Diamond Piano Method & DiamondPiano.

com:
An Overview
 DIAMOND PIANO About Us Creating Lifelong Musicians

To my fellow piano teachers, resources in the hopes of achieving a different

outcome than the statement indicates.
Thanks for taking some time to learn about Diamond
Piano, the beginner-intermediate piano curriculum and But, I believe that such statements are preventable if a
online practice support system born out of my desire to beginner to intermediate piano curriculum is employed
help my students become lifelong musicians and put an that teaches not only note-reading, technique, and
end to statements like this one: musicianship, but also the music theory that allows
people to sit at a piano and arrange and improvise with
“I took piano lessons when I was a kid,
simple scale and chord patterns. I believe the latter is
Rats! but now I don’t really remember how
key to giving students a lifelong skill that they can carry
to play a darned thing. . .”
with them and use in fulfilling ways as they become
Statements like this are tragic for three reasons: carpenters, accountants, nurses, moms, dads, etc.

 First, it is likely that a dedicated, capable piano

teacher spent 100+ hours of his or her life
instructing the speaker of the above statement.
 Second, it is likely that the speaker spent 500-
1000+ hours of his or her life sitting at a piano,
and now has little or no tangible music skill to
show for all that
time spent.
 Third, it is likely
that the speaker’s
parents invested a
significant amount
of limited family

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 DIAMOND PIANO About Us Creating Lifelong Musicians

When I got to Berklee College of Music in the late ‘80s Through this constantly growing and evolving online
and was first introduced to the “hands-on” theory portal, students have instant and continuous access to:
involved in transposing, arranging, and improvising, I video instruction and song demos from their “assistant
began to understand how simple music theory is at its teacher”, self-checking and prescriptive theory tests, a
core and how incredibly valuable it can be for a piano variety of progressive theory games, and a fun,
player. I wondered why I hadn’t been exposed to more interactive incentive system.
of it by the two, wonderful piano teachers of my youth,
Diamond Piano is my life’s work, and I do it with you in
and I assumed that for some reason, they had just
mind. So, thank you again for taking time to learn more
chosen curriculum that didn’t include transposing,
about it.
arranging, and improvising. So, in the early ‘90s when I
began my own teaching career, I sought beginner- Sincerely,
intermediate curriculum that would include the simple Gerry Diamond
“hands-on” theory I’d learned in college and that I
wanted all my students to have. To my surprise, I wasn’t
able to find any beginner-intermediate curricula that
made a logical and sustained effort to develop these
concepts, and so, I decided to write one myself.

Now, more than twenty years and several editions after

the first, hand-written songs and worksheets of the
Diamond Piano Method were handed to my students,
my 5-book series is being used in teaching studios and
academies across North America. In 2012, a
comprehensive “practice support system” was launched
at DiamondPiano.com as a companion to the 5 books.
The Diamond Family
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 DIAMOND PIANO The Diamond Piano Method Creating Lifelong Musicians

Book 1: Pods* 1-8 Book 2: Pods 9-15

Pod 1: G Clef Gets Going: G Clef Hand Introduced in Middle C Position Pod 9: G Clef Up to High C: G Clef Reading Expands up to High C ●
● Quarter Notes, Half Notes, Whole Notes ● G Clef (Treble Clef) Staff Intervals 2nd – 5th (Melodic and Harmonic) Introduced ● Two-Handed
Reading ● Finger Numbering System ● 4/4 Time Signature and Counting Unison Solfege Transpositions (Major – Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So)
● Repeat Signs with and without Endings ● Solfege Transposition – One
Hand (Major – Do, Re, Mi only) Pod 10: F Clef Down to Low C: F Clef Reading Expands to Low C
● Mirror Image Cs Introduced
Pod 2: F Clef Gets Going: F Clef Hand Introduced in Middle C Position
● F Clef (Bass Clef) Staff Reading Pod 11: Eighth Notes and Eighth Rests: Eighth Notes and Rests
● Counting with “ands”
Pod 3: Two Hands: Two-Hand Middle C Position Melodies ● Quarter
Rests, Half Rests, Whole Rests ● Grand Staff Reading ● Solfege Pod 12: Dotted Quarter Notes: Counting Syncopated Rhythms
Transposition – One-Hand (Major – Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So)
Pod 13: Articulation: Legato and Staccato
Pod 4: Three-Four Time: Dotted Half Notes (Dotted Note Rule) ● 3/4
Time Signature Pod 14: Crescendo and Diminuendo

Pod 5: Sharps and Flats: Rules and Fingering for Sharps and Flats Pod 15: Pedaling: Pedal/ Notation and Use of the Sustain Pedal ●
Songwriting Grows
Pod 6: Harmony: One and Two-Handed Harmony

Pod 7: Tempos and Dynamics

Pod 8: Incomplete Measures and Ties: Songwriting Begins, too!

Using Diamond Piano is a smart and
enjoyable way to teach!
* “Pod” is Diamond Piano’s term for “Chapter”. Our Pods encompass -Bryson Finney
Piano Instructor and General Music Educator
much more than just the text of a chapter’s worth of material – it also
Nashville, TN
includes all of the online games, videos, audio files, self-checking and
prescriptive tests, and incentives!

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 DIAMOND PIANO The Diamond Piano Method Creating Lifelong Musicians

Book 3: Pods 16-23 Book 4: Pods 24-30

Pod 16: G Clef Anchor Points: G Clef Reading Expands to High G ● Pod 24: More Anchor Points: Introducing Double Low and High C ●
Anchor Points and “FACE” ● Two Part – Two-Hand Solfege Transposition Chord Analysis Begins for Every Song (Pods 24-37) ● Fermata ●

Pod 17: F Clef Anchor Points: F Clef Reading Expands to Low F ●

Pod 25: New Time Signatures: 2/2 Time Signature ● 6/8 Time
Anchor Points and “All Cows Eat Grass”
Signature ● Counting with “e-and-a”

Pod 18: Major Scales and Key Signatures: Major Scale Formula and
Tetrachords ● Key Signatures ● Full Major Scale Solfege Transposing in Pod 26: Sixteenth Notes and Rests: Sixteenth Notes and Rests ●
Two-Hand Tetrachord Position Transposing with “I-IV-V” Accompanying Solfege Melody

Pod 19: The I Chord: Major Triad Formula ● The “I” Chord in Major Keys ● Pod 27: Eighth Note Triplets and Swinging Eighth Notes: Eighth
Transposing with One-Hand Major Solfege Melody and Other Hand “I” Chord Note Triplets ● Swinging Eighth Notes ● Counting with “and-a”

Pod 20: Minor Scales, Key Signatures and the i Chord: Minor Scale
Formula ● Key Signatures ● The “i” Chord ● Minor Scale Solfege and Pod 28: Chord Families in Major Keys: Diatonic Triads in Major Keys
Transposing a Full Minor Scale Melody ● 8-Measure Major Key Chord Progression Improvisation

Pod 21: Relative Major and Minor: Distinguishing between relative Pod 29: Chord Families in Minor Keys: Diatonic Triads in Minor Keys
Major and Minor in pieces ● Finding the “I, i” Chord ● Transposing with ● 8-Measure Minor Key Chord Progression Improvisation
One-Hand Minor Solfege Melody and Other Hand “i” Chord

Pod 22: Triads in Close Position Inversions: Triad Inversions ● Pod 30: Harmonic Minor: Harmonic Minor Scale and Resulting
Identifying Triad use in Songs ● Looking for the “V” Chord ● Diatonic Triads ● 8-Measure Improvisation - Minor Key Progression with
Transposing with “I” and “V” Accompanying Solfege Melody “V” from Harmonic Minor

Pod 23: Arpeggios and Broken Chords: Identifying Arpeggios & Book 4 Technique Section: All 12 Major and Minor Scales (1-Octave) ●
Broken Chords ● “IV” Chord ● Transposing with “I” & “IV” Triad Inversions ● “I-IV-V” Cadences
Accompanying Solfege Melody ● Songwriting Developed Further

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 DIAMOND PIANO The Diamond Piano Method Creating Lifelong Musicians

Book 5: Pods 31-37

Pod 31: Common Accompaniment Styles: Stride Bass ● Root-Fifth-
Root and Root-Fifth-Tenth ● Rhythmic Block Chords (close position
voicings) ●Harmonizing a Melody (choosing diatonic triads to support
melody)

Pod 32: Lead Sheets: Reading Lead Sheets and Arranging

Accompaniment ● Improvisation with “Student Chosen” Diatonic Chord
Progression

Pod 33: Seventh Chords: Seventh Chord Formulas (Major Seven,

Minor Seven, Dominant Seven) ● Improvisation with Diatonic Seventh
Chords

Pod 34: The Circle of Keys: The Circle of Fifths ● Quadrant Chord
Families ● Parallel Keys ● Neighbor Keys ● Improvisation with
Neighbors and Parallels

Pod 35: Pentatonic Scales: Pentatonic Scales (formulas for major and
minor) ● Pentatonic Improvisation with Guided “Licks”

Pod 36: The Blues: Blues Scale Formula ●12-Bar Blues Standard
Progression ● Common Blues Accompaniment Styles ● Melody Writing
Using Blues Scale

Pod 37: You Write the Songs: Creating Original Music Using Key
Signature and Time Signature of Pod Songs

Book 5 Technique Section: All 12 Major and Minor Scales (2-Octaves)

● Triad Inversions ● “I-IV-V” Cadences ● Diatonic Triad Families ● Five-
Gerry Diamond and his son, Owen
Finger Scale Positions from Every Scale Tone

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DIAMOND PIANO Book 1 Sample Creating Lifelong Musicians

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DIAMOND PIANO Book 1 Sample Creating Lifelong Musicians

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DIAMOND PIANO Book 2 Sample Creating Lifelong Musicians

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DIAMOND PIANO Book 2 Sample Creating Lifelong Musicians

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DIAMOND PIANO Book 3 Sample Creating Lifelong Musicians

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DIAMOND PIANO Book 3 Sample Creating Lifelong Musicians

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DIAMOND PIANO Book 4 Sample Creating Lifelong Musicians

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DIAMOND PIANO Book 4 Sample Creating Lifelong Musicians

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DIAMOND PIANO Book 5 Sample Creating Lifelong Musicians

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DIAMOND PIANO Book 5 Sample Creating Lifelong Musicians

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 DIAMOND PIANO DiamondPiano.com Creating Lifelong Musicians

Online Tools for Seamless Support

DiamondPiano.com is an incredible collection of online
resources which perfectly pair with the Diamond Piano
Method’s 5 Books.

 Video lessons accompany the entire text

 Audio and video play-alongs with full-orchestration
 Theory games and tests help keep skills sharp and
knowledge fresh
 Built-in incentives give students additional motivation
 Tools to help you fine-tune your lessons for each
individual student!

Instruction Videos
Each of the 37 Pods in the Diamond Piano Method
has a series of Instruction Videos that introduce each
new concept. This allows students the opportunity to
review any of the concepts covered during your
lesson before their next lesson. The age-old excuse
of “I forgot what you told me in last week’s lesson” is
no longer! Video instruction also gives motivated
students an easy way to move to the next lesson
when they are ready and eager instead of having to
wait until their next lesson.

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DIAMOND PIANO DiamondPiano.com Creating Lifelong Musicians

Getting Started Videos

Each and every song in the Diamond Piano
Method is accompanied by a Getting Started
Video. This video series gives students pointers
on how to approach each song, what concepts
are being practiced and tricky bits of each song
that need special attention. Throughout the
books, these Getting Started Videos guide
students in the best practices as they sit down to
approach unfamiliar pieces of music during their
practice time when they are on their own.

Demo Videos
Both the Piano Only and the Full Orchestration Demo
Videos give students an opportunity to both see every
song in the curriculum being played properly and to also
play along. Students can prop their tablets or smart
phones on the music stand and observe the fingering,
rhythm, dynamics, and tempo of the song being played
and try to match it. The Full Orchestration Demos add
vocals, percussion and other instrumentation which give
students the opportunity to hear the song as a “real”
song like their radio favorites.

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DIAMOND PIANO Audio Assistant Creating Lifelong Musicians

Audio Files

Each and every song in the Diamond Piano

Method curriculum is also supported with
Audio Files from the Full Orchestration
Demo Videos. Songs can be downloaded
and played through any device or
computer. Each song begins with a voice-
over that provides a “count-off.” These
Audio Files can be downloaded in Pod-
sized bundles to save time.

Ear Training
To support our burgeoning musicians’ musical training, we have recently
added a series of Ear Training exercises which gives students the
opportunity to put their knowledge to the test. From the very first Pod,
students will be presented with ear training exercises which increase in
complexity as they progress through the curriculum. Answer ‘keys’ are
found in the teacher and parent accounts in the form of video
performances of the ear training exercises. This work prepares students
to figure out on their own the pop songs that they love without
needing the spotty assistance of internet tutorials.

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DIAMOND PIANO Prescriptive Analysis Creating Lifelong Musicians

Pod Tests
DiamondPiano.com provides students with many
opportunities to solidify their music theory
fundamentals.

Our Pod Tests are designed to allow students to show

their mastery of theory concepts both new and old.
With a database of over 2,000 questions to choose
from, each multiple-choice Pod Test is unique and
meaningful to the lesson at hand. Each Pod Test
contains 10 questions. The 10 questions asked
include 6 questions related to new material
introduced in that specific Pod and 4 questions pulled
from the database of prior Pods. Pod Tests are self-
checking and prescriptive. Students are given
unlimited opportunities to succeed because the
program is designed to only count the highest 3
scores accomplished.

The Diamond Piano Method helped me to

understand music theory in a very
natural and step-by-step process.
-Ryan Burdett
Former student and current music therapist
Raleigh, NC

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DIAMOND PIANO Theory Games Creating Lifelong Musicians

G Clef Note Hunter

Note Hunter is a fun way to develop speed and
accuracy in note reading. There are 37 levels to
master!

The range of notes in a given Pod level falls

within the scope of all possible G Clef notes that
have been introduced. Key signatures and
sharps and flats are added to the game as they
are taught. Points are accrued by selecting the
correct key in the shortest amount of time with
penalties assessed for wrong selections.

F Clef Note Hunter

Beginning in Pod 2, 36 levels of F Clef Note

Hunter are added to the online suite of
materials. When the key corresponding to the
note on the staff is selected, that key flashes
green and the next note appears on the staff.
Incorrect key selections result in the key
flashing red and 5 seconds being added to the
timer.

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DIAMOND PIANO Theory Games Creating Lifelong Musicians

Beat Buster
Our Beat Buster game isolates just
the rhythmic component of music
to give students practice counting
and tapping out progressively
more challenging beats. This
game comes in 37 levels too!

Scale Scorcher
Introduced in Pod 5, the Scale
Scorcher gives students practice
building basic solfege patterns.
Students begin with building 5-note
Solfege patterns and progress to
building full-scale Solfege patterns in
major, natural minor and harmonic
minor. As with the Note Hunter
games, scores are based on accuracy
and speed.

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DIAMOND PIANO Theory Games Creating Lifelong Musicians

Chord Builder

Introduced in Pod 19, Chord

Builder is designed to solidify
students’ understanding of the
root, third, and fifth
components of major and
minor triads. Again, this game
is scored on both speed and
accuracy.

Chord Detective
Also introduced in Pod 19, Chord
Detective develops students’ ability
to recognize basic major and minor
triads in root position, first
inversion, and second inversion
when they see them written in
music. This game is also scored on
speed and accuracy.

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 DIAMOND PIANO Incentives Creating Lifelong Musicians

Build a Band
Everybody likes a reward. How about a gold record? Build a Band is a
My Awesome Band fun, educational, and fully-automated reward system that keeps
students motivated. Students earn points for successful completion of
DiamondPiano.com games and tests in each of the 37 Pods, receiving
virtual gold records when 90 points have accrued in a Pod. Students
use their gold records to “wake” band members. With 10 different
bands and catchy songs (that sneak theory into the lyrics!), students are
also exposed to a bit of arranging as they isolate each band member
and mix different combinations.

Scoring in DiamondPiano.com is designed to reward perseverance. Only the highest scores are
counted so with practice and diligence, everyone can attain our rewards!

Certificates of Mastery
Complete all of the online games and Pod Tests with perfect scores and
automatically receive, via email, a personalized Certificate of Mastery
for that Pod. Both the student and the teacher’s name and the date are
automatically added. Each certificate is designed specifically to
coordinate with the concepts introduced in that Pod. A Certificate of
Mastery is proof that the student has complete mastery of the material
because they need to have earned nearly perfect scores for each
activity.

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 DIAMOND PIANO Teachers’ Assistant Creating Lifelong Musicians

All-in-One System Lesson Plan Assistant

DiamondPiano.com is more than fun and games. The
program automatically archives all of the information
needed to help you plan your next lesson. Sign in to
your Teacher Account and select a student and you
will find a wealth of information at your fingertips –
scores for each and every attempt at our games and
tests, videos viewed, times logged in, and progress
made. You literally have a window on your student’s
online successes and struggles between lessons and
can tailor your next lesson to focus on the areas
which are most in need of help.

How many times did your student log in since his

last assignment? How many activities did he
attempt since his last assignment?

Scan the student detail page to quickly assess

login and activity.

Want to drill down further into your student’s Every assignment is archived and readily available
activities online? Click on the ‘Activity Log’ link for you to review. No more lost assignments, no
and you will see a detailed list of each online more assignments eaten by the dog or left at
activity attempted and the scores for each along home!
with which answers were incorrect.
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DIAMOND PIANO Teachers’ Assistant Creating Lifelong Musicians

Stay Connected Add Your Own Material to the Site!

Parents of young students need to be kept in the

loop as well. They are the linchpin to most students’
success. Within DiamondPiano.com, every student
assignment you enter is automatically emailed to the
parent as well as recorded on the student’s account
within the site and on your account, as well. It is
recorded in multiple places and is able to be
accessed in multiple ways.

You can also email parents as a group or individually

from within your DiamondPiano.com account. No
more hunting for parent email addresses –
everything is conveniently located in one central
This is BIG!
Your DiamondPiano.com teacher account gives you a
location to make the most of your time, allowing you
safe and ad-free location to store your own material –
to spend more time on the tasks you enjoy most –
pdfs, audio & video files. Keep all the information
creating lifelong musicians!
that your students need or want right in the same
location. You will never be presented with ‘suggested
videos’ as you are with other video sharing sites and
you will NEVER see an ad anywhere in your
DiamondPiano.com account.

Customize the landing page that your students see

when they sign in to your teacher neighborhood. Add
your own photos and text to enhance its appearance.
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DIAMOND PIANO Sign Me Up! Creating Lifelong Musicians

Q: What does Diamond Piano cost for teachers?

A: Nothing, nada, zip, zilch! It’s FREE!
You and your students can test drive a student account
for no charge or obligation. Select the Free Trial link at
DiamondPiano.com.

Give your students the gift of unparalleled, at-home

practice support with the most theory-rich, technology-
enhanced piano curriculum available today. Give
yourself the gift of a virtual assistant teacher and
administrator. Go to DiamondPiano.com today and let
us help you create lifelong musicians!
Sign up for a FREE teacher neighborhood and get
access to all the video and audio tutorials and a
watermarked pdf teacher copy of all 5 books!

Or you can set yourself up as a school – this option

gives you control of the online accounts. Instead of
the parent paying us, they pay you and we will bill you
per subscribed student. Contact us for details!

Diamond Piano is incredibly affordable for your

students, too. Less than $1 a week gets them amazing
at-home support between lessons!

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