Palette of Touches

The Palette of Touches - Elementary book presents a way for students to easily develop tonal colors and touches in piano performance through exercises and repertoire that define various types of legato, staccato, and chordal touches. Students of all ages learn how to "color" music by developing the piano touches necessary to create sounds that define the mood, character, and compositional style of music. The purpose of this book is to create an aural awareness of the variety of sounds available on the piano and to develop the technical skills needed to produce them. It includes simple exercises, excerpts from piano literature, and a sample piece that highlights each touch and matching tonal color. An additional list of recommended contemporary repertoire for use with these touches is found at the end the book. Valuable video clip demonstrations are available online via the Kjos Interactive Practice Studio (IPS).