Trick-or-Treating captures the playful spirit of Halloween. Staccato passages feel like mischievous children in costume tiptoeing from house to house (will they play a trick or get a treat?!), followed by dramatic unisons, octaves, and full four-note chords that absolutely scream, “THIS IS HALLOWEEN!” This late intermediate to early advanced Halloween piano solo is perfect for a Halloween recital piece or and will get everyone in the mood for something delightfully spooky!
Any cat lover will have a blast playing this late beginner original composition. Sneaky Black Cat exhibits very cat-like behavior, with unexpected trills, dynamic changes, staccatos, accents, and more. It really feels like a cat walking and pouncing along the piano keys. Sneaky Black Cat is a great beginner piano piece for Halloween or any time of year.
With a calm start that increases in volume and speed, Diminished is an unusually fun beginner waltz. RH and LH take turns playing broken chords in minor and diminished forms, changing octaves and dynamics to add mystery. Beginner pianists will love the fortissimo finish that is “as fast as possible”! This is a great original composition to help students channel their Halloween excitement!
It was a dark and stormy night — lightning flashes, thunder crashes, pouring rain, pounding hail. Late elementary to early intermediate pianists will love how Stormy Night captures this moody, dark scene, perfect for Halloween music. In this original composition, RH takes on the role of the rain and hail while LH controls the thundering melody. Octave changes and harmonic intervals help with keyboard awareness and reading skills, while the quick tempo and dynamics develop musical expression.
Moonlit Walk is a somber beginner piece in C minor. It has moving melodic lines in both hands, played in turn so that the two hands are not moving simultaneously and so that beginners can focus their attention on the moving hand. It also has atypical hand positions (instead of both in C), all intervals are steps or skips (except one), and finger numbers are only included occasionally to help develop reading skills. Moonlit Walk is a contemporary beginner Halloween piece that is smooth, serious, and sad in tone.
Many wonderful nursery rhymes tell great stories, but most are eventually forgotten if they are never set to music. I’ve set this rhyme to a lovely little tune that rocks like a boat sailing gently across the sea. Set in 6/8 meter, the lilting melody and steady broken chord accompaniment call back to times when we would all dream of candies and goodies brought home from across the seas.
If you’ve ever gone camping, it’s easy to recall the fun memories of playing in the lake, making s’mores, and setting up your tent together for a night under the stars. This early beginner piece is full of cheerful energy and is great for early beginners who are learning to play eighth notes and sharps. Some beginners may even want to swing the eighths like a campfire singalong.
Rock Band! will put you right in the mood for your next live rock concert! This original piece has a classic rock driving bass pattern (LH) and a simple RH melody, perfect for helping beginners master smaller intervals like skips/3rds and 4ths.
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, please let down your hair! In this original piece for beginner piano, Rapunzel and her charming prince sing their fairy tale story, each taking turns with the melody. The Treble or Bass melodies are supported by accompanying primary chords in the opposite hand. This fairy tale number helps beginners develop familiarity with primary chords, melody lines that move beyond 5-finger position, and balancing dynamics between melody and accompaniment.
The thrill of the game isn’t only found at the basketball court. Sports fans who are also beginner pianists can dribble their way across the piano keys with this new original piece! Moving eighth note patterns, articulations, and cross-hand movement all depict the exciting experience of making your way across the court, blocking your opponents, and dribbling the ball back and forth with your teammates before setting up a perfect Alley-oop with just seconds left on the clock as the crowd cheers. Basketball terms are included to help the music come alive for musical athletes.
Weigh anchor, me hearties! Set sail for the open sea! This original composition embodies the spirit of adventure, exploration, and of course, pirates! With a sailing 6/8 time signature reminiscent of old sea shanties and a melody that alternates between treble and bass, let’s hope you have your sea legs as this piece is sure to keep you on your toes. Sailing the Seven Seas is a catchy, lively piece that performs well at recitals and is especially written for early intermediate pianists who enjoy adventures and pirate music for piano.
Beginnings is a contemporary piano piece that sounds like the hopeful start of a new life journey. Steady long tones in the bass and repeated moving patterns in the treble make it feel almost like a part of the soundtrack to life. While written for beginners, it has a heartfelt sound that gives it a musical depth that appeals to teens, tweens, and adults.
A Minor Adagio is a beginner level piece that is the epitome of adagio – slow, solemn, and expressive. It is comprised of chords with the highest chord tone carrying the melodic line. Each chord has only 3 keys played simultaneously between the 2 hands, and all the intervals are either 2nds or 3rds. Combined with the steady rhythm and pattern-based transitions, this piece is very approachable for beginner pianists, yet it does not feel or sound “simple”. The minor key and dynamics that range from pianississimo to forte encourage a mature depth of musical expression. A Minor Adagio is an excellent selection especially for those interested in learning to play classical music and traditional hymns.
Quietude is the essence of calm and peacefulness. This original contemporary piece brings quiet calm amid the stresses of life.
The steady stepwise RH melody is embellished by LH alternating bass and treble tones, and the challenge of the LH crossovers is balanced by a slower tempo and simple chord structure. Quietude is pattern based for ease in learning for late beginner to early intermediate pianists of all ages.
This dramatic piano solo is surprisingly easy to play! Especially written for teens and preteens, this original contemporary piece has a dark and foreboding feel reminiscent of fantasy, video games, adventure, war — you name it! Heavily pattern based, Downfall’s form is easy to follow with repeated moving RH eighth note passages supported by deep, long octave tones in the LH. It can be quickly and easily learned even by beginner pianists. This composition is sure to impress and is fulfilling as either a performance piece or for personal enjoyment.
Soft, broken chords and a sad refrain paint a picture of lonesome beauty in this 3-page piano solo. The melody passes from treble to bass with continual flowing accompaniment and develops a progressively deeper tone over the course of the piece before ultimately dying away.
