NEW RELEASES
| Everlasting | |||||||||||
Carefully crafted in the key of F major with a change of key to A-flat major, the lyricism of the melody in this romantic solo is truly satisfying. Balance between the hands is essential to bring out the soaring right-hand melody over the expansive left hand. The piece begins simply but continues to grow in intensity until the texture of the melody is thickened with intervals of thirds followed by a dying down of both the music and the mood, making this a wonderful piece for developing musical playing.
Hear Dennis Alexander perform this solo. Click on arrow.
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| Especially for Christmas, Bk. 1 (Early Intermediate--Intermediate) | |||||||||||
Christmas is the season for giving. I always enjoy sharing the gift of music with friends, family, students and their parents during this special time. "Especially for Christmas, Bk. 1" includes some of the world's favorite carols and Christmas songs such as "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and a jazzy, upbeat version of "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town." Pianists of all ages will enjoy the sophisticated yet easy-to-play arrangements. I hope that you, too, will be able to share the gift of music with your friends and loved ones this holiday season through the pieces in my "Especially for Christmas" series. Book 1 pieces include: "Away in a Manger", "The First Noel", "Good King Wenceslas", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year", "Santa Claus is Swingin' to Town", "Silent Night", "Up on the Housetop".
MP3 Selections: A. Up on the Housetop; B. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas; C. Santa Claus is Swingin' to Town
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| Especially for Christmas, Bk. 2 (Intermediate) | |||||||||||
Christmas is the season for giving. I always enjoy sharing the gift of music with friends, family, students and their parents during this special time. "Especially for Christmas, Bk. 2" includes some of the world's favorite carols and Christmas songs such as ""Jingle Bell Rock", "Who Comes This Night", and "Winter Wonderland". Pianists of all ages will enjoy the sophisticated yet easy-to-play arrangements. I hope that you, too, will be able to share the gift of music with your friends and loved ones this holiday season through the pieces in my "Especially for Christmas" series. Book 2 pieces include: "Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella", "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen", "Jingle Bell Rock", "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", "Who Comes This Night/It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" medley, and "Winter Wonderland".
MP3 Selections: A. Jingle Bell Rock; B. O Little Town of Bethlehem; C. Winter Wonderland
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| Especially for Christmas, Bk. 3 (Intermediate -- Late Intermediate) | |||||||||||
Christmas is the season for giving. I always enjoy sharing the gift of music with friends, family, students and their parents during this special time. "Especially for Christmas, Bk. 3" includes some of the world's favorite carols and Christmas songs such as "(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays", "I'll Be Home for Christmas", and a boogie version of "Jingle Bells". Pianists of all ages will enjoy the sophisticated yet pianistic arrangements. I hope that you, too, will be able to share the gift of music with your friends and loved ones this holiday season through the pieces in my "Especially for Christmas" series. Book 3 pieces include: "The Coventry Carol", "The First Noel", "(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays", "I'll Be Home for Christmas", "Jingle Bell Boogie", "Joy to the World/Angels We Have Heard on High", and "O Come, All Ye Faithful".
MP3 Selections: A. I'll Be Home for Christmas; B. The Coventry Carol; C. Jingle Bell Boogie
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| Winter Rhapsody | |||||||||||
The maestoso opening of this solo in 3/4 meter leads to an allegro molto tempo. From there, the piece takes off on a wild chase using triplet arpeggios, chromatic scales and ostinato patterns until it returns to the maestoso section in the final four measures. Don't be fooled by the C major key signature-there are many accidentals and more...chromatic passages, yet they fall comfortably within the hand. This is definitely a show-stopper and is destined to be a favorite on recitals and contest lists.
Hear Dennis Alexander perform this solo. Click on arrow.
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| Especially in Romantic Style, Bk. 1 | |||||||||||
Music written in romantic style is instantly appealing and some of the most accessible in terms of interpretation. Much of the music from the Romantic era was written especially for the piano. "Especially in Romantic Style" was written for pianist who love the expressive qualities of this instrument and the sounds of the romantic style. The warm, lyrical melodies and the rich harmonies of these pieces will appeal to pianists of any age. Through this music, students can learn to play with a beautiful tone, listen to each note, and shape musical phrases, preparing them to study the great Romantic period piano masterpieces of Chopin, Mendelssohn and Schumann. It is my hope that each of these musical vignettes will inspire students to create a beautiful sound and to play with expressiveness, musicality and finesse.
Titles Include:
Selections: A. Sweet Jasmine; B. Tahitian Nights; C. Tone Poem
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| Especially in Romantic Style, Bk. 2 | |||||||||||
Music written in romantic style is instantly appealing and some of the most accessible in terms of interpretation. Much of the music from the Romantic era was written especially for the piano. "Especially in Romantic Style" was written for pianist who love the expressive qualities of this instrument and the sounds of the romantic style. The warm, lyrical melodies and the rich harmonies of these pieces will appeal to pianists of any age. Through this music, students can learn to play with a beautiful tone, listen to each note, and shape musical phrases, preparing them to study the great Romantic period piano masterpieces of Chopin, Mendelssohn and Schumann. It is my hope that each of these musical vignettes will inspire students to create a beautiful sound and to play with expressiveness, musicality and finesse.
Titles Include:
Selections: A. Arioso in D Major; B. Jazz Romance; C. Impromptu in G minor
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| Especially in Romantic Style, Bk. 3 | |||||||||||
Music written in romantic style is instantly appealing and some of the most accessible in terms of interpretation. Much of the music from the Romantic era was written especially for the piano. "Especially in Romantic Style" was written for pianist who love the expressive qualities of this instrument and the sounds of the romantic style. The warm, lyrical melodies and the rich harmonies of these pieces will appeal to pianists of any age. Through this music, students can learn to play with a beautiful tone, listen to each note, and shape musical phrases, preparing them to study the great Romantic period piano masterpieces of Chopin, Mendelssohn and Schumann. It is my hope that each of these musical vignettes will inspire students to create a beautiful sound and to play with expressiveness, musicality and finesse.
Titles Include:
Selections: A. Midnight Meditation; B. Improvisation No. 1; C. The Promise of Spring
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| Performance Book 5 (Alexander, Kowalchyk, Lancaster, McArthur, Mier) | |||||||||||
With fresh and appealing music written for today's students, Performance Book 5 of Alfred Premier Piano Course gradually incorporates more complex technique and finger independence. Students will play a variety of styles ranging from lyrical ballads, pieces with rhythmic flair, jazz, boogie, and ragtime, to original classics. Stylistic elements of Baroque and Classical periods are introduced. New concepts include natural and harmonic minor scales (D and G minor), two octave scale fingerings, grace notes, and cut time. The music, complete with performance tips, carefully supports the new concepts contained in the corresponding Lesson Book 5. 32 pages.
Selections: A -A Splash of Indigo; B -Watercolor Impressions; C - Climbing the Pyrenees; D - Soldier's March; E - Clementi Sonatina, Op. 36, No. 1, 3rd mv't. Hear Dennis Alexander perform these solos. Click on arrow.
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| "The Carolinas" Recital Suite | |||||||||||
Dennis Alexander's "The Carolinas" is a musical vision of North and South Carolina. The three movements represent distinct characteristics of these states. The suite begins with "Dogwoods in Bloom," a tribute to the state flower of North Carolina. This colorful movement recreates the sound of the red cardinal (North Carolina's state bird) on the piano, signaling the bloom of the beautiful dogwood blossoms. South Carolina is highlighted in the second movement, "Dancin' the Myrtle Beach Shag," a lively rendition of this famous dance style. Both states are featured in "Storm on the Carolina Coast." This final movement captures the power, fury and drama of an impending storm bearing down on the coasts of North and South Carolina.
This movement would be a great contest piece or recital closer-----the perfect piece for a student who loves drama and speed.
Selections: A - Dogwoods in Bloom; B - Dancin' the Myrtle Beach Shag; C - Storm on the Carolina Coast
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| Valse triste | |||||||||||
Exploring the romantic style will be easy with this E minor solo in 3/4 meter. In A-B form, the left hand employs a simple broken-chord style accompaniment in the A section with the melody in the right hand. The B section features a left-hand melody with right-hand broken one-octave arpeggios. Balance between the hands and shaping the melody are two skills that can be honed in this lyrical solo.
Hear Dennis Alexander perform this solo. Click on arrow.
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| Technique Book 2A (Alexander, Kowalchyk, Lancaster, McArthur, Mier) | |||||||||||
The art of playing the piano requires three things: knowledge, musical feeling, and the physical skills to perform what is artistically intended, also known as technique. The development of technique is essential to future success at the piano. Developing technique is a result of first understanding, then practicing the correct physical movements many times.The technical goals in "Technique Book 2A" are accomplished through four types of activities:
Technique Tools from Books 1A and 1B are reviewed and new technical goals for this level are clearly presented through appealing and descriptive exercises:
1. Dynamic Shaping
2. Crossing over the Thumb
3. Solid-Sounding Chords
4. Two-Note Slurs
5. Seamless Melodies
6. Balance Between Melody and Accompaniment
7. Damper Pedal Footwork
Hands-Together Workshops focus on developing the skills necessary for coordinating hands-together playing.
Patterned Exercises provide students with the necessary repetitions to make the technique feel natural. Memorization, although optional is suggested.
Artistic Etudes showcase a student's technique in an artistic musical setting.
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| Christmas 3 - Alfred's Premier Piano Course | |||||||||||
Familiar motivational pieces for the holiday season using the same concepts introduced in the corresponding Lesson Book. Titles: Fum, Fum, Fum * God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen * Good King Wenceslas* I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day * Jingle Bell Rock * Jolly Old Saint Nicholas * Jingle Bells * O Come, All Ye Faithful * O Little Town of Bethlehem * We Three Kings of Orient Are * We With You a Merry Christmas. 24 pages.
A. Fum, Fum, Fum; B. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas; C. I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day Hear Dennis Alexander perform these solos. Click on arrow.
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| Christmas 4 - Alfred's Premier Piano Course | |||||||||||
Familiar motivational pieces for the holiday season using the same concepts introduced in the corresponding Lesson Book. Titles: Away in a Manger * Deck the Halls * The First Noel *Hark! The Herald Angels Sing * O Come, O Come, Emmanuel *Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow * Joy to the World * Russian Dance (Trépak) from The Nutcracker * Santa Claus is Comin' to Town * Silent Night * Ukrainian Bell Carol (Carol of the Bells) . 24 pages.
A. Hark! the Herald Angels Sing; B. First Noel, The; C. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town Hear Dennis Alexander perform these solos. Click on arrow.
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| Lesson Bk. 6 (Alexander, Kowalchyk, Lancaster,McArthur, Mier) | |||||||||||
Level 6, the LAST level in Alfred's Premier Piano Course, continues the steady development of artistry and keyboard skills that began in1A and continued through 5.
Selections: A - Toccata ritmico; B - Black Is the Color; C - Festival fantastico Hear Dennis Alexander perform these solos. Click on arrow.
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| Especially in Jazzy Style, Bk. 2 | |||||||||||
I have always loved improvising at the piano, and I am so fortunate that my piano teachers I studied with as a child never discouraged me from doing this! I worked my way through college by playing in a private dinner club every weekend for almost four years. It was then that I really learned to appreciate and experiment with jazz styles. I've always felt that classically trained pianists would play music by the master composers even better if they had the ability to improvise and/or perform music by some of the jazz greats such as Oscar Peterson and George Shearing. Young pianists today can benefit so much from the syncopated rhythms of jazz, the unique and often unexpected harmonies, and the freedom of expression inherent in this style. In "Especially in Jazzy Style, Book 2", students will be motivated by the infectious rhythms, harmonies, and lyrical melodies found in the pieces. Teachers will have fun sharing the challenges of jazz styles with students, who might be playing this type of music for the very first time. Enjoy, and be inspired by your personal interpretation of the solos in this collection. Titles include: COOL DUDE! * JAZZ NOCTURNE IN Bb MAJOR * NEW YEAR'S WALTZ * ONLY TIME WILL TELL * RAGTIME BOOGIE BLUES * STOMPIN' THE BLUES AWAY * SUMMER MOON * WITH MIXED EMOTIONS Selections: (A) "Cool Dude"; (B) "Summer Moon"; (C) "Ragtime Boogie Blues" Hear Dennis Alexander perform these solos. Click on arrow.
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| Especially in Jazzy Style, Bk. 3 | |||||||||||
I have always loved improvising at the piano, and I am so fortunate that my piano teachers I studied with as a child never discouraged me from doing this! I worked my way through college by playing in a private dinner club every weekend for almost four years. It was then that I really learned to appreciate and experiment with jazz styles. I've always felt that classically trained pianists would play music by the master composers even better if they had the ability to improvise and/or perform music by some of the jazz greats such as Oscar Peterson and George Shearing. Young pianists today can benefit so much from the syncopated rhythms of jazz, the unique and often unexpected harmonies, and the freedom of expression inherent in this style. In "Especially in Jazzy Style, Book 3", students will be motivated by the infectious rhythms, harmonies, and lyrical melodies found in the pieces. Teachers will have fun sharing the challenges of jazz styles with students, who might be playing this type of music for the very first time. Enjoy, and be inspired by your personal interpretation of the solos in this collection. Titles include: ALWAYS AND FOREVER * BARCLAY STREET BLUES * DOUBLE DUTY * IN MY OWN SPACE * JAZZ AT FIVE * A MILLION MILES AWAY * PORTO ALEGRE Selections: (A) "Barclay Street Blues"; (B) "Always and Forever"; (C) "Jazz at Five" Hear Dennis Alexander perform these solos. Click on arrow.
This collection or solo can be ordered
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| Especially in Jazzy Style, Bk. 1 | |||||||||||
I have always loved improvising at the piano, and I am so fortunate that my piano teachers I studied with as a child never discouraged me from doing this! I worked my way through college by playing in a private dinner club every weekend for almost four years. It was then that I really learned to appreciate and experiment with jazz styles. I've always felt that classically trained pianists would play music by the master composers even better if they had the ability to improvise and/or perform music by some of the jazz greats such as Oscar Peterson and George Shearing. Young pianists today can benefit so much from the syncopated rhythms of jazz, the unique and often unexpected harmonies, and the freedom of expression inherent in this style. In "Especially in Jazzy Style, Book 1", students will be motivated by the infectious rhythms, harmonies, and lyrical melodies found in the pieces. Teachers will have fun sharing the challenges of jazz styles with students, who might be playing this type of music for the very first time. Enjoy, and be inspired by your personal interpretation of the solos in this collection. Titles include: AS SEPTEMBER GOES * JAZZ JAM * PURPLE SAGE * RHYTHMICON * SMOOTH AS SILK * SNEAKIN' 'ROUND * SOFT-SHOE BLUES * SOUL SEARCHER * TAHITIAN NIGHTS * A TOUCH OF RHUMBA * VALSE DU JOUR Selections: (A) "Jazz Jam"; (B) "Soul Searcher"; (C) "Sneakin' 'Round" Hear Dennis Alexander perform these solos. Click on arrow.
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