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Essential Piano Exercises Every Piano Player Should Know by Jerald Simon

The document is a guide titled 'Essential Piano Exercises' by Jerald Simon, aimed at piano teachers and students to enhance their skills in music theory and practical application. It covers essential topics such as intervals, scales, chords, and includes various exercises across all key signatures and inversions. The author emphasizes the importance of not just learning music notation but also developing creativity and personal growth through music education.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)

96 views290 pages

Essential Piano Exercises Every Piano Player Should Know by Jerald Simon

Uploaded by

dannyhaber10

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

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Jerald Simon

ESSENTIAL
Piano Exercises
Every Piano Player Should Know
(second edition)

Learn Intervals, Pentascales, Tetrachords, Scales (major and minor),

Chords (triads, sus, aug., dim., 6th, 7th), Chord Progressions, and FUN,
COOL Piano Exercises in all Key Signatures and in all inversions.

Music Mentor

Jerald Simon
Music Motivation ®

musicmotivation.com
Cool music that excites, entertains, and educates!

Music Motivation® books are designed to provide students with music instruction that will enable them to improve
and increase their successes in the field of music. It is also intended to enhance appreciation and understanding of
various styles of music from classical to jazz, blues, rock, popular, new age, hymns, and more. The author and
publisher disclaim any liability or accountability for the misuse of this material as it was intended by the author.

Copyright © 2020 by Music Motivation® - All Rights Reserved - International Copyright Secured.
WARNING: The music, text, design, and graphics in this publication are protected by copyright law.
Any duplication in any form for any purpose is an infringement of U.S. copyright law.
I hope you enjoy “Essential Piano Exercises”. With this book, I
hope piano teachers and piano students learn what I feel are the
essentials that everyone who plays the piano should know and be
able to do well. I don’t want teachers and students to simply read the
notes on the page. I would like everyone who plays these exercises
to know them inside and out. There are quite a few additional
books in this series - and more to come. If you like this book,
please look at my other books: “Essential Jazz Piano Exercises Every
Piano Player Should Know,” “Essential New Age Piano Exercises
Every Piano Player Should Know,” “100 Left Hand Patterns Every
Piano Player Should Know,” and “100 Chord Progressions Every
Piano Player Should Know.” I hope you enjoy these various books!
You can learn more at http://essentialpianoexercises.com.

Your Music Mentor Jerald Simon

Introduction........................................................................................3
Music Motivation® Checklist..........................................................6
This book is dedicated to my many piano
Key Signatures....................................................................................8
students, young and old, who have asked me
Cool Piano Exercises.......................................................................16
over the years to put together a book with
Pentascales (Major, Minor, and Diminished)............................35
all of the piano exercises I feel are essential
Maestro Stage....................................................................................59
to help them play better in all keys and in
Scales, Intervals, Triads, Seventh Chords (All Keys)....................72
all inversions. Also, for my wife, Suzanne
All Triads (in all keys and inversions) - Major, Minor, Diminished,
(Zanny), my daughter, Summer, and my
Augmented, Sus4, and Sus2.........................................................142
sons, Preston and Matthew.
Sixth Chords (in all keys and inversions) - Major and Minor.....166
All Seventh Chords (in all keys and inversions) - Major 7th, Minor
Major 7th, Dominant 7th, Minor 7th, Minor 7th flat 5, Minor 7th sharp
5, and Diminished 7th Chords..................................................174
Chord Progressions and Chords..................................................205
The Practical Application................................................................240
Cool Songs........................................................................................256
Essential Piano Exercises...............................................................280
CONTACT Music Motivation®

http://musicmotivation.com/jeraldsimon
Music Motivation®
CONNECT with Jerald

https://facebook.com/jeraldsimon Cool music that excites, entertains, and educates!

http://youtube.com/jeraldsimon
http://linkedin.com/in/jeraldsimon Music Motivation®
http://pinterest.com/jeraldsimon P.O. Box 1000
Kaysville, UT 84037-1000
https://twitter.com/jeraldsimon http://musicmotivation.com
http://cdbaby.com/artist/jeraldsimon https://facebook.com/musicmotivation
http://instagram.com/jeraldsimon https://twitter.com/musicmotivation
[email protected] [email protected]

Copyright © 2020 by Music Motivation® All Rights Reserved - International Copyright Secured. No part of this book may be copied, reproduced, or
duplicated in any form by any mechanical, electronic or other means known or hereafter invented without written permission from the author, Jerald Simon.
For more promotional excerpt permission, contact Music Motivation®, P.O. Box 1000 Kaysville, UT 84037-1000 - [email protected]

First Printing 2015 - Originally created from 2006-2020 - Printed in the United States of America - 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 - Simon, Jerald - Music Motivation®
Essential Piano Exercises - $29.95 US/ $31.95 Canada - Soft cover spiral bound book - ISBN-13: 978-1-948274-12-8 ; MM00001069

Music Motivation® is a registered ® trademark

2
Welcome to “Essential Piano Exercises” by Jerald Simon
To better help piano teachers, piano students, and parents of piano students effectively learn the music theory and
what to do with that knowledge, thus bridging the gap between learning the scales and chords and using them
to enhance the music, and make music of your own, I have created a course featuring step by step piano lesson
videos to accompany this book: “Essential Piano Exercises.” You can visit ESSENTIALPIANOEXERCISES.
COM to learn more about this course and gain access to the hundreds of videos where I demonstrate how to
play these exercises and then teach what you can do with them. Learning the theory is good, but knowing what
to do with it is the practical application where I demonstrate how to use music theory to arrange, to improvise,
to compose, and to create music of your own. More important than simply learning the theory is the practical
application of why we are learning these scales and chords, and what we can do with them once we have learned
them. It is the hands on approach to teaching music theory. In addition, I explain the theory in practical and simple
terms so everyone can easily understand and know music theory for what it can do to help them in three primary
ways: (1) sight-read the piano music better and faster as a result of knowing the scales and chords, (2) take their
music playing and music creating to the next level so they can improvise, arrange, and compose music of their
own, and (3) ultimately feel comfortable and excited to learn music theory - the “FUN way!”

“My purpose and mission in life is to motivate myself and others through my music and writing, to help others
find their purpose and mission in life, and to teach values that encourage everyone everywhere to do and be their
best.” - Jerald Simon

A message from Jerald to piano students and parents:

If you come to piano lessons each week and walk away only having learned about music notation, rhythm, and dots
on a page, then I have failed as a Music Mentor. Life lessons are just as important, if not more important than music
lessons. I would rather have you learn more about goal setting and achieving, character, dedication, and personal
improvement. To have you learn to love music, appreciate it, and play it, is a wonderful byproduct you will have
for the rest of your life - a talent that will enrich your life and the lives of others. To become a better musician is
wonderful and important, but to become a better person is more important.

As a Music Mentor I want to mentor students to be the very best they can be. If you choose not to practice, you
essentially choose not to improve. This is true in any area of life. Everyone has the same amount of time allotted
to them. What you choose to do with your time, and where you spend your time, has little to do with the activities
being done and more to do with the value attached to each activity.

I believe it’s important to be well-rounded and have many diverse interests. I want students to enjoy music, to
learn to be creative and understand how to express themselves musically - either by creating music of their own, or
interpreting the music of others - by arranging and improvising well known music. In addition, I encourage students
to play sports, dance, sing, draw, read, and develop all of their talents. I want them to be more than musicians, I
want them to learn to become well-rounded individuals.

Above all, I want everyone to continually improve and do their best. I encourage everyone to set goals, dream big,
and be the best they can be in whatever they choose to do. Life is full of wonderful choices. Choose the best out of
life and learn as much as you can from everyone everywhere. I prefer being called a Music Mentor because I want
to mentor others and help them to live their dreams.

Your life is your musical symphony. Make it a masterpiece!

Copyright © 2020 by Music Motivation® - http://musicmotivation.com 3

This book was created to encourage all pianists, piano teachers, and piano students to play all scales and chords
in all key signatures.

All of the scales (pentascales and major and minor scales) are presented following the circle of 5ths - moving
from the key of C to G, and then on to D, A, E, B, F sharp, and C sharp. The pattern for playing the scales is best
taught by following the circle of fifths (unless you are learning jazz scales, and then you might want to consider
following the circle/cycle of fourths and playing the key signatures according to the flats - C to F, and then on to
B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat, G flat, and C flat.

Essentially all pianists should be able to play all of these exercises in this book, in all key signatures moving in all
directions following the circle of 5ths, following the circle/cycle of 4ths, moving up chromatically in half steps, or
zig-zagging in any conceivable direction or order (e.g. following chord progressions or moving through random
key signatures at will).

All of the exercises with chords - all triads (three note chords) and all sixth and seventh chords are presented
moving up chromatically (or in half steps). This is done because it is one of the best ways to teach the patterns of
the chords as they move through key signatures. This helps students develop muscle memory to more quickly and
easily change keys and play the chords in all inversions by developing a feel for the individual chords in all keys
and in all inversions.

Everything taught in this book is presented based on the Music Motivation® Mentorship Map (on page five) and
is something I personally created to let my piano students and their parents know what I would like to have them
learn year by year, and what we would focus on, including: repertoire, music terminology, key signatures, music
notation, rhythms, intervals, scales, modes, chords, arpeggios, inversions, technique, sight reading, ear training,
music history, improvisation, and composition. It’s quite thorough, and helps the students, parents, and piano
teachers have a map, so to speak, to guide them on their musical journey.

On pages six and seven you will see the Music Motivation® Check List where I created a check off sheet to help
students see what they have learned. On pages 8-12 we focus on learning the key signatures with a handout that
piano students and piano teachers may make additional copies of (on page 10) to practice writing out all of the key
signatures - major and minor - with all of the sharps and flats that go with each key signature.

Pages 13-58 feature all of the “Apprentice” level exercises that I have listed as appropriate for first and second
year students. Starting on page 59 to the end of the book, I feature the exercises from the “Maestro” and “Virtuoso”
levels.

Have a wonderful time playing these exercises and mastering all intervals, scales, and chords in all keys and in
all inversions!

Music Mentor
Jerald Simon

4 Copyright © 2020 by Music Motivation® - http://musicmotivation.com

™
The Music Motivation® Mentorship Map (for piano students) Music Motivation® ™
by Music Mentor™ Jerald Simon musicmotivation.com
 Apprentice   Maestro   Virtuoso 
This is only an outline or suggestion - add to it or subtract from it! If you are doing something different all together that works, keep doing it. This is meant to give you ideas and supplement what you’re already doing.

M O T I V A T I O N

for 1st & 2nd year students for 2nd - 4th year students for 3rd year students and above

Repertoire Music Motivation® Book(s) Music Motivation® Book(s) Music Motivation® Book(s)
What Every Pianist Should Know (Free PDF) Essential Piano Exercises (section 2) Essential Piano Exercises (section 3)
In addition to the books Essential Piano Exercises (section 1) An Introduction to Scales and Modes
listed to the right,
Cool Songs that ROCK! (books 1 & 2)
students can sign up to Cool Songs for Cool Kids (pre-primer level) Cool Songs for Cool Kids (book 2) Triumphant, Sea Fever, Sweet Melancholy,
receive the weekly “Cool Cool Songs for Cool Kids (primer level) Cool Songs for Cool Kids (book 3) The Dawn of a New Age, Sweet Modality,
Song” and “Cool Exercise”
Cool Songs for Cool Kids (book 1) Variations on Mary Had a Little Lamb Jazzed about Jazz, Jazzed about Classical Music,
composed by Jerald Simon
every week. Visit The Pentascale Pop Star (books 1 and 2) Twinkle Those Stars, Jazzed about Jingle Those Bells, Cinematic Solos, Hymn Arranging
musicmotivation.com/ Christmas, Jazzed about 4th of July
Songs in Pentascale position: Classical, Jazz, Blues, Baroque, Romantic, Classical, Jazz, Blues, Popular,
annualsubscription to Popular, Students Choice, Personal Composition (in Baroque, Romantic, Classical, Jazz, Blues, Popular, New Age, Contemporary, Broadway Show Tunes,
learn more and sign up! pentascale position - 5 note piano solo) etc. New Age, Student’s Choice, Personal Composition. Standards, Student’s Choice, Personal Composition

as such). Jerald simply creates fun, cool piano music to motivate piano students to play the piano and teach them music theory - the FUN way!
The books from the Music Motivation® Series by Jerald Simon are not method books, and are not intentionally created to be used as such (although some piano teachers use them
Piano ( p ) , Forte ( f ) Mezzo Piano ( P ) Tempo Markings Pocket Music Dictionary (2 - 3 years)
Music Mezzo Forte (F ) Pianissimo ( pp ) Dynamic Markings Harvard Dictionary of Music (4 + years)

Fortissimo ( ff )
Parts of the Piano Parts/History of the Piano
Terminology Styles and Genres of Music Music Composers (Weekly Biographies)
Music Motivation® 1st Year Terminology Music Motivation® 2nd Year Terminology Music Motivation® 3rd Year Terminology
C, G, D, A, F, B b, E & Ab(Major)
b
#
Key Circle of 5ths/Circle of 4ths Spiral of Fifths, Chord Progressions
A, E, B, F , D, G, C & F (Minor) All Major and Minor key signatures within Key Signatures. Modulating from
Signatures (Identify each key and name the sharps and flats) one Key Signature to another.
Begin learning all major key signatures
Names and Positions of notes on the staff Names and Positions of notes above and History of Music Notation (the
(both hands - Treble and Bass Clefs) below the staff (both hands) development of notation), Monks & Music,
Music
?
Gregorian Chants, Music changes over the
& ?
Notation & years and how music has changed.
Learn Finale and Logic Pro (notate your music)

Whole notes/rests w ∑ œ ≈
r KKrK
Ó œ Â
Sixteenth notes/rests One-hundred-twenty-eighth
h rK
(say it and play it - count out loud)

œ ®
(say it and play it - count out loud)
Half notes/rests notes/rests
Rhythms (say it and play it - count out loud)
q Œ Thirty-second notes/rests
KrK For more on rhythm, I recommend:

œ Ù
(say it and play it - count out loud)
Quarter notes/rests
‰
“Rhythmic Training”by Robert Starer and
Sixty-fourth notes/rests
e
(say it and play it - count out loud)
“Logical Approach to Rhythmic Notation” (books 1 & 2)
Eighth notes/rests (say it and play it - count out loud)
by Phil Perkins
(say it and play it - count out loud)

All Perfect, Major, Minor, Augmented, 9th, 11th, and 13th intervals
intervals (key of C, G, D, F, B b, and E b ).
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th
Intervals and Diminished intervals (in every key) Analyze music (Hymns and Classical) to
Harmonic and Melodic intervals (key of C, All Harmonic and Melodic intervals identify intervals used in each measure.
G, D, A, E, and B) Explain the intervals used to create major, Identify/Name intervals used in chords.
minor, diminished, and augmented chords?
All Major Pentascales (5 finger scale) All Major Scales (Every Key 1 - 2 octaves) All Major Scales (Every Key 3 - 5 Octaves)
All Minor Pentascales (5 finger scale) All Minor Scales (Every Key 1 - 2 octaves) All Minor Scales (Every Key 3 - 5 Octaves)
All Diminished Pentascales (5 finger scale) (natural, harmonic, and melodic minor scales) All Blues Scales (major and minor)
Scales C Major Scale (1 octave) A min. Scale (1 oct.) (Do, Di, Re, Ri, Mi, Fa, Fi, Cultural Scales (25 + scales)
(Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do) (solfege) Sol, Si, La, Li, Ti, Do) (solfege - chromatic)
All Major and Natural Minor Scales - 1 octave

Modes Ionian/Aeolian (C/A, G/E, D/B, A/F # ) All Modes (I, D, P, L, M, A, L) All keys Modulating with the Modes (Dorian to Dorian)
All Major Chords, All Minor Chords, All Major, Minor, Diminished, Review All Chords from 1st and 2nd year
All Diminished Chords, C Sus 2, C Sus 4, Augmented, Sus 2, Sus 4, experiences
Chords C+ (Aug)., C 6th, C minor 6th, C 7th, Sixth, Minor Sixth, Dominant All 7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th chords
C Maj. 7th, C minor Major 7th, A min., 7th and Major 7th Chords inversions and voicings.
A Sus 2, A Sus 4,

Arpeggios Same chords as above (1 - 2 octaves) Same chords as above (3 - 4 octaves) Same chords as above (4 + octaves)

Inversions Same chords as above (1 - 2 octaves) Same chords as above (3 - 4 octaves) Same chords as above (4 + octaves)

Technique (other) Schmitt Preparatory Exercises, (Hanon) Wieck, Hanon, Bach (well tempered clavier) Bertini-Germer, Czerny, I. Philipp
b b b b
Sight Reading Key of C Major and G Major Key of C, G, D, A, E, F, B, E, A , D All Key Signatures, Hymns, Classical

Ear Training Major versus Minor sounds (chords/intervals) C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and intervals Key Signatures and Chords, Play w/ IPod
Music History The origins of the Piano Forte Baroque, Classical, Jazz, Blues Students choice - All genres, Composers
Improvisation Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle, Twinkle... Blues Pentascale, Barrelhouse Blues Classical, New Age, Jazz, Blues, etc. Play w/ IPod

Composition 5 note melody (both hands - key of C and G) One - Two Page Song (include key change) Lyrical, Classical, New Age, Jazz, etc.

Copyright © 2020 by Music Motivation® - http://musicmotivation.com 5

Q Music Motivation® Check List Q
- Check off when completed -
(follow the circle of 5ths/4ths - or move up in half steps - you should be able to do all three)

The boxes below and on the other side of this page should be checked off as completed when the piano
student can successfully complete each exercise in a given key signature, up to speed, and with no mistakes.

All Major Key Signatures:

Key Signatures
B / C F / G  C /D  A E B
(tell your teacher the # of sharps/flats in each key
All Key Signatures & Pentascales

and what they are) C G D A E F

Following the circle of fifths

All Minor Key Signatures:

 
(tell your teacher the # of sharps/flats in each key
a e b f c g / a  d/e a / b  f c g d
and what they are)

All Major Pentascales:

Quarter Notes and Eighth Notes C G D A E B / C F / G  C /D  A E B F

All Minor Pentascales:

 
Quarter Notes and Eighth Notes a e b f c g / a  d/e a / b  f c g d

All Diminished Pentascales:

 
Quarter Notes and Eighth Notes a e b f c g / a  d/e a / b  f c g d

Intervals (built from all major scales)

(1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th): C G D A E B / C F / G  C /D  A E B F
Intervals & Major/Minor Scales
Following the circle of fifths

All Major Scales (1 octave):

(parallel and contrary motion) C G D A E B / C F / G  C /D  A E B F

All Minor Scales (1octave):  

(natural, harmonic, and melodic) a e b f c g / a  d/e a / b  f c g d

All Major Scales (2-4 octaves):

NO MUSIC PROVIDED - play without music C G D A E B / C F / G  C /D  A E B F

All Minor Scales (2-4 octaves):

 
NO MUSIC PROVIDED - play without music a e b f c g / a  d/e a / b  f c g d

All Major Triads:

(root, 1st, and 2nd inversions) C C /D  D E E F F / G  G A A B B / C
Moving up chromatically (in half steps)

All Minor Triads:

C /D  E F / G  A B B / C
All Triads (three note chords)

(root, 1st, and 2nd inversions) C D E F G A

All Diminished Triads:

(root, 1st, and 2nd inversions) C C /D  D E E F F / G  G A A B B / C

All Augmented Triads:

(root, 1st, and 2nd inversions) C C /D  D E E F F / G  G A A B B / C

All Sus4 Triads:

(root, 1st, and 2nd inversions) C C /D  D E E F F / G  G A A B B / C

All Sus2 Triads:

(root, 1st, and 2nd inversions) C C /D  D E E F F / G  G A A B B / C

6 Copyright © 2020 by Music Motivation® - http://musicmotivation.com MM00001069

Q Music Motivation® Check List Q
- Check off when completed -
(follow the circle of 5ths/4ths - or move up in half steps )

All Major Sixth Chords:

C /D  E F / G  A B B / C

All major and minor sixth chords, all seventh chords (major, minor, etc.)
(root, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd inversions) C D E F G A