Students frustrated by tiny fingering charts can find a solution in The Big Print Music Method: Method Boosters, available for all band and orchestral instruments! Each Method Booster contains approximately 180 pages of simple exercises in massive print size, accompanied by color-coordinated fingering charts, keyboards, and musical staves. Method Boosters are ideal for students learning the keyboard at the same time as a musical instrument.
Each Method Booster includes the following:
- Practice Advice
- Range Guide (plus Transposition Guide, where Relevant!)
- One-Note Exercises
- Two-Note Exercises
- Fingering Charts, Side-by-Side with Keyboard
- Fingering Charts, Side-by-Side
The samples below are excerpted from the Bb Clarinet Method Booster.
Range Guide
In the beginning of each wind instrument's Method Booster, the range is broken down into sections by octave, so that the typical student can work from beginning to end of the book, rather than skipping around. In most cases, the entire student range is covered, providing more than one year of educational support. (Note: String instruments, percussion, and organ foot pedals progress from low to high notes.)
One-Note Exercises
This basic exercise includes simple, clear, color-coded presentation of note name, staff, fingering chart, and keyboard. Exercises are ordered by octave, in a manner typically taught in band class (middle register downward and then upward). (Note: String instruments, percussion, and organ foot pedals progress from low to high notes.)
Transposition Guide
Books for instruments which transpose contain specific instruction on transposition. The relevant transpositions are taught in detail for the first octave. Later, they are shown with color-coded blocks.
Two-Note Exercises
Students are led through a set of simple exercises, consisting of every two-note combination. Exercises are presented in consistent format with simple, clear, color-coded presentation of note names, staffs, fingering charts, and keyboard. Notice that the sounding-notes are indicated by a small colored block on the end of the relevant keys.
Fingering Charts with Keyboard
The Appendix of books for wind instruments contains several formats of fingering charts. The first format includes a keyboard with note names and large fingering charts. These charts show one octave per page, with naturals on separate pages from sharps and flats.
Fingering Charts Side-by-Side
Fingering charts with all notes side-by-side are also included. One octave is presented on each page. In the chart below, naturals are written on a staff underneath the fingering charts; in the other presentation (not shown here), naturals are written above the fingering charts.
Instrumentation & Availability
Method Boosters are available from MusicaNeo for only $4 each, for the following instrumentation:
- Strings
- Violin
- Viola
- Cello
- String Bass
- Guitar
- Electric Bass
- Recorders
- Recorders in C (Soprano & Tenor; Baroque & German Fingering)
- Recorders in F (Sopranino & Alto; Baroque & German Fingering)
- Other Recorders (Garklein, Bass)
- Woodwinds
- Flute & Piccolo
- Clarinet (Bb, Alto, Bass)
- Saxophone (Alto, Tenor, Baritone)
- Oboe & English Horn
- Bassoon (Bass Clef, Tenor Clef, Alto Clef)
- Brass
- Bb Trumpet
- Horn (F, Bb, Double)
- Trombone (Bass Clef, Tenor Clef, Alto Clef)
- Bass Trombone & Tenor Trombone w/F-Attachment
- Baritone & Euphonium (3 & 4-Valve; Bass Clef, Treble Clef, Tenor Clef, Alto Clef)
- Tuba (3 & 4-Valve, Bass Clef, Treble Clef)
- Percussion
- Mallet Percussion
- Tympani
- Drumset (4 Drums, 5 Drums)
- Organ
Additional Books
Students who enjoy Method Boosters may also be interested in the following options, each of which contains big print fingering charts in color, with color-coded keyboards and music staves on every page!
- All Instruments
- 3-Note Exercises
- Interval Studies
- Woodwind Supplements
- Learning Alternate Fingerings
- Interval Studies with Alternate Fingerings
- String Supplements
- Learning String Crossing and Double Stops
These series are available both as e-files from MusicaNeo, and in print from CreateSpace Wholesale, Amazon, and other internet retailers!
Additional Information
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Unbeatable Specials
With Kindle Unlimited ($9.99/month) at Amazon.com, you can read all e-books from Schottenbauer Publishing for no extra charge! Amazon offers Free 30 Day Trials of Kindle Unlimited. With this deal, trial members can read all Schottenbauer Publishing e-books free! This includes the books on Bow Science & Exercises, all the geometry workbooks, "The World in a Graph," "Alphabets of the World," all the e-book puzzles, and the educational novels by M. Schottenbauer, Ph.D.
3-Note Exercise Books help students hone fingering skills throughout the entire range. All half-step and whole-step combinations are explored, throughout the entire student range.
