With the addition of this chord, you’ll have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key.

Minor 7 flat 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short. To create one of these chords, all you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1, 3, 5, 7) and flatten the 5th. In other words, it will look like this:

1, 3, 5, 7

These chords sound quite unusual, and it may take a while to get used to how they sound.

Here is an example. This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position.

b

b b

b b b

b

C minor 7 flat 5(root position)

13

75b

b

b

Recap of 7th Chords

Here’s a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far:

● Major 7th chord: 1, 3, 5, 7● Dominant 7th chord: 1, 3, 5, 7● Minor 7th chord: 1, 3, 5, 7● Minor 7 5 chord: 1, 3, 5, 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book.

b

b b

b b bb

● The 7th note, B , is a minor 7th away from C.● The 5th note is now flattened from G to G . This note gives the chord its unique sound.● The 3rd note, E , is a minor 3rd away from C. This gives the chord its minor quality.● The root note is C.

Relative to the root note, a minor 7 flat 5 chord goes 1, 3, 5, 7. It looks like a regular minor 7 chord with a flattened 5th note.

b b b

b

b

b

7th Chords in I, IV, V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord, you can put 7th chords into the I, IV, V chord progression that you already know. This creates a I, IV, V7th chord progression.

Let’s try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major.

Be careful when playing 7th chords. Because of the new added notes -- and especially if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and unclear. To avoid this, play the inversions of the chords. The same inversion principle that you learned with triads will apply, except now that there are more notes, the inversions will be a little more tricky.

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand.

Because there are now four notes in every chord, there are also four different inversions to play:

• root position• 1st inversion• 2nd inversion• and now a new position, the 3rd inversion.

root position

1st inversion

2nd inversion

3rd inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand. Notice that the last inversion, the 3rd, has to be played down an octave. This is because it would be too high to play in the L.H.at this stage. The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chord, but is simply an octave lower.

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position1st

inversion2nd

inversion3rd

inversion

R.H.

L.H.

(played down an octave)

Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece, all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord. This will get you used to their sounds and shapes.

Note the new dynamic sign. Non troppo allegretto is Italian for “not too much allegretto,” or not too fast. (The word troppo means ‘too much,’ while the word non means ‘not.’ So non troppo means, ‘not too much.’)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise: Play this piece slowly, or adagio, to begin with, then get up to speed.

21

3

1352

1352

1352

1352

1352

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

On the following page, you’ll play a piece with the I, IV, V progression in C major using the seventh chords. You’ll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead of in root position. This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord to sound muddy and unclear.

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below.

When the G dominant 7 chord appears, play it in the second inversion. This makes the chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord.

Exercise: Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the 7th chords.

root position

1st inversion

2nd inversion

3rd inversion

L.H.

1352

1352

root position

2nd inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page, you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato means. Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score, you should play in a forced and accented way.

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs (>) over them. It’s just a different way of writing the direction.

Non troppo vivace

22

135

1352

135

135

1352

135

1352

1352

14

mp

6

13

20

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

WE’RE JAMMIN’!

Jam Track Nine

Exercise: This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords you’ve been learning. Practice through your piano part a few times, before jamming it out with the band!

09

continued on the next page..

3

Dolce

5

9

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 2 4 5

5 1

3 2

3 3 5 13 3 5

51

53 1

5 3 1

09xPlay this track to get Jammin’!

13

18

2

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

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53 1

43 5

342

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3 14 15

Chapter Five Three-note 7th Chords

7th chords don’t always come in groups of four. Sometimes, you will omit one of the notes and play only three notes of the chord. But which three?

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd, 7th, and root note. You can usually remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord. This is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality.

To hear how this works, play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully. The 5th note has been removed from each chord.

When you remove the 5th, you’ll find that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly less cumbersome.

Now, try playing the same chords with the left hand.

As you play, you’ll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear. Do you also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord?

135 1

35

135

135

R.H.

L.H.

31

135

135

135

135

135

135

23

6

Exercise: Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape, sound and finger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted.

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted, you’re ready to look at inversions. Just like the other chords, 7th chords with the omitted 5th note also have inversions. Because there are only three notes, there are only three possible positions.

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted.

Now, see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord. Below is an example of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions, omitting the 5th note.

root position

1st inversion

2nd inversion

root position

root position

1st inversion

2nd inversion

root position

root position

1st inversion

2nd inversion

root position

root position

1st inversion

2nd inversion

root position

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now, it’s time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys you’ve learned so far. Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatever major scale. Also, note the key signature for each key.

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord omitting the 5th note in three inversions. D is the V chord in the key of G major.

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord in the 3 positions omitting the 5th note. C is the V chord in the key of F major.

root position

1st

inversion2nd

inversionroot

position

root position

1st

inversion2nd

inversionroot

position

root

position1st

inversion2nd

inversionroot

position

root position

1st

inversion2nd

inversionroot

position

Key of D major Here is the A dominant 7 chord in all the 3 positions omitting the 5th note. A is the V chord in the key of D major.

Key of Bb major

root position

1st

inversion2nd

inversionroot

position

root position

1st

inversion2nd

inversionroot

position

root position

1st

inversion2nd

inversionroot

position

root position

1st

inversion2nd

inversionroot

position

Here is the F dominant 7 chord played in the 3 positions omitting the 5th note. F is the V chord in the key of B major.b

Andantino

Andantino is another tempo indicator. It’s a bit confusing, as it usually means to play slightly faster than andante, but can also mean to play slightly slower. Be certain by checking the metronome mark (the q = 78 below) to make sure that you’re playing the piece at the right tempo.

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

125

124

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise: This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th omitted in context with the I chord relative to it. There are many key changes in this piece, so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord.

WE’RE JAMMIN’!

Jam Track Ten

Exercise: In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter. Practice through your piano part a few times, before jamming it out with the Rocket band!

This song uses a weird looking sign called a ‘Coda’. It means you miss out the middle section when you repeat the song, by skipping to the end part where the Coda is. Listen to this example track to see how it is played.

10

Continued on next page..

9

13

544

221

423 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

10xLet’s play it together! Listen to this track and play along.

18

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25 1 2 3 5

4 35

135 1

25

Chapter SixThe final key that you’ll learn in this book is E minor. You learned about minor keys in Chapter 18 of the previous book. You should recall that every minor key is relative to a major key. In fact, the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative minor. Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature.

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major, because E is the 6th note in the G major scale. The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major. The key signature for G major tell us that it has one sharp in it, F#.

To create the natural minor key, use the same notes as in G major, but start the scale on the sixth note (in this case, E).

You may also recall that there are three minor scales: the natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor. The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major scale. You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key signature) as the G major scale.

Here is the same scale, down an octave in the L.H.

Key signature 6th note of the scale, E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale, the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone. To create the E harmonic minor scale, the seventh note, D, gets raised to D .#

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale. So, when looking at E minor, we will refer to the harmonic minor.

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor. The melodic minor scale uses different notes depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending.

On ascending scale, the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step. The sixth note, C, becomes C , while the seventh note, D, becomes D .

On the descending scale, you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale. In other words, the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals.

# #

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D#

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes raised to C# and D#

6th and 7th notes return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor, you can use the same process as before to form the primary chords for this key. The only difference is that you will play the V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion.

The primary chords of E minor are E minor, A minor, and B major.

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major. Now that we have learned dominant 7th chords, we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord.

Here is the same progression for the left hand.

Chordi7

iv7

V7

TriadE minor 7A minor 7B dominant 7


iv7 V7R.H

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7L.H

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i, iv, V chord progression with some inversions and some with the 5th omitted.

25iv minor7 V dominant7i minor7

Moderato

Exercise: Practice chords with the following piece. 26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

135

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

mf

6

11

16

21

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise: Here’s another song for you to practice on.

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

Exercise: Here’s another piece to play for fun!

Allegretto

28

14

15

3 5

1 34

5

1

4

5

4

5

15

151

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14

15 1

5

15

13

13

15

15

q = 96

5

9

13

16

Revision Test: Part Four

1. Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major?a. Eb, F, Gb, Ab, B, C, Db, Ebb. Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, Ebc. Eb, Fb, G, A, Bb, C, Db, Ebd. Eb, F, G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb

2. What is the term Largo indicating for you to do?a. Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indicationb. Play in a slow, stately wayc. Play notes stressed and fulld. Largo is the italian term for song-like, indicating to play expressively

3. Name a fingering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and descending. a. 3 finger over thumb techniqueb. thumb under 4 finger techniquec. thumb under 3 finger techniqued. all of the above

4. Which finger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right hand?a. the 2 fingerb. the 3 fingerc. the 4 fingerd. the 5 finger

5. What does the term dolce mean?a. to play soft and sweetlyb. to play quietly and dullc. to hold or pause on the noted. to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

Revision Test: Part Four continued..

6. What kind of chord does the symbol V7 indicate?a. Major chordb. Minor 7th chordc. Minor 7 b5 chordd. Dominant 7th chord

7. What does the term non troppo mean?a. no trippingb. not to be played as a tripletc. not too muchd. play without repeats

8. Which chord tone is omitted when making three note 7th chords?

a. the rootb. the thirdc. the fifthd. the seventh

9. What sharps are played in an E harmonic minor scale?a. F#b. F# C#c. F# D#d. F# C# D#

Revision Test: Part Four Answers

1. (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb. Eb key signature has three flats. (pg 27)

2. (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way, ‘largely’. (pg 29)

3. (d) All of these fingering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves. (pg 30)

4. (c) The 4 finger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves. (pg 31)

5. (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet, and it indicates to play soft and sweetly. (pg 32)

6. (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord. The dominant 7th chord consists of root, 3rd, 5th and flat 7th, a major triad with a minor 7th added. (pg 35)

7. (c) Non troppo means ‘not too much’ and normally precedes another expression - for example, non troppo allegro, means not too fast. (pg 39)

8. (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord. This is because it is least important in describing the function of the chord. (pg 42)

9. (a) The key signature is F# and is the same as its relative key G major. Because it is a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened, but this is written as an accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of the stave. (pg 49)

Well done! What score did you get out of 9? If you got less then 5 correct, go back and do the test again and refer to the book to find your answers. This is a good way to ensure you are familiar with this book before going on to the next.

So Long!Well, that’s it for now! We hope you’ve enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course. Now you’re ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series, the Advanced course. You’re doing great!

Until next time!

The Rocket Piano Team

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