Second Year Piano Sight Reading Instruction

A sight reading program should be designed for students based on a level of reading that is slightly below the current repertoire level.  Second year students shouldn't be assigned music at the second grade level because these pieces are too difficult for that purpose; they aren't meant for casual study.

Most piano courses are designed around a progressive reading program, but often the rate of progression accelerates too fast for good reading. So, it helps to add books or assignments on sight reading that give supplementary easier works to read.  Additionally, sight-reading flash cards are great in individual lessons.

As the card is held, the student should quickly acknowledge the cleff signs, key signature, time signature, and ascertain the correct position on the keyboard for both hands.  The note values can be tapped before beginning to play to get the correct rhythm.  Any changes in the hand position that might happen should be noticed.  While playing the student can recite the counts out loud and look far enough ahead to keep going in tempo.  He needs to play straight through without stopping.

For more information about piano lessons in Basking Ridge, please contact Barbara Ehrlich Piano Studio.

Second Year Piano Student Theory

Including theory as an integral part of piano instruction is vital.  The second year theory program might include:

1. Subdominant minor chords (inverted position)
2. Augmented chords
3. Diminished chords
4. Writing major scales

Subdominant Minor Chords

In the first year melodies are harmonized with major I, IV and V7 chords.  Minor melodies may also be harmonized with i, iv, and V7 chords.  Students should already have learned minor tonic chords and dominant seventh chords (the same for major and minor), so the only new chord in the progression is the iv chord in minor.  The purpose for learning this new chord is for functional usage in minor tonalities.  It is more practical for students to learn to play this chord in all minor keys than it is for them to learn to write the chord.  Students may first learn the progression i, iv, i in all minor keys.  Following this they can learn i, iv, i, V7, i.

Augmented Chords

An augmented triad is made of a major third and an augmented fifth.  The word augment means to make larger.  Raise the top note (5th) of a major triad 1/2 step to form an augmented chord.

Diminished Chords

A diminished triad is made of a minor third and a diminished fifth.  The word diminished means to make smaller.  Lower the top note (5th) of a minor triad 1/2 step to form a diminished chord.

Writing Major Scales

Sometime during the second year students may be taught the pattern of whole and half steps that make up the major scales.  They should memorize the pattern whole-whole-half, whole-whole-whole-half or WWH WWWH.  They aught to be shown how to assign degree numbers to the eight notes of the major scale and how to formulate the major scale numeric pattern of a half-step between degrees 3-4 and 7-8.

For more information about piano lessons in Basking Ridge, please contact Barbara Ehrlich Piano Studio.

Alberti Bass Second Year Piano Students

In the first year students have learned some block and broken chords.  In the second year, the Alberti bass pattern should be studied in preparation for sonatinas and teaching pieces that use this accompaniment style.  The coordination involved in playing the pattern can be developed more easily if the student has a mental picture of the figure.  Play the figure for the student and talk about the pattern; for example, "bottom, top, middle, top," etc.  Assign exercises using this pattern to be practiced in all keys.  Divide the presentation by groups of keys used for learning triads and inversions.

Teach the Alberti bass in all keys.  For instance, C major might be the tonic chord rotating back and forth C-G-E-G-C-G-E-G, saying 5-1-3-1-5-1-3-1.  The first inversion will be E-G-C rotating back and forth E-C-G-C and second inversion will be G-C-E rotating within G-E-C-E reciting the fingering out loud.

Simplified Hanon or Czerny finger exercises can be helpful at this stage.  Work on increasing tempo over time to instill muscle memory.

Triads and Inversions Second Year Piano Students

Chord studies serve two purposes, technical and theoretical.  Chord drills aid in developing a good hand position to learn the keyboard, shaping the fingers, and developing a general facility for playing in more than one key at a time. 

In the first year students should have learned major and minor triads in root position, dominant seventh chords and subdominant chords.  Sometimes near the end of the second year of lessons students can be taught triads and inversions of majors and minors.  Correct fingering is important for inversions:  students usually want to play the same fingering for inversions as was learned for the root position.  Circle the fingering in each hand for the new inversions.  Teach the chords in both block and broken style.

Triads and inversions should be studied both ascending and descending.  Often students can play ascending but have trouble with descending.  The chords should not be discovered by trial and error using the hunt and peck method.  A strong mental picture of the correct fingering should be established to form an anticipated feeling for successive chords for the pattern.

Sufficient drilling should be assigned so that over time the correct fingering will become automatic.  Students can recite the fingering for the middle note of the chords, as this is the finger that changes in the inversions. 

Students should learn all twelve major and minor triads and inversions. Remind students that the word practice means repetition and spell out how many times you want each item repeated.

Keyboard Triads and Inversions

Chords are a vital part of all students' technical programs.  This is because chord playing helps in developing a good hand position, shapes the fingers, and promotes facility for playing in more than one key at a time.  In the first year, piano students learn major and minor triads in root position, dominant seventh chords and subdominant chords.  Sometime near he end of the second year of lessons students can be taught triads and inversions.  These will be major and minor triads.  The correct fingering is very important when teaching chord inversions on the keyboard.  A common problem is that students play the same fingers for the root position and the inversions.  To make students aware of changing fingers, it can be helpful to circle the written fingering in each hand that is different.  Students should also be taught the chords in both block and broken style.

Triads and inversions should be studied both ascending and descending.  While many students are able to play the chords ascending, many have lost the picture of the chord they are inverting and are not able to return back down.

The chords should not be "discovered" by trial and error using the trial by ear method.  A mental picture of correct fingering should be established to form an anticipated feeling for successive chords in the pattern.

Since fingering is important when learning triads and inversions, enough drill should be assigned so that in time the correct fingering will become automatic.  Sometimes it helps to have students say out loud the fingering for the middle note of the chords.

Students should learn all twelve major and minor triads and inversions.  Remind students that the word practice means repetition.  Advise students how many times you want each one repeated on a daily basis.

For more information about Basking Ridge piano instruction, contact Barbara Ehrlich Piano Studio.

Scales for Beginning Pianists

In the first year of lessons scale playing is minimal for most, but not all, students.  Certainly there are those who are capable of grasping the feel and location of the keys very quickly.  Others may need to wait to play scales until the hand/eye coordination is more mature.  However, few, if any, scale passages are used in first year literature.  Most teachers would probably agree that learning some scale patterns will benefit first year students.  One or two octave scales can be taught.  Overall the problem of scales as a technique is more easily learned in the second year.  This is especially true of parallel scale playing that requires control and coordination.  Having said this, again there are students who naturally acclimate to the piano keyboard.

By second or third year students need to understand how to form major and minor scale patterns with whole and half-steps.

While scale study is great for evenness of fingers and finger control, it is only one aspect of technic.  Technical training should include practice for pianissimo, fortissimo, crescendo and diminuendo, variety of tone quality, and phrasing lifts.

The two problems to solve in scale playing are turning the thumb under or crossing over the thumb, and memorizing the fingering patterns used in parallel motion.  The correct scale fingering for reach scale should be learned from the beginning.  While some teaching methods introduce only partial scales up to five fingers at first, there is no reason not to teach the full one-octave scales immediately.

Scale fingering should be memorized.  A complete book of scales at the beginner level of one or two octaves should be provided to the student for reference.  Many teachers write scale fingering in the weekly assignment book.  However, it is good practice to compel the student to learn to refer to fingering in their book.  If the student is very young, then showing their parent how to help them to use the book is important until they are old enough to work independently.


For more information about Basking Ridge piano instruction, contact Barbara Ehrlich Piano Studio.

Part Playing

The ability to hold one finger down while playing others in the same hand is challenging for students at first, but with some preparatory drills, the difficulties can be overcome.  Second year literature frequently contains passages requiring application of this technique.

Proper phrasing (down-up wrist motion) should be employed, and both parts should be released at the same time on the count with an upward wrist motion.

Numerous second and third year pieces require the mechanics of holding one finger while playing others in the same hand.  For example, one note in the right hand must be sustained while playing from the second part to an entirely new note using another finger.  One instance of this might be an interval of a 4th played by a 2-5 in the right hand, sustaining the 2 and dropping into a 4, then dropping smoothly into a 1-3 without lifting.  These two problems can be solved with concentration and practice.

For more information about piano lessons in Bernardsville, contact Barbara Ehrlich Piano Studio.