January 2020

BASSLINES

excerpt from

Discovery Piano System

Book 1A

​Piano Teacher Press

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In your correspondence simply type - SUBSCRIBE PTP BI-MONTHLY

January 2020

Coming Attractions

A FREE excerpt from

The Discovery Piano System - Book 1A
 

Piano Teacher Press

I am in the process of greatly expanding my Discovery Piano System Series.  I have just finished the work on the first book of the series - Book 1A. 

When I say greatly expanded I mean I'm adding almost 100 new pages to the first book!

There is going to be several new major sections to each book. I would like to explore is a section on BASSLINES.

First, I would like to explain the basic layout of The Discovery Piano System.  Each book will contain three basic sections.  REPERTOIRE - A CLOSER LOOK and DISCOVERY.

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REPERTOIRE contains the major compositions to be studied.  They are more/less progressive in difficulty.

A CLOSER LOOK takes a closer look at the REPERTOIRE pieces and mostly teaches students to look at the music page in ways that is going to help the student "read/discover/simplify" the complex nature of music notation.  Some CLOSER LOOK pages are informative in nature aimed at helping students understand music.

Our previous FUTURE ATTRACTION page covered a more informative CLOSER LOOK on the concept of THEME.  This information was made into a blog that can be found HERE.

DISCOVERY is the more creative section of the course where students do a lot of "learning by doing" type projects and activities.  This introductory book of The Discovery Piano System has its focus on helping beginning students successfully read music through many exercises and projects aimed with this purpose. 

The DISCOVERY section of the book contains several major subsections.  One of the sections is BASSLINES.  (I will go through some of the major subsections in upcoming FUTURE ATTRACTIONS. Stay tuned.)

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I am a big believer in beginners becoming fluent in TWO PART WRITING.  BASSLINES. It is a great way to get students to experience this type of writing.  If one examines the early intermediate repertoire; especially Bach, one finds a clear propensity toward TWO PART WRITING.  Therefore, it is a major pathway to preparing students to the traditional classical literature.  

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One of the student's pieces in the REPERTOIRE section of their book is a simple piece called FANFARE.  This piece is introduced in treble and bass clefs (see the graphics above).  In the BASSLINE page FANFARE is now totally written in the treble clef for the right hand.  The left has is free to play the bassline.

The bassline is simple.  It is composed almost totally of steps; 4 downward steps to be exact.  This simple 4 note pattern can be taught (and memorized)by rote.

Rote teaching is a commonly called upon technique in the DPS (Discovery Piano System).  The bassline is almost totally composed of whole notes as to keep two hand coordination difficulties at a bare minimum.

All told, their are 9 BASSLINE pieces included in The Discovery Piano System - Book 1A!!

Get your FREE EXCERPTS and give one of your beginning students the chance to play some TWO PART WRITING and learn about BASSLINES!!  ENJOY!!

Click on the ADOBE Icon below!!

Happy Teaching,

Dan Seveirno