TEACHING SPECIFICATION - FOR DEVELOPING KEYBOARD-BASED MUSICAL FLUENCY

Level 1
• Melodic improvising/reading on tonic position 5-finger maps in all major + minor keys, hands separately and together an 8ve apart
• The claw technique
• Using sustain pedal
• Simple linear rhythms and syncopation

Level 2
• Melodic improvising on all 5-finger maps with changes of position, hands separately and together an 8ve apart
• Melody and bass line improvising/reading in tonic positions - introduce tonic/dominant hierarchy and the auxiliary note principle
• Awareness of intervals: 2nds, 3rds, 4ths and 5ths
• Root position major triads and sus chords
• Simple 2-part composite rhythms

Level 3
• Chords - major and minor triads; 3 and 4 note chords (8ve doubling - more open claw) - root, 1st and 2nd inversions
• Improvising block and broken chord patterns over a bass line - no auxiliary notes - with awareness of hierarchy or harmonic melody (chord progression)
• More complex/quicker 2-part composite rhythms

Level 4
• More chords - major 7ths, added note chords
• More improvising on block and broken chord progressions in R.H. with L.H. bass line
• Improvising melodies using auxiliary notes with bass lines
• 3-part composite rhythms

Level 5
• Pentatonic melodies and improvising using pentatonic scales
• Crossed 2-part composite rhythms - 3 against 2 and 4 against 3
• Introduction to tempo rubato - the elastic matrix to create grander expressiveness

Level 6
• More added note chords
• Spread chord technique with and without quick 8ve jumps (cascades)
• Chromatic auxiliary notes (blue notes in pentatonics) - chromatic scale fingerings
• Parallel 6ths and 8ves
• More complex/quicker 3-part rhythms

Level 7 - the sky's the limit...
• Blues and other chords
• Exploring different styles: which chords, rhythmic devices are used, to pedal or not to pedal
• Exploring different tonalities - modal, atonal, serial, whole tone
• Rapid finger/arm technique - using the matrix to release movements …and lots more!

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