Time Lines for Piano - Improve Your Rhythm and Reading Skills

The Time Lines music method for piano teaches students how to count and play rhythms accurately, how to improve their rhythm and reading skills, and how to broaden their overall musical awareness. It guides students through a fun, stepwise process of playing rhythm exercises and patterns, melodies, and Time Games. The Time Games are short pieces that can be played with both hands, or as a duet between students, or a duet between a student and teacher. They are fun but challenging pieces that ensure that students are counting and playing rhythms carefully. The books are equally effective for individual or group study.

The melodies are written on a single staff and alternate between treble and bass clef, so that students can focus on the rhythm of one hand at a time. The patterns in each Unit all follow the same chord progression, so students can play one line while their teacher plays another melodic phrase. Scroll down for examples of melodies from Time Lines Book 1 for Piano.

Purchase Time Lines Book 1 for Piano

Purchase Time Lines Music Method for piano Book 1 by Kyle Coughlin

Purchase the print version of Time Lines for Piano Book 1 from Lulu.com.
Purchase the PDF version of Time Lines for Piano Book 1 from Payhip.com
A free sample PDF of Unit 1 of Book 1 is also available so you can see how the material in the book is organized and presented.

Range of pitches used in the melodies in Time Lines Book 1 for Piano
Time Lines Book 1 for Piano uses a left hand range of C in the staff to G in the top staff space.

The melodies and Time Games in Book 1 of Time Lines use a limited pitch range, as shown above, so you can focus more on playing rhythms accurately, keeping a steady tempo, and feeling and enjoying the music you are playing. Each Unit in the book progresses gradually so that students first learn to play on the beat, then play notes longer than a beat, and then subdivide the beat.

In all, Book 1 includes 138 one-measure rhythm exercises, 126 rhythm patterns, 126 melodies, and 72 Time Games, that will help you improve your skills.

Play along with videos and recordings of the rhythm exercises, rhythm patterns, and melodies by following the links below. You can also see samples of the sheet music for the piano melodies in Time Lines.

At this point, I am busy working on completing the videos and example pages. I will add them and include links as soon as I can.

Follow these links to jump to the practice example audio and video:
Time Lines Rhythm Exercises
Time Lines Rhythm Patterns

Introductions and Explanations:
Unit 1: Quarter Notes and Quarter Rests in 2/4 and 3/4 Time Signatures
Unit 2: How to Play Quarter Notes and Quarter Rests in 4/4 Time Signature
Unit 3: How to Play Half Notes and Half Rests
Unit 4: How to Play Dotted Half Notes, Whole Notes, and Whole Rests
Unit 5: How to Play Eighth Notes
Unit 6: How to Play Dotted Quarter Notes
Unit 7: How to Play Pickup Notes
Unit 8: How to Play Ties Over Measure Lines

Examples of Melodic Phrases from Time Lines Book 1 for Piano

You can purchase the book to practice over two hundred more melodies, exercises, patterns, and Time Games.
Buy the PDF version of Time Lines Book 1 for Piano.
Buy the print version of Time Lines Book 1 for Piano.

Here are some samples of the short melodies (Melodic Phrases) for piano that are in the book. Make sure to practice the corresponding exercises and patterns first, though. Select any of the links below to hear and play along with audio examples of the Melodic Phrases.