Author Description

Most piano exercise books only include an obligatory section covering scales. However, the importance of scalar exercises is diminished by placing them in the back of the book and diverting the student's attention to the exercises deemed more important by the editor. Every credible piano instructor knows any student who is serious about becoming a professional pianist must learn to play every scale fluently. Non-scalar exercises are important, but a pianist who does not make scales the priority, or practices scales using a book dedicated to non-scalar exercises will impose an unnecessarily steep learning curve on himself/herself. This book is focused on scales, but it takes scalar exercises further than any other exercise book, using a more modern and comprehensive method. It is one exercise which is designed to be divided into smaller units, which may be practiced in isolation. This book, when played in its entirety, is a marathon including every key from seven sharps to seven flats and every mode from Ionian to Locrian. It also includes major, minor, diminished, major seven, dominant seven, minor seven, half-diminished seven arpeggios, and chromatic scales. This book is focused on more than just scales, but also on endurance, speed, and seamless transitions from whole steps to thirds, thirds to half steps, half steps to whole steps, and from one key to another. Piano students who seriously want to reduce their learning curve and make the most of their talent make scales a priority. A pianist who can play scales fluently makes learning new music effortless.