ABRSM Dublished by ABRSM (Publishing) Lxd, 2 wholly owned subsidiary of ABRSM. © 1998 by The Associated Board ofthe Royal Schools of Music 1-5 € 6PIntroduction All good jazz sounds effortless, but that sense of ease is usually achieved through regular hard work and the skills developed by the practice of scales and arpeggios. Learnt in the right way; scales and arpeggios really can create new opportunities, enabling you to do more and be more imaginative. ‘The scales in the jazz piano syllabus have been organized progressively to develop the tech- nical control, flexibility and knowledge of the geography of the keyboard (ic. where the sharps and flats are) needed in improvised performance, They'll also familiarize you in a sys- tematic way with the common patterns, roots and key centres found in jazz, You'll play pat- terns like pentatonic and blues scales and various modes, and over the grades you'll build up a variety of these patterns on common roots, like C, F and G. You'll also find that at differ ent grades different keys are emphasized: at Grade 1, for example, C major, major pentatonic on C, Mixolydian on G and Dorian on D are all related to the key centre of C. Working through this structure systematically will help you broaden the musical choices you can make as you improvise. (For full details on the rationale of the scale syllabus, read the chapter ‘Scales, Arpeggios and Broken Chords’ in Jaz Piano from Scratch, published by the Board.) Fingering ‘The fingerings given are not obligatory; many of these patterns can be fingered in any num- ber of ways. In the exam you'll be assessed on the accuracy and fluency of the scale played, rather than on how it is fingered — if it sounds musical it will probably pass. Remember, though, that poor and inconsistent fingering often leads to a second-rate musical result. ‘At the same time, the fingerings given have been carefully chosen to prepare you for the ‘most common chord sequences and melodic phrases. In a number of cases alternative finger- ings are provided; if you learn these different fingerings, you'll find in performance that you ‘can choose the one which suits the improvisation context best. Practice routines In the few weeks before an exam it’s a good idea to practise your scales and arpeggios as you'll play them before the examiner. But there are lots of other ways to practise scales, and up to, this point they should instead be practised more as they would be used in the performance of apiece. ‘The chapter on scales in Jaze: Piano from Scratch gives some helpful advice on different musical ways to practise scales. In short, be more flexible when practising, for example, start- ing on different notes of the scale, changing direction at random, using a variety of rhythms, including swing and straight feels, and experimenting with different shapes, dynamics and articulation. You are also strongly advised to integrate improvisation with scale practice by improvising wherever possible. Listen carefully to your own playing, in order to become aware of those aspects of your technique you need to work on, and then devise suitable strategies to improve these aspects. ‘Use the practice routines suggested as starting-points to develop your techniqueThe Exam In the exam you need to play the scales and arpeggios from memory. The examiner will nor- mally ask for at least one pattern from each type of scale, arpeggio or broken chord required at that grade, and from Grade 1 can ask for the patterns to be played in swing or straight 88. Examiners will be looking for the following qualities in your playing of the technical requirements: accurate and fluent realization from memory of the patterns set for the grade even tone across all five fingers of both hands independence of the fingers an even and positive sense of pulse and rhythm a knowledge of the geography of the keyboard smooth negotiation of common technical problems, for example, putting the thumb underneath, dealing with awkward leaps, running out of fingers, etc. Speeds The table below gives the recommended mininuon speeds for the playing of the technical requirements at the different grades: grade scales arpeggios and broken chords 1 4-60 J =46 2 J -66 J -63 3 J =80 J-09 4 J -52 1-76 8 2-68 J -38 Finally, remember that the discipline of practising scales and arpeggios does lead to freer, more expressive playing in the end. It really és worth the effort! Charles Beale4 GRADE 1 Seales with each hand separately, straight or swing DORIAN 2 Octaves onD MIXOLYDIAN 2 Octaves ong CMAJOR 2 Octaves MAJOR PENTATONIC ont sive notes53 PENTATONIC (eG five notes Arpeggios swith cach hand separately, straight or swing DMINOR 1 Octave AB 26376 GRADE 2 Scales with hands together one octave apart, and with each hand separately, straight or swing 254) 3 La 251 DORIAN 2 Octaves on sas21s21 4 1 aa ar 3a MIXOLYDIAN 2 Octaves onD GMAJOR 2 Octaves MAJOR PENTATONIC on F five notes b PENTATONIC on five notes.GRADE 2 MINOR PENTATONIC ‘on A five notes BLUES SCALE onD 1 Octave Chromatic scale with each hand separately, straight or swing onD 1 Octave Arpeggios with each hand separately, straight or swing DMAJOR 2 Octaves GMINOR 2 Octaves AB 2037,8 GRADE 3 % Seales with hands together one octave apart, and with each hand separately, straight or swing, DORIAN 2 Octaves onG MIXOLYDIAN 2 Octaves onc LYDIAN 2 Octaves on Bb FMAJOR 2 craves MINOR PENTATONIC onD 2 Octaves AB 2637GRADE 3 MINOR PENTATONIC. on 2 Octaves BLUES SCALE on 1 Octave BLUES SCALE OnF 1 Ociave Chromatic scales with each hand separately (fingering for second octave as given below), straight or swing on Ab 2 Octaves onB 2 Octaves10 GRADE 3 on 2 Octaves Arpeggios with each hand separately, straight or swing FMAJOR 2 Octaves Bb MAJOR 2 Ociaves AMINOR 2 Octaves CMINOR 2 Octaves AB 2637GRADE 4 Scales u with hands together one octave apart, and with each hand separately, straight or swing DORIAN 2 Ccraves onE DORIAN 2 Octaves onc MIXOLYDIAN 2 craves on MIXOYDIAN 2 Ocraves onF LYDIAN 2 Octaves ong 2 AB 2637GRADE 4 DIAN 2 Octaves on Eb DMAJOR 2 Octaves Bb MAJOR 2 Octaves MAJOR PENTATONIC on 2 Octaves MAJOR PENTATONIC onEb 2 Octaves AB 2637,B GRADE 4 MINOR PENTATONIC. OnE 2 Octaves BLUES SCALE onBb 1 Ocve BLUES SCALE OnE 1 Octave Chromatic scales with hands together one octave apart, and with each hand separately, beginning on any black key named by the examiner. straight or swing this example is a guide 8 3131251 312311 Whisie On any 2 Octaves black key Arpeggios with hands together one octave apart, and with each hand separately, straight or swing 5 AMAJOR 2 Octaves AB263714 GRADE 4 ESMAJOR 2 Ociaves sta Broken chords with each hand separately, straight or swing 5 4 issn, 2123 12a sia a01 255 Bees : Gees = oie eit sists iathn tesMeians ct traeess a {ee Am? 4 = === rae a od ESS SSS Gm7 re S21 as15 GRADE 5 Scales with hands together one octave apart, and with each hand separately, straight or swing 2512 set DORIAN 2 Ccraves ond DORIAN 2 Octaves MIXOLYDIAN 2 Octaves onE MIXONDIAN 2 Octaves one LYDIAN 2 Octaves onF AB 263716 GRADE 5 LYDIAN 2 Octaves onc DIAN 2 Octaves onD LYDIAN 2 Octaves on Ab AMAJOR 2 Octaves EbMAJOR 2 Octaves AB 2637, 3 sbetebs pert liter, 53 1 i: as mee ftes a 14 121 4a. a1 41- GRADE 5 sis oe 2 MAJOR PENTATONIC onD 2 Octaves =F 77 nfs MAJOR PENTATONIC. onBb 2 Octaves MINOR PENTATONIC onB 2 Ocuaves MINOR PENTATONIC onG 2 Octaves BLUES SCALE nA 1 Octave AB 263718. GRADE 5 BLUES SCALE OnFE 1 Occave BLUES SCALE onG 1 Octave Chromatic scales with hands together one octave apart, and with each hand separately, beginning on any note named by the examiner, straight or swing this example is a guide i bie ./ ee Desthideletisialia On any 2 Octaves rote” Arpeggios with hands together one octave apart, and with each hand separately, straight or swing 3 EMAJOR 2 Octaves13 GRADE 5 Ab MAJOR 2 Octaves FEMINOR 2 Octaves 312 FMINOR 2 Octaves ws 2 1 as 2 0 Broken chords with each hand separately, straight or swing o7 7GRADE 5 BT Ea? Bal Da? AB 2637, Printed in England by Caligraving Limited Thetford Norfolk 20“What good is msic if it ain’t got that swing?’ Duke Ellington ABRSM responds with ‘Jazz Piano’, a comprehensive introduction to the world of jazz. A pioneering set of publications and a rigorously planned syllabus provide the building blocks you need to play jazz with imagination, understanding and style and to improvise effectively right from the start. This book of jazz piano scales will develop the technical skills you need to play jazz. It introduces patterns characteristic of the idiom, like the blues scale, the bS pentatonic and various modes. It also explores these patterns on the roots and key centres commonly found in jazz. Regular and flexible practice of these forms, and using them as the basis for improvisation, will give you fluency and technical control and make your playing sound effortless and relaxed As an accompaniment to ABRSM’s jazz piano syllabus, this book sets out the scales by grade and gives a table of recommended speeds. It also provides details of what the examiner will be looking for in your playing Scales, pieces, quick studies, CDs, aural tests, how-to book — this set of materials provides a complete progressive method for playing jazz piano from scratch. So ‘give that rhythm everything you got!" JAZZ PIANO TITLES Jazz Piano Pieces, Grades 1-5 (ane book per gral) Jazz Piano Scales, Grades 1-5 Jazz Piano Aural Tests, Grades 1-3, Grades 4-5 two books) Jazz Piano Quick Studies, Grades 1-6 Jazz Piano: The CD, Grades 1-5 (one CO per grade) Jazz Piano from Scratch: A how-to guide for students and ‘teachers (book and CD) Charles Beale ABRSM 24 Portland Place London WI 1LU United Kingdom ABRSM wawabrsm.org ISBN 978~i-8609%-008—5 oWraiss: