Melodic Development Ideas
Melodic development seems to be an elusive skill with which only the most gifted composers were familiar. This doesn't have to be the case anymore. With this simple tool, one can spin out pages of development ideas and create an 8-measure melody in no time. The download is being offered for free for a limited…
The One That Got Away
The One That Got Away is a simplistic beauty. This late elementary piece offers a sweet melody that allows one of any age to tell a musical story of loss. The left hand accompaniment offers the comfort of gently swaying harmonic thirds and broken triads. As the story unfolds, one can imagine reminiscing…
The Human Spirit
The Human Spirit, a late elementary piece uses the determinable sound of harmonic fourths to capture the unifying aspect of the human spirit, resilience. The hope and disappointment that one can face as an individual, or as a people, can be heard in the rise and fall of the melody before finally ending…
Finally
Finally tells a story of the elation that one might experience when learning that a looming disappointment will never come to pass. This early intermediate tune, in six-eight time, opens in dminor before modulating to D-major where it explodes with joy expressed in easily fingered, repetitive scale passages that are accompanied by simple,…
El-Sol
El Sol is a late elementary piece has a fun and engaging offbeat motive. The thin texture and use of whole notes in the left hand allows students to experience immediate enjoyment while improving their rhythmic skill.
Dirty Dish Rag
Dirty Dish Rag is a super fun early intermediate rag with catchy, yet accessible, syncopated rhythms.
A Pirates Gig
Inspired by popular pirate movie soundtracks, A Pirate’s Gig offers early intermediate students a chance to escape to the world of high seas and swashbucklers. Beware: the scalawag who tries to play this tune without counting the rhythm might be forced to walk the plank.
All I Want From You
All I Want From You is a beautiful romantic style piece that will be a new favorite of your intermediate level adult students. In this piece, a simple melodic dialog grows into a yearning plea that refuses to go unheard.
October
October is a musical picture of this cold, grey month in the Pacific Northwest. If the blues were grey, this is what they might sound like.
Arietta in G
Arietta in G. This light piece that seems to float is great choice for students when learning to play with a quiet thumb.