Bastien Piano Basics

Bastien Piano Basics takes a multi-key, chordal approach. Reading begins in C Major position. Supplementary books are correlated page-by-page with each "Piano" lesson book. This carefully planned curriculum, with its gradual pacing, provides excellent reinforcement, ensuring the success of beginning students. The Primer Level starts with an orientation to the keyboard, specifically targeting groups of two and three black keys. Five 4-8 measure tunes on black keys only kick off this level, with simple rhythms of quarter, half and whole notes in prereading notation (letter names written in noteheads). Next comes an orientation to white keys and their letter names with eight tunes of 4-8 measures each. At this point, one hand plays in the first half of each tune and then the other in the second half, in C Major position. Each staff is then taught individually. The right hand learns to play the treble clef in 4 short tunes. The left hand learns the bass clef in the next 4 tunes. Playing from the grand staff comes next, still in C Major position. Middle C and G Major positions are presented towards the end of the book. Other concepts included in the Primer Level are melodic and harmonic intervals of 2nd, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths; slurs and ties; rests; two eighth notes together; sharps and flats; and staccato.