Jerald Simon has done it again. He recently released a new book, Platinum. Platinum is filled with 17 “cool” songs in the Intermediate-Late Intermediate level. (How beautiful is that cover?!)

All 17 of these cool songs were composed by Jerald Simon as part of his “Cool Songs Annual Subscription”. So if you already subscribe, chances are you may have all or most of these pieces and already know how fun they are. If you would like to check out more details about the weekly “Cool Songs” annual subscription, click here. One of my favorite features are the helpful videos where Jerald goes through the pieces in detail and also teaches theory examples and exercise that demonstrate practical application. The tips really encourage students to branch out and make music on their own. Jerald is a HUGE proponent of getting students to improvise and compose.

If you don’t already subscribe to his YouTube channel, do it. It is worth the weight in gold. Even if you never used any of his music (though you should), his tips are very practical for everyone.

Getting back to Platinum… Most of the pieces in Platinum are 1-2 pages long. They are great to use as student savers, supplementary material and are especially fun to perform when played along with the performance tracks. Each piece includes (1) Performance Speed with Piano, (2) Performance Speed – No Piano, and (3) Practice Speed – No Piano.

Jerald’s pieces are always taught with a theory purpose behind them. In Platinum the pieces inside will teach chord inversions, chord progressions (such as 1-6-4-5), Triads, Scales, Syncopations, Intervals, Triplets and so on… The pieces have a description of theory tips to watch for and practice before learning the piece.

Most of the pieces in Platinum are upbeat, but every once in a while there will be pieces like Starlight Serenade or Takin’ It Easy which will slow things down a bit. As mentioned earlier, the pieces in Platinum are for students in the Intermediate to Late Intermediate level. Keys will range anywhere from C Major to E flat Major or C minor.

To see more examples of all the pieces included in Platinum click here. Platinum is available in his Cool Songs Club!

Disclaimer:  I received a free e-book copy of this series in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own. 

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