Piano Solo - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1023644

Composed by Ben Ledochowski. 20th Century,Contemporary,New Age. Score. 12 pages. Ben Ledochowski #6217585. Published by Ben Ledochowski (A0.1023644).

The Dreaming Sea was my first paid composition commission, a piece I wrote in April 2020. For the composition commission, my author friend Sterling Wisniewski requested me to score a short story of his, with the score I provided being expected to tell the story of the words through music and accompany original artwork. His short story is included as follows:

A cardboard boat sifts the surface of the sea. A little girl,eyes closed, arms wide and crowned with a paper hat, stands at the front of the deck. Unsinkable - that's what she was. Her imagination bounced the boat on the tension of theworld, almost like it wasn't there. Her eyes were closed, yet she saw everything. 
On shore, a crowd of dirty sailors went about their work. Nasty mouths swore and harsh fists carried their cargo to their strong, dirty boat. A boy, no taller than a barrel, was in the midst of the buff shoulders and fit forearms. He peaked between the muscle mountains.
He saw her. Eyes closed and arms wide, sailing away from the Sun and into the appearing Moon. The wind flapped her hair like the sail of a boat. The boy pried between the men and ran to the end of the dock, stuck his flat hand over his forehead to see. The boy could've sworn that she saw him. He could've sworn the boat swooped in a foot from his face. He could've sworn he heard her giggle. If anything, he thought he knew she saw him.
The boy's father, the largest of all the men, wearing a real sailor's hat, gripped the boy's shoulder, spun him away from view of the cardboard boat, and without a word dragged him to the solid wooden ship in front of them. The robust crew pulled ropes and pushed out to set sail towards the setting Sun in the west.
The boy soon slipped out of his father's grip and ran to the edge of the boat. Standing on his tiptoes, he hovered his eyes over the dock. There she was - eyes closed and arms wide, the wind flowing through her hair while her cardboard boat skipped the seas like a stone. he could've sworn she was thinking about him. he could've sworn he would see her again. He could've&n.

By George Gershwin. Arranged by Rupert Austin. 6 pages. Published by Rupert Austin

Instrumental Solo,Piano and Keyboard - Interactive Download

SKU: A0.480157

Composed by Mitch Boucher. This edition: Interactive Download. Classical. Individual part. 8 pages. Duration 316. Published by Mitch Boucher (A0.480157).

I figure every pianist (and keyboardist) has their own inner Beethoven, and every composer does too! I've studied piano, but I never really delved into any literature. But I figure that while I write eighteenth-century music, I shouldn't limit myself to just instruments from that era, ergo the first movement to my piano partita. If there are any pianists on this site, please feel free to give me some feedback! If you want to play it and make a video/recording, go ahead!

Piano Solo - Level 5 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1235275

By Elvis Presley. By Carl Sigman, Francois Becaud, and Pierre Delano. Arranged by Timothy Stapay. Film/TV,Jazz,Latin,Singer/Songwriter,Standards. Score. 10 pages. Timothy Stapay #830811. Published by Timothy Stapay (A0.1235275).

This arrangement of What Now My Love is written as performed by legendary pianist, Liberace.  It's in a moderate Bolero rhythmic style.

What Now, My Love? is the English title of a popular song whose original French version, Et maintenant (English: And Now) was written in 1961 by composer Gilbert Bécaud and lyricist Pierre Delanoë. The recurring musical pattern in the background is the Boléro by Ravel. English lyrics and the title were written by Carl Sigma.

Lyrics:

What now my love, now that you've left me
How can I live through another day
Watching my dreams turn to ashes
And my hopes turn to bits of clay

Once I could see, once I could feel
Now I am numb, I've become unreal
I walk the night, without a goal
Stripped of my heart and my soul

What now my love, now that it's over
I feel the world falling all around me
Here come the stars, tumbling around me
There's the sky, where that sea should be

What now my love, now that you're gone
I'd be a fool to go on and on
No one would care, no one would cry
If I should live if I should live or die

What now my love, now there is nothing
Only my last, my last good-bye

Władziu Valentino Liberace(May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor.  A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordings, television, motion pictures, and endorsements. At the height of his fame from the 1950s to 1970s, he was the highest-paid entertainer in the world!

Piano Solo - Level 3 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1311786

By The Monkees. By John Stewart. Arranged by Martyn Clive Johnson (aka Martycli Piano Guy). 21st Century,Comedy,Contemporary,Pop,Ragtime. Score. 6 pages. Martyn Johnson #900732. Published by Martyn Johnson (A0.1311786).

This piece should be played with a swing or bounce ie quavers/eighth notes should be played in a ratio of 3:2 to give it a shuffle. I've arranged it in a sort of Stride Piano style and the introduction owes a lot to Fats Waller and his famous waterfall technique. I don't include dynamics or fingering as no two piano teachers would agree on such things I prefer to leave these to the individual player. 
This is a really fun piece to play and is a tune of great nostalgic value for me. 
Also note this is a piano solo and doesn't include notation for the other instruments in my YouTube video but was written as a piano solo and sounds great as such.
Hope you get as much fun out of playing it as I have.

Piano Solo - Level 2 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1047847

By Steve Thweatt. By Steve and Ellen Thweatt. Arranged by Steve and Ellen Thweatt. 20th Century,Blues,Contest,Festival,Instructional,Jazz. Score. 6 pages. Steve Thweatt #652290. Published by Steve Thweatt (A0.1047847).

Play this bluesy number when you've got those night time blues. This arrangement is for early intermediate piano solo. The rhythm should not be too strict.

Piano Solo - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1425908

By Damien Gauci. By Damien Gauci. Classical,Contemporary. Score. 5 pages. Damien Gauci #1006672. Published by Damien Gauci (A0.1425908).

There’s a funny little story with how I wrote this piece. I’ve got these dice called ‘Rory’s Story Cubes’ which have little pictures on them and they’re meant to be an ice breaker where you roll the dice and come up with a story based on the images that come up. Anyway, I thought of using them to help me come up with an idea for a new composition. So I rolled some of the dice and there was a picture of a fire, a house, and someone running - something like that, I can’t remember exactly what the pictures were. Then that prompted me to write this composition: ‘Fire in the House’. It was a great way to try something new and write something that I never would have thought to write if it were not for those dice.

Through the piece I have written little annotations to explain what is happening in the story of the piece of music and the scene I was trying to reflect in the music. It was a fun little piece to write and I really enjoyed using the dice to come up with a story for me to write about - I should definitely do it more often to try something new and get out of my comfort zone. I highly recommend you pick some up one day if you write music too - they’re a great tool to have!

Piano Solo - Level 3 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.972032

Composed by Keir C. Crawley. 20th Century,Contemporary. Score. 3 pages. Keir C Crawley #6457281. Published by Keir C Crawley (A0.972032).

Composed and recorded towards the end of lockdown three ‘A is for Ariana’ is a short piano piece, akin to a romantic miniature but with a more contemporary harmonic vocabulary, composed to celebrate the 7th birthday of my good friend's daughter. As with 'Ariana's Nocturne', 'Adventure', 'Imagination', 'Ballet: Parts 1 and 2' and 'Summer Day' the music is based on a motif that 'exclaims' Ariana's name. As I’ve not seen either father or daughter in the real world since before lockdown number one ‘A is for Ariana’ is a concept piece - a quick glance at the score should reveal why! .

Piano Solo - Level 3 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.693014

Composed by Ben Dockery. 20th Century,Contemporary,Jazz,Standards. Score. 3 pages. Ben Dockery #3381217. Published by Ben Dockery (A0.693014).

This intermediate meditation for piano (3 min) is the fifth in a set of twelve.  It is, perhaps, the most impressionist piece I've ever written.  Its lush and sometimes dissonant harmonies contrast with the sparkles of light that glimmer throughout.  A tender, sensitive interpretation is required.

The form is a short five-part rondo: ABACA.  The A sections alternate in compound meter and are entirely modal.  Both the B and C section switch to common time and have chorale style textures.  Be sure to prepare dissonances and resolve suspensions with proper voicing, balance, and a sense of rubato.  Sustain pedal should be used throughout.

Find more of my music at www.bendockery.com.  There you can subscribe to my email list to get updates and tons of free music!     .

Piano Solo - Level 2 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1468898

Composed by Michael Huseman. 21st Century,Children,Contemporary. Score. 2 pages. Michael Huseman #1047030. Published by Michael Huseman (A0.1468898).

This is the fourth piece in my as yet un-named series of piano pieces I've been writing for my students. This one I named Timing is Everything . I wrote it to help my students keep a steady pulse throughout the piece. Changing from steady quarter notes in the left hand to dotted quarter patterns while keeping the pulse aids them in dealing with multiple rhythms within any piece they might encounter. It should be played at a fast pace.  It's not the hardest piece to play, but as the title says, timing is everything!.

Piano Solo - Level 2 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.887255

Composed by Charles-Louis Hanon. Arranged by Martin Woodward. Instructional. Score. 37 pages. Martin Woodward #6513221. Published by Martin Woodward (A0.887255).

Hanon Piano / Keyboard Exercises 1 - 30
Condensed and Simplified for Beginners Easy Reading

In this short book you will find condensed and simplified versions of the Hanon piano finger exercises 1 - 30 as well as the major, harmonic minor and melodic minor scales in every key (two octaves).

What is Hanon?

The ‘Hanon Virtuoso Pianist’ is a collection of piano finger exercises designed to give equal strength, agility and flexibility to all five fingers of both hands. Written by Charles-Louis Hanon sometime in the 1800s, these exercises without doubt have become one of the most widely used techniques by today’s pianists. In my opinion these are the best finger exercises available.

One really great thing about these exercises is that they are applicable to both absolute beginners and advanced players alike, particularly as the reading ability required is minimal. Whatever your ability, these exercises will help improve your technique and finger strength.

Having been written well over 100 years ago, the original work is now in the public domain and therefore digital copies can be acquired free of charge on the internet. However, most of these are very poor quality and the instructions are mainly in French or Russian - neither of which work too well for me! For the full version I personally recommend the ‘Alfred’ Edition edited by Allan Small which is clear and has instructions in English.

So why do I need this book?

The whole point is to make it easy to read and to reduce page turns - less is more! In the full version the first 30 exercises take up fifty pages whereas here there are three exercises per page for the first 20, then two per page for the next 10, reducing the fifty pages to just twelve. I initially produced this for my own use only but figured that others may like to take advantage of what I’ve done.

Does this mean that the print is just smaller?

No, not at all. If you are familiar with these exercises you will know that they are repeated patterns which ascend and descend for two octaves diatonically.

To condense and simplify them and consequently eliminate an enormous amount of page turns I have shown:

• the all-important fingering on the first pattern (as per the original)
• then the repeated second pattern
• then ‘changeover’ patterns between ascending and descending - which are sometimes slightly different
• then finally the last pattern of each exercise which again is often very slightly different.

I have also written them two octaves apart (for easy reading) and only shown them for one octave instead of two. In practice they should be played one octave apart and ultimately be practiced for two octaves.

You can print out any or all the pages as required (the link for the pdf printable version is given at the end of the book).

Please see: https://learn-keyboard.co.uk/hanon.html