12 Original Piano Ballads
12 new jazz piano solos for the intermediate level player.
The pieces in this selection of piano solos are intended to evoke the atmosphere and styles of popular songs from the periods when melody, lyrics and harmonies reached their peak.
In each piece the harmonies need to be understood in order to give a meaningful performance, and to this end chord symbols are included with every piece.
First published in 2011, 12 Original Piano Ballads is intended for Intermediate level onwards. It has 12 original compositions on 32 pages.
Price £12.95
CD Included!
Performances of each piece, played by John Kember.
The pieces are, in fact, 'songs without lyrics' but have titles that may suggest a mood or scenario and, together with the melodic lines and chord patterns, will encourage the player too perform with expression appropriate to the style. Players may like to listen for the melodic phrase which suggested the title in each song, as the music was conceived long before the title.
The 12 pieces, which are all included on the accompanying CD, are:
- And In The Morning
- Don't Know Where, Don't Know When
- Everybody Cares
- A Hint Of Love
- It Never Entered My Mind
- Just For A While
- Just One Moment More
- Not For Today
- One Day Soon
- Take Two
- To Make You Change Your Mind
- Today's The Day
What they say
“Adult pianists of intermediate standard will relish tunes which are reminiscent of Bacharach and Gershwin - but easier to play! ”
“'Original Piano Ballads' evokes popular ballads from the 20th century, as the introduction states: 'when melody, lyrics and harmonies reached their peak'. Titles such as Just One Moment More and One Day Soon suggest the mood of the piece that follows, and will suit Grade 5+ pianists who enjoy luxuriating in rich jazz chords and harmonies. Adult pianists of intermediate standard will relish tunes such as A Hint of Love and Not forToday, which are reminiscent of Bacharach and Gershwin songs - but easier to play! As always, Kember thinks about the pedagogical value in his music, and this selection of pieces will do much to develop a pupil's chord-voicing skills. Once again a CD is provided, with each piece performed in full.”
Hilary Garrett, 'Music Teacher', November 2011
