Sample pages from Piano, Body and Soul

Piano, Body and Soul is a new piano method for adults that teaches through original and classic repertoire, free and structured improvisation, and playing in a groove. The course invites you to discover your own innate musicianship and develop a thorough understanding of the nuts and bolts of piano-playing.

Piano, Body and Soul integrates technique, note reading, rhythmic study, theory, and listening. Practice plans and practice hints help you focus your attention on the fascinating details of music-making. The pianodance — a basis for technique — keeps you physically centered so you can play and listen with ease, pleasure, and passion.

Sample pages

• Excerpts from the Introduction

• Table of Contents

• Practice Plan for Chapter One
• Each chapter starts with a practice plan, helping you to consciously and methodically understand and experience each new concept:

• A Score is a Picture of a Piece of Music
• A Vision of Sound
• Reading and understanding a a piece of music starts from the beginning: what is a score?

• Rhythm in Piano, Body and Soul
• Piano, Body and Soul teaches you to feel and read rhythm using the method in Flying Leap Music's first book, You've Got Rhythm. This excerpt show how it works.

• Pianodance: Rotate and Curl Up
• Piano, Body and Soul teaches basic piano gestures which promote physical freedom and ease. We call it the pianodance.

• Groove and Contrary Groove
• The concept of grooving is used throughout Piano, Body and Soul. Each chapter's groove uses the techniques taught in that chapter, letting you practice technique as you learn to groove.

• The Golden Hand
• Technique and reading are integrated into the repertoire of Piano, Body and Soul. In The Golden Hand you practice jumping from C to C, and learn about playing and reading the seconds around each C.

• Time
• Practice sessions with a piano partner give you a chance to rehearse — it's different from practicing, and helps your musicianship come alive. Time is a lovely duet, one of twelve written for two beginners.

• A La Mode
• Improvisation gives you a chance to play around with sound, increase your listening sensitivity, and awaken your inner composer. A La Mode helps you understand modes from your own experience of them.

• Transposing Groove
• Transposing Groove is a keyboard harmony groove that unites theory and technique.

If you have further questions, please contact us. Thanks for your interest!