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.

Teaching First Year Piano Students

To begin thinking directionally, have the student play skips and steps on the keyboard. Explain to the student that a skip skips a finger and skips a letter in the musical alphabet. A step plays the next finger and is the next letter in the musical alphabet.

Directional Reading

Reading by shapes and contours is a helpful mechanic in reading notes. Relationships such as up, down, same, repetition, equal distribution in the tonic chord, or unequal distribution in the dominate seventh chord should be seen. Explain to the student the three movements possible on the staff: up, down or the same. Also, there are three types of distances possible on the staff: steps (seconds), skips (thirds or larger intervals), or repeats.

Use interval terminology from the beginning. The goal is to teach the student to think and reason directionally from a given note.

Drills can be taught easily without keyboard sheet music. The student can close his eyes while hearing the directions. Experiences such as playing 5-finger positions and chords prepares students for reading notation. It is helpful to create written drills which work with the concept of direction only, writing pairs of notes in any given direction, up, down or repeat.

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