ISBN 9780193543973.

Piano Sketches 1 is a fabulous new collection of easy pieces for younger pianists around the level of Grades 2-3. The pieces include a broad range of appealing and accessible styles and will delight student and listener alike, as well as helping to reinforce technical skills. Get ready to groove with the 'Frog Boogie', indulge in the beautiful harmonies of 'Lullaby', be transported by the energetic rhythms of the Scottish and Cuban dances, and sample the . sounds of the Orient. As well as being great fun to play, these pieces offer young pianists an adventure in texture, melody, and harmony and will support formal study.

I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the celebrated pianist Nicolas Horvath for enthusiastically
bringing my Debussy works to public attention in their solo piano formats, both through his recent
recitals across France and through this Naxos Grand Piano release (GP822). In some cases these are
true piano pieces (like Toomai des �l�phants), in others they are piano reductions of orchestral scores
(like F�tes galantes), while in others they are piano solos in their own right that also exist in orchestral
versions (as in the incidental music for Le Roi Lear). Needless to say, most of these tracks are world
premi�re recordings, and this is certainly true of A Night in the House of Usher and its companion piece Un Jour affreux avec Le Diable dans le beffroi (?A Dreadful Day with the Devil in the Belfry?) which I arranged specially for Nicolas in November 2018 as a virtuosic, almost Lisztian paraphrase-fantasy. To remind us of the plot as the dramatic scenes unfold, Un Jour affreux avec le Diable dans le beffroi, like the start of No-ja-li) has a narrator (spoken in French by Florient Azoulay on the Grand Piano recording):

[After an overture rising from the underworld, with a polka and a citation of a chldren?s folksong Savez vous plantez les choux?, a carillon rings out]: Hearing it, the Dutch villagers start to count, with the bells of the belfry / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 8, 9, 11, and 12 / Perfect! / 13!?!/ The bell rang 13 times / 13! / The Devil is here where the clock should be! / Damn! / The bells are cracked. / The Devil laughs fit to burst / He pulls from the pocket of his coat, a small dancing master?s violin / ?My God!? says the devil ? and he tunes his violin slowly / The Devil leads the villagers in a fantastic and relentless jig [making jokes at the expense of concertos by Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky] / The Devil directs the villagers towards the canal ? where he jumps to the other side, laughing all the time / The villagers try to imitate him, but they fall into the water. / [In Part 2] the villagers are transported to a hedonistic and lively Italian village. They are similarly transformed: the men have crooked hats ? the women have wide open bodices! They dance a mad Tarantella / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 13 / shouting ?Hey there! (Hola?) / Jean, the young hero, makes a fervent prayer to God against the Devil / The prayer is answered and the bell again rings normally! / The expression of the Devil changes: he shudders! / Everything goes black / The devil disappears in a brief red glow ? / And the carillon and the bells chime as usual / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 / Perfect! / But the Devil?s grinning face ap-
pears once again where the clock should be ? briefly

JAZZ TIME is a collection of 15 original Jazz piano pieces representing different styles and eras in Jazz history. The book consists of pieces for easy- intermediate to advanced level pianists. Friendly and charming musical language equally appeals to all age groups from children to adults. Each piece paints a colorful picture of some moment in time, sometimes in the past, other times in the future, and creates a wonderful Jazzy mood. The collection represents Ragtime, Blues, Big Band, Swing, Jazz Waltz, New Age, Funk, Bebop, Boogie Woogie and a Ballad. Titles include Sunny Day Rag, Bluer Than Blue, Doing The Town, Friday Jive, Melancholy Waltz, Water So Clear, Carnaval in Brasil, Necessary Jam, Autumn Dance, Broken Circles, Rocking on Through, Artistry In Rhythm, Flowing Dreams, Canada Rag and Moon Dance.

This collection includes nine familiar Christmas favorites: Jingle Bells, We Three Kings, O Christmas Tree, Russian Dance (from "The Nutcracker"), Deck the Halls, Joy to the World, Away in a Manger, Silent Night, and Carol of the Bells. These student-friendly arrangements feature large print and have fingerings clearly marked.

This collection is appropriate for students in level 1 and 2 of most method books. Some of the concepts encountered include: simple position shifts, finger crossings, intervals up to a fifth, root position chords, and eighth notes. There is also one piece each in F major, G major, and A minor. See samples of each piece and hear each piece performed in its entirety in the sample video.

Need an even easier Christmas collection? Take a look at my "First Christmas Favorites" for beginner piano!

This collection includes 10 spooky, famous classical works in minor keys--perfect for Halloween, or for any time of year! These pieces are appropriate for students in levels 1-2 of most piano method books. The accompanying video contains a sheet music sample and audio sample of each piece in the collection.

Selections include: Theme from the Fifth Symphony (Beethoven), In the Hall of the Mountain King (Grieg), Theme from Symphony No. 1 (Mahler), Egyptian Dance (Saint-Saens), Toccata in D Minor (J.S. Bach), Slavonic March (Tchaikovsky), Finale (Dvorak), Funeral March (Chopin), Fur Elise (Beethoven), and Funeral March of a Marionette (Gounod).

Check out my other classical collections and hundreds of classical, pop, and video game titles here at Sheet Music Plus by clicking on my publisher name above!

Chrissy Ricker is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) with a Master's degree in piano performance and pedagogy. Chrissy enjoys composing and arranging music to motivate and challenge students of all ages. In addition to the works she publishes through SMP Press, Chrissy's piano music is also published by Kjos Music Company and Piano Pronto Publishing. Her music has appeared on the piano contest lists of many state and national teaching associations, including the National Federation of Music Clubs. Visit Chrissy's website at www.chrissyricker.com

This early intermediate piano arrangement of Dances With Wolves is evocative of the expansive landscape and strength of the characters in the film. It has a pianistic feel to the sweeping left hand while keeping the integrity of the original melody. As a slow majestic piece, it allows the pianist to focus on syncopation while adding pedal if desired.
Pianists can follow the dynamics, articulation marks and finger numbers while working on maintaining five finger hand positions, coordination and balance between hands.
This arrangement is suitable for children and adults of any age and can be used to help build technique, expand repertoire, perform in recitals or learn for fun.
The approximate duration of this piece is 1 minute 40.

"More Easy Classical Favorites" is a collection of 12 famous classical works arranged for late elementary piano. These top-requested familiar classics have been carefully arranged for students in levels 2-3 of most piano method books. The accompanying video contains a sheet music and audio sample of each piece.

Included in this collection: Rondeau (Mouret), Trumpet Voluntary (Clarke), Musette (J.S. Bach), Morning Theme (Grieg), William Tell Overture (Rossini), Adagio Cantabile (Beethoven), The Blue Danube Waltz (Strauss), Prelude in E Minor (Chopin), Waltz of the Flowers (Tchaikovsky), Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Tchaikovsky), Clair de Lune (Debussy), and Maple Leaf Rag (Joplin).

Like this collection but need a different level? Check out my "Easy Classical Favorites" (elementary piano) or "Intermediate Classical Favorites" (intermediate piano) collections here at Sheet Music Plus by clicking on my publisher name above!

About the arranger: Chrissy Ricker is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) with a Master's degree in piano performance and pedagogy. Chrissy enjoys composing and arranging music to motivate and challenge students of all ages. In addition to the works she publishes through SMP Press, Chrissy's piano music is also published by Kjos Music Company and Piano Pronto Publishing. Her music has appeared on the piano contest lists of many state and national teaching associations, including the National Federation of Music Clubs. Visit Chrissy's website at www.chrissyricker.com.