Piano & Keyboard All-in-One For Dummies

The comprehensive go-to guide for building keyboard skills

Being able to play a tune on the piano can bring you a lifetime of sheer aesthetic pleasure—and put you in serious demand at parties! Whatever your motivation for tinkling the ivories, the latest edition of Piano & Keyboard All-In-One For Dummies gives you the essentials you need both to build your playing skills and expand your knowledge of music theory, from deciding what keyboard suits you best to musing on the science of what makes music so emotionally compelling.

This indispensable resource combines the best of Piano For Dummies, Keyboard For Dummies, Music Theory For Dummies, and Piano Exercises For Dummies and includes practice strategies, as well as access to streaming and downloadable audio to help guide your progress. In addition to becoming acquainted with the latest in music theory, you'll learn to develop your sight-reading skills and performance techniques—until you can reproduce pieces flawlessly on request!

• Choose and care for your keyboard
• Practice until perfect
• Compose your own songs
• Hook up to speakers, computers, and more

Learning to play the keys is a never-ending journey of new discoveries and joy, and there's no better companion on your voyage than this friendly, erudite, and comprehensive guide.

P.S. If you think this book seems familiar, you're probably right. The Dummies team updated the cover and design to give the book a fresh feel, but the content is the same as the previous release of Piano and Keyboard AIO For Dummies (9781118837429). The book you see here shouldn't be considered a new or updated product. But if you're in the mood to learn something new, check out some of our other books. We're always writing about new topics!

Holly Day and Michael Pilhofer are co-authors of all editions of Music Theory For Dummies and Music Composition For Dummies. Blake Neely was a contributing author to the 2^nd edition of Piano For Dummies. David Pearl is author of Piano Exercises For Dummies. Jerry Kovarksy is a contributing writer to Electronic Musician magazine.

Introduction 1

Book 1: Piano & Keyboard 101 5

Chapter 1: Warming Up to the Piano and Keyboard 7

Chapter 2: Looking at the Different Keyboard Options 21

Chapter 3: Choosing and Buying Your Keyboard 39

Chapter 4: The Setup and Care of Your Instrument 61

Chapter 5: Getting Comfy at the Keyboard 79

Book 2: Understanding Theory and the Language of Music 93

Chapter 1: Looking at Notes and Beats 95

Chapter 2: Stopping for a Rest 105

Chapter 3: Tempo, Measures, and Time Signatures 111

Chapter 4: Navigating Sheet Music 121

Chapter 5: Varying Beats and Rhythms 133

Book 3: Beginning to Play 149

Chapter 1: Playing a Melody 151

Chapter 2: Working with Scales 167

Chapter 3: Adding the Left Hand 183

Chapter 4: Examining Form: Melody, Harmony, and Song Form 205

Chapter 5: Keys, Key Signatures, and the Circle of Fifths 229

Chapter 6: Building Chords to Accompany Melodies 249

Book 4: Refining Your Technique and Exploring Styles 273

Chapter 1: Adding Effects and Flair to Your Piano Playing 275

Chapter 2: Getting into the Groove 297

Chapter 3: Going Classical 317

Chapter 4: Perusing Popular Genres and Forms 327

Book 5: Exercises: Practice, Practice, Practice 347

Chapter 1: Developing Hand Technique 349

Chapter 2: Extending Your Scales 377

Chapter 3: Improving Finger Coordination and Footwork 399

Chapter 4: Jumping Across the Keyboard 419

Chapter 5: Exercising with Arpeggios and Alternating Hands 433

Chapter 6: Stepping Up to Octaves and Chord Progressions 453

Book 6: Exploring Electronic Keyboard Technology 469

Chapter 1: Choosing Sounds and Effects 471

Chapter 2: Adding Accompaniment, Rhythm Patterns, and Arpeggiation 489

Chapter 3: Recording and Editing Your Sounds 515

Chapter 4: Using Onboard Learning Systems 543

Chapter 5: Playing Along with Recordings and Using Music Software 557

Appendix: Accessing the Audio Tracks 583

Index 591

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.