Harmonic Minor Scale Trails

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7oycmwi2by6ol6z/Harmonic%20Minor%20Scale%20Trails.pdf

Harmonic Minor Scale Trails

A different look at scales

Scales run up and down and across.  

Fingering codes are at the bottom of the page.

C	D	Eb	F	G	Ab	B	C
B	C#	D	E	F#	G	A#	B
Ab	Bb	Cb	Db	Eb	Fb	G	Ab
G	A	Bb	C	D	Eb	F#	G
F	G	Ab	Bb	C	Db	E	F
Eb	F	Gb	Ab	Bb	Cb	D	Eb
D	E	F	G	A	Bb	C#	D
C	D	Eb	F	G	Ab	B	C

Harmonic	C    G    D	r.h. 1 2 3   1 2 3 4 5 l.h.  5 4 3 2 1   3 2 1
Minor	B	r.h. 1 2 3   1 2 3 4 5 l.h.  4 3 2 1   4 3 2 1
Scale	F	r.h. 1 2 3 4   1 2 3 4 l.h.  5 4 3 2 1   3 2 1
Fingering	Eb	r.h. 3  1 2 3 4  1 2 3 l.h.  2  1  4 3 2 1  3 2
Codes	Ab	r.h  3 4  1 2 3  1 2 3 l.h.  3 2 1   4 3 2 1  3

alconpianostudio.blogspot.com

Copyright © 2013 Susan Alcon

Major Scale Trails

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3odv169nv77p0kr/Major%20Scale%20Trails.pdf

Major Scale Trails

Take a different look at scales.

Scales run up and down and across.  

Fingering codes are at the bottom of the page.

C	D	E	F	G	A	B	C
B	C#	D#	E	F#	G#	A#	B
A	B	C#	D	E	F#	G#	A
G	A	B	C	D	E	F#	G
F	G	A	Bb	C	D	E	F
E	F#	G#	A	B	C#	D#	E
D	E	F#	G	A	B	C#	D
C	D	E	F	G	A	B	C

Scale	C  A  G  E  D	r.h. 1 2 3   1 2 3 4 5 l.h.  5 4 3 2 1   3 2 1
Fingering	B	r.h. 1 2 3   1 2 3 4 5 l.h.  4 3 2 1   4 3 2 1
Codes	F	r.h. 1 2 3 4   1 2 3 4 l.h.  5 4 3 2 1   3 2 1

alconpianostudio.blogspot.com

Copyright © 2013 Susan Alcon

Staccato Showers

https://www.dropbox.com/s/szk5lalktycl0j5/Staccato%20Showers.pdf

Musical Morse Code

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lx38b472zz5na7b/Musical%20Morse%20Code.pdf

Instructions for Rhythm Cubes

RHYTHM CUBES:  I wrote a series of three progressive technique books that I would like to share. The original books were titled Music Adventures.  These were written before the Faber series came out.  The set is a collection of exercises and drills presented in an unusual format and I encourage students and teachers to use them creatively.  You may play the exercises in any order and in any direction.  Just to get started, I am posting part of one adventure called rhythm cubes.  The adventures come in a variety of shapes.

Some other suggestions for using Rhythm Cubes are to practice clapping four measures of each rhythm represented in the cube.  Find an example of each rhythm in your own music books.  Clap two measures of a rhythm represented in the cube and see if your teacher, student or friend can guess the correct rhythm.  Use the cube to play any number of games from bingo to memory.

RHYTHM CUBE 6

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nap7orjciybkgt5/Rhythm%20Cube%206.pdf

RHYTHM CUBE 5

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jzoq3y0gztw6lmt/Rhythm%20Cube%205.pdf

RHYTHM CUBE 4

https://www.dropbox.com/s/z6uzxlhy42c3mtz/Rhythm%20Cube%204.pdf

RHYTHM CUBE 3

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fu9tzuv0vtz96pg/Rhythm%20Cube%203.pdf

RHYTHM CUBE 2

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ctm8trkme8e0ic/Rhythm%20Cube%202.pdf

RHYTHM CUBE 1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/eryqpwy1nqgevm0/Rhythm%20Cube%201.pdf

PDF file of the Go! cards

 https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/84530531/Go%20-%20Keyboard%20Letters%20Game.htm

GO! Keyboard Letter Name Game

GO! is a keyboard letter name game played on the piano keyboard.  I use a small panda and a penguin as tokens for the game and we place them on middle C.  The student and I move our animals to the keys as we take turns turning over cards.  Cards read, Go Up to D or Go Down to G or Go to Nearest F.  For beginners, this reinforces up and down as well as moving to letters quickly.  Who wins?  Why the student of course.  At the end, you can say they ended closer to middle C or farther from middle C if they must know who won.

Picture of Go! Game pieces

GO! Game Pieces 

Practice Game

Practice Board Game with Student Input

The first game I would like to share is one I pull out year after year and each year, students continue to add new practice suggestion cards. The game board I use is one I found on eBay called TuneDin.  The original cards have song titles that the players were asked to play on kazoos.  We do not play the game as it is originally intended.  I adapted this game by covering the card content with name tag stickers.  Students suggest ways to practice and sign their name to the card.
We use the game board by starting at the treble clef sign and rolling the dice to move around the board until returning or passing the treble clef. We usually play this game with a recital or contest piece, but it can be used with any piece the student chooses.  The student piece is divided into sections and there are separate cards that direct which section to play.  As the student rolls the dice and moves around the board, if they land on a red note, they turn over a new section card and change sections. With each turn, they pick a practice suggestion card and play the section with the instructions on the card.  I started the game with a few suggestion cards, but the students have added many over the years.
This game board is terrific looking, but you could make your own easily or adapt a different game board and just use blank cards for the draw cards.  The magic is how having the suggestions made by other students in your studio really motivate the students to practice their piece in different ways.
I have posted pictures of the game board and the playing cards.  You really don't have to have a board at all because the student sits at the piano during the game. I have a small table that I place near the bench so the student can reach the board, but stay at the piano.

Great Plans for Site

As an experienced private piano teacher and published composer, I hope to offer my students and other teachers some of the resources I have created and used in my own studio.  I am excited to begin this project.  I have some unique studio games and technique sheets as well as original pieces that I think will be helpful and fun to use.  It will take time to post it all, but I am ready to put the plan into action.  Keep checking for new pages to appear each week.
Susan Alcon