A piece a week Piano Grade 3 is ideal to be used alongside the Improve your sight-reading! Series graded piano books to support and improve the reading skills so fundamental to successful sight-reading. These fun, short pieces are specifically written to be learnt one per week. By continually reading accessible new repertoire, the crucial processing of information and hand-eye coordination are established and improved, developing confident sight-reading. The ability to sight-read fluently is a vital skill, enabling students to learn new pieces more quickly and play with other musicians. The best-selling Improve your sight-reading! Series, by renowned educationalist Paul Harris, is designed to develop sight-reading skills, especially in the context of graded exams.

The eight books cover the requirements for ABRSM's sight-reading tests at each of Grades 1 to 8, and include: *many short, characterful pieces to sight-read, in a range of approachable musical styles *warm-up and technical exercises, to establish basic hand shapes and finger patterns within each key *simple musicianship exercises in which students can explore ideas and familiarize themselves further with the 'feel' of each key *longer solo pieces and a duet, for additional sight-reading practice or to learn quickly and play through for fun

One of the most idiosyncratic and charismatic musicians of the twentieth century, pianist Glenn Gould (1932-82) slouched at the piano from a sawed-down wooden stool, interpreting Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart at hastened tempos with pristine clarity. A strange genius and true eccentric, Gould was renowned not only for his musical gifts but also for his erratic behavior: he often hummed aloud during concerts and appeared in unpressed tails, fingerless gloves, and fur coats. In 1964, at the height of his controversial career, he abandoned the stage completely to focus instead on recording and writing.
Jonathan Cott, a prolific author and poet praised by Larry McMurtry as "the ideal interviewer," was one of the very few people to whom Gould ever granted an interview. Cott spoke with Gould in 1974 for "Rolling Stone "and published the transcripts in two long articles; after Gould's death, Cott gathered these interviews in "Conversations with Glenn Gould," adding an introduction, a selection of photographs, a list of Gould's recorded repertoire, a filmography, and a listing of Gould's programs on radio and TV. A brilliant one-on-one in which Gould discusses his dislike of Mozart's piano sonatas, his partiality for composers such as Orlando Gibbons and Richard Strauss, and his admiration for the popular singer Petula Clark (and his dislike of the Beatles), among other topics, "Conversations with Glenn Gould" is considered by many, including the subject, to be the best interview Gould ever gave and one of his most remarkable performances.

W. Dean Sutcliffe investigates one of the greatest yet least understood repertories of Western keyboard music: the 555 keyboard sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti. Scarlatti occupies a position of solitary splendour in musical history. The sources of his style are often obscure and his immediate influence is difficult to discern. Further, the lack of hard documentary evidence has hindered musicological activity. Dr Sutcliffe offers not just a thorough reconsideration of the historical factors that have contributed to Scarlatti's position, but also sustained engagement with the music, offering both individual readings and broader commentary of an unprecedented kind. A principal task of this book is to remove the composer from his critical ghetto (however honourable) and redefine his image. In so doing it will reflect on the historiographical difficulties involved in understanding eighteenth-century musical style.

The name of Ruckers is as important to early keyboard instruments as Stradivarius is to strings. This book describes in close detail the art and technique of the Ruckers family, who produced harpsichords and virginals throughout a period of over 100 years. Dr O'Brien provides detailed information about the construction and decoration of Ruckers harpsichords and virginals, as well as the numbering, pitch, stringing, and the determination of the original state of their instruments. Like Stradivarius violins, Ruckers instruments were later altered, and the nature and musical significance of these alterations are discussed, as is the influence of the Ruckers style on later building practice. The instruments in their original and altered states are considered in relation to the music of the time and to contemporary performance practice. The text is richly illustrated with diagrams and pictures of original instruments, and with plan-view photographs reproduced at a scale of 1: 10. The book also contains a partially illustrated catalogue of authentic and fake instruments, followed by extensive appendices.

Nikki Iles & Friends Book 2 is a collection of 13 original compositions and new arrangements for piano written by Nikki Iles and her friends from the world of jazz. Expertly curated and commissioned by Nikki Iles, this book contains piano pieces at the levels of Grades 6 to 8 written by some of the best-known figures on the jazz scene. Also including a CD with recordings of every piece, this book provides a wealth of new and original jazz piano music for those seeking to explore accessible jazz repertoire, building a recital or a programme for ABRSM Performance Grades, or simply playing for pleasure. Contents: Fly Me to the Moon (arr. Nikki Iles) Tilt that Woolly Hat (Julian Joseph) Abide with Me (arr. Pete Churchill) Shenandoah (arr. Nikki Iles) Lakeshore Drive (Andrea Vicari) Eco Warrior (Tim Garland) Yewfield (based on Clapperclowe) (arr. Nikki Iles) Time Will Tell (Kate Williams) Lower East Side (Nikki Iles) Kickin' Off (Jason Rebello) A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (arr. Nikki Iles) Go with the Flow (Zoe Rahman) On a Mission (Gwilym Simcock)

Mozart's piano sonatas form a richly diverse and significant part of his instrumental output, and span much of his mature composing career, thereby representing a microcosm of the composer's changing style. Part I examines the contexts in which the sonatas were composed and performed, and reviews likely sources of influence. Part II concentrates on the genesis of the sonatas and the surviving autographs, which reveal important information about Mozart's compositional process. In Part III the music is studied from the standpoint of rhetoric - a discipline featured in numerous contemporary aesthetic and theoretical textbooks on music - and proceeds through an investigation of the nature of the musical ideas, followed by a discussion of formal design and finally a consideration of the style. The resulting picture affords a cross-section of Mozart's compositional strategies.

(Big Note Songbook). Big-note arrangements of 17 songs from the film adaptation of the megahit musical featuring the songs of ABBA. Includes: Dancing Queen * Does Your Mother Know * Honey, Honey * I Have a Dream * The Name of the Game * Super Trouper * Take a Chance on Me * The Winner Takes It All * and more.

(Piano Solo Songbook). Nine piano solo arrangements of ten Michael Giacchino compositions from the score of the hit 2009 movie, the highest-grossing film in the Star Trek series. Includes: Back from Black * Does It Still McFly? * Hella Bar Talk * Labor of Love * Nero Fiddles, Narada Burns * Nice to Meld You * Star Trek * That New Car Smell * To Boldly Go.

(Faber Piano Adventures ). 12 songs carefully graded for students to enjoy, including: Colors of the Wind * Eleanor Rigby * La Bamba * The Lion Sleeps Tonight * Pachelbel Canon * Star Wars * and more.

Five superb albums of graded pieces provide a wealth of jazz repertoire. Throughout, there is a huge range of styles, from bebop blues to calypsos, boogie-woogie to ballads, jazz waltzes to free jazz. There are classic tunes by the jazz greats, including Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. And there are brand-new pieces specially commissioned from professional British jazz musicians and educators. Each album presents 15 pieces in three lists: blues, standards and contemporary jazz. The head of each piece is set out with all the characteristic voicings, phrasing and rhythmic patterns you need for a stylish performance. The improvised section gives guideline pitches and left-hand voicings as a practical starting-point. Accessible, student-centred and of the highest musical standards, these pieces will get you playing jazz confidently and creatively.

Piano Mix is packed full of brilliant music that has been specially arranged for easy piano. It's a whirlwind of styles and genres from centuries gone by through to the present day. The repertoire reflects the type of music found in our Piano syllabuses. In Piano Mix 2 the pieces are mostly at Grade 2 standard, helping pianists progress to Grade 3 towards the end of the book. The series has been compiled and edited by David Blackwell with arrangements by Alan Bullard, Nikki Iles, Christopher Norton and Tim Richards to name a few. Every arrangement is enjoyable to play because it fits well under the pianist's hands while remaining faithful to the original work. Well-known music includes ballet music from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker and 'The Muppets' theme tune. There are also lots of unsung melodies to be discovered like China's 'Kangding Love Song' and a traditional Scottish piece called 'Roaring Jelly'. From the orchestra to the opera and from folk to jazz, there's a world of music at your fingertips!