March 31, 2021April 1, 2021

There’s More to Playing the Piano

by in Courses, Lessons, Teachers
2
Circle of fifths at Finchcocks

All of us have had our lockdown projects. Lots of you have probably had a good tidy-up indoors and in the garden. Some of you may have been catching up on your reading or watching films/boxsets that had been on the wishlist for years until now… or even better, reconnecting with your piano! Our fantastic Finchcocks tutor, David Hall’s lockdown project (alongside full-time remote teaching) was his much awaited book There’s More to Playing the Piano. And we’d love to share this exciting achievement with you!

The book has slowly evolved from all the worksheets that he has prepared for piano courses at Finchcocks.

At Finchcocks, David always helps the adult learners with their piano repertoire and their performance skills. He also encourages them to learn a little harmony and to experiment with improvisation. Some of the guests are so excited by this introduction to harmony, and in particular the Cycle of Fifths, that they in turn encouraged him to develop There’s More to Playing the Piano.

So, this book covers every aspect of music theory from basic notation up to (and slightly beyond) Grade 5 theory requirements. What sets this book apart from others is that each of the 28 chapters has a practical activity to try at the piano. These practical activities bring each theory topic to life and serve as an introduction to keyboard harmony, improvisation and composition.

Not only that, each of the 28 chapters has a QR code that readers can scan with their mobile phones or tablets. These QR codes then take the reader through to YouTube videos where David explains the theory topic further and demonstrates the practical activity at the piano.

For a further insight into what the books offers, dip into a Zoom chat between David Hall himself and Finchcocks’ Assistant Course Director Jenny Maslin.

The book is available on Amazon. At £24.95 it works out as 28 piano lessons for the price of one!

Want to experience practical piano theory in real life with the theory guru himself? We have a few places remaining on David’s Applied Theory weekend course in October! Experience the some highlights from the book in an encouraging and inspiring environment: You can buy the book, gen up in advance and come with any questions… or use the course as a launch pad for your own personal musical theory adventure and get it afterwards!