Fingering and articulation
- Observe and adhere to chosen fingering, suggesting fingering for short phrases
- Use some finger substitution
- Use standard fingering in a variety of closed and extended hand positions in a wide range of scales and arpeggios
- Connect hand positions with fluency and confidence at a variety of tempi
- Use a range of appropriate fingerings for left-hand full-fingered chords
- Play a range of chords including major and minor triads, (dominant) seventh and augmented chords, both in root position and using suitable inversions
- Play with some variety of legato and non-legato articulation at a variety of tempi
- Shape and define phrases with autonomy, including dynamic control
Ask learners to suggest, and write in, fingering for phrases, including an independent left-hand part. Give guidance and, where possible, make links with finger patterns previously used, e.g. in scales and arpeggios.
Demonstrate finger substitution in appropriate passages, and ask learners to copy.
Teach learners to play a wide range of scales and arpeggios hands together, using conventional and consistent fingerings, legato and staccato.
Explain and explore the extent to which different scale patterns, e.g. blues, modal, affect the character of the music.
Learners should understand, and be able to play, a wide range of major, minor, modal and blues scales. They should be able to work out pentatonic scales in all major/minor keys and understand the relationship between relative major and minor keys, pentatonic and blues equivalents.
Playing scales in contrary motion can be particularly useful in drawing learners’ attention to the key and location of sharps and flats.
Teach learners to practise scales hands separately and then together, developing independence, dexterity and strength. Adapt to using the touch response.
Encourage learners to work out chords on the basis of scales, arpeggios, intervals, etc., consulting chord charts as necessary and explaining the theory behind common chord extensions.
With learners, explore a wider usage of inversions when changing from one full-fingered chord to another. Suggest suitable fingerings for each inversion, relating them to arpeggio/broken-chord patterns (including dominant, diminished and minor seventh chords). Explain that the ability to play full-fingered chords in different inversions is important when rapid chord changes are needed.
The keyboard remains set to recognise the root position chord irrespective of the inversion played, provided all the necessary notes of the chord are played on keys set below the split-point range. It remains important, however, that learners understand and can play chords in their root position.
Teach exercises and pieces that use finger patterns and techniques previously encountered in scales/arpeggios, e.g. a wide range of hand-position changes, jumps and octave stretches.
Introduce exercises, or use familiar repertoire, to help learners to develop independence between fingers within one hand, e.g. legato with fingers 4 and 5, staccato with others.
Devise suitable chord progressions so that learners can play right-hand scales in time with an auto-accompaniment. As a group, learners can start on different beats of the bar to create scales in thirds, etc., taking turns to play the auto-accompaniment.
Ask learners to identify chords including a variety of extensions, e.g. sixths, sevenths.
Ensure that the instrument correctly identifies major sixth/minor seventh chords, as some keyboards confuse these. When in root position, however, they are generally correctly recognised.
Explain the varieties of notations used for chords, e.g. C∆ = Cmaj7 = CM7.
Ask learners to play chord progressions using full-fingered chords in a variety of keys/modes at a regular pulse and with the auto-accompaniment.
Teach pieces with an independent left-hand part written in the bass clef, including arrangements of contemporary popular songs, jazz standards and adaptations of well-known classics.
Playing pieces on an acoustic piano provides valuable breadth to the activities in this programme.
Encourage learners to explore the use of unconventional timbres as a means of enhancing or altering the mood and character of piano pieces adapted for keyboard performance.
Some pieces can be effectively interpreted using two voices in ‘split’ mode. This depends on the placement of the split point. One or both voices may need to be transposed by an octave.
Encourage learners to experiment with a variety of articulations within pieces, giving reasons for their choices in relation to the notation, the character of the piece, the choice of registration, etc.
The use of dual voices and digital effects can affect articulation. This should be demonstrated and discussed with learners.
Invite learners to suggest phrasing in pieces. Discuss the use of articulation to define phrasing and encourage experimentation with alternatives, e.g. some irregular phrase lengths. Demonstrate a variety of dynamics within the phrase, and ask learners to experiment, taking advantage of the touch response.
Where irregular phrase lengths are used it is helpful to include fills to underline phrasing in the auto-accompaniment, as most styles assume four-bar phrases.
Explore the progression of this Learning Objective
Continue exploring the current Programme of Study
