rocket piano intermediate 3
TRANSCRIPT
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Acknowledgments
The Rocket Piano series was created on behalf of Rock Star Recipes LTD
Author amp Music Ashleigh Southam
Edit amp Graphic Design Unica Design LTD
Multimedia Content Rock Star Recipes Studios
Publisher Rock Star Recipes LTD
Terms of use
By purchasing The Rocket Piano series - you agree to the following
You will use The Rocket Piano series Chordinator Keycelerator Perfect Your Pitch Pro
Jayde Musica Advanced Learning Techniques for Piano and other Rock Star Recipes Ltd
products and services for your personal and private use only
The Rocket Piano series Chordinator Jayde Musica Advanced Learning Techniques for
Piano remain the property of Rock Star Recipes Ltd and may not be resold repackaged
or otherwise transferred
Course and bonus product materials may not be duplicated or distributed in any way
without expressed written permission from Rock Star Recipes Ltd
Rock Star Recipes Ltd retains all rights to these products
Copyright copy 2004 Rock Star Recipes Ltd
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 365Page 3
Welcome to Rocket Pianorsquos Intermediate Piano Course
A Personal Message from MeWelcome back to Rocket Piano In this book yoursquore going to learn more about chord
progressions new key and time signatures dynamic signs and much much more Yoursquoll
learn how to reach those tricky notes with ease using my hand positioning techniques
Yoursquoll also have over fteen original compositions to play as well as popular songs like
ldquoAmazing Gracerdquo and ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo Donrsquot 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
Irsquove 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 nish 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
R983157t983144
23
Listen to a personalmessage from Ruth
0101
Every time you see oneof these buttons play the
relevant video or track
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 465Page 4
Table Contents
Welcome 3
A Personal Message from Me 3
Rocket Piano Progress Tracker 5
Chapter One 6
Review of Chord Progressions 6
Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the Mountain 6
Shifting Inversions 7
New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb 8
Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation 9
8th Note Triplets 10
Counting 8th Note Triplets 10
Jam Track Six 14
Chapter Two 16
A New Time Signature 17
Another Key Signature B Flat Major 18
Primary Triads in B Flat Major 19 Amazing Grace 20
The A Major Scale 21
Primary Triads in A major 22
Play it Faster Vivace 23
Revision Test Part Three 24
Revision Test Part Three continued 25
Revision Test Part Three Answers 26
Jam Track Seven 27
Chapter Three 28
More Signs that Modify Notes 28The E Flat Major Scale 30
Primary Triads in E Flat Major 31
Play it Slower Largo32
Playing the Scales over Two Octaves 33
Arpeggios over Two Octaves 34
Pedal Practice 35
Jam Track Eight 36
Chapter Four 37
Seventh Chords 37
Dominant 7th Chords39
Minor 7th Chords 40
Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords 41
Recap of 7th Chords41
7th Chords in I IV V Progressions 42
Non Troppo Allegretto 43
Sforzando 45Jam Track Nine46
Chapter Five 48
Three-note 7th Chords 48
Adding Inversions 50
Dominant Chords in Four Keys 51
Andantino 52
Jam Track Ten 54
Chapter Six56
Key of E Minor 56E Harmonic Minor Scale 57
E Melodic minor scale 57
Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor 58
Revision Test Part Four 62
Revision Test Part Four continued 63
Revision Test Part Four Answers 64
So Long 65
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Lesson or Skill Page Date Signature Shifting inversions
New Hand technique 2 Finger Over Thumb
8th note triplets
A New Time Signature 68
Key Signature B at major
Primary triads in B at major
The A major scale
Primary triads in A major Performance direction Vivace
Accents
Staccato amp Staccatissimo
Playing in unison
The E at major scale
Primary triads in E at 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 inG
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter One
Review of Chord ProgressionsIn Chapter 17 of the previous Rocket Piano book you learned about chord progressions
the series of primary triads that begin on the rst fourth and fth 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
Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the MountainAllegro
01
135
135
135
135
135
14
135
q = 126
6
10
2 5 1 5 1 3
5 3 2 5 3 2 1
1 5 4 3 2
3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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6
Shifting Inversions
You should be comfortable with chord and chord inversions Now letrsquos look at shifting
inversions and the difference in sound they can make You may have noticed that a chordin 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
yoursquoll 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
Root
position
1st
inversion(with the root
note C at the
top)
2nd
inversion(with the 3rd
note E at the
top)
Root
position(now an octave
higher)
Root
position
1st
inversion(with the root
note C at the
top)
2nd
inversion(with the 3rd
note E at the
top)
Root
position(now an octave
higher)
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
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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb
At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering
and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go
over the thumb 2 finger
goes over
Allegretto
Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger 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
b
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
13
b b
1 2 1 1 2 1
1 2 1
1 2 11 2 1
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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation
It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief
re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult 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
Written as a
single note
Written as a
single note
Half note or
minim
(2 beats)
Quarter note
or crotchet
(1 beat)
8th note or
quaver
(frac12 beat)
16th note or
semi-quaver
(frac14 beat)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note
When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group
of notes
Remember
three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR
two 8th notes
3
3
ii = OR
3
3
ii = i
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 ii ii ii ii
3
3 ii
3
3 ii
one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then
4
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
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q
b
b
3
3
3
3
Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes
in the LH 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
3
3
3
3
13
13
24
35
345 123 2 34
5
5
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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing
right Then speed up as you get the hang of it
Moderato
2
q
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 3 421 215 555
55 31 2 3 4
534 5 3
42
5 1
07
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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic
line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece
It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH
Andante 08
q = 78
b
b
3
3
3
5
b b
3
9
b b
3
3
3
13
b b
3
16
b b
3 3
3 3
5 3
51
41
53
41
53
52
31
1 535
1
1
5 3 1 5 1
5 1 5 5
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Six
Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger 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
54351 1
3
12
54
512
1 3
1
2
52 1
Swing
6
11
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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06xNow letrsquos 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
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Acknowledgments
The Rocket Piano series was created on behalf of Rock Star Recipes LTD
Author amp Music Ashleigh Southam
Edit amp Graphic Design Unica Design LTD
Multimedia Content Rock Star Recipes Studios
Publisher Rock Star Recipes LTD
Terms of use
By purchasing The Rocket Piano series - you agree to the following
You will use The Rocket Piano series Chordinator Keycelerator Perfect Your Pitch Pro
Jayde Musica Advanced Learning Techniques for Piano and other Rock Star Recipes Ltd
products and services for your personal and private use only
The Rocket Piano series Chordinator Jayde Musica Advanced Learning Techniques for
Piano remain the property of Rock Star Recipes Ltd and may not be resold repackaged
or otherwise transferred
Course and bonus product materials may not be duplicated or distributed in any way
without expressed written permission from Rock Star Recipes Ltd
Rock Star Recipes Ltd retains all rights to these products
Copyright copy 2004 Rock Star Recipes Ltd
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 365Page 3
Welcome to Rocket Pianorsquos Intermediate Piano Course
A Personal Message from MeWelcome back to Rocket Piano In this book yoursquore going to learn more about chord
progressions new key and time signatures dynamic signs and much much more Yoursquoll
learn how to reach those tricky notes with ease using my hand positioning techniques
Yoursquoll also have over fteen original compositions to play as well as popular songs like
ldquoAmazing Gracerdquo and ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo Donrsquot 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
Irsquove 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 nish 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
R983157t983144
23
Listen to a personalmessage from Ruth
0101
Every time you see oneof these buttons play the
relevant video or track
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 465Page 4
Table Contents
Welcome 3
A Personal Message from Me 3
Rocket Piano Progress Tracker 5
Chapter One 6
Review of Chord Progressions 6
Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the Mountain 6
Shifting Inversions 7
New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb 8
Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation 9
8th Note Triplets 10
Counting 8th Note Triplets 10
Jam Track Six 14
Chapter Two 16
A New Time Signature 17
Another Key Signature B Flat Major 18
Primary Triads in B Flat Major 19 Amazing Grace 20
The A Major Scale 21
Primary Triads in A major 22
Play it Faster Vivace 23
Revision Test Part Three 24
Revision Test Part Three continued 25
Revision Test Part Three Answers 26
Jam Track Seven 27
Chapter Three 28
More Signs that Modify Notes 28The E Flat Major Scale 30
Primary Triads in E Flat Major 31
Play it Slower Largo32
Playing the Scales over Two Octaves 33
Arpeggios over Two Octaves 34
Pedal Practice 35
Jam Track Eight 36
Chapter Four 37
Seventh Chords 37
Dominant 7th Chords39
Minor 7th Chords 40
Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords 41
Recap of 7th Chords41
7th Chords in I IV V Progressions 42
Non Troppo Allegretto 43
Sforzando 45Jam Track Nine46
Chapter Five 48
Three-note 7th Chords 48
Adding Inversions 50
Dominant Chords in Four Keys 51
Andantino 52
Jam Track Ten 54
Chapter Six56
Key of E Minor 56E Harmonic Minor Scale 57
E Melodic minor scale 57
Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor 58
Revision Test Part Four 62
Revision Test Part Four continued 63
Revision Test Part Four Answers 64
So Long 65
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Lesson or Skill Page Date Signature Shifting inversions
New Hand technique 2 Finger Over Thumb
8th note triplets
A New Time Signature 68
Key Signature B at major
Primary triads in B at major
The A major scale
Primary triads in A major Performance direction Vivace
Accents
Staccato amp Staccatissimo
Playing in unison
The E at major scale
Primary triads in E at 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 inG
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 665Page 6
Chapter One
Review of Chord ProgressionsIn Chapter 17 of the previous Rocket Piano book you learned about chord progressions
the series of primary triads that begin on the rst fourth and fth 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
Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the MountainAllegro
01
135
135
135
135
135
14
135
q = 126
6
10
2 5 1 5 1 3
5 3 2 5 3 2 1
1 5 4 3 2
3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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6
Shifting Inversions
You should be comfortable with chord and chord inversions Now letrsquos look at shifting
inversions and the difference in sound they can make You may have noticed that a chordin 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
yoursquoll 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
Root
position
1st
inversion(with the root
note C at the
top)
2nd
inversion(with the 3rd
note E at the
top)
Root
position(now an octave
higher)
Root
position
1st
inversion(with the root
note C at the
top)
2nd
inversion(with the 3rd
note E at the
top)
Root
position(now an octave
higher)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb
At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering
and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go
over the thumb 2 finger
goes over
Allegretto
Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger 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
b
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
13
b b
1 2 1 1 2 1
1 2 1
1 2 11 2 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation
It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief
re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult 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
Written as a
single note
Written as a
single note
Half note or
minim
(2 beats)
Quarter note
or crotchet
(1 beat)
8th note or
quaver
(frac12 beat)
16th note or
semi-quaver
(frac14 beat)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note
When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group
of notes
Remember
three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR
two 8th notes
3
3
ii = OR
3
3
ii = i
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 ii ii ii ii
3
3 ii
3
3 ii
one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then
4
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
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q
b
b
3
3
3
3
Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes
in the LH 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
3
3
3
3
13
13
24
35
345 123 2 34
5
5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing
right Then speed up as you get the hang of it
Moderato
2
q
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 3 421 215 555
55 31 2 3 4
534 5 3
42
5 1
07
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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic
line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece
It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH
Andante 08
q = 78
b
b
3
3
3
5
b b
3
9
b b
3
3
3
13
b b
3
16
b b
3 3
3 3
5 3
51
41
53
41
53
52
31
1 535
1
1
5 3 1 5 1
5 1 5 5
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Six
Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger 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
54351 1
3
12
54
512
1 3
1
2
52 1
Swing
6
11
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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06xNow letrsquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Welcome to Rocket Pianorsquos Intermediate Piano Course
A Personal Message from MeWelcome back to Rocket Piano In this book yoursquore going to learn more about chord
progressions new key and time signatures dynamic signs and much much more Yoursquoll
learn how to reach those tricky notes with ease using my hand positioning techniques
Yoursquoll also have over fteen original compositions to play as well as popular songs like
ldquoAmazing Gracerdquo and ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo Donrsquot 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
Irsquove 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 nish 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
R983157t983144
23
Listen to a personalmessage from Ruth
0101
Every time you see oneof these buttons play the
relevant video or track
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 465Page 4
Table Contents
Welcome 3
A Personal Message from Me 3
Rocket Piano Progress Tracker 5
Chapter One 6
Review of Chord Progressions 6
Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the Mountain 6
Shifting Inversions 7
New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb 8
Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation 9
8th Note Triplets 10
Counting 8th Note Triplets 10
Jam Track Six 14
Chapter Two 16
A New Time Signature 17
Another Key Signature B Flat Major 18
Primary Triads in B Flat Major 19 Amazing Grace 20
The A Major Scale 21
Primary Triads in A major 22
Play it Faster Vivace 23
Revision Test Part Three 24
Revision Test Part Three continued 25
Revision Test Part Three Answers 26
Jam Track Seven 27
Chapter Three 28
More Signs that Modify Notes 28The E Flat Major Scale 30
Primary Triads in E Flat Major 31
Play it Slower Largo32
Playing the Scales over Two Octaves 33
Arpeggios over Two Octaves 34
Pedal Practice 35
Jam Track Eight 36
Chapter Four 37
Seventh Chords 37
Dominant 7th Chords39
Minor 7th Chords 40
Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords 41
Recap of 7th Chords41
7th Chords in I IV V Progressions 42
Non Troppo Allegretto 43
Sforzando 45Jam Track Nine46
Chapter Five 48
Three-note 7th Chords 48
Adding Inversions 50
Dominant Chords in Four Keys 51
Andantino 52
Jam Track Ten 54
Chapter Six56
Key of E Minor 56E Harmonic Minor Scale 57
E Melodic minor scale 57
Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor 58
Revision Test Part Four 62
Revision Test Part Four continued 63
Revision Test Part Four Answers 64
So Long 65
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 565Page 5
Lesson or Skill Page Date Signature Shifting inversions
New Hand technique 2 Finger Over Thumb
8th note triplets
A New Time Signature 68
Key Signature B at major
Primary triads in B at major
The A major scale
Primary triads in A major Performance direction Vivace
Accents
Staccato amp Staccatissimo
Playing in unison
The E at major scale
Primary triads in E at 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 inG
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 665Page 6
Chapter One
Review of Chord ProgressionsIn Chapter 17 of the previous Rocket Piano book you learned about chord progressions
the series of primary triads that begin on the rst fourth and fth 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
Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the MountainAllegro
01
135
135
135
135
135
14
135
q = 126
6
10
2 5 1 5 1 3
5 3 2 5 3 2 1
1 5 4 3 2
3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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6
Shifting Inversions
You should be comfortable with chord and chord inversions Now letrsquos look at shifting
inversions and the difference in sound they can make You may have noticed that a chordin 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
yoursquoll 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
Root
position
1st
inversion(with the root
note C at the
top)
2nd
inversion(with the 3rd
note E at the
top)
Root
position(now an octave
higher)
Root
position
1st
inversion(with the root
note C at the
top)
2nd
inversion(with the 3rd
note E at the
top)
Root
position(now an octave
higher)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb
At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering
and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go
over the thumb 2 finger
goes over
Allegretto
Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger 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
b
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
13
b b
1 2 1 1 2 1
1 2 1
1 2 11 2 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation
It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief
re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult 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
Written as a
single note
Written as a
single note
Half note or
minim
(2 beats)
Quarter note
or crotchet
(1 beat)
8th note or
quaver
(frac12 beat)
16th note or
semi-quaver
(frac14 beat)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1065Page 10
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 ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note
When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group
of notes
Remember
three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR
two 8th notes
3
3
ii = OR
3
3
ii = i
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 ii ii ii ii
3
3 ii
3
3 ii
one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then
4
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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q
b
b
3
3
3
3
Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes
in the LH 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
3
3
3
3
13
13
24
35
345 123 2 34
5
5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1265Page 12
Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing
right Then speed up as you get the hang of it
Moderato
2
q
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 3 421 215 555
55 31 2 3 4
534 5 3
42
5 1
07
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic
line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece
It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH
Andante 08
q = 78
b
b
3
3
3
5
b b
3
9
b b
3
3
3
13
b b
3
16
b b
3 3
3 3
5 3
51
41
53
41
53
52
31
1 535
1
1
5 3 1 5 1
5 1 5 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Six
Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger 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
54351 1
3
12
54
512
1 3
1
2
52 1
Swing
6
11
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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06xNow letrsquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3465Page 34
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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3565Page 35
Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Table Contents
Welcome 3
A Personal Message from Me 3
Rocket Piano Progress Tracker 5
Chapter One 6
Review of Chord Progressions 6
Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the Mountain 6
Shifting Inversions 7
New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb 8
Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation 9
8th Note Triplets 10
Counting 8th Note Triplets 10
Jam Track Six 14
Chapter Two 16
A New Time Signature 17
Another Key Signature B Flat Major 18
Primary Triads in B Flat Major 19 Amazing Grace 20
The A Major Scale 21
Primary Triads in A major 22
Play it Faster Vivace 23
Revision Test Part Three 24
Revision Test Part Three continued 25
Revision Test Part Three Answers 26
Jam Track Seven 27
Chapter Three 28
More Signs that Modify Notes 28The E Flat Major Scale 30
Primary Triads in E Flat Major 31
Play it Slower Largo32
Playing the Scales over Two Octaves 33
Arpeggios over Two Octaves 34
Pedal Practice 35
Jam Track Eight 36
Chapter Four 37
Seventh Chords 37
Dominant 7th Chords39
Minor 7th Chords 40
Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords 41
Recap of 7th Chords41
7th Chords in I IV V Progressions 42
Non Troppo Allegretto 43
Sforzando 45Jam Track Nine46
Chapter Five 48
Three-note 7th Chords 48
Adding Inversions 50
Dominant Chords in Four Keys 51
Andantino 52
Jam Track Ten 54
Chapter Six56
Key of E Minor 56E Harmonic Minor Scale 57
E Melodic minor scale 57
Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor 58
Revision Test Part Four 62
Revision Test Part Four continued 63
Revision Test Part Four Answers 64
So Long 65
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Lesson or Skill Page Date Signature Shifting inversions
New Hand technique 2 Finger Over Thumb
8th note triplets
A New Time Signature 68
Key Signature B at major
Primary triads in B at major
The A major scale
Primary triads in A major Performance direction Vivace
Accents
Staccato amp Staccatissimo
Playing in unison
The E at major scale
Primary triads in E at 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 inG
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 665Page 6
Chapter One
Review of Chord ProgressionsIn Chapter 17 of the previous Rocket Piano book you learned about chord progressions
the series of primary triads that begin on the rst fourth and fth 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
Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the MountainAllegro
01
135
135
135
135
135
14
135
q = 126
6
10
2 5 1 5 1 3
5 3 2 5 3 2 1
1 5 4 3 2
3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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6
Shifting Inversions
You should be comfortable with chord and chord inversions Now letrsquos look at shifting
inversions and the difference in sound they can make You may have noticed that a chordin 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
yoursquoll 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
Root
position
1st
inversion(with the root
note C at the
top)
2nd
inversion(with the 3rd
note E at the
top)
Root
position(now an octave
higher)
Root
position
1st
inversion(with the root
note C at the
top)
2nd
inversion(with the 3rd
note E at the
top)
Root
position(now an octave
higher)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb
At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering
and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go
over the thumb 2 finger
goes over
Allegretto
Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger 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
b
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
13
b b
1 2 1 1 2 1
1 2 1
1 2 11 2 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation
It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief
re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult 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
Written as a
single note
Written as a
single note
Half note or
minim
(2 beats)
Quarter note
or crotchet
(1 beat)
8th note or
quaver
(frac12 beat)
16th note or
semi-quaver
(frac14 beat)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note
When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group
of notes
Remember
three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR
two 8th notes
3
3
ii = OR
3
3
ii = i
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 ii ii ii ii
3
3 ii
3
3 ii
one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then
4
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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q
b
b
3
3
3
3
Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes
in the LH 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
3
3
3
3
13
13
24
35
345 123 2 34
5
5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing
right Then speed up as you get the hang of it
Moderato
2
q
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 3 421 215 555
55 31 2 3 4
534 5 3
42
5 1
07
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic
line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece
It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH
Andante 08
q = 78
b
b
3
3
3
5
b b
3
9
b b
3
3
3
13
b b
3
16
b b
3 3
3 3
5 3
51
41
53
41
53
52
31
1 535
1
1
5 3 1 5 1
5 1 5 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Six
Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger 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
54351 1
3
12
54
512
1 3
1
2
52 1
Swing
6
11
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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06xNow letrsquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3665Page 36
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3765Page 37
Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
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Lesson or Skill Page Date Signature Shifting inversions
New Hand technique 2 Finger Over Thumb
8th note triplets
A New Time Signature 68
Key Signature B at major
Primary triads in B at major
The A major scale
Primary triads in A major Performance direction Vivace
Accents
Staccato amp Staccatissimo
Playing in unison
The E at major scale
Primary triads in E at 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 inG
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
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Chapter One
Review of Chord ProgressionsIn Chapter 17 of the previous Rocket Piano book you learned about chord progressions
the series of primary triads that begin on the rst fourth and fth 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
Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the MountainAllegro
01
135
135
135
135
135
14
135
q = 126
6
10
2 5 1 5 1 3
5 3 2 5 3 2 1
1 5 4 3 2
3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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6
Shifting Inversions
You should be comfortable with chord and chord inversions Now letrsquos look at shifting
inversions and the difference in sound they can make You may have noticed that a chordin 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
yoursquoll 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
Root
position
1st
inversion(with the root
note C at the
top)
2nd
inversion(with the 3rd
note E at the
top)
Root
position(now an octave
higher)
Root
position
1st
inversion(with the root
note C at the
top)
2nd
inversion(with the 3rd
note E at the
top)
Root
position(now an octave
higher)
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
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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb
At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering
and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go
over the thumb 2 finger
goes over
Allegretto
Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger 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
b
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
13
b b
1 2 1 1 2 1
1 2 1
1 2 11 2 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation
It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief
re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult 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
Written as a
single note
Written as a
single note
Half note or
minim
(2 beats)
Quarter note
or crotchet
(1 beat)
8th note or
quaver
(frac12 beat)
16th note or
semi-quaver
(frac14 beat)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note
When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group
of notes
Remember
three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR
two 8th notes
3
3
ii = OR
3
3
ii = i
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 ii ii ii ii
3
3 ii
3
3 ii
one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then
4
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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q
b
b
3
3
3
3
Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes
in the LH 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
3
3
3
3
13
13
24
35
345 123 2 34
5
5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing
right Then speed up as you get the hang of it
Moderato
2
q
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 3 421 215 555
55 31 2 3 4
534 5 3
42
5 1
07
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic
line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece
It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH
Andante 08
q = 78
b
b
3
3
3
5
b b
3
9
b b
3
3
3
13
b b
3
16
b b
3 3
3 3
5 3
51
41
53
41
53
52
31
1 535
1
1
5 3 1 5 1
5 1 5 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Six
Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger 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
54351 1
3
12
54
512
1 3
1
2
52 1
Swing
6
11
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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06xNow letrsquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3965Page 39
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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter One
Review of Chord ProgressionsIn Chapter 17 of the previous Rocket Piano book you learned about chord progressions
the series of primary triads that begin on the rst fourth and fth 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
Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the MountainAllegro
01
135
135
135
135
135
14
135
q = 126
6
10
2 5 1 5 1 3
5 3 2 5 3 2 1
1 5 4 3 2
3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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6
Shifting Inversions
You should be comfortable with chord and chord inversions Now letrsquos look at shifting
inversions and the difference in sound they can make You may have noticed that a chordin 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
yoursquoll 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
Root
position
1st
inversion(with the root
note C at the
top)
2nd
inversion(with the 3rd
note E at the
top)
Root
position(now an octave
higher)
Root
position
1st
inversion(with the root
note C at the
top)
2nd
inversion(with the 3rd
note E at the
top)
Root
position(now an octave
higher)
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
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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb
At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering
and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go
over the thumb 2 finger
goes over
Allegretto
Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger 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
b
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
13
b b
1 2 1 1 2 1
1 2 1
1 2 11 2 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation
It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief
re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult 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
Written as a
single note
Written as a
single note
Half note or
minim
(2 beats)
Quarter note
or crotchet
(1 beat)
8th note or
quaver
(frac12 beat)
16th note or
semi-quaver
(frac14 beat)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note
When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group
of notes
Remember
three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR
two 8th notes
3
3
ii = OR
3
3
ii = i
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 ii ii ii ii
3
3 ii
3
3 ii
one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then
4
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
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q
b
b
3
3
3
3
Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes
in the LH 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
3
3
3
3
13
13
24
35
345 123 2 34
5
5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing
right Then speed up as you get the hang of it
Moderato
2
q
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 3 421 215 555
55 31 2 3 4
534 5 3
42
5 1
07
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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic
line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece
It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH
Andante 08
q = 78
b
b
3
3
3
5
b b
3
9
b b
3
3
3
13
b b
3
16
b b
3 3
3 3
5 3
51
41
53
41
53
52
31
1 535
1
1
5 3 1 5 1
5 1 5 5
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Six
Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger 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
54351 1
3
12
54
512
1 3
1
2
52 1
Swing
6
11
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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06xNow letrsquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47
09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49
135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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6
Shifting Inversions
You should be comfortable with chord and chord inversions Now letrsquos look at shifting
inversions and the difference in sound they can make You may have noticed that a chordin 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
yoursquoll 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
Root
position
1st
inversion(with the root
note C at the
top)
2nd
inversion(with the 3rd
note E at the
top)
Root
position(now an octave
higher)
Root
position
1st
inversion(with the root
note C at the
top)
2nd
inversion(with the 3rd
note E at the
top)
Root
position(now an octave
higher)
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
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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb
At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering
and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go
over the thumb 2 finger
goes over
Allegretto
Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger 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
b
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
13
b b
1 2 1 1 2 1
1 2 1
1 2 11 2 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation
It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief
re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult 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
Written as a
single note
Written as a
single note
Half note or
minim
(2 beats)
Quarter note
or crotchet
(1 beat)
8th note or
quaver
(frac12 beat)
16th note or
semi-quaver
(frac14 beat)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note
When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group
of notes
Remember
three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR
two 8th notes
3
3
ii = OR
3
3
ii = i
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 ii ii ii ii
3
3 ii
3
3 ii
one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then
4
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
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q
b
b
3
3
3
3
Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes
in the LH 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
3
3
3
3
13
13
24
35
345 123 2 34
5
5
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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing
right Then speed up as you get the hang of it
Moderato
2
q
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 3 421 215 555
55 31 2 3 4
534 5 3
42
5 1
07
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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic
line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece
It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH
Andante 08
q = 78
b
b
3
3
3
5
b b
3
9
b b
3
3
3
13
b b
3
16
b b
3 3
3 3
5 3
51
41
53
41
53
52
31
1 535
1
1
5 3 1 5 1
5 1 5 5
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Six
Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger 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
54351 1
3
12
54
512
1 3
1
2
52 1
Swing
6
11
16
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06xNow letrsquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb
At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering
and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go
over the thumb 2 finger
goes over
Allegretto
Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger 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
b
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
13
b b
1 2 1 1 2 1
1 2 1
1 2 11 2 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation
It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief
re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult 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
Written as a
single note
Written as a
single note
Half note or
minim
(2 beats)
Quarter note
or crotchet
(1 beat)
8th note or
quaver
(frac12 beat)
16th note or
semi-quaver
(frac14 beat)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note
When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group
of notes
Remember
three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR
two 8th notes
3
3
ii = OR
3
3
ii = i
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 ii ii ii ii
3
3 ii
3
3 ii
one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then
4
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
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q
b
b
3
3
3
3
Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes
in the LH 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
3
3
3
3
13
13
24
35
345 123 2 34
5
5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing
right Then speed up as you get the hang of it
Moderato
2
q
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 3 421 215 555
55 31 2 3 4
534 5 3
42
5 1
07
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic
line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece
It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH
Andante 08
q = 78
b
b
3
3
3
5
b b
3
9
b b
3
3
3
13
b b
3
16
b b
3 3
3 3
5 3
51
41
53
41
53
52
31
1 535
1
1
5 3 1 5 1
5 1 5 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Six
Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger 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
54351 1
3
12
54
512
1 3
1
2
52 1
Swing
6
11
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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06xNow letrsquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation
It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief
re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult 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
Written as a
single note
Written as a
single note
Half note or
minim
(2 beats)
Quarter note
or crotchet
(1 beat)
8th note or
quaver
(frac12 beat)
16th note or
semi-quaver
(frac14 beat)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note
When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group
of notes
Remember
three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR
two 8th notes
3
3
ii = OR
3
3
ii = i
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 ii ii ii ii
3
3 ii
3
3 ii
one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then
4
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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q
b
b
3
3
3
3
Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes
in the LH 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
3
3
3
3
13
13
24
35
345 123 2 34
5
5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing
right Then speed up as you get the hang of it
Moderato
2
q
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 3 421 215 555
55 31 2 3 4
534 5 3
42
5 1
07
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic
line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece
It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH
Andante 08
q = 78
b
b
3
3
3
5
b b
3
9
b b
3
3
3
13
b b
3
16
b b
3 3
3 3
5 3
51
41
53
41
53
52
31
1 535
1
1
5 3 1 5 1
5 1 5 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Six
Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger 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
54351 1
3
12
54
512
1 3
1
2
52 1
Swing
6
11
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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06xNow letrsquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49
135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note
When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group
of notes
Remember
three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR
two 8th notes
3
3
ii = OR
3
3
ii = i
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 ii ii ii ii
3
3 ii
3
3 ii
one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then
4
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
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q
b
b
3
3
3
3
Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes
in the LH 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
3
3
3
3
13
13
24
35
345 123 2 34
5
5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing
right Then speed up as you get the hang of it
Moderato
2
q
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 3 421 215 555
55 31 2 3 4
534 5 3
42
5 1
07
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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic
line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece
It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH
Andante 08
q = 78
b
b
3
3
3
5
b b
3
9
b b
3
3
3
13
b b
3
16
b b
3 3
3 3
5 3
51
41
53
41
53
52
31
1 535
1
1
5 3 1 5 1
5 1 5 5
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Six
Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger 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
54351 1
3
12
54
512
1 3
1
2
52 1
Swing
6
11
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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06xNow letrsquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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q
b
b
3
3
3
3
Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes
in the LH 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
3
3
3
3
13
13
24
35
345 123 2 34
5
5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1265Page 12
Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing
right Then speed up as you get the hang of it
Moderato
2
q
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 3 421 215 555
55 31 2 3 4
534 5 3
42
5 1
07
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic
line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece
It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH
Andante 08
q = 78
b
b
3
3
3
5
b b
3
9
b b
3
3
3
13
b b
3
16
b b
3 3
3 3
5 3
51
41
53
41
53
52
31
1 535
1
1
5 3 1 5 1
5 1 5 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Six
Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger 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
54351 1
3
12
54
512
1 3
1
2
52 1
Swing
6
11
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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06xNow letrsquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing
right Then speed up as you get the hang of it
Moderato
2
q
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 3 421 215 555
55 31 2 3 4
534 5 3
42
5 1
07
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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic
line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece
It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH
Andante 08
q = 78
b
b
3
3
3
5
b b
3
9
b b
3
3
3
13
b b
3
16
b b
3 3
3 3
5 3
51
41
53
41
53
52
31
1 535
1
1
5 3 1 5 1
5 1 5 5
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Six
Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger 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
54351 1
3
12
54
512
1 3
1
2
52 1
Swing
6
11
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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06xNow letrsquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45
Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47
09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic
line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece
It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH
Andante 08
q = 78
b
b
3
3
3
5
b b
3
9
b b
3
3
3
13
b b
3
16
b b
3 3
3 3
5 3
51
41
53
41
53
52
31
1 535
1
1
5 3 1 5 1
5 1 5 5
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Six
Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger 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
54351 1
3
12
54
512
1 3
1
2
52 1
Swing
6
11
16
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06xNow letrsquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Six
Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger 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
54351 1
3
12
54
512
1 3
1
2
52 1
Swing
6
11
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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06xNow letrsquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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06xNow letrsquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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e
lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half
beat =
=
lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of
one beat
=
h =
ii ii ii ii e e ii
one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six
68
lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo
instead of three beats The
dotted half note now makes
up a whole bar in time8
lsquoone-two-threersquo 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 time8
Chapter TwoA New Time Signature
By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll 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 wersquove looked at before
All the previous time signatures yoursquove 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 in68 time
ii ii
68
4
Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos 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
b b
6
b
b
11
b
b
16
b b
19
b b
42 3
5 3
1 2 35 2
4 3 151
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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b b
b b
Another Key Signature B Flat Major
Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats
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 RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will
go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger
on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb
Herersquos the scale ascending
b
bb
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 RH ngering
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
bb
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
10
41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3
bb
bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
LH
bb 15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 2465Page 24
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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 2565Page 25
Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45
Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47
09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root
position
This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords
Primary Triads in B Flat Major
The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F
bChord
I
IV
V
Triad
B major
E major
F major
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
b
I IV VRH
32 41
5 6 7 8
bb
Bb Eb F
Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands
bb I IV VLH
1 5Bb Eb F
432
11
I IV VLH
1 5Bb
(root position)
Eb(1st inversion)
F(2nd inversion)
432
bb
bb bb
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3765Page 37
Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different
order than what yoursquove 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
1
35
1
35
1
2
4
53
5 q = 88
bb 3 bb
5
bb 3
bb
9
bb 3
bb
13
bb 3
bb
4
1
15
4
4 2
2
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The A Major Scale
Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore 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
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
key signature
Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending
Use the normal ngering 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
LH
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 isnrsquot 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 chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses
quality denition and becomes unclear
Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position
Again the same progression except this time with the inversions
ChordI
IV
V
TriadA major
D major
E major
Position1st note
4th note
5th note
Primary Triads in A major
The three primary triads in A major are A D and E
IV VRH
32 4 5 6 7 8
I
1A
D E
I IV VLH
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 VLH
1 5A(root position)
D(1st inversion)
E(2nd inversion)
432
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
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Vivace
Play it Faster Vivace
Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick
It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played
Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot
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
1 435
1
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3365Page 33
Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 E
b E G C
c E C G
d G C E
2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44
a 4b 8
c 12
d 16
3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate
a there are eight 6th notes per measure
b there are six 8th notes per stave
c there are six 8th notes per measure
d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature
4 What is in the key signature of Bb major
a Bb
b Bb and Eb
c A and D
d 5 ats
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three continued
6 What does the term vivace mean
a play lively and quick
b play slow and solemn
c gradually getting faster
d play sweetly
7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds
8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale
a it has no sharps or ats
b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale
c it has raised 7th note
d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo
9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats
b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major
c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor
d it played only on black notes
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Three Answers
1 (b) The rst 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 68 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 onthe 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 itrsquos 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 itrsquos relative Major which is
located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner
Book)
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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07x
07
Listen to this track and
play along with us
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Seven
Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature
yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-
ming it out with the Rocket band
68
Slow
bb
bb
5
bb
bb
9
bb
bb
13 1
2
bb
bb
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
243
53 54 5
31
51
24
51
2351
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
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Yoursquove 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
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)
-
The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play
the note super staccato In other words play the note as
briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo
The sign means the note is to be played with slightly
more pressure to it-
-
-
Chapter Three
More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other
signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore 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
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3965Page 39
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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
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The E Flat Major Scale
The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats
Eb Bb Ab
bbb LH
15
1242
33
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
key signature
Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending
bbb bbb
1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3
4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5
RH
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
first tetrachordW HW W HWW
second tetrachord
joined
key signature
bbb
OR written this wayan octave lower
bbb
15 124 23 3
first tetrachord second tetrachord
joined
W HW W HWW
16
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
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Play it Slower Largo
Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo
is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway 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
13
5
13
5
1
44
5
1
32 5 1
5
12 215
5
q = 58
bbb bb
b
6
bbb
bbb
11
bbb bbb
16
bbb bb
b
21
bbb
bbb
2 4 3
5 2 4 3 1 5
4 1
3 1 43
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves
Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to
need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover
the second octave
11 2 3 4
5
1 2 34
1 223 3
Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the
rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached
123 12345
12 12
3 3 4
Now on the descending the 4 nger
has to cross over the hand to make all
the notes accessible
Now letrsquos 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 yoursquove 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 ngers before playing
On the ascending LH scale the 4
nger goes over the hand making
the rest of the notes accessible
1
23123
45 121
23 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
223
3
27
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3965Page 39
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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the
right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb
1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123
1 thumb goes under
the 3 nger
Now the 3 nger
goes over the 1
thumb
The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger
will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger
3 31125 512 23 23
3 nger goes over
the 1 thumb
Now the 1 thumb goes
under the 3 nger
Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it
Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try
playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering
RH
LH
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Pedal Practice
In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign
may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment
Dolce
Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance
indicator that means to play sweet and soft19
28
q = 63
5
10
15
19
5
513
413 35
3 5 3
4 535
1
5
5
1 5
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45
Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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
24
35
13
1 35 4 1 3
21
5
3
1
5
31
521
5
3 142
3 5
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Four
Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore
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 letrsquos 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 ngering for playing 7th chords is
RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5
LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1
At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears
on the music is simply a guide
root note3rd note5th note7th note
root note3rd note5th note7th note
1
35
2 1
35
2
1
35
2 1
35
2
Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C
major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3865Page 38
Moderato
Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20
q = 84
f
5
9
13
17
21
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3965Page 39
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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4265Page 42
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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3965Page 39
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 becauseadding 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
b
b
bb
bb
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 noteD is the perfect 5th
F is the 7th note
I V7
C G
I V7 IV7
IV7I V7
30
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4365Page 43
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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44
On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45
Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47
09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48
Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49
135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50
Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4065Page 40
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 attened 3rd note
To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it
a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below
1
3
75
C minor 7th chord
(root position)
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4265Page 42
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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4365Page 43
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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44
On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45
Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47
09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48
Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49
135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50
Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords
This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll
have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key
Minor 7 at 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 atten 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
C minor 7 flat 5
(root position) 13
75
Recap of 7th Chords
Herersquos 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
The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C
The 5th note is now attened 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 minorquality
The root note is C
Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular
minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
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135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4265Page 42
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 chordprogression
Letrsquos 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
bull root position
bull 1st inversion
bull 2 nd inversion
bull 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 LHat
this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower
I V7 IIV
I V7 IIV
root
position
1st
inversion
2nd
inversion
3rd
inversion
RH
LH
(played down an octave)
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4365Page 43
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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44
On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45
Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47
09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48
Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49
135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50
Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53
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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4365Page 43
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 ldquonot too much allegrettordquo
or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So
non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)
Non troppo allegretto
Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed
21
3
1
35
2
1
35
21
35
2
1
35
2
1
35
2
mf
6
11
1 3 1 1 3
1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2
1 35 1 2 1 3 35
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44
On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45
Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47
09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48
Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49
135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50
Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53
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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
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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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44
On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the
seventh chords Yoursquoll 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
LH
1
35
2
1
35
2
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
(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45
Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47
09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48
Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49
135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50
Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53
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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45
Non troppo vivace
22
135
1
35
2
135
135
1
35
2
135
1
35
2
1
35
2
14
mp
6
13
gt gt gt gt gt gt gt
20
gt gt
gt gt
mp
25
51 1 1 2 4 5
1 2 4 5 4 5 1
2 4 1
53 2 43
1 3 3
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47
09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48
Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49
135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50
Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53
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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
Jam Track Nine
Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords
yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it
out with the band
09
continued on the next page
3 bDolce
b
5
b
b
9
b
b
51
2 3
1 5 2 4 24 5
5 1
3 2
3 35
13 35
51
53 1
5 3 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47
09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48
Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49
135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50
Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53
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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47
09xPlay this track to get
Jamminrsquo
13
b b 18
b
b
24
1
53
1
52
1
52
1
52
1
53
1
43 5
3
4
2
1
53
1
53
1
52
5
3 1415
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48
Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49
135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50
Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53
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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48
Chapter Five
Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot 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 yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly
less cumbersome
Now try playing the same chords with the left hand
As you play yoursquoll 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
RH
LH
31
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49
135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50
Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53
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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49
135
135
135
135
13
5
135
23
6
Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and
nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50
Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53
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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50
Adding Inversions
Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready
to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso 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 anexample 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53
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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51
Dominant Chords in Four Keys
Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far
Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor 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 keyof F major
b
b 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53
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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53
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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53
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
1
25
1
24
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54
WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo
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 lsquoCodarsquo 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
4
23 5
531 1
4 1 5 1
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55
10xLetrsquos play it together
Listen to this track
and play along
18
23
gt
gt
2
51 2 3 5
4 35
1
3
5 125
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56
Chapter Six
The nal key that yoursquoll 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 toa 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 LH
Key signature 6th note of the scale E
G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57
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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58
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 playthe 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
Chord
i7
iv7
V7
Triad
E minor 7
A minor 7
B dominant 7
Position
1st note
4th note
5th note
iv7
V7
RH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7
iv7 V7LH
32 4 5 6 7 8
i7
1
E 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59
Moderato
Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26
5
135
5
4
5
12
3
12
3
121
25
1
32
135
135
15
1
32
135
13
5
5
135
5 2 1
135
5
5
5
1
32
5 1
4
1
q = 90
5
9
13
17
21
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60
House of the Rising SunModerato
Exercise Herersquos 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
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62
Revision Test Part Four
1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major
a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb
b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb
d 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 indication
b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full
d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively
3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and
descending
a 3 nger over thumb technique
b thumb under 4 nger technique
c thumb under 3 nger technique
d all of the above
4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right
hand
a the 2 nger
b the 3 nger
c the 4 nger
d the 5 nger
5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly
b to play quietly and dull
c to hold or pause on the note
d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64
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 ats (pg 27)
2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)
3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg
30)
4 (c) The 4 nger 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 at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)
7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo 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 nd your answers This is a
good way to ensure you are familiar with
this book before going on to the next
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144
8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565
So Long
Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course
Yoursquore doing great
Until next time
R983157t983144