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Page 1: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 265

Acknowledgments

The Rocket Piano series was created on behalf of Rock Star Recipes LTD

Author amp Music Ashleigh Southam

Edit amp Graphic Design Unica Design LTD

Multimedia Content Rock Star Recipes Studios

Publisher Rock Star Recipes LTD

Terms of use

By purchasing The Rocket Piano series - you agree to the following

You will use The Rocket Piano series Chordinator Keycelerator Perfect Your Pitch Pro

Jayde Musica Advanced Learning Techniques for Piano and other Rock Star Recipes Ltd

products and services for your personal and private use only

The Rocket Piano series Chordinator Jayde Musica Advanced Learning Techniques for

Piano remain the property of Rock Star Recipes Ltd and may not be resold repackaged

or otherwise transferred

Course and bonus product materials may not be duplicated or distributed in any way

without expressed written permission from Rock Star Recipes Ltd

Rock Star Recipes Ltd retains all rights to these products

Copyright copy 2004 Rock Star Recipes Ltd

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 365Page 3

Welcome to Rocket Pianorsquos Intermediate Piano Course

A Personal Message from MeWelcome back to Rocket Piano In this book yoursquore going to learn more about chord

progressions new key and time signatures dynamic signs and much much more Yoursquoll

learn how to reach those tricky notes with ease using my hand positioning techniques

Yoursquoll also have over fteen original compositions to play as well as popular songs like

ldquoAmazing Gracerdquo and ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo Donrsquot forget to listen to the nearly 30

audio tracks included

This book also continues on with all new Jam Tracks for you to play along with a real

band

Irsquove also included the New Rocket Piano Progress Tracker so that you can have a checklist

of all the techniques you can expect to learn in the course It is also a Record of Learning

for when you nish whether you want to revise your skills or just show off to your friends

all the amazing skills and techniques that you have learned

Once you have mastered a lesson or skill tick it off on the Progress Tracker and move on

to the next lesson Commit yourself to ticking off the skills you learn as you go and see

your improvement instantly

Are you ready

R983157t983144

23

Listen to a personalmessage from Ruth

0101

Every time you see oneof these buttons play the

relevant video or track

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 465Page 4

Table Contents

Welcome 3

A Personal Message from Me 3

Rocket Piano Progress Tracker 5

Chapter One 6

Review of Chord Progressions 6

Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the Mountain 6

Shifting Inversions 7

New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb 8

Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation 9

8th Note Triplets 10

Counting 8th Note Triplets 10

Jam Track Six 14

Chapter Two 16

A New Time Signature 17

Another Key Signature B Flat Major 18

Primary Triads in B Flat Major 19 Amazing Grace 20

The A Major Scale 21

Primary Triads in A major 22

Play it Faster Vivace 23

Revision Test Part Three 24

Revision Test Part Three continued 25

Revision Test Part Three Answers 26

Jam Track Seven 27

Chapter Three 28

More Signs that Modify Notes 28The E Flat Major Scale 30

Primary Triads in E Flat Major 31

Play it Slower Largo32

Playing the Scales over Two Octaves 33

Arpeggios over Two Octaves 34

Pedal Practice 35

Jam Track Eight 36

Chapter Four 37

Seventh Chords 37

Dominant 7th Chords39

Minor 7th Chords 40

Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords 41

Recap of 7th Chords41

7th Chords in I IV V Progressions 42

Non Troppo Allegretto 43

Sforzando 45Jam Track Nine46

Chapter Five 48

Three-note 7th Chords 48

Adding Inversions 50

Dominant Chords in Four Keys 51

Andantino 52

Jam Track Ten 54

Chapter Six56

Key of E Minor 56E Harmonic Minor Scale 57

E Melodic minor scale 57

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor 58

Revision Test Part Four 62

Revision Test Part Four continued 63

Revision Test Part Four Answers 64

So Long 65

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Lesson or Skill Page Date Signature Shifting inversions

New Hand technique 2 Finger Over Thumb

8th note triplets

A New Time Signature 68

Key Signature B at major

Primary triads in B at major

The A major scale

Primary triads in A major Performance direction Vivace

Accents

Staccato amp Staccatissimo

Playing in unison

The E at major scale

Primary triads in E at major

Performance direction Largo

Playing scales over two octaves

Playing arpeggios over two octaves Pedal practice Ped___

Seventh chords

Dominant 7th chords

7th chords in a I IV V progression

Three note 7th chords

7th chord inversions

Dominant chords inG

In F

In D In Bb

Performance direction Andantino

Key of E minor

E harmonic Minor scale

E melodic minor scale

Primary chords in E harmonic minor

Rocket Piano Progress Tracker

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter One

Review of Chord ProgressionsIn Chapter 17 of the previous Rocket Piano book you learned about chord progressions

the series of primary triads that begin on the rst fourth and fth notes of a scale In this

chapter you will learn a few more pieces with a I IV V progression in order to familiarize

yourself with this important sequence

Exercise This piece is a I IV V progression in the key of G major Practice identifying

the chords as you play

Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the MountainAllegro

01

135

135

135

135

135

14

135

q = 126

6

10

2 5 1 5 1 3

5 3 2 5 3 2 1

1 5 4 3 2

3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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6

Shifting Inversions

You should be comfortable with chord and chord inversions Now letrsquos look at shifting

inversions and the difference in sound they can make You may have noticed that a chordin root position always sounds very grounded and stable while the same chord played in

the various inversions has a very different quality The more you play chords the more

yoursquoll notice their tonal qualities

C major in root position and

inversions in the right hand

Here are the same inversions for the left hand

Moderato

Exercise Practice chord inversion with the following piece

Root

position

1st

inversion(with the root

note C at the

top)

2nd

inversion(with the 3rd

note E at the

top)

Root

position(now an octave

higher)

Root

position

1st

inversion(with the root

note C at the

top)

2nd

inversion(with the 3rd

note E at the

top)

Root

position(now an octave

higher)

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 4 1 5 1

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 5 3 2 1

02

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb

At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering

and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go

over the thumb 2 finger

goes over

Allegretto

Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger over the thumb with this piece

24

03

1 2 1 21 1

135

135

135

125

15

15

14

14

25

25

14

135

b

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

13

b b

1 2 1 1 2 1

1 2 1

1 2 11 2 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation

It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief

re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult to remember but are used often so it is important to be

familiar with both

Whole note

or breve

(4 beats)

Written as a

single note Whole note rest

Written as a

single note Half note rest

Quarter note rest

8th note rest

16th note rest

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Half note or

minim

(2 beats)

Quarter note

or crotchet

(1 beat)

8th note or

quaver

(frac12 beat)

16th note or

semi-quaver

(frac14 beat)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8th Note Triplets

Eight note triplets occur when there are three 8th notes played in the time of two 8th

notes or one quarter note When you play a triplet then you will spread the playing ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note

When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group

of notes

Remember

three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR

two 8th notes

3

3

ii = OR

3

3

ii = i

Counting 8th Note Triplets

When counting 8th note triplets you count

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

Exercise Clap the beats and count aloud the rhythm and also try clapping the rhythm

and counting aloud the beats

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3 ii ii ii ii

3

3 ii

3

3 ii

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

4

one two three four one-and-then two three-and-then four

Listen to the following track which will familiarize you with the sound of triplets

triplet sign

3

04

25

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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q

b

b

3

3

3

3

Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes

in the LH appear like this and have a repetitive pattern the following can be called a bass

line

Andante moderato

Exercise Try playing triplets with this piece

05

06

q

3

3

3

3

13

13

24

35

345 123 2 34

5

5

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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing

right Then speed up as you get the hang of it

Moderato

2

q

3

3

3

6

3

3

11

3

3

3

3

3

3

16

3

3

3

3

q = 96

3

3

3

34 3 2 35

2 215 5423 415 3 5

3 3 421 215 555

55 31 2 3 4

534 5 3

42

5 1

07

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic

line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece

It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH

Andante 08

q = 78

b

b

3

3

3

5

b b

3

9

b b

3

3

3

13

b b

3

16

b b

3 3

3 3

5 3

51

41

53

41

53

52

31

1 535

1

1

5 3 1 5 1

5 1 5 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Six

Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger over thumb technique that

you have been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming

it out with the Rocket band

06

continued on next page

5 4 13 52 1 3 1 2

24

5 4 3 2 5 51

543

12

13

54351 1

3

12

54

512

1 3

1

2

52 1

Swing

6

11

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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06xNow letrsquos all try playing together

Listen to this track and play along on

your piano

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13

2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24

21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 2: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 265

Acknowledgments

The Rocket Piano series was created on behalf of Rock Star Recipes LTD

Author amp Music Ashleigh Southam

Edit amp Graphic Design Unica Design LTD

Multimedia Content Rock Star Recipes Studios

Publisher Rock Star Recipes LTD

Terms of use

By purchasing The Rocket Piano series - you agree to the following

You will use The Rocket Piano series Chordinator Keycelerator Perfect Your Pitch Pro

Jayde Musica Advanced Learning Techniques for Piano and other Rock Star Recipes Ltd

products and services for your personal and private use only

The Rocket Piano series Chordinator Jayde Musica Advanced Learning Techniques for

Piano remain the property of Rock Star Recipes Ltd and may not be resold repackaged

or otherwise transferred

Course and bonus product materials may not be duplicated or distributed in any way

without expressed written permission from Rock Star Recipes Ltd

Rock Star Recipes Ltd retains all rights to these products

Copyright copy 2004 Rock Star Recipes Ltd

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 365Page 3

Welcome to Rocket Pianorsquos Intermediate Piano Course

A Personal Message from MeWelcome back to Rocket Piano In this book yoursquore going to learn more about chord

progressions new key and time signatures dynamic signs and much much more Yoursquoll

learn how to reach those tricky notes with ease using my hand positioning techniques

Yoursquoll also have over fteen original compositions to play as well as popular songs like

ldquoAmazing Gracerdquo and ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo Donrsquot forget to listen to the nearly 30

audio tracks included

This book also continues on with all new Jam Tracks for you to play along with a real

band

Irsquove also included the New Rocket Piano Progress Tracker so that you can have a checklist

of all the techniques you can expect to learn in the course It is also a Record of Learning

for when you nish whether you want to revise your skills or just show off to your friends

all the amazing skills and techniques that you have learned

Once you have mastered a lesson or skill tick it off on the Progress Tracker and move on

to the next lesson Commit yourself to ticking off the skills you learn as you go and see

your improvement instantly

Are you ready

R983157t983144

23

Listen to a personalmessage from Ruth

0101

Every time you see oneof these buttons play the

relevant video or track

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 465Page 4

Table Contents

Welcome 3

A Personal Message from Me 3

Rocket Piano Progress Tracker 5

Chapter One 6

Review of Chord Progressions 6

Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the Mountain 6

Shifting Inversions 7

New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb 8

Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation 9

8th Note Triplets 10

Counting 8th Note Triplets 10

Jam Track Six 14

Chapter Two 16

A New Time Signature 17

Another Key Signature B Flat Major 18

Primary Triads in B Flat Major 19 Amazing Grace 20

The A Major Scale 21

Primary Triads in A major 22

Play it Faster Vivace 23

Revision Test Part Three 24

Revision Test Part Three continued 25

Revision Test Part Three Answers 26

Jam Track Seven 27

Chapter Three 28

More Signs that Modify Notes 28The E Flat Major Scale 30

Primary Triads in E Flat Major 31

Play it Slower Largo32

Playing the Scales over Two Octaves 33

Arpeggios over Two Octaves 34

Pedal Practice 35

Jam Track Eight 36

Chapter Four 37

Seventh Chords 37

Dominant 7th Chords39

Minor 7th Chords 40

Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords 41

Recap of 7th Chords41

7th Chords in I IV V Progressions 42

Non Troppo Allegretto 43

Sforzando 45Jam Track Nine46

Chapter Five 48

Three-note 7th Chords 48

Adding Inversions 50

Dominant Chords in Four Keys 51

Andantino 52

Jam Track Ten 54

Chapter Six56

Key of E Minor 56E Harmonic Minor Scale 57

E Melodic minor scale 57

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor 58

Revision Test Part Four 62

Revision Test Part Four continued 63

Revision Test Part Four Answers 64

So Long 65

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 565Page 5

Lesson or Skill Page Date Signature Shifting inversions

New Hand technique 2 Finger Over Thumb

8th note triplets

A New Time Signature 68

Key Signature B at major

Primary triads in B at major

The A major scale

Primary triads in A major Performance direction Vivace

Accents

Staccato amp Staccatissimo

Playing in unison

The E at major scale

Primary triads in E at major

Performance direction Largo

Playing scales over two octaves

Playing arpeggios over two octaves Pedal practice Ped___

Seventh chords

Dominant 7th chords

7th chords in a I IV V progression

Three note 7th chords

7th chord inversions

Dominant chords inG

In F

In D In Bb

Performance direction Andantino

Key of E minor

E harmonic Minor scale

E melodic minor scale

Primary chords in E harmonic minor

Rocket Piano Progress Tracker

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 665Page 6

Chapter One

Review of Chord ProgressionsIn Chapter 17 of the previous Rocket Piano book you learned about chord progressions

the series of primary triads that begin on the rst fourth and fth notes of a scale In this

chapter you will learn a few more pieces with a I IV V progression in order to familiarize

yourself with this important sequence

Exercise This piece is a I IV V progression in the key of G major Practice identifying

the chords as you play

Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the MountainAllegro

01

135

135

135

135

135

14

135

q = 126

6

10

2 5 1 5 1 3

5 3 2 5 3 2 1

1 5 4 3 2

3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 765Page 7

6

Shifting Inversions

You should be comfortable with chord and chord inversions Now letrsquos look at shifting

inversions and the difference in sound they can make You may have noticed that a chordin root position always sounds very grounded and stable while the same chord played in

the various inversions has a very different quality The more you play chords the more

yoursquoll notice their tonal qualities

C major in root position and

inversions in the right hand

Here are the same inversions for the left hand

Moderato

Exercise Practice chord inversion with the following piece

Root

position

1st

inversion(with the root

note C at the

top)

2nd

inversion(with the 3rd

note E at the

top)

Root

position(now an octave

higher)

Root

position

1st

inversion(with the root

note C at the

top)

2nd

inversion(with the 3rd

note E at the

top)

Root

position(now an octave

higher)

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 4 1 5 1

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 5 3 2 1

02

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb

At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering

and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go

over the thumb 2 finger

goes over

Allegretto

Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger over the thumb with this piece

24

03

1 2 1 21 1

135

135

135

125

15

15

14

14

25

25

14

135

b

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

13

b b

1 2 1 1 2 1

1 2 1

1 2 11 2 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 965Page 9

Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation

It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief

re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult to remember but are used often so it is important to be

familiar with both

Whole note

or breve

(4 beats)

Written as a

single note Whole note rest

Written as a

single note Half note rest

Quarter note rest

8th note rest

16th note rest

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Half note or

minim

(2 beats)

Quarter note

or crotchet

(1 beat)

8th note or

quaver

(frac12 beat)

16th note or

semi-quaver

(frac14 beat)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8th Note Triplets

Eight note triplets occur when there are three 8th notes played in the time of two 8th

notes or one quarter note When you play a triplet then you will spread the playing ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note

When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group

of notes

Remember

three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR

two 8th notes

3

3

ii = OR

3

3

ii = i

Counting 8th Note Triplets

When counting 8th note triplets you count

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

Exercise Clap the beats and count aloud the rhythm and also try clapping the rhythm

and counting aloud the beats

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3 ii ii ii ii

3

3 ii

3

3 ii

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

4

one two three four one-and-then two three-and-then four

Listen to the following track which will familiarize you with the sound of triplets

triplet sign

3

04

25

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1165Page 11

q

b

b

3

3

3

3

Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes

in the LH appear like this and have a repetitive pattern the following can be called a bass

line

Andante moderato

Exercise Try playing triplets with this piece

05

06

q

3

3

3

3

13

13

24

35

345 123 2 34

5

5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1265Page 12

Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing

right Then speed up as you get the hang of it

Moderato

2

q

3

3

3

6

3

3

11

3

3

3

3

3

3

16

3

3

3

3

q = 96

3

3

3

34 3 2 35

2 215 5423 415 3 5

3 3 421 215 555

55 31 2 3 4

534 5 3

42

5 1

07

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic

line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece

It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH

Andante 08

q = 78

b

b

3

3

3

5

b b

3

9

b b

3

3

3

13

b b

3

16

b b

3 3

3 3

5 3

51

41

53

41

53

52

31

1 535

1

1

5 3 1 5 1

5 1 5 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Six

Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger over thumb technique that

you have been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming

it out with the Rocket band

06

continued on next page

5 4 13 52 1 3 1 2

24

5 4 3 2 5 51

543

12

13

54351 1

3

12

54

512

1 3

1

2

52 1

Swing

6

11

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1565Page 15

06xNow letrsquos all try playing together

Listen to this track and play along on

your piano

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13

2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24

21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1865Page 18

b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 2965

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3265Page 32

Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3665Page 36

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3965Page 39

Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44

On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 3: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 365Page 3

Welcome to Rocket Pianorsquos Intermediate Piano Course

A Personal Message from MeWelcome back to Rocket Piano In this book yoursquore going to learn more about chord

progressions new key and time signatures dynamic signs and much much more Yoursquoll

learn how to reach those tricky notes with ease using my hand positioning techniques

Yoursquoll also have over fteen original compositions to play as well as popular songs like

ldquoAmazing Gracerdquo and ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo Donrsquot forget to listen to the nearly 30

audio tracks included

This book also continues on with all new Jam Tracks for you to play along with a real

band

Irsquove also included the New Rocket Piano Progress Tracker so that you can have a checklist

of all the techniques you can expect to learn in the course It is also a Record of Learning

for when you nish whether you want to revise your skills or just show off to your friends

all the amazing skills and techniques that you have learned

Once you have mastered a lesson or skill tick it off on the Progress Tracker and move on

to the next lesson Commit yourself to ticking off the skills you learn as you go and see

your improvement instantly

Are you ready

R983157t983144

23

Listen to a personalmessage from Ruth

0101

Every time you see oneof these buttons play the

relevant video or track

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 465Page 4

Table Contents

Welcome 3

A Personal Message from Me 3

Rocket Piano Progress Tracker 5

Chapter One 6

Review of Chord Progressions 6

Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the Mountain 6

Shifting Inversions 7

New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb 8

Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation 9

8th Note Triplets 10

Counting 8th Note Triplets 10

Jam Track Six 14

Chapter Two 16

A New Time Signature 17

Another Key Signature B Flat Major 18

Primary Triads in B Flat Major 19 Amazing Grace 20

The A Major Scale 21

Primary Triads in A major 22

Play it Faster Vivace 23

Revision Test Part Three 24

Revision Test Part Three continued 25

Revision Test Part Three Answers 26

Jam Track Seven 27

Chapter Three 28

More Signs that Modify Notes 28The E Flat Major Scale 30

Primary Triads in E Flat Major 31

Play it Slower Largo32

Playing the Scales over Two Octaves 33

Arpeggios over Two Octaves 34

Pedal Practice 35

Jam Track Eight 36

Chapter Four 37

Seventh Chords 37

Dominant 7th Chords39

Minor 7th Chords 40

Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords 41

Recap of 7th Chords41

7th Chords in I IV V Progressions 42

Non Troppo Allegretto 43

Sforzando 45Jam Track Nine46

Chapter Five 48

Three-note 7th Chords 48

Adding Inversions 50

Dominant Chords in Four Keys 51

Andantino 52

Jam Track Ten 54

Chapter Six56

Key of E Minor 56E Harmonic Minor Scale 57

E Melodic minor scale 57

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor 58

Revision Test Part Four 62

Revision Test Part Four continued 63

Revision Test Part Four Answers 64

So Long 65

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Lesson or Skill Page Date Signature Shifting inversions

New Hand technique 2 Finger Over Thumb

8th note triplets

A New Time Signature 68

Key Signature B at major

Primary triads in B at major

The A major scale

Primary triads in A major Performance direction Vivace

Accents

Staccato amp Staccatissimo

Playing in unison

The E at major scale

Primary triads in E at major

Performance direction Largo

Playing scales over two octaves

Playing arpeggios over two octaves Pedal practice Ped___

Seventh chords

Dominant 7th chords

7th chords in a I IV V progression

Three note 7th chords

7th chord inversions

Dominant chords inG

In F

In D In Bb

Performance direction Andantino

Key of E minor

E harmonic Minor scale

E melodic minor scale

Primary chords in E harmonic minor

Rocket Piano Progress Tracker

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter One

Review of Chord ProgressionsIn Chapter 17 of the previous Rocket Piano book you learned about chord progressions

the series of primary triads that begin on the rst fourth and fth notes of a scale In this

chapter you will learn a few more pieces with a I IV V progression in order to familiarize

yourself with this important sequence

Exercise This piece is a I IV V progression in the key of G major Practice identifying

the chords as you play

Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the MountainAllegro

01

135

135

135

135

135

14

135

q = 126

6

10

2 5 1 5 1 3

5 3 2 5 3 2 1

1 5 4 3 2

3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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6

Shifting Inversions

You should be comfortable with chord and chord inversions Now letrsquos look at shifting

inversions and the difference in sound they can make You may have noticed that a chordin root position always sounds very grounded and stable while the same chord played in

the various inversions has a very different quality The more you play chords the more

yoursquoll notice their tonal qualities

C major in root position and

inversions in the right hand

Here are the same inversions for the left hand

Moderato

Exercise Practice chord inversion with the following piece

Root

position

1st

inversion(with the root

note C at the

top)

2nd

inversion(with the 3rd

note E at the

top)

Root

position(now an octave

higher)

Root

position

1st

inversion(with the root

note C at the

top)

2nd

inversion(with the 3rd

note E at the

top)

Root

position(now an octave

higher)

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 4 1 5 1

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 5 3 2 1

02

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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb

At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering

and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go

over the thumb 2 finger

goes over

Allegretto

Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger over the thumb with this piece

24

03

1 2 1 21 1

135

135

135

125

15

15

14

14

25

25

14

135

b

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

13

b b

1 2 1 1 2 1

1 2 1

1 2 11 2 1

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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation

It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief

re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult to remember but are used often so it is important to be

familiar with both

Whole note

or breve

(4 beats)

Written as a

single note Whole note rest

Written as a

single note Half note rest

Quarter note rest

8th note rest

16th note rest

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Half note or

minim

(2 beats)

Quarter note

or crotchet

(1 beat)

8th note or

quaver

(frac12 beat)

16th note or

semi-quaver

(frac14 beat)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8th Note Triplets

Eight note triplets occur when there are three 8th notes played in the time of two 8th

notes or one quarter note When you play a triplet then you will spread the playing ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note

When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group

of notes

Remember

three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR

two 8th notes

3

3

ii = OR

3

3

ii = i

Counting 8th Note Triplets

When counting 8th note triplets you count

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

Exercise Clap the beats and count aloud the rhythm and also try clapping the rhythm

and counting aloud the beats

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3 ii ii ii ii

3

3 ii

3

3 ii

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

4

one two three four one-and-then two three-and-then four

Listen to the following track which will familiarize you with the sound of triplets

triplet sign

3

04

25

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q

b

b

3

3

3

3

Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes

in the LH appear like this and have a repetitive pattern the following can be called a bass

line

Andante moderato

Exercise Try playing triplets with this piece

05

06

q

3

3

3

3

13

13

24

35

345 123 2 34

5

5

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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing

right Then speed up as you get the hang of it

Moderato

2

q

3

3

3

6

3

3

11

3

3

3

3

3

3

16

3

3

3

3

q = 96

3

3

3

34 3 2 35

2 215 5423 415 3 5

3 3 421 215 555

55 31 2 3 4

534 5 3

42

5 1

07

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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic

line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece

It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH

Andante 08

q = 78

b

b

3

3

3

5

b b

3

9

b b

3

3

3

13

b b

3

16

b b

3 3

3 3

5 3

51

41

53

41

53

52

31

1 535

1

1

5 3 1 5 1

5 1 5 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Six

Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger over thumb technique that

you have been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming

it out with the Rocket band

06

continued on next page

5 4 13 52 1 3 1 2

24

5 4 3 2 5 51

543

12

13

54351 1

3

12

54

512

1 3

1

2

52 1

Swing

6

11

16

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06xNow letrsquos all try playing together

Listen to this track and play along on

your piano

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13

2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24

21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 4: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 465Page 4

Table Contents

Welcome 3

A Personal Message from Me 3

Rocket Piano Progress Tracker 5

Chapter One 6

Review of Chord Progressions 6

Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the Mountain 6

Shifting Inversions 7

New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb 8

Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation 9

8th Note Triplets 10

Counting 8th Note Triplets 10

Jam Track Six 14

Chapter Two 16

A New Time Signature 17

Another Key Signature B Flat Major 18

Primary Triads in B Flat Major 19 Amazing Grace 20

The A Major Scale 21

Primary Triads in A major 22

Play it Faster Vivace 23

Revision Test Part Three 24

Revision Test Part Three continued 25

Revision Test Part Three Answers 26

Jam Track Seven 27

Chapter Three 28

More Signs that Modify Notes 28The E Flat Major Scale 30

Primary Triads in E Flat Major 31

Play it Slower Largo32

Playing the Scales over Two Octaves 33

Arpeggios over Two Octaves 34

Pedal Practice 35

Jam Track Eight 36

Chapter Four 37

Seventh Chords 37

Dominant 7th Chords39

Minor 7th Chords 40

Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords 41

Recap of 7th Chords41

7th Chords in I IV V Progressions 42

Non Troppo Allegretto 43

Sforzando 45Jam Track Nine46

Chapter Five 48

Three-note 7th Chords 48

Adding Inversions 50

Dominant Chords in Four Keys 51

Andantino 52

Jam Track Ten 54

Chapter Six56

Key of E Minor 56E Harmonic Minor Scale 57

E Melodic minor scale 57

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor 58

Revision Test Part Four 62

Revision Test Part Four continued 63

Revision Test Part Four Answers 64

So Long 65

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Lesson or Skill Page Date Signature Shifting inversions

New Hand technique 2 Finger Over Thumb

8th note triplets

A New Time Signature 68

Key Signature B at major

Primary triads in B at major

The A major scale

Primary triads in A major Performance direction Vivace

Accents

Staccato amp Staccatissimo

Playing in unison

The E at major scale

Primary triads in E at major

Performance direction Largo

Playing scales over two octaves

Playing arpeggios over two octaves Pedal practice Ped___

Seventh chords

Dominant 7th chords

7th chords in a I IV V progression

Three note 7th chords

7th chord inversions

Dominant chords inG

In F

In D In Bb

Performance direction Andantino

Key of E minor

E harmonic Minor scale

E melodic minor scale

Primary chords in E harmonic minor

Rocket Piano Progress Tracker

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 665Page 6

Chapter One

Review of Chord ProgressionsIn Chapter 17 of the previous Rocket Piano book you learned about chord progressions

the series of primary triads that begin on the rst fourth and fth notes of a scale In this

chapter you will learn a few more pieces with a I IV V progression in order to familiarize

yourself with this important sequence

Exercise This piece is a I IV V progression in the key of G major Practice identifying

the chords as you play

Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the MountainAllegro

01

135

135

135

135

135

14

135

q = 126

6

10

2 5 1 5 1 3

5 3 2 5 3 2 1

1 5 4 3 2

3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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6

Shifting Inversions

You should be comfortable with chord and chord inversions Now letrsquos look at shifting

inversions and the difference in sound they can make You may have noticed that a chordin root position always sounds very grounded and stable while the same chord played in

the various inversions has a very different quality The more you play chords the more

yoursquoll notice their tonal qualities

C major in root position and

inversions in the right hand

Here are the same inversions for the left hand

Moderato

Exercise Practice chord inversion with the following piece

Root

position

1st

inversion(with the root

note C at the

top)

2nd

inversion(with the 3rd

note E at the

top)

Root

position(now an octave

higher)

Root

position

1st

inversion(with the root

note C at the

top)

2nd

inversion(with the 3rd

note E at the

top)

Root

position(now an octave

higher)

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 4 1 5 1

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 5 3 2 1

02

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb

At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering

and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go

over the thumb 2 finger

goes over

Allegretto

Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger over the thumb with this piece

24

03

1 2 1 21 1

135

135

135

125

15

15

14

14

25

25

14

135

b

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

13

b b

1 2 1 1 2 1

1 2 1

1 2 11 2 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation

It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief

re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult to remember but are used often so it is important to be

familiar with both

Whole note

or breve

(4 beats)

Written as a

single note Whole note rest

Written as a

single note Half note rest

Quarter note rest

8th note rest

16th note rest

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Half note or

minim

(2 beats)

Quarter note

or crotchet

(1 beat)

8th note or

quaver

(frac12 beat)

16th note or

semi-quaver

(frac14 beat)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8th Note Triplets

Eight note triplets occur when there are three 8th notes played in the time of two 8th

notes or one quarter note When you play a triplet then you will spread the playing ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note

When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group

of notes

Remember

three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR

two 8th notes

3

3

ii = OR

3

3

ii = i

Counting 8th Note Triplets

When counting 8th note triplets you count

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

Exercise Clap the beats and count aloud the rhythm and also try clapping the rhythm

and counting aloud the beats

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3 ii ii ii ii

3

3 ii

3

3 ii

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

4

one two three four one-and-then two three-and-then four

Listen to the following track which will familiarize you with the sound of triplets

triplet sign

3

04

25

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q

b

b

3

3

3

3

Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes

in the LH appear like this and have a repetitive pattern the following can be called a bass

line

Andante moderato

Exercise Try playing triplets with this piece

05

06

q

3

3

3

3

13

13

24

35

345 123 2 34

5

5

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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing

right Then speed up as you get the hang of it

Moderato

2

q

3

3

3

6

3

3

11

3

3

3

3

3

3

16

3

3

3

3

q = 96

3

3

3

34 3 2 35

2 215 5423 415 3 5

3 3 421 215 555

55 31 2 3 4

534 5 3

42

5 1

07

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic

line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece

It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH

Andante 08

q = 78

b

b

3

3

3

5

b b

3

9

b b

3

3

3

13

b b

3

16

b b

3 3

3 3

5 3

51

41

53

41

53

52

31

1 535

1

1

5 3 1 5 1

5 1 5 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Six

Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger over thumb technique that

you have been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming

it out with the Rocket band

06

continued on next page

5 4 13 52 1 3 1 2

24

5 4 3 2 5 51

543

12

13

54351 1

3

12

54

512

1 3

1

2

52 1

Swing

6

11

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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06xNow letrsquos all try playing together

Listen to this track and play along on

your piano

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13

2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24

21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3665Page 36

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3765Page 37

Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 5: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Lesson or Skill Page Date Signature Shifting inversions

New Hand technique 2 Finger Over Thumb

8th note triplets

A New Time Signature 68

Key Signature B at major

Primary triads in B at major

The A major scale

Primary triads in A major Performance direction Vivace

Accents

Staccato amp Staccatissimo

Playing in unison

The E at major scale

Primary triads in E at major

Performance direction Largo

Playing scales over two octaves

Playing arpeggios over two octaves Pedal practice Ped___

Seventh chords

Dominant 7th chords

7th chords in a I IV V progression

Three note 7th chords

7th chord inversions

Dominant chords inG

In F

In D In Bb

Performance direction Andantino

Key of E minor

E harmonic Minor scale

E melodic minor scale

Primary chords in E harmonic minor

Rocket Piano Progress Tracker

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 665Page 6

Chapter One

Review of Chord ProgressionsIn Chapter 17 of the previous Rocket Piano book you learned about chord progressions

the series of primary triads that begin on the rst fourth and fth notes of a scale In this

chapter you will learn a few more pieces with a I IV V progression in order to familiarize

yourself with this important sequence

Exercise This piece is a I IV V progression in the key of G major Practice identifying

the chords as you play

Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the MountainAllegro

01

135

135

135

135

135

14

135

q = 126

6

10

2 5 1 5 1 3

5 3 2 5 3 2 1

1 5 4 3 2

3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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6

Shifting Inversions

You should be comfortable with chord and chord inversions Now letrsquos look at shifting

inversions and the difference in sound they can make You may have noticed that a chordin root position always sounds very grounded and stable while the same chord played in

the various inversions has a very different quality The more you play chords the more

yoursquoll notice their tonal qualities

C major in root position and

inversions in the right hand

Here are the same inversions for the left hand

Moderato

Exercise Practice chord inversion with the following piece

Root

position

1st

inversion(with the root

note C at the

top)

2nd

inversion(with the 3rd

note E at the

top)

Root

position(now an octave

higher)

Root

position

1st

inversion(with the root

note C at the

top)

2nd

inversion(with the 3rd

note E at the

top)

Root

position(now an octave

higher)

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 4 1 5 1

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 5 3 2 1

02

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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb

At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering

and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go

over the thumb 2 finger

goes over

Allegretto

Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger over the thumb with this piece

24

03

1 2 1 21 1

135

135

135

125

15

15

14

14

25

25

14

135

b

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

13

b b

1 2 1 1 2 1

1 2 1

1 2 11 2 1

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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation

It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief

re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult to remember but are used often so it is important to be

familiar with both

Whole note

or breve

(4 beats)

Written as a

single note Whole note rest

Written as a

single note Half note rest

Quarter note rest

8th note rest

16th note rest

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Half note or

minim

(2 beats)

Quarter note

or crotchet

(1 beat)

8th note or

quaver

(frac12 beat)

16th note or

semi-quaver

(frac14 beat)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8th Note Triplets

Eight note triplets occur when there are three 8th notes played in the time of two 8th

notes or one quarter note When you play a triplet then you will spread the playing ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note

When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group

of notes

Remember

three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR

two 8th notes

3

3

ii = OR

3

3

ii = i

Counting 8th Note Triplets

When counting 8th note triplets you count

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

Exercise Clap the beats and count aloud the rhythm and also try clapping the rhythm

and counting aloud the beats

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3 ii ii ii ii

3

3 ii

3

3 ii

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

4

one two three four one-and-then two three-and-then four

Listen to the following track which will familiarize you with the sound of triplets

triplet sign

3

04

25

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1165Page 11

q

b

b

3

3

3

3

Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes

in the LH appear like this and have a repetitive pattern the following can be called a bass

line

Andante moderato

Exercise Try playing triplets with this piece

05

06

q

3

3

3

3

13

13

24

35

345 123 2 34

5

5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing

right Then speed up as you get the hang of it

Moderato

2

q

3

3

3

6

3

3

11

3

3

3

3

3

3

16

3

3

3

3

q = 96

3

3

3

34 3 2 35

2 215 5423 415 3 5

3 3 421 215 555

55 31 2 3 4

534 5 3

42

5 1

07

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic

line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece

It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH

Andante 08

q = 78

b

b

3

3

3

5

b b

3

9

b b

3

3

3

13

b b

3

16

b b

3 3

3 3

5 3

51

41

53

41

53

52

31

1 535

1

1

5 3 1 5 1

5 1 5 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Six

Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger over thumb technique that

you have been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming

it out with the Rocket band

06

continued on next page

5 4 13 52 1 3 1 2

24

5 4 3 2 5 51

543

12

13

54351 1

3

12

54

512

1 3

1

2

52 1

Swing

6

11

16

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06xNow letrsquos all try playing together

Listen to this track and play along on

your piano

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13

2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24

21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4365Page 43

Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44

On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 6: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 665Page 6

Chapter One

Review of Chord ProgressionsIn Chapter 17 of the previous Rocket Piano book you learned about chord progressions

the series of primary triads that begin on the rst fourth and fth notes of a scale In this

chapter you will learn a few more pieces with a I IV V progression in order to familiarize

yourself with this important sequence

Exercise This piece is a I IV V progression in the key of G major Practice identifying

the chords as you play

Shersquoll be Cominrsquo Round the MountainAllegro

01

135

135

135

135

135

14

135

q = 126

6

10

2 5 1 5 1 3

5 3 2 5 3 2 1

1 5 4 3 2

3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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6

Shifting Inversions

You should be comfortable with chord and chord inversions Now letrsquos look at shifting

inversions and the difference in sound they can make You may have noticed that a chordin root position always sounds very grounded and stable while the same chord played in

the various inversions has a very different quality The more you play chords the more

yoursquoll notice their tonal qualities

C major in root position and

inversions in the right hand

Here are the same inversions for the left hand

Moderato

Exercise Practice chord inversion with the following piece

Root

position

1st

inversion(with the root

note C at the

top)

2nd

inversion(with the 3rd

note E at the

top)

Root

position(now an octave

higher)

Root

position

1st

inversion(with the root

note C at the

top)

2nd

inversion(with the 3rd

note E at the

top)

Root

position(now an octave

higher)

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 4 1 5 1

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 5 3 2 1

02

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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb

At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering

and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go

over the thumb 2 finger

goes over

Allegretto

Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger over the thumb with this piece

24

03

1 2 1 21 1

135

135

135

125

15

15

14

14

25

25

14

135

b

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

13

b b

1 2 1 1 2 1

1 2 1

1 2 11 2 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation

It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief

re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult to remember but are used often so it is important to be

familiar with both

Whole note

or breve

(4 beats)

Written as a

single note Whole note rest

Written as a

single note Half note rest

Quarter note rest

8th note rest

16th note rest

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Half note or

minim

(2 beats)

Quarter note

or crotchet

(1 beat)

8th note or

quaver

(frac12 beat)

16th note or

semi-quaver

(frac14 beat)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8th Note Triplets

Eight note triplets occur when there are three 8th notes played in the time of two 8th

notes or one quarter note When you play a triplet then you will spread the playing ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note

When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group

of notes

Remember

three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR

two 8th notes

3

3

ii = OR

3

3

ii = i

Counting 8th Note Triplets

When counting 8th note triplets you count

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

Exercise Clap the beats and count aloud the rhythm and also try clapping the rhythm

and counting aloud the beats

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3 ii ii ii ii

3

3 ii

3

3 ii

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

4

one two three four one-and-then two three-and-then four

Listen to the following track which will familiarize you with the sound of triplets

triplet sign

3

04

25

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q

b

b

3

3

3

3

Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes

in the LH appear like this and have a repetitive pattern the following can be called a bass

line

Andante moderato

Exercise Try playing triplets with this piece

05

06

q

3

3

3

3

13

13

24

35

345 123 2 34

5

5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing

right Then speed up as you get the hang of it

Moderato

2

q

3

3

3

6

3

3

11

3

3

3

3

3

3

16

3

3

3

3

q = 96

3

3

3

34 3 2 35

2 215 5423 415 3 5

3 3 421 215 555

55 31 2 3 4

534 5 3

42

5 1

07

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic

line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece

It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH

Andante 08

q = 78

b

b

3

3

3

5

b b

3

9

b b

3

3

3

13

b b

3

16

b b

3 3

3 3

5 3

51

41

53

41

53

52

31

1 535

1

1

5 3 1 5 1

5 1 5 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Six

Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger over thumb technique that

you have been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming

it out with the Rocket band

06

continued on next page

5 4 13 52 1 3 1 2

24

5 4 3 2 5 51

543

12

13

54351 1

3

12

54

512

1 3

1

2

52 1

Swing

6

11

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1565Page 15

06xNow letrsquos all try playing together

Listen to this track and play along on

your piano

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13

2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24

21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1865Page 18

b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45

Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 7: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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6

Shifting Inversions

You should be comfortable with chord and chord inversions Now letrsquos look at shifting

inversions and the difference in sound they can make You may have noticed that a chordin root position always sounds very grounded and stable while the same chord played in

the various inversions has a very different quality The more you play chords the more

yoursquoll notice their tonal qualities

C major in root position and

inversions in the right hand

Here are the same inversions for the left hand

Moderato

Exercise Practice chord inversion with the following piece

Root

position

1st

inversion(with the root

note C at the

top)

2nd

inversion(with the 3rd

note E at the

top)

Root

position(now an octave

higher)

Root

position

1st

inversion(with the root

note C at the

top)

2nd

inversion(with the 3rd

note E at the

top)

Root

position(now an octave

higher)

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 4 1 5 1

1 23 5 1 35 1 35 1 5 3 1 5 3 5 3 2 1

02

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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb

At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering

and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go

over the thumb 2 finger

goes over

Allegretto

Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger over the thumb with this piece

24

03

1 2 1 21 1

135

135

135

125

15

15

14

14

25

25

14

135

b

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

13

b b

1 2 1 1 2 1

1 2 1

1 2 11 2 1

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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation

It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief

re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult to remember but are used often so it is important to be

familiar with both

Whole note

or breve

(4 beats)

Written as a

single note Whole note rest

Written as a

single note Half note rest

Quarter note rest

8th note rest

16th note rest

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Half note or

minim

(2 beats)

Quarter note

or crotchet

(1 beat)

8th note or

quaver

(frac12 beat)

16th note or

semi-quaver

(frac14 beat)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8th Note Triplets

Eight note triplets occur when there are three 8th notes played in the time of two 8th

notes or one quarter note When you play a triplet then you will spread the playing ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note

When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group

of notes

Remember

three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR

two 8th notes

3

3

ii = OR

3

3

ii = i

Counting 8th Note Triplets

When counting 8th note triplets you count

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

Exercise Clap the beats and count aloud the rhythm and also try clapping the rhythm

and counting aloud the beats

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3 ii ii ii ii

3

3 ii

3

3 ii

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

4

one two three four one-and-then two three-and-then four

Listen to the following track which will familiarize you with the sound of triplets

triplet sign

3

04

25

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q

b

b

3

3

3

3

Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes

in the LH appear like this and have a repetitive pattern the following can be called a bass

line

Andante moderato

Exercise Try playing triplets with this piece

05

06

q

3

3

3

3

13

13

24

35

345 123 2 34

5

5

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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing

right Then speed up as you get the hang of it

Moderato

2

q

3

3

3

6

3

3

11

3

3

3

3

3

3

16

3

3

3

3

q = 96

3

3

3

34 3 2 35

2 215 5423 415 3 5

3 3 421 215 555

55 31 2 3 4

534 5 3

42

5 1

07

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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic

line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece

It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH

Andante 08

q = 78

b

b

3

3

3

5

b b

3

9

b b

3

3

3

13

b b

3

16

b b

3 3

3 3

5 3

51

41

53

41

53

52

31

1 535

1

1

5 3 1 5 1

5 1 5 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Six

Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger over thumb technique that

you have been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming

it out with the Rocket band

06

continued on next page

5 4 13 52 1 3 1 2

24

5 4 3 2 5 51

543

12

13

54351 1

3

12

54

512

1 3

1

2

52 1

Swing

6

11

16

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06xNow letrsquos all try playing together

Listen to this track and play along on

your piano

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13

2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24

21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 8: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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New Hand Technique 2nd Finger Over Thumb

At this stage the pieces that yoursquore playing are going to demand more technical ngering

and frequent hand position changes To hit all the notes in a piece more easily try thistechnique When six notes occur in a row in the melody of a piece let your 2nd nger go

over the thumb 2 finger

goes over

Allegretto

Exercise Practice putting your 2 nger over the thumb with this piece

24

03

1 2 1 21 1

135

135

135

125

15

15

14

14

25

25

14

135

b

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

13

b b

1 2 1 1 2 1

1 2 1

1 2 11 2 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation

It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief

re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult to remember but are used often so it is important to be

familiar with both

Whole note

or breve

(4 beats)

Written as a

single note Whole note rest

Written as a

single note Half note rest

Quarter note rest

8th note rest

16th note rest

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Half note or

minim

(2 beats)

Quarter note

or crotchet

(1 beat)

8th note or

quaver

(frac12 beat)

16th note or

semi-quaver

(frac14 beat)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8th Note Triplets

Eight note triplets occur when there are three 8th notes played in the time of two 8th

notes or one quarter note When you play a triplet then you will spread the playing ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note

When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group

of notes

Remember

three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR

two 8th notes

3

3

ii = OR

3

3

ii = i

Counting 8th Note Triplets

When counting 8th note triplets you count

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

Exercise Clap the beats and count aloud the rhythm and also try clapping the rhythm

and counting aloud the beats

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3 ii ii ii ii

3

3 ii

3

3 ii

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

4

one two three four one-and-then two three-and-then four

Listen to the following track which will familiarize you with the sound of triplets

triplet sign

3

04

25

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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q

b

b

3

3

3

3

Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes

in the LH appear like this and have a repetitive pattern the following can be called a bass

line

Andante moderato

Exercise Try playing triplets with this piece

05

06

q

3

3

3

3

13

13

24

35

345 123 2 34

5

5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing

right Then speed up as you get the hang of it

Moderato

2

q

3

3

3

6

3

3

11

3

3

3

3

3

3

16

3

3

3

3

q = 96

3

3

3

34 3 2 35

2 215 5423 415 3 5

3 3 421 215 555

55 31 2 3 4

534 5 3

42

5 1

07

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic

line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece

It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH

Andante 08

q = 78

b

b

3

3

3

5

b b

3

9

b b

3

3

3

13

b b

3

16

b b

3 3

3 3

5 3

51

41

53

41

53

52

31

1 535

1

1

5 3 1 5 1

5 1 5 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Six

Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger over thumb technique that

you have been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming

it out with the Rocket band

06

continued on next page

5 4 13 52 1 3 1 2

24

5 4 3 2 5 51

543

12

13

54351 1

3

12

54

512

1 3

1

2

52 1

Swing

6

11

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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06xNow letrsquos all try playing together

Listen to this track and play along on

your piano

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13

2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24

21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 9: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 965Page 9

Re-cap of Rhythmic Notation

It was a long long time ago that you learned about rhythmic notation so herersquos a brief

re-cap to refresh your memory Notice the new names for the quarter half whole etcnotes They are more difcult to remember but are used often so it is important to be

familiar with both

Whole note

or breve

(4 beats)

Written as a

single note Whole note rest

Written as a

single note Half note rest

Quarter note rest

8th note rest

16th note rest

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Written as a

single note

Half note or

minim

(2 beats)

Quarter note

or crotchet

(1 beat)

8th note or

quaver

(frac12 beat)

16th note or

semi-quaver

(frac14 beat)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8th Note Triplets

Eight note triplets occur when there are three 8th notes played in the time of two 8th

notes or one quarter note When you play a triplet then you will spread the playing ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note

When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group

of notes

Remember

three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR

two 8th notes

3

3

ii = OR

3

3

ii = i

Counting 8th Note Triplets

When counting 8th note triplets you count

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

Exercise Clap the beats and count aloud the rhythm and also try clapping the rhythm

and counting aloud the beats

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3 ii ii ii ii

3

3 ii

3

3 ii

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

4

one two three four one-and-then two three-and-then four

Listen to the following track which will familiarize you with the sound of triplets

triplet sign

3

04

25

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1165Page 11

q

b

b

3

3

3

3

Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes

in the LH appear like this and have a repetitive pattern the following can be called a bass

line

Andante moderato

Exercise Try playing triplets with this piece

05

06

q

3

3

3

3

13

13

24

35

345 123 2 34

5

5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1265Page 12

Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing

right Then speed up as you get the hang of it

Moderato

2

q

3

3

3

6

3

3

11

3

3

3

3

3

3

16

3

3

3

3

q = 96

3

3

3

34 3 2 35

2 215 5423 415 3 5

3 3 421 215 555

55 31 2 3 4

534 5 3

42

5 1

07

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic

line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece

It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH

Andante 08

q = 78

b

b

3

3

3

5

b b

3

9

b b

3

3

3

13

b b

3

16

b b

3 3

3 3

5 3

51

41

53

41

53

52

31

1 535

1

1

5 3 1 5 1

5 1 5 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Six

Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger over thumb technique that

you have been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming

it out with the Rocket band

06

continued on next page

5 4 13 52 1 3 1 2

24

5 4 3 2 5 51

543

12

13

54351 1

3

12

54

512

1 3

1

2

52 1

Swing

6

11

16

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06xNow letrsquos all try playing together

Listen to this track and play along on

your piano

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13

2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24

21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 10: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8th Note Triplets

Eight note triplets occur when there are three 8th notes played in the time of two 8th

notes or one quarter note When you play a triplet then you will spread the playing ofthe three notes evenly across the time it would take to play a quarter note

When 8th note triplets are written a small number lsquo3rsquo appears above or below the group

of notes

Remember

three 8th note triplets =one quarter note OR

two 8th notes

3

3

ii = OR

3

3

ii = i

Counting 8th Note Triplets

When counting 8th note triplets you count

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

Exercise Clap the beats and count aloud the rhythm and also try clapping the rhythm

and counting aloud the beats

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3 ii ii ii ii

3

3 ii

3

3 ii

one-and-then two-and-then three-and-then four-and-then

4

one two three four one-and-then two three-and-then four

Listen to the following track which will familiarize you with the sound of triplets

triplet sign

3

04

25

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q

b

b

3

3

3

3

Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes

in the LH appear like this and have a repetitive pattern the following can be called a bass

line

Andante moderato

Exercise Try playing triplets with this piece

05

06

q

3

3

3

3

13

13

24

35

345 123 2 34

5

5

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Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing

right Then speed up as you get the hang of it

Moderato

2

q

3

3

3

6

3

3

11

3

3

3

3

3

3

16

3

3

3

3

q = 96

3

3

3

34 3 2 35

2 215 5423 415 3 5

3 3 421 215 555

55 31 2 3 4

534 5 3

42

5 1

07

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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic

line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece

It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH

Andante 08

q = 78

b

b

3

3

3

5

b b

3

9

b b

3

3

3

13

b b

3

16

b b

3 3

3 3

5 3

51

41

53

41

53

52

31

1 535

1

1

5 3 1 5 1

5 1 5 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Six

Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger over thumb technique that

you have been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming

it out with the Rocket band

06

continued on next page

5 4 13 52 1 3 1 2

24

5 4 3 2 5 51

543

12

13

54351 1

3

12

54

512

1 3

1

2

52 1

Swing

6

11

16

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06xNow letrsquos all try playing together

Listen to this track and play along on

your piano

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13

2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24

21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 11: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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q

b

b

3

3

3

3

Exercise Herersquos a small piece just for the LH to practice 8th note triplets When notes

in the LH appear like this and have a repetitive pattern the following can be called a bass

line

Andante moderato

Exercise Try playing triplets with this piece

05

06

q

3

3

3

3

13

13

24

35

345 123 2 34

5

5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1265Page 12

Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing

right Then speed up as you get the hang of it

Moderato

2

q

3

3

3

6

3

3

11

3

3

3

3

3

3

16

3

3

3

3

q = 96

3

3

3

34 3 2 35

2 215 5423 415 3 5

3 3 421 215 555

55 31 2 3 4

534 5 3

42

5 1

07

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic

line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece

It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH

Andante 08

q = 78

b

b

3

3

3

5

b b

3

9

b b

3

3

3

13

b b

3

16

b b

3 3

3 3

5 3

51

41

53

41

53

52

31

1 535

1

1

5 3 1 5 1

5 1 5 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Six

Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger over thumb technique that

you have been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming

it out with the Rocket band

06

continued on next page

5 4 13 52 1 3 1 2

24

5 4 3 2 5 51

543

12

13

54351 1

3

12

54

512

1 3

1

2

52 1

Swing

6

11

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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06xNow letrsquos all try playing together

Listen to this track and play along on

your piano

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13

2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24

21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3465Page 34

Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3565Page 35

Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3665Page 36

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 12: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1265Page 12

Exercise This piece has a few 8th note triplets so take it slowly at rst to get your timing

right Then speed up as you get the hang of it

Moderato

2

q

3

3

3

6

3

3

11

3

3

3

3

3

3

16

3

3

3

3

q = 96

3

3

3

34 3 2 35

2 215 5423 415 3 5

3 3 421 215 555

55 31 2 3 4

534 5 3

42

5 1

07

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic

line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece

It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH

Andante 08

q = 78

b

b

3

3

3

5

b b

3

9

b b

3

3

3

13

b b

3

16

b b

3 3

3 3

5 3

51

41

53

41

53

52

31

1 535

1

1

5 3 1 5 1

5 1 5 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Six

Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger over thumb technique that

you have been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming

it out with the Rocket band

06

continued on next page

5 4 13 52 1 3 1 2

24

5 4 3 2 5 51

543

12

13

54351 1

3

12

54

512

1 3

1

2

52 1

Swing

6

11

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1565Page 15

06xNow letrsquos all try playing together

Listen to this track and play along on

your piano

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13

2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24

21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3065Page 30

The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3265Page 32

Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44

On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45

Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 13: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Exercise This piece also has a bass line in it The bass line is the repetitive melodic

line in the LH Again play slowly at rst until you feel comfortable with the piece

It is a good idea to practice with each hand separately before putting them together Startby learning how to play the LH (or bass line) then add the RH

Andante 08

q = 78

b

b

3

3

3

5

b b

3

9

b b

3

3

3

13

b b

3

16

b b

3 3

3 3

5 3

51

41

53

41

53

52

31

1 535

1

1

5 3 1 5 1

5 1 5 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Six

Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger over thumb technique that

you have been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming

it out with the Rocket band

06

continued on next page

5 4 13 52 1 3 1 2

24

5 4 3 2 5 51

543

12

13

54351 1

3

12

54

512

1 3

1

2

52 1

Swing

6

11

16

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06xNow letrsquos all try playing together

Listen to this track and play along on

your piano

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13

2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24

21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 14: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1465Page 14

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Six

Exercise This Jam Track requires you to use the 2 nger over thumb technique that

you have been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming

it out with the Rocket band

06

continued on next page

5 4 13 52 1 3 1 2

24

5 4 3 2 5 51

543

12

13

54351 1

3

12

54

512

1 3

1

2

52 1

Swing

6

11

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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06xNow letrsquos all try playing together

Listen to this track and play along on

your piano

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13

2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24

21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 15: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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06xNow letrsquos all try playing together

Listen to this track and play along on

your piano

24

2

4

135

1

5 24

13

35

35

13

2 4 51

135

125

4

2

3

4

2

22

28

32

2

24

21 3 5

1

2

13

3

4 1

5

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 16: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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e

lsquoonersquo beat instead of a half

beat =

=

lsquoone-tworsquo beats instead of

one beat

=

h =

ii ii ii ii e e ii

one two three four five six one two three four five six one-two three four-five six one-two-three four five six

68

lsquoone-two-three-four-ve-sixrsquo

instead of three beats The

dotted half note now makes

up a whole bar in time8

lsquoone-two-threersquo beats now

instead of one and a half This

also divides the bar into half so

two dotted quarter notes make

up a bar in time8

Chapter TwoA New Time Signature

By now you should be able to play 44 24 and 4 time In this chapter wersquoll look at a new

time signature

Normal bars and measures are counted by notes that can be divided evenly in half With

68 time however the beat is represented by dotted notes (like ) and thus gets divided

evenly into threes A bar may consist of two dotted quarter notes ( ) or six 8th notes

( )

Basically the 6 on top means the bar gets divided up into 6 while the 8 on the bottom

means that an 8th note gets one beat

This means that this time signature is quite different from those wersquove looked at before

All the previous time signatures yoursquove seen (with a at the bottom) take the quarter note

as the standard for one beat which makes an eighth note last for half a beat Now the

eighth note is the standard for one beat This means that all the other note values change

correspondingly

Here is a list of the new values of our notes when played in68 time

ii ii

68

4

Exercise Clap the beat and count the rhythm of this exercise in68 time

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 17: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Allegro09

1

Exercise Most pieces in 68 time are played quite fast but for this piece - as with a lot

of others - it is okay to play it slowly when yoursquore rst learning then speed up Itrsquos much

more important to get the notes and rhythm correct than to play it fast straight away

4

2

1 234 5

5

5

1

4

34 5

135

135

135

135

135

135

135

5

43

3

4 5

4 5

44

2

3

23

2 3

q = 120

b b

6

b

b

11

b

b

16

b b

19

b b

42 3

5 3

1 2 35 2

4 3 151

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 2765Page 27

07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 18: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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b b

b b

Another Key Signature B Flat Major

Now yoursquore ready to learn another key signature that of B major B major has two ats

in it B and E Below you can see how this key signature is indicated on the staff

Remember that any major scale can be created by two tetrachords joined by a whole note

(Chapter 13 of the previous book) Therefore the two tetrachords starting on B will make

the B major scale

Use the same RH ngering to play B major as you do in F major The RH ngering will

go 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 both ascending and descending The thumb will go under the 4 nger

on ascending and on descending the 4 nger will go over the thumb

Herersquos the scale ascending

b

bb

Exercise Here is the scales with both hands ascending and descending Play over it

several times slowly to begin with Pay particular attention to the RH ngering

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

bb

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

10

41 2 41 2 43 3 123 124 3

bb

bb 1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

LH

bb 15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45

Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 19: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 1965Page 19

Here is the I IV V chord progression in Bb major for the LH with the chords in the root

position

This time the same progression except now with the inversions wersquove used previouslywhen looking at the primary chords

Primary Triads in B Flat Major

The three primary triads in Bbmajor are Bb Eb and F

bChord

I

IV

V

Triad

B major

E major

F major

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

b

I IV VRH

32 41

5 6 7 8

bb

Bb Eb F

Exercise Now play the inversions with both hands

bb I IV VLH

1 5Bb Eb F

432

11

I IV VLH

1 5Bb

(root position)

Eb(1st inversion)

F(2nd inversion)

432

bb

bb bb

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Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 2965

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3065Page 30

The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3265Page 32

Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3765Page 37

Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 20: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 2065Page 20

Exercise This piece has the same chords as the I IV V progression but in a different

order than what yoursquove been playing This time the chord progression goes I IV I V

Try to identify the chords and their names in reference to their place in the progression

Moderato

Amazing Grace12

135

1

35

1

35

1

2

4

53

5 q = 88

bb 3 bb

5

bb 3

bb

9

bb 3

bb

13

bb 3

bb

4

1

15

4

4 2

2

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 21: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The A Major Scale

Now that yoursquove mastered the B at scale yoursquore ready for another the A major scale

The A major scale has three sharps in it F C and G

Take a look at the ascending A major scale for both hands below Remember that you can

create the A major scale yourself by using the two major tetrachords joined by a whole

note principle

joined

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

key signature

Exercise Play through the A major scale with both hands ascending and descending

Use the normal ngering for the major scales

1 23 3 31

1 2 1 23 1 123

5 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 235 5

13

LH

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 22: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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You can vary how you play the I IV V progression by using the inversions differently

which will give the progression a different type of quality in the chords As you already

know a chord that isnrsquot played in the root position usually has a sense of movement about

it On the other hand a chord played in the root position feels more grounded If you use

the inversions differently you can shift the progression in terms of the range in which it is

played

Look at the example below in which inversions of the I chord are played These inversions

change what inversions you will use to play the other chords as well as making the chordtype easier to hear Remember if a chord is played too low on the keyboard it loses

quality denition and becomes unclear

Here is the same progression for the LH with the chords in the root position

Again the same progression except this time with the inversions

ChordI

IV

V

TriadA major

D major

E major

Position1st note

4th note

5th note

Primary Triads in A major

The three primary triads in A major are A D and E

IV VRH

32 4 5 6 7 8

I

1A

D E

I IV VLH

321A

4D

5E

A(1st inversion)

VIIVIIVIVI I D

(root position)

E(2nd inversion) A

(1st inversion)

A(1st inversion) D

(root position)

A(1st inversion) E

(2nd inversion)

A(1st inversion)

I IV VLH

1 5A(root position)

D(1st inversion)

E(2nd inversion)

432

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 23: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Vivace

Play it Faster Vivace

Vivace is the next tempo indicator yoursquoll learn It means to play the piece lively and quick

It is a faster tempo than allegro so vivace is now the fastest tempo yoursquove played

Exercise Try this piece Remember what the staccato dot means (If you donrsquot

refer to Chapter 9 of the Beginner book)

14

1

3

5

5

1 5

24

13

q = 132

f 6

11

16

1

4 32

3 2 1

3 5 13 2 1

4

2 51

1 4 5

5 1 2 5

35

25

1 435

1

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 24: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three

1 If the root position of the C chord is made up of C E G in that order what is the 1st

inversion of the C chord made up of

a C G E

b E G C

c E C G

d G C E

2 How many 8th note triplets t into a measure of 44

a 4b 8

c 12

d 16

3 What does 68 at the beginning of a piece indicate

a there are eight 6th notes per measure

b there are six 8th notes per stave

c there are six 8th notes per measure

d there are 6 sharps and 8 ats in the key signature

4 What is in the key signature of Bb major

a Bb

b Bb and Eb

c A and D

d 5 ats

5 What are the sharps in the key of A major Name them in order of their appearance

on the stave from left to right

a C F G

b C G

c F C G

d F C

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3365Page 33

Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 25: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three continued

6 What does the term vivace mean

a play lively and quick

b play slow and solemn

c gradually getting faster

d play sweetly

7 What is the dening characteristic of a harmonic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has a raised 7th noted it is played with harmony in 3rds

8 What is the dening characteristic of a melodic minor scale

a it has no sharps or ats

b the descending scale is different to the ascending scale

c it has raised 7th note

d it is the opening melody of the song ldquoHouse of the Rising Sunrdquo

9 What is the dening characteristic of a natural minora it has no sharps or ats

b it has the same key signature as itrsquos relative major

c it has the same key signature as E melodic minor

d it played only on black notes

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 26: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Three Answers

1 (b) The rst inversion of the C major chord is E G C (pg 7)

2 (c) There are three 8th note triplets for every quarter note so 3x4=12 (pg 10)

3 (c) The 68 time signature indicates that there are six 8th notes to be played in

each measure (pg 14)

4 (b) The key signature of Bb major contains Bb and Eb (pg 16)

5 (c) The key of A major contains the sharps C F and G They are written on the

stave from left to right as F C G (Remembering that the sharps are placed onthe key signature beginning with F and going up a 5th each time a sharp is added)

(pg 19)

6 (a) Vivace means to play vivaciously meaning lively and quick (pg 21)

7 (c) The Harmonic Minor has a raised 7th in addition to itrsquos key signature (pg 142

Beginner book)

8 (b) The Melodic Minor is different descending from ascending Ascending it has a

raised 6th and 7th and when descending the 6th and 7th become natural again (pg

142 Beginner Book)

9 (b) The Natural Minor has the same key signature as itrsquos relative Major which is

located a minor 3rd up from the Natural Minor scales root note (pg 141 Beginner

Book)

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 27: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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07x

07

Listen to this track and

play along with us

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Seven

Exercise This Jam Track is in the key of B at major and uses the time signature

yoursquove been learning about Practice through your piano part a few times before jam-

ming it out with the Rocket band

68

Slow

bb

bb

5

bb

bb

9

bb

bb

13 1

2

bb

bb

14 3 21 1 52

13

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 14

5 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 3 5 13 5

243

53 54 5

31

51

24

51

2351

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3765Page 37

Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3965Page 39

Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 28: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Yoursquove seen the sign before It is an accent sign which

tells you that you should play that note louder You may

also see a sign above or an sign below a note Both

mean the same as an accent sign

Dots inside a slur mean that the notes should be played

slightly staccato (in other words a little bit less staccato

than when the notes have ordinary staccato dots)

-

The sign is a wedge sign When you see this sign play

the note super staccato In other words play the note as

briey as possible This is referred to as staccatissimo

The sign means the note is to be played with slightly

more pressure to it-

-

-

Chapter Three

More Signs that Modify NotesHere are a few more signs that you should know They are less frequent than the other

signs wersquove looked at but theyrsquore important to know in case they come up in any of the

pieces

Play it a Little Less Staccato

Play it a Lot More Staccato

Play it a Bit Harder

Play it Louder

26

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 29: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 30: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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The E Flat Major Scale

The next scale for us to look at is the scale of Eb major Eb major has three ats

Eb Bb Ab

bbb LH

15

1242

33

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

key signature

Exercise Play through the Eb major scale with both hands ascending and descending

bbb bbb

1 23 3 315 524 12 41 2 3

4 43 231 2 1 23 1 1235 5

RH

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

first tetrachordW HW W HWW

second tetrachord

joined

key signature

bbb

OR written this wayan octave lower

bbb

15 124 23 3

first tetrachord second tetrachord

joined

W HW W HWW

16

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 31: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 32: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Play it Slower Largo

Now that yoursquove learned to play fast (vivace) itrsquos time to learn how to play slowly Largo

is another tempo indicator that means to play slower than adagio or in a slow and statelyway In fact largo is the slowest tempo you have played thus far

Exercise Practice this tempo with the following piece 18Largo

5

135

1 4

12 5

13

5

13

5

1

44

5

1

32 5 1

5

12 215

5

q = 58

bbb bb

b

6

bbb

bbb

11

bbb bbb

16

bbb bb

b

21

bbb

bbb

2 4 3

5 2 4 3 1 5

4 1

3 1 43

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3665Page 36

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3765Page 37

Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 33: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Playing the Scales over Two Octaves

Yoursquore now ready to try playing scales over not just one octave but two Yoursquore going to

need a new hand technique for this one Yoursquoll have to cross your thumb under your 4nger after playing the rst octave Once the thumb has been repositioned it can cover

the second octave

11 2 3 4

5

1 2 34

1 223 3

Here the 1 thumb goes under the 4 nger so that the

rest of the notes in the two octaves can be reached

123 12345

12 12

3 3 4

Now on the descending the 4 nger

has to cross over the hand to make all

the notes accessible

Now letrsquos apply the same technique to the left hand

Exercise Now try playing the scales in unison with two octaves Then go back and play

the other scales yoursquove learned so far with both hands and two octaves These exercises

are important to learn because they familiarize you with the scales and can also be used

to warm up the ngers before playing

On the ascending LH scale the 4

nger goes over the hand making

the rest of the notes accessible

1

23123

45 121

23 3 4

Finally on the descending scale the 1 thumb goes under

the hand so that the hand is positioned to get all the notes

in both octaves

1 2 3 1 14 53

41

223

3

27

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Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3665Page 36

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3765Page 37

Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3965Page 39

Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 34: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3465Page 34

Arpeggios over Two Octaves

Now that you know how to play scales covering two octaves you need to know how to

play arpeggios covering two octaves

Letrsquos start with the right hand This time the 1 thumb has to go under the 3 nger as the

right hand ascends Upon descending the 3 nger will have to go over the the 1 thumb

1 2 3 1 2 3 5123 123

1 thumb goes under

the 3 nger

Now the 3 nger

goes over the 1

thumb

The same principle applies to the left hand except reversed On ascending the 3 nger

will go over the 1 thumb Upon descending the 1 thumb will go under the 3 nger

3 31125 512 23 23

3 nger goes over

the 1 thumb

Now the 1 thumb goes

under the 3 nger

Exercise Now try both hands together Go slowly until you get the hang of it

Exercise Once yoursquove gotten the hang of playing two octave arpeggios in C major try

playing two octave arpeggios in all the other keys using the same ngering

RH

LH

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3965Page 39

Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4365Page 43

Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44

On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 35: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Pedal Practice

In the Chapter 11 of the beginner book you learned how to use the pedal The pedal sign

may be modied with small upward arrows as seen above These tell you to release thepedal then press down again so that yoursquore only releasing it for a moment

Dolce

Exercise Practice with the following piece Note the dynamic sign Dolce is a performance

indicator that means to play sweet and soft19

28

q = 63

5

10

15

19

5

513

413 35

3 5 3

4 535

1

5

5

1 5

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3965Page 39

Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45

Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48

Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 36: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3665Page 36

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track 8

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice accented and stac-

cato notes within a band context Practice through your piano part a few times before

jamming it out with the Rocket band

08

08xPlay this track to jam

with the band

5

9

13

1 2

54

3

51 3

13

24

35

13

1 35 4 1 3

21

5

3

1

5

31

521

5

3 142

3 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3765Page 37

Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3865Page 38

Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3965Page 39

Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4065Page 40

Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4165Page 41

Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4265Page 42

7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4365Page 43

Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44

On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45

Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48

Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 37: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3765Page 37

Chapter Four

Seventh Chords All the chords yoursquove played so far have had at most three stacked notes Now yoursquore

ready to add one more note to create a 7th chord

A 7th chord is created by adding another note to an already existing triad It gets its name

because the additional note is a 7th interval above the root note of the chord

Here is the 7th

interval without the

other chordal notes

7th chords create a more complex type of harmony within the chord The additional note

adds harmonic complexity as well as making the chord more distinct

Now letrsquos take a look at the left hand The chord below is a C major 7th chord It is built

up from the C note in the root It has a C major triad in it and a 7th note at the top

Seventh chords like triads can be major or minor For now think about the 7th chords

that appear in the key of C major The ngering for playing 7th chords is

RH 1 2 3 5 or 1 2 4 5

LH 5 3 2 1 or 5 4 2 1

At this stage use the ngering that is most comfortable for you The ngering that appears

on the music is simply a guide

root note3rd note5th note7th note

root note3rd note5th note7th note

1

35

2 1

35

2

1

35

2 1

35

2

Familiarize yourself with 7th chords by playing through the seventh chords of notes in C

major It is quite a stretch so donrsquot worry if you have to go quite slowly to start with

29

As you can see the 7th chord

is named because there is a

7th interval in the chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

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Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 38: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3865Page 38

Moderato

Exercise Practice seventh chords with the following piece20

q = 84

f

5

9

13

17

21

1

35

2

1

35

2

52

5 24 1 5 24 1

5 3 5

5 1 3 3 4 5

4 1 5

5 34 5 1 1 5

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3965Page 39

Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4065Page 40

Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4265Page 42

7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44

On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

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135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 39: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 3965Page 39

Dominant 7th Chords

Before you go further you need to know about dominant 7th chords It is when a minor

7th interval is added to the major V chord It is called the Dominant 7 chord becauseadding the minor 7th gives it a dominant pull towards the I (1) chord

In the I IV V progression that you already know the V chord will be played as a dominant

7th chord Below is an example using the C major key Notice that the V chord (G major)

now appears as a dominant 7th chord (V7)

A dominant 7th chord is normally used on the V chord of a progression

Here are the dominant 7th chords in a few of the major scales

b

b

bb

bb

In C major G is the V chord so G

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In G major D is the V chord so D

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In F major C is the V chord so C

becomes the dominant 7th chord

In Bb major F is the V chord so F

becomes the dominant 7th chord

The notes in a G major

dominant chord are G B

D F So

G is the root note

B is the 3rd noteD is the perfect 5th

F is the 7th note

I V7

C G

I V7 IV7

IV7I V7

30

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4065Page 40

Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4165Page 41

Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4265Page 42

7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4365Page 43

Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44

On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45

Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48

Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 40: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4065Page 40

Minor 7th Chords

Minor 7th chords are a snap once you understand dominant 7th chords Basically a

minor 7th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a attened 3rd note

To get a minor 7th chord take the major 7th chord Flatten the 7th note (which makes it

a dominant 7th) Then atten the 3rd note Look at the example below

1

3

75

C minor 7th chord

(root position)

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note G is a perfect 5th away from C

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minor

quality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7th chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a minor triad with

a minor 7th on top

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4165Page 41

Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4265Page 42

7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4365Page 43

Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44

On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45

Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48

Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 41: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4165Page 41

Minor 7 Flat 5 Chords

This is the last 7th chord yoursquoll learn in this book With the addition of this chord yoursquoll

have the vocabulary you need to cover the 7th chords in any major key

Minor 7 at 5 chords are written minor 7 5 for short To create one of these chords all

you have to do is take the existing minor 7 chord (1 3 5 7) and atten the 5th In other

words it will look like this

1 3 5 7

These chords sound quite unusual and it may take a while to get used to how they

sound

Here is an example This is a C minor 7 5 chord in the root position

C minor 7 flat 5

(root position) 13

75

Recap of 7th Chords

Herersquos a brief recap of the chords you have learned to play so far

Major 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Dominant 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7th chord 1 3 5 7

Minor 7 5 chord 1 3 5 7

To learn more about 7th chords go to the Rocket Piano Introduction to Jazz Piano book

The 7th note B is a minor 7th away from C

The 5th note is now attened from G to G This note gives the chord its unique

sound

The 3rd note E is a minor 3rd away from C This gives the chord its minorquality

The root note is C

Relative to the root note a minor 7 at 5 chord goes 1 3 5 7 It looks like a regular

minor 7 chord with a attened 5th note

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 42: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4265Page 42

7th Chords in I IV V Progressions

Now that you understand how to create a dominant 7th chord you can put 7th chords

into the I IV V chord progression that you already know This creates a I IV V7th chordprogression

Letrsquos try creating this chord progression now in the key of C major

Be careful when playing 7th chords Because of the new added notes -- and especially

if the chords are played lower down the keyboard -- the chords can sound muddy and

unclear To avoid this play the inversions of the chords The same inversion principle that

you learned with triads will apply except now that there are more notes the inversions will

be a little more tricky

Here are the inversions of the C major 7th chord for the right hand

Because there are now four notes

in every chord there are also four

different inversions to play

bull root position

bull 1st inversion

bull 2 nd inversion

bull and now a new position the

3rd inversion

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

C major 7th chords with all inversions

Here are the same inversions for the left hand Notice that the last inversion the 3rd has

to be played down an octave This is because it would be too high to play in the LHat

this stage The third inversion still has the same notes as a 3rd inversion C major 7 chordbut is simply an octave lower

I V7 IIV

I V7 IIV

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

RH

LH

(played down an octave)

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4365Page 43

Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44

On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45

Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48

Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

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Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 43: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4365Page 43

Non Troppo Allegretto

In this next piece all the chords are inversions of a C major 7th chord This will get you

used to their sounds and shapes

Note the new dynamic sign Non troppo allegretto is Italian for ldquonot too much allegrettordquo

or not too fast (The word troppo means lsquotoo muchrsquo while the word non means lsquonotrsquo So

non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo)

Non troppo allegretto

Exercise Play this piece slowly or adagio to begin with then get up to speed

21

3

1

35

2

1

35

21

35

2

1

35

2

1

35

2

mf

6

11

1 3 1 1 3

1 3 5 4 3 1 35 1 2

1 35 1 2 1 3 35

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44

On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45

Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48

Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 44: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4465Page 44

On the following page yoursquoll play a piece with the I IV V progression in C major using the

seventh chords Yoursquoll also note that the V7 chord (G7) is played with an inversion instead

of in root position This is because the root position would be too low and cause the chord

to sound muddy and unclear

Study the four positions of the G dominant 7th chord for the left hand below

When the G dominant 7 chord appears play it in the second inversion This makes the

chord more clear and gets all the tonal qualities of the chord

Exercise Play the inversions below until you are familiar with the sound qualities of the

7th chords

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

3rd

inversion

LH

1

35

2

1

35

2

root

position

2nd

inversion

Sforzando

To play the piece on the next page you also need to know what sforzando or sforzato

means Whenever you see the abbreviations sfz or sf appear in the musical score you

should play in a forced and accented way

This is considered an expression mark and is similar to playing notes with accents signs

(gt) over them Itrsquos just a different way of writing the direction

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45

Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48

Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 45: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4565Page 45

Non troppo vivace

22

135

1

35

2

135

135

1

35

2

135

1

35

2

1

35

2

14

mp

6

13

gt gt gt gt gt gt gt

20

gt gt

gt gt

mp

25

51 1 1 2 4 5

1 2 4 5 4 5 1

2 4 1

53 2 43

1 3 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48

Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 46: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4665Page 46

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Nine

Exercise This Jam Track is a great opportunity for you to practice the seventh chords

yoursquove been learning Practice through your piano part a few times before jamming it

out with the band

09

continued on the next page

3 bDolce

b

5

b

b

9

b

b

51

2 3

1 5 2 4 24 5

5 1

3 2

3 35

13 35

51

53 1

5 3 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48

Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 47: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4765Page 47

09xPlay this track to get

Jamminrsquo

13

b b 18

b

b

24

1

53

1

52

1

52

1

52

1

53

1

43 5

3

4

2

1

53

1

53

1

52

5

3 1415

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48

Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 48: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4865Page 48

Chapter Five

Three-note 7th Chords7th chords donrsquot always come in groups of four Sometimes you will omit one of the notes

and play only three notes of the chord But which three

The most important notes of the 7th chord are the 3rd 7th and root note You can usually

remove the 5th note in the chord while still maintaining the quality of the 7th chord This

is because the 5th adds no real tonal quality

To hear how this works play the 7th chords in the C major scale below and listen carefully

The 5th note has been removed from each chord

When you remove the 5th yoursquoll nd that 7th chords become easier to play and slightly

less cumbersome

Now try playing the same chords with the left hand

As you play yoursquoll notice that the lower chords sound quite muddy and unclear Do you

also hear the change that happens when you remove the 5th note in the 7th chord

135 1

35

135

135

RH

LH

31

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 49: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 4965Page 49

135

135

135

135

13

5

135

23

6

Exercise Play through this progression slowly to get used to the shape sound and

nger position of the 7th chords with the 5th note omitted

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 50: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5065Page 50

Adding Inversions

Now that you understand how to play 7th chords with the 5th note omitted yoursquore ready

to look at inversions Just like the other chords 7th chords with the omitted 5th notealso have inversions Because there are only three notes there are only three possible

positions

Below are the C major 7th chords in the three positions with their 5th notes omitted

Now see if you can use the same rule with the dominant 7th chord Below is anexample of the G dominant 7 chord in the three positions omitting the 5th note

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 51: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5165Page 51

Dominant Chords in Four Keys

Now itrsquos time to look at the other dominant chords of the keys yoursquove learned so far

Remember that the dominant chord is always the V chord from the 5th note in whatevermajor scale Also note the key signature for each key

Key of G major

Here is the D dominant 7 chord

omitting the 5th note in three

inversions D is the V chord in

the key of G major

Key of F majorHere is the C dominant 7 chord

in the 3 positions omitting the 5th

note C is the V chord in the keyof F major

b

b root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

root

position

1st

inversion

2nd

inversion

root

position

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 52: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5265

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 53: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5365Page 53

Andantino

135

1

3

5 1

5 1

5

1

32

235

134

124

125

235 5

14

135

235 5

14

135

1

52

135

1

52

1

32

1

25

1

24

135

24

q = 78

6

11

16

Exercise This piece shows the inversion of the dominant V 7th chords with the 5th

omitted in context with the I chord relative to it There are many key changes in this piece

so just go slowly and notice the inversions of each chord

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 54: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5465Page 54

WErsquoRE JAMMINrsquo

Jam Track Ten

Exercise In this Jam Track you will be able to put to use all that you have learned

about 3 note 7th chords in this chapter Practice through your piano part a few times

before jamming it out with the Rocket band

This song uses a weird looking sign called a lsquoCodarsquo It means you miss out the middle

section when you repeat the song by skipping to the end part where the Coda is Listen

to this example track to see how it is played

10

Continued on next page

9

13

544

221

4

23 5

531 1

4 1 5 1

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 55: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5565Page 55

10xLetrsquos play it together

Listen to this track

and play along

18

23

gt

gt

2

51 2 3 5

4 35

1

3

5 125

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 56: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5665Page 56

Chapter Six

The nal key that yoursquoll learn in this book is E minor You learned about minor keys in

Chapter 18 of the previous book You should recall that every minor key is relative toa major key In fact the sixth note of every major key is the starting note of its relative

minor Both relative major and minor keys share the same key signature

Key of E Minor

The relative major key of E minor is G major because E is the 6th note in the G major

scale The notes in E minor are the same as the notes in G major The key signature for

G major tell us that it has one sharp in it F

To create the natural minor key use the same notes as in G major but start the scale on

the sixth note (in this case E)

You may also recall that there are three minor scales the natural minor harmonic minor

and melodic minor The natural minor has all the same notes of the relative major

scale You can see that the E natural minor scale below shares the same notes (and key

signature) as the G major scale

Here is the same scale down an octave in the LH

Key signature 6th note of the scale E

G major1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 57: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5765Page 57

E Harmonic Minor Scale

In the harmonic minor scale the seventh note is raised a half step (or up a semi-tone

To create the E harmonic minor scale the seventh note D gets raised to D

The harmonic minor is the commonly used minor scale So when looking at E minor we

will refer to the harmonic minor

E Melodic minor scale

The last minor scale is the melodic minor The melodic minor scale uses different notes

depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending

On ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step The sixth note

C becomes C while the seventh note D becomes D

On the descending scale you will play the same notes in the natural minor scale In other

words the sixth note (C) and seventh note (D) will now be played as naturals

7th note raised by a semi-tone to D

E harmonic minor scale

E melodic minor scale

6th and 7th notes

raised to C and D

6th and 7th notes

return to naturals

ascending scale descending scale

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 58: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5865Page 58

Primary Triads in E Harmonic Minor

Now that you understand the scale of E harmonic minor you can use the same process

as before to form the primary chords for this key The only difference is that you will playthe V chord as a dominant 7th chord in the most suitable inversion

The primary chords of E minor are E minor A minor and B major

The V chord triad in E harmonic minor is B major Now that we have learned dominant 7th

chords we can add the seventh to turn this V chord into a V7 chord

Here is the same progression for the left hand

Chord

i7

iv7

V7

Triad

E minor 7

A minor 7

B dominant 7

Position

1st note

4th note

5th note

iv7

V7

RH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

iv7 V7LH

32 4 5 6 7 8

i7

1

E minor 7 A minor 7 B dominant 7

Here is an example of a i iv V chord progression with some inversions and some with

the 5th omitted

25iv minor7

V dominant7i minor7

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 59: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 5965Page 59

Moderato

Exercise Practice chords with the following piece26

5

135

5

4

5

12

3

12

3

121

25

1

32

135

135

15

1

32

135

13

5

5

135

5 2 1

135

5

5

5

1

32

5 1

4

1

q = 90

5

9

13

17

21

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 60: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6065Page 60

House of the Rising SunModerato

Exercise Herersquos another song for you to practice on

1 5

27

135

1

5

135

135

135

134

134

51

135

134

51

q = 96

8

14

21

27

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 61: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6165

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 62: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6265Page 62

Revision Test Part Four

1 Name all the notes included in the scale of Eb major

a Eb F Gb Ab B C Db Eb

b Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

c Eb Fb G A Bb C Db Eb

d Eb F G A Bb C D Eb

2 What is the term Largo indicating for you to do

a Play to the end and repeat from the Largo indication

b Play in a slow stately wayc Play notes stressed and full

d Largo is the italian term for song-like indicating to play expressively

3 Name a ngering technique used in playing a scale over two octaves ascending and

descending

a 3 nger over thumb technique

b thumb under 4 nger technique

c thumb under 3 nger technique

d all of the above

4 Which nger is not used when playing an arpeggio over two octaves with the right

hand

a the 2 nger

b the 3 nger

c the 4 nger

d the 5 nger

5 What does the term dolce meana to play soft and sweetly

b to play quietly and dull

c to hold or pause on the note

d to play moderately loud and at a walking pace

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 63: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6365

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 64: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6465Page 64

Revision Test Part Four Answers

1 (b) The notes in the scale of Eb major are Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb Eb key

signature has three ats (pg 27)

2 (b) Largo is an indication to play in a slow and stately way lsquolargelyrsquo (pg 29)

3 (d) All of these ngering technique are used in playing a scale over two octaves (pg

30)

4 (c) The 4 nger is not needed to play an arpeggio over two octaves (pg 31)

5 (a) Dolce is the italian term for sweet and it indicates to play soft and sweetly (pg 32)

6 (d) V7 is the chord symbol for the Dominant 7th chord The dominant 7th chord

consists of root 3rd 5th and at 7th a major triad with a minor 7th added (pg 35)

7 (c) Non troppo means lsquonot too muchrsquo and normally precedes another expression - for

example non troppo allegro means not too fast (pg 39)

8 (c) The 5th chord tone is usually omitted to create a 3 note 7th chord This is because

it is least important in describing the function of the chord (pg 42)

9 (a) The key signature is F and is the same as its relative key G major Because it is

a harmonic minor the 7th note D is also raised or sharpened but this is written as an

accidental beside the note rather then in the actual key signature at the beginning of

the stave (pg 49)

Well done What score did you get out

of 9 If you got less then 5 correct go

back and do the test again and refer to

the book to nd your answers This is a

good way to ensure you are familiar with

this book before going on to the next

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144

Page 65: Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

8132019 Rocket Piano Intermediate 3

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullrocket-piano-intermediate-3 6565

So Long

Well thatrsquos it for now I hope yoursquove enjoyed my Rocket Piano Intermediate course Nowyoursquore ready to go onto the third book in the Rocket Piano series the Advanced course

Yoursquore doing great

Until next time

R983157t983144