Essential Piano Technique Level 2 E-Book

Roskell Penelope

• Herausgeber: Faber Music Limited
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 47

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

The full eBook version of Essential Piano Technique Level 2 in fixed-layout format. Penelope Roskell, author of the award-winning book The Complete Pianist, is recognised as one of the world's leading exponents of a natural and healthy piano technique. Her series Essential Piano Technique draws on the principles of The Complete Pianist to develop a strong foundation of healthy technique, helping young pianists to progress rapidly and confidently through the elementary stages of piano playing. Essential Piano Technique Level 2 can be used by elementary pianists as a stand-alone technique book or alongside existing tutor books to enhance the teaching of good technique. It includes detailed notes for teachers giving learning objectives and teaching tips, links to free videos showing technique in practice, and teacher accompaniment duets to provide a rich musical experience. Penelope Roskell is Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London. She is a world-leader in the field of healthy piano playing, and Piano Adviser to the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine. Her award-winning book, The Complete Pianist, is the leading book on healthy piano technique. As a soloist she has performed in major concert halls in more than thirty countries.

Leseprobe

PENELOPE ROSKELL’S COMPLETE PIANIST SERIES

Essential Piano Technique

LEVEL 2

Late elementary

by

Penelope Roskell

Original music by Aaron Burrows

Author acknowledgements

These books would not have been possible without the support of many friends and colleagues.

In particular I would like to thank:

Huei Flowers, Clare Spencer, Panos Messis, Inês Costa, Louissa Galenski, Monika Walo, Richard Dinsmore,

Hannah O’Toole, Anuvrat Choudhary, Dr Oliver Griffiths and members of the Roskell Academy.

This edition © 2025 by Faber Music Ltd

Brownlow Yard, 12 Roger Street, London WC1N 2JU

Cover portrait of Penelope Roskell by kind permission of John Batten

Page design by Liz Ogden

Illustrations by Eilidh Muldoon and Liz Ogden

Music setting by John Rogers

Video production by Informance

Printed in England by Caligraving Ltd

All rights reserved

ISMN 978-0-57159-322-4

Contents

Hello!

4

Getting started

Introduction

5

Circle warm-ups

6

Sitting posture

7

Hand positions

Hand positions old and new

Patchwork Polka

8

Rounded movements

Circular movements

Orbit

12

Hand gym

15

Strengthening

exercises

Strengthening the weaker fingers

16

Playing with 4 and 5

Study in A minor

(Gurlitt)

17

Rounded movements

More rounded movements

Gigue

(Arnold)

19

Black notes

Thumb on a black note

Whimsy

22

Tone control

Sound explorer

23

Matching hands

Sliding on the Ice

(Beach)

24

Legato-staccato

Fr

è

re Jacques

27

Chasing the Sloth

(Gurlitt)

29

Calypso

30

Left-hand melodies

In the Garden

(Gurlitt)

31

Scales

New major scales

33

Expressive scales

Mini-Mozart

35

Daydream

37

Rotation

Alberti bass

Sonatine

(Attwood)

38

Broken thirds

Thirdly

40

Scales

Harmonic minor scales

Waltz

41

Arpeggios

The elbow spa

43

One-octave arpeggios

As the Wind Cries

44

Leaps

Crossing hands

Loading Screen

47

Pedalling

Pedal explorer

48

Legato pedalling

Pachelbel

’

s Canon

49

The Lonely Gondolier

51

Combining techniques

Sonatina

(Clementi)

52

Broadway

54

Teaching notes

60

4

How to play expressively with rounded movements

New warm-ups

Legato

pedalling

Arpeggios and harmonic minor scales in lots of new keys

How to create a wide range of sound

through sound explorer activities

Left-hand melodies and

Alberti bass

Coordinating the hands with mixed articulation

Hello!

Welcome to Level 2 in the

Essential Piano Technique

series. Here you will learn:

There is also a wonderful selection of new pieces for you to play. When practising, remind yourself of the

Practice Pointers and Technique Tips. If you would like to explore some of the techniques further, check out

the extension activites

and also some of the specially selected related pieces.

If you are new to this series, you may find it helpful to revise some of the fundamental techniques from the

previous books, especially the Parachute touch, Down-ups and the Skipping-rope technique (from Primer B);

and Jellyfish jumps, Rotation and Legato pedalling (from Level 1).

ONLINE

DEMO

You can access the video demonstrations via the QR code,

or by visiting www.fabermusic.com/ep/essential-piano-technique.

5

Introduction

To the teacher

This is the fourth book in the

Essential Piano Technique

series. It develops many of the techniques studied in the

previous books, as well as introducing new techniques.

On completing the book, students will have learnt

the techniques they need to play pieces at the late

elementary level (around Grade 2) confidently and

with ease.

Much of the focus of Level 2 is on awareness of piano

sound and playing expressively. Students are encouraged

to listen carefully, develop sensitivity of touch and play

with gestures that bring out the expressive quality of

each exercise or piece.

Students who are new to this series will benefit from

looking at some of the fundamental techniques from

previous books in the

Essential Piano Technique

series,

especially Rainbows, the Parachute touch, Down-ups,

Jellyfish jumps, the Skipping-rope technique, Rotation

and Legato pedalling.

Each technique is put into practice in simple exercises,

followed by studies and pieces. Each technique can be

explored further, using creative activities of your own

devising, or the optional extension activities.

Some pieces are short or have been arranged so the

student can learn the notes quickly while focusing

almost exclusively on the techniques being studied.

The longer pieces may be seen as performance pieces

which will be studied over a longer period of time.

The progression has been planned very carefully

to guide your student successfully through all the

challenges encountered at this level. However, at times

you may feel the need to adopt a flexible approach and

dip in and out of chapters as and when the need arises.

Tempo markings have been intentionally omitted. Students

should start each example at a steady speed and only

increase the tempo once the technique feels secure.

Explanations of the learning objectives, more detailed

teaching tips and further suggestions for related pieces are

available in the Teaching Notes at the back of the book.

These Teaching Notes can be supplemented by accessing

the Roskell Academy website (www.roskellacademy.com)

which offers teachers supporting material and access to

training and certification in the Roskell method. You can

also find more information about each aspect of technique

in

The Complete Pianist: from healthy technique to natural

artistry

(Edition Peters, 2020).

6

Circle warm-ups

Here’s a warm-up sequence you can do every day before you sit down to play. These exercises will help

you relax your shoulders and arms and get your blood flowing.You’ll also be able to play more quickly

and easily when your arms are warm and relaxed.

Circling

the thumbs

Draw a circle with

your thumbs in one

direction, then

the other.

Windmills

Draw huge

windmills from

your shoulders!

Shoulder rolls

Place your right hand lightly on

your right shoulder and your

left hand on your left shoulder.

Bring your elbows together