The
Marty Method
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Learning with the Piano 0-1
The Unfolding of Music 0-1
How to Use This Book 0-1
Music is Fascinating 0-2
How This Book is Organized 0-2
Half Steps and Key Patterns 1-1
Naming the Keys 1-2
Octaves 1-3
Sharps and Flats 1-3
Playing Position 2-1
Numbering the Fingers 2-1
Making Contact 2-2
Key Sequences 2-2
What is a Scale? 3-1
Why You Should
Learn Scales 3-4
Use Your Eyes 3-4
Using the Proper Finger 3-4
Naming the Notes in a Scale 3-5
Meet the Major Scales! 3-5
MAJOR SCALES 3-10
Naming the Intervals 4-1
Minor Intervals 4-2
Augmented and Diminished Intervals
4-3
Compound Intervals 4-4
How to Find Intervals on the
Keyboard 4-5
The Two Most Important Intervals
for Building Chords 4-7
5 The Four Chord Types
What is a Chord? 5-1
MAJOR CHORDS AND MINOR CHORDS 5-1
Major Chord 5-1
Minor Chord 5-2
Using Major and Minor Chords 5-2
DIMINISHED AND AUGMENTED CHORDS
5-4
Diminished Chord 5-4
Augmented Chord 5-5
The Secret Chord Formula 5-5
MAJOR AND MINOR CHORDS 5-8
Learning Major and Minor Chords by
Sight 5-9
Learning Diminished and Augmented
Chords by Sight 5-10i
Chords Need
Other Chords 5-10
6 Chord Inversions.
Three Ways to Play a Chord 6-1
Inversions in Action 6-2
The Birth of Music Notation 7-1
The Grand Staff 7-2
That Darn Bass Clef 7-3
Notes and Note Values, Rests and
Rest Values 7-4
What is Rhythm? What is Meter? 8-1
Barlines 8-1
Time Signatures 8-2
Making Notes Longer with Dots 8-3
The Metronome is Your Friend 8-4
Playing One Song in Various Keys
9-1
Transposing a Song 9-2
Transposing Joy 9-2
Key Signatures 9-3
Sharp Key
Signatures 9-4
Naming Sharp Key Signatures 9-5
Flat Key Signatures 9-6
Naming Flat Key Signatures 9-6
Always Know
the Scale of the Key 9-6
The Role of the Scale 10-1
Building the Chord
Family—“Harmonizing the Scale” 10-1
The Major and Minor Chords in a
Scale 10-3
C Major Chord Family 10-4
G Major Chord Family 10-5
Three Songs That Use the Chord
Family 10-6
Roman Numeral Notation 10-6
Chord Family Navigation 10-7
Creating Basic Chord Progressions
10-9
Chord Progressions Are Not Songs
11-1
Chords and Their Inversions 11-1
Chord Symbols 11-2
Five Chord Progressions 11-3ii
Progression #1: I-IV-V 11-3
Progression #2: Inverted I-IV-V
11-4
Progression #3: I-V-IV 11-5
Progression #4: IV-V-I 11-5
Progression #5: V-IV-I 11-6
Progression #6: The Twelve Bar
Blues 11-7
The I-vi-IV-V Progression 11-9
Progression #7: I-vi-IV-V 11-10
Progression #8: Inverted I-vi-IV-V
11-11
Progression #9: “Pachelbel’s Canon
in D Major” 11-12
Decisions: Three Ways to Play a
I-IV-V 11-13
10A 10B 10C
Physical Technique 12-1
Patterns 12-2
Scale
Patterns 12-2
Chord
Patterns 12-3
Chord
Progression Patterns 12-3
Fingerings 12-3
O Come All Ye Faithful 12-4
Learning Songs 12-5
Pre-Play
Checklist 12-5
Practice
Slow, Learn Fast 12-5
Repairing
Fractures 12-6
Let’s Learn a Song 12-6
Scale Interval Patterns 13-1
Building a Minor Scale 13-2
Minor Key Signatures 13-3
Pentatonic Scales 13-4
Blues Scales 13-5
Whole Tone Scales 13-6
Whole Lotta Scales 13-7
What is the Circle of Fifths? 14-1
Using the Circle of Fifths 14-2
Sharp Key
Signatures 14-2
Flat Key
Signatures 14-2
Relative
Minor Keys 14-2
I-IV-V
Progressions 14-3
ii-V-I Progressions
14-3
Four Types
of Song Notation 15-1
The Grand
Staff 15-1
Pop Piano
Arrangements 15-1
Fake Books
15-2
Chord Charts 15-2
What is a
Fake Book? 15-4
Creating
Your Own Arrangement 15-5
Clefs 16-1
Notes and Stems 16-2
Rests 16-3
Key Signatures 16-3
Repeat Signs and Endings 16-4
Let’s Write a Tune 16-4
Exercise 16-5
Counting Rhythms 17-1
The Birth of Piano Rhythm 17-2
Whole Note
Rhythm Pattern....................................17-2 CD Track 18
Right Hand
Quarter Notes........................................17-2 CD Track 19
Left Hand
Quarter Notes...........................................17-3 CD Track 20
1)
Lennon.....................................................................17-3
CD Track 21
2) Teen
Ballad.............................................................17-4 CD
Track 22
3) Let It
Beatles...........................................................17-4 CD Track
23
4) Bossa
Nova.............................................................17-5 CD Track
24
5) Country
Waltz.......................................................17-5 CD Track 25
6) Tiny Elton................................................................17-6
CD Track 26
7) Blue
Elton................................................................17-6 CD
Track 27
8) New Orleans
Gumbo..........................................17-7 CD Track 28
9) Fats
Domino...........................................................17-7 CD Track
29
10) Syncopated
Ballad................................................17-8 CD Track 30
11) Jerry Lee
Lewis.......................................................17-8 CD Track 31
12) Gospel
101...............................................................17-9 CD Track
32
13) Kansas
City Shuffle...............................................17-9 CD Track 33
The Marty Method in Action 18-1
Eight Steps to Learning a Song by
Ear 18-1
Reading along with the Music 18-2
Using a Fake Book 18-3
Further Explorations 18-3
Appendix A: Selected Definitions
Appendix B: Blank Keyboards
Appendix C: The Octave Waltz
Appendix D: Music Manuscript
Appendix E: Blank Song Chart
Appendix F: Transposing Chart