Music Theory – Pianodao

There’s Even More to Playing the Piano

Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews

Reviewing David Hall’s superb music theory primer There’s More to Playing the Piano back in 2021, I noted that most theory publications are structured around the specific (and not always particularly useful) grade exam requirements, and suggested that:

“For those who simply want to understand notation and written music in a way that’s useful and relevant to today’s piano players, the market has long been wide open. Finally we can welcome a simple textbook which is clear, concise, and of practical benefit. “

That book has subsequently proved hugely useful to the various learners I have recommended it to, and I continue to receive messages of thanks from other teachers who discovered it through this site.

How brilliant, then, to tell you about Hall’s follow-up publication, There’s Even More to Playing the Piano, which is billed as:

“An introduction to advanced music theory with practical keyboard activities and video links for each topic”.

The Importance of Notation

Fermata • Pause and Reflect

Supporting Your Piano Pathway
Reflection by Andrew Eales

In a trend that will worry experienced music educators, community musicans and professional performers alike, the importance of notation is increasingly coming under fire within the piano education community.

The charge is often led by those who prefer teaching popular music, have a limited music education background, and perhaps don’t fully understand the long-term needs of other music students. But the trend limits opportunity, and we must challenge and resist it for the benefit of all our students.

Trinity’s Digital Theory Grades

Pianodao Articles • Full Archive

Supporting Your Piano Pathway
Written by Andrew Eales

Interview with Francesca Christmas
Director of Music & Music Publishing, Trinity College London

The announcement by Trinity College London exam board that their highly regarded Music Theory exams will now be available both as a written paper exam and as an online digital alternative has been greeted with considerable interest by the music teaching community.

Trinity’s theory grades have long been seen as an attractive alternative, but one which sadly isn’t available as widely as some might wish. With their online alternative, geography need no longer be an issue, and in terms of timing the exam they are available on-demand to suit the candidate.

Beyond this obvious advantage, teachers have also warmly welcomed the fact that Trinity have chosen to include music writing, using software that simply runs online within the Chrome browser, as part of their assessment.

In fact, with no need to download intrusive software applications, and with a sensible approach to proctoring, their theory exams seem poised to avoid the mistakes and concerns of the main alternative, potentially offering the best of all worlds.

As soon as I read the initial announcement, I was intrigued to find out whether Trinity have found a fundamentally better and far more appropriate way to assess music theory online than the current market leader.

I was therefore delighted to have the opportunity for an interview with Trinity’s Director of Music and Music Publishing Francesca Christmas in order to find out more…

Music Theory • Online Courses

Pianodao Articles • Full Archive

Supporting Your Piano Pathway
Written by Andrew Eales

It is vital for musicians to understand the music we play: its history, context, structure, style and the conventions of music notation used to write it down.

Like many piano teachers, it is my priority to ensure that such knowledge is embedded as a relevant component of lessons. But like many, I find that written work can be difficult to fit into a practical music lesson. Not only so, but some elements are better suited to the classroom context, or to self-directed learning.

Many of my students want to dig into the subject in more depth, learn aspects of theory and composition that go beyond the obvious remit of a piano playing session, whether to develop a broader understanding or simply to pass a Grade 5 Theory exam as a prerequisite to taking one of the higher ABRSM practical grades.

I have always been ready to recommend additional resources and courses that meet the need for a more focused academic approach to learning music theory. And whether for an exam or otherwise, I find that students who develop a more in-depth knowledge of music quickly see benefits in their ongoing playing.

I have previously recommended Dave Hall’s excellent study book and video series There’s More to Playing the Piano, which my students have found helpful, but for those wanting more in-depth support I have been enthused by the number of excellent online courses I have seen recommended.

Keen to know more about suitable options for my students, I have recently interviewed four leading educators delivering music theory courses online. I wanted to compare what they offer, get a feel for their approach, and give them an opportunity to present their courses in their own words…

Paul Harris’s Musical Doodles

Educational Resources

Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews

From time to time I have the good fortune of enjoying a curry with my friend Paul Harris, and as often as not we end up sat at a piano, diving into his latest musical doodles…

“I’ve been working on my next Piece a Week book, and this is what I’ve got so far”,

…or similar words will precede his playing, with the modest disclaimer,

“I’ve only spent a couple of days on these, so they aren’t all quite as I want them yet.”

This is followed by a performance of some 20 pieces, all composed within the preceding 48 hours or so. And even though I know that Paul, genius that he is, can routinely pour out another set of brilliantly characterful and playable pieces, I am consistently amazed at how creative yet well honed his gift for composition is.

Bartók famously resisted teaching composition, and he had a point. How does one even begin?

With his latest creation, Musical Doodles, Harris perhaps offers something better: an opportunity for any musician, however elementary and whatever their instrument, to have an enormous amount of fun exploring the nuts and bolts of creativity, quite possibly developing their understanding, experience, engagement and musical inspiration in the process.

Let’s take a look at Musical Doodles…

Decoding Music Theory

Educational Resources

Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews

Of the various “innovations” ABRSM have made of late, the replacement of their popular written theory grades with online multiple-choice exams has perhaps been the most controversial, and seems already to be leading to an emphasis on logic-driven trick questions in place of the more creative elements which were a feature of the previous syllabus.

Happily, fact-based learning can still be fun-filled. Proving the point, Melodic Decoder founders Shona Newey and Alison Wood have recently self-published four slim books billed as, “interactive detective stories for children learning ABRSM music theory”.

These colourful and genuinely enjoyable story-puzzle books could be just the ticket for enthusing younger musicians with music theory, so let’s don a deerstalker and investigate…

David Hall: ‘There’s More to Playing the Piano’

Educational Resources

Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews

A preponderance of music theory publications currently exist which are specifically tailored for those preparing to battle with the requirements of the graded exams. And yet, for those who simply want to understand notation and written music in a way that’s useful and relevant to today’s piano players, the market has long been wide open.

Finally we can welcome a simple textbook which is clear, concise, and of practical benefit. While not entirely eschewing the testing regime, David Hall’s excellent self-published There’s More to Playing the Piano offers a thorough explanation of music theory which is for all, and which has two very special selling points.

In the author’s own words:

Each chapter ends with an activity to try at the piano. These activities will bring the theory topic to life and show you how your new theory knowledge can be applied to develop your skills of composition, improvisation, analysis and performance.
Scan the QR Codes to gain access to online videos where David explains each topic again and demonstrates the piano activities.

Could this be the ideal music theory primer for pianists of all ages?

In a word, “yes”. Whether you are searching for a better understanding of the music you play, a returning pianist refreshing your knowledge, or a student wanting a crash course or revising for an exam, I think that this book could well be for you. So let’s take a closer look…

How to Blitz ABRSM Theory

Educational Resources

Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews

I’ve seen a number of good music teachers recommending Samantha Coates’ How to Blitz ABRSM Theory book on forums, and having obtained a set to take a closer look myself, I can see what all the fuss is about.

I met and interviewed Samantha Coates at this year’s Music Education Expo show in London, and she explained that in Australia, her homeland, the incumbent theory books she grew up with were (ahem!) rather dry.

Her criticisms surely apply equally here in the UK, where the official exam-board workbooks can similarly suck the joy out of a lesson, and have a surprising ability to make a bus timetable from 1976 look like a relatively exciting proposition.

Coates found a solution by producing her own course:

“What I wanted was an alternative, a theory book that essentially had the same content as this other boring book that I grew up on, because it was written for the same syllabus. So I just thought, there’s got to be a more hip and groovy alternative.
I wanted a text that was conversational and user-friendly, and light-hearted, and in language that is not formal…
“I think the word “somewhat” should never appear in any child’s tutor book! I just wanted it to be much more casual.”

Happily, with publisher Chester Music on board, she has brought out adapted versions for the UK market, tailoring the content to match the requirements of our leading exam board.

So let’s find out just how different the How to Blitz ABRSM Theory books are. What distinguishes them from the official alternatives, and what are their advantages? Importantly, have they succeeded in making music theory more relevant and interesting for piano players?