Piano Zen Book (with Audio)
This book shows you how to create and improvise your own peaceful and relaxing “Calm Piano” music.
We start by playing simple chord arpeggios, in the right and left hands. Then we learn how to create melodies in major and minor keys, while working with the typical rhythms and progressions for this style. The straightforward “hands-on” approach is designed to get you playing and improvising right away!
Along the way we’ll learn the techniques using by noted “Calm Piano” artists, including Einaudi, Yiruma, Paul Cardall, and others.
The piano tracks in the book can be used for practice and to help create your own progressions. The Piano Pieces section also features light ambient backing tracks for you to play along with. (Online audio access is included).
Here is a summary of the Chapters in this book:
1) What Is Piano Zen?
2) Triad Patterns for the Right Hand
3) Triad Patterns for the Left Hand
4) Creating Melodies in the Right Hand
5) Using Four-Part (or “Seventh”) Chords
6) More Advanced Techniques
7) Piano Pieces
Click on the sample pages below the front cover, then hover over each page to zoom in:
- page 6: Right Hand Patterns in C Major
- page 15: Left Hand Patterns in F Major
- page 20: Creating Melodies in G Major
- page 29: Using Four-Part Chords in F Major
- page 36: Two-Handed Arpeggios in A Minor
See below for audio examples from these sample pages.