GRADE 5

Complete Guide to Major & Minor Scales (Volume 2)

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TO TEACHERS & STUDENTS: The objective of Grade 5 is to learn all 12 major and minor (harmonic and melodic) scales two octaves in parallel and contrary motion at a moderate tempo. Grade 5 is spread out over a total of 12 weeks, not including the Exam. Ideally, each Lesson equals one week, but could be extended to two weeks for students who either learn at a slower pace and/or have less time to practice. Conversely, for students who are unusually gifted and/or fast learners, two or perhaps three lessons could be learned in one week. In any case, students should avoid rushing through lessons and skipping steps. The better one can learn these rudimentary lessons, the stronger one’s overall technical and theoretical foundation will become. The average student should spend at least 10-15 minutes daily on each lesson, making the learning of major scales an integral part of their overall daily piano practice. Each lesson corresponds with musical systems (lines) in the book. Simply screen-shot or print out each lesson and use the instructions as a guide to help work your way through the book! 

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WEEKLY LESSON PLANS FOR GRADE 5

GRADE 5 – LESSON 1 (lines 1a-b, 2a-b, 3a-b):  C MAJOR – A MINOR

  1. Examine lines 1a-b, C major in parallel and contrary motion. Play C major two octaves hands alone then together, giving special attention to the thumbs in the RH ascending and LH descending which are placed alternately under the third and fourth fingers. Take caution when passing the thumb under the fourth finger in either hand that it is not passed too early under the third finger instead. That is, the thumbs pass once under the third finger and once under the fourth finger for each octave. Conversely, the third and fourth fingers in the RH descending and LH ascending alternately cross over the thumbs once for each octave.
  2. Examine lines 2a-b, A harmonic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play A harmonic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering has not changed.
  3. Examine lines 3a-b, A melodic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play A melodic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering has not changed.
  4. Review lines 1a-b, 2a-b, 3a-b each played two consecutive times at 72 bpm with metronome at one tick per quarter note.  

GRADE 5 – LESSON 2 (lines 4a-b, 5a-b, 6a-b):  G MAJOR – E MINOR

  1. Examine lines 4a-b, G major in parallel and contrary motion. Play G major two octaves hands alone then together, giving special attention to the thumbs in the RH ascending and LH descending which are placed alternately under the third and fourth fingers. Take caution when passing the thumb under the fourth finger in either hand that it is not passed too early under the third finger instead. That is, the thumbs pass once under the third finger and once under the fourth finger for each octave. Conversely, the third and fourth fingers in the RH descending and LH ascending alternately cross over the thumbs.
  2. Examine lines 5a-b, E harmonic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play E harmonic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering has not changed.
  3. Examine lines 6a-b, E melodic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play E melodic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering has not changed.
  4. Review lines 4a-b, 5a-b, 6a-b each played two consecutive times at 72 bpm with metronome at one tick per quarter note.  

GRADE 5 – LESSON 3 (lines 7a-b, 8a-b, 9a-b):  D MAJOR – B MINOR

  1. Examine lines 7a-b, D major in parallel and contrary motion. Play D major two octaves hands alone then together, giving special attention to the thumbs in the RH ascending and LH descending which are placed alternately under the third and fourth fingers. Take caution when passing the thumb under the fourth finger in either hand that it is not passed too early under the third finger instead. That is, the thumbs pass once under the third finger and once under the fourth finger for each octave. Conversely, the third and fourth fingers in the RH descending and LH ascending alternately cross over the thumbs once for each octave.
  2. Examine lines 8a-b, B harmonic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play B harmonic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering in the RH is the same as D major but in the LH is different (the same as the LH fingering for B major) and the thumbs play E and B together except for the lowest note in the LH and highest note in the RH.
  3. Examine lines 9a-b, B melodic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play B melodic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering has not changed.
  4. Review lines 7a-b, 8a-b, 9a-b each played two consecutive times at 72 bpm with metronome at one tick per quarter note.  

GRADE 5 – LESSON 4 (lines 10a-b, 11a-b, 12a-b):  A MAJOR – F-SHARP MINOR

  1. Examine lines 10a-b, A major in parallel and contrary motion. Play A major two octaves scale hands alone then together, giving special attention to the thumbs in the RH ascending and LH descending which are placed alternately under the third and fourth fingers. Take caution when passing the thumb under the fourth finger in either hand that it is not passed too early under the third finger instead. That is, the thumbs pass once under the third finger and once under the fourth finger for each octave. Conversely, the third and fourth fingers in the RH descending and LH ascending alternately cross over the thumbs once for each octave.
  2. Examine lines 11a-b, F-sharp harmonic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play F-sharp harmonic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering has not changed.
  3. Examine lines 12a-b, F-sharp melodic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play F-sharp melodic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering has not changed.
  4. Review lines 10a-b,11a-b, 12a-b each played two consecutive times at 72 bpm with metronome at one tick per quarter note.  

GRADE 5 – LESSON 5 (lines 13a-b, 14a-b, 15a-b):  E MAJOR – C-SHARP MINOR

  1. Examine lines 13a-b, E major in parallel and contrary motion. Play E major two octaves hands alone then together, giving special attention to the thumbs in the RH ascending and LH descending which are placed alternately under the third and fourth fingers. Take caution when passing the thumb under the fourth finger in either hand that it is not passed too early under the third finger instead. That is, the thumbs pass once under the third finger and once under the fourth finger for each octave. Conversely, the third and fourth fingers in the RH descending and LH ascending alternately cross over the thumbs once for each octave.
  2. Examine lines 14a-b, C-sharp harmonic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play C-sharp harmonic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice both thumbs play E together.
  3. Examine lines 15a-b, C-sharp melodic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play C-sharp melodic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering for melodic minor in the RH is slightly modified to account for the extra black key, A-sharp.
  4. Review lines 13a-b, 14a-b, 15a-b each played two consecutive times at 72 bpm with metronome at one tick per quarter note.  

GRADE 5 – LESSON 6 (lines 16a-b, 17a-b, 18a-b):  B MAJOR – G-SHARP MINOR

  1. Examine lines 16a-b, B major in parallel and contrary motion. Play B major two octaves hands alone then together, giving special attention to the thumbs in the RH ascending and LH descending which are placed alternately under the third and fourth fingers. Take caution when passing the thumb under the fourth finger in either hand that it is not passed too early under the third finger instead. That is, the thumbs pass once under the third finger and once under the fourth finger for each octave. Conversely, the third and fourth fingers in the RH descending and LH ascending alternately cross over the thumbs once for each octave. Notice the thumbs play E and B together except for the lowest note in the LH and highest note in the RH.
  2. Examine lines 17a-b, G-sharp harmonic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play G-sharp harmonic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice both thumbs play B together.
  3. Examine lines 18a-b, G-sharp melodic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play G-sharp melodic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering has not changed.
  4. Review lines 16a-b, 17a-b, 18a-b each played two consecutive times at 72 bpm with metronome at one tick per quarter note.  

GRADE 5 – LESSON 7 (lines 25a-b, 26a-b, 27a-b):  F MAJOR – D MINOR

  1. Examine lines 25a-b, F major in parallel and contrary motion. Play F major two octaves hands alone then together, giving special attention to the thumbs in the RH ascending and LH descending which are placed alternately under the third and fourth fingers. Take caution when passing the thumb under the fourth finger in either hand that it is not passed too early under the third finger instead. That is, the thumbs pass once under the third finger and once under the fourth finger for each octave. Conversely, the third and fourth fingers in the RH descending and LH ascending alternately cross over the thumbs once for each octave. Notice both thumbs play C and F together except for the lowest note in the LH and highest note in the RH.
  2. Examine lines 26a-b, D harmonic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play D harmonic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering in both hands is the same as D major.
  3. Examine lines 27a-b, D melodic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play D melodic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering has not changed.
  4. Review lines 25a-b, 26a-b, 27a-b each played two consecutive times at 72 bpm with metronome at one tick per quarter note.  

GRADE 5 – LESSON 8 (lines 28a-b, 29a-b, 30a-b):  B-FLAT MAJOR – G MINOR

  1. Examine lines 28a-b, B-flat major in parallel and contrary motion. Play B-flat major two octaves hands alone then together, giving special attention to the thumbs in the RH ascending and LH descending which are placed alternately under the third and fourth fingers. Take caution when passing the thumb under the fourth finger in either hand that it is not passed too early under the third finger instead. That is, the thumbs pass once under the third finger and once under the fourth finger for each octave. Conversely, the third and fourth fingers in the RH descending and LH ascending alternately cross over the thumbs once for each octave. Notice that in parallel motion when the third finger plays a black key in the LH the fourth finger plays a black key in the RH, and vice versa.
  2. Examine lines 29a-b, G harmonic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play G harmonic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering in both hands is the same as G major.
  3. Examine lines 30a-b, G melodic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play G melodic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering has not changed.
  4. Review lines 28a-b, 29a-b, 30a-b each played two consecutive times at 72 bpm with metronome at one tick per quarter note.  

GRADE 5 – LESSON 9 (lines 31a-b, 32a-b, 33a-b):  E-FLAT MAJOR – C MINOR

  1. Examine lines 31a-b, G-flat major in parallel and contrary motion. Play G-flat major two octaves hands alone then together, giving special attention to the thumbs in the RH ascending and LH descending which are placed alternately under the third and fourth fingers. Take caution when passing the thumb under the fourth finger in either hand that it is not passed too early under the third finger instead. That is, the thumbs pass once under the third finger and once under the fourth finger for each octave. Conversely, the third and fourth fingers in the RH descending and LH ascending alternately cross over the thumbs once for each octave. Notice both thumbs play the two white keys, F and C-flat, together.
  2. Examine lines 32a-b, E-flat harmonic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play E-flat harmonic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice both thumbs play the two white keys, F and C-flat, together.
  3. Examine lines 33a-b, E-flat melodic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play E-flat melodic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering has not changed except the thumbs play C-natural ascending and C-flat descending.
  4. Review lines 31a-b, 32a-b, 33a-b each played two consecutive times at 72 bpm with metronome at one tick per quarter note.  

GRADE 5 – LESSON 10 (lines 34a-b, 35a-b, 36a-b):  A-FLAT MAJOR – F MINOR

  1. Examine lines 34a-b, A-flat major in parallel and contrary motion. Play A-flat major two octaves hands alone then together, giving special attention to the thumbs in the RH ascending and LH descending which are placed alternately under the third and fourth fingers. Take caution when passing the thumb under the fourth finger in either hand that it is not passed too early under the third finger instead. That is, the thumbs pass once under the third finger and once under the fourth finger for each octave. Conversely, the third and fourth fingers in the RH descending and LH ascending alternately cross over the thumbs once for each octave. Notice fingers 3 play E-flat and A-flat together and both thumbs play C together.
  2. Examine lines 35a-b, F harmonic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play F harmonic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering in both hands is the same as F major.
  3. Examine lines 36a-b, F melodic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play F melodic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering has not changed.
  4. Review lines 34a-b, 35a-b, 36a-b each played two consecutive times at 72 bpm with metronome at one tick per quarter note.  

GRADE 5 – LESSON 11 (lines 37a-b, 38a-b, 39a-b):  D-FLAT MAJOR – B-FLAT MINOR

  1. Examine lines 37a-b, D-flat major in parallel and contrary motion. Play D-flat major two octaves hands alone then together, giving special attention to the thumbs in the RH ascending and LH descending which are placed alternately under the third and fourth fingers. Take caution when passing the thumb under the fourth finger in either hand that it is not passed too early under the third finger instead. That is, the thumbs pass once under the third finger and once under the fourth finger for each octave. Conversely, the third and fourth fingers in the RH descending and LH ascending alternately cross over the thumbs once for each octave. Notice both thumbs play the two white keys, F and C, together.
  2. Examine lines 38a-b, B-flat harmonic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play B-flat harmonic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice both thumbs play the two white keys, C and F, together.
  3. Examine lines 39a-b, B-flat melodic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play B-flat melodic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering has not changed.
  4. Review lines 37a-b, 38a-b, 39a-b each played two consecutive times at 72 bpm with metronome at one tick per quarter note.  

GRADE 5 – LESSON 12 (lines 40a-b, 41a-b, 42a-b):  G-FLAT MAJOR – E-FLAT MINOR

  1. Examine lines 40a-b, G-flat major in parallel and contrary motion. Play G-flat major two octaves hands alone then together, giving special attention to the thumbs in the RH ascending and LH descending which are placed alternately under the third and fourth fingers. Take caution when passing the thumb under the fourth finger in either hand that it is not passed too early under the third finger instead. That is, the thumbs pass once under the third finger and once under the fourth finger for each octave. Conversely, the third and fourth fingers in the RH descending and LH ascending alternately cross over the thumbs once for each octave. Notice both thumbs play the two white keys, C-flat and F, together.
  2. Examine lines 41a-b, E-flat harmonic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play E-flat harmonic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice both thumbs play the two white keys, F and C-flat, together.
  3. Examine lines 42a-b, E-flat melodic minor in parallel and contrary motion. Play E-flat melodic minor hands alone then together, giving the same attention to the passing of the thumbs and third and fourth fingers. Notice the fingering has not changed.
  4. Review lines 40a-b, 41a-b, 42a-b each played two consecutive times at 72 bpm with metronome at one tick per quarter note.  

EXAM FOR GRADE 5

  1. Play each of the twelve major scales two octaves in parallel and contrary motion two times in a row at a slow tempo with the correct fingering. No metronome is needed. 
  2. Play the scales in their correct order of increasing sharps and flats as in Lessons 1-12. 
  3. Before playing each scale, say “This is the __ major scale and it has __ sharps, which are___.” (Name the sharps or flats in the correct order.)
  4. All must be memorized with no sheet music permitted.

Once the Exam for Grade 5 has been completed successfully, you are ready to progress to Grade 6!

START GRADE 6

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