Adventures on the High Seas, A Collection of 6 Original Solos Inspired by Pirate Tales.

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Adventure on the High Seas is a set of 6 original compositions exploring a wide range of moods from Epic to Tender - created to encourage pianists to achieve musical expression and develop technical skills. These descriptive pieces are educational as well as inspiring to play; appealing to tweens, teenagers and adult pianists. The Collection is designed as a whole- telling a story to inspire and offering contrasting pieces to work on different musical skills, inspired by stories of Pirates as seen in video games & movies; but each piece stands equally on its own. Excellent supplemental solos perfect for teaching concepts and Recitals!

Titles: Set Sail! Stormy Sea, Lost at Sea, “X” Marks the Spot, Escape! and New Horizons.

Level: Early Intermediate - Intermediate, RCM 4 - 5 equivalent

How Long: Cover + 19 pages music + optional covers to each piece - 6 pages.

This is a STUDIO LICENSE: One purchase - One person is allowed multiple copies for students in their Studio. Thank you for honoring the creativity and work of the composer.

Information about the pieces:

Set Sail! Here’s a wonderful piece that students will enjoy playing - fun & accessible, but the teacher will love the patters that make it easy to learn. Written in Bb Dorian, gives it that mystical sound, but no worries - it falls easily under the fingers - but watch out for the occasional Gb accidentals which put this in Bb Natural Minor too. The opening melody of dotted eighth & sixteen note patten in measure 1 could be tricky, but it repeats throughout which gives students plenty of practice learning the rhythm. Key: Bb Dorian Mode. but with a touch of Bb Natural Minor (with occasional Gb as accidentals) Time signature: 6/8 Skill development: 6/8 rhythms, Bb Dorian scale like passages, broken octaves, lyrical melodies, dynamic playing! What level: Early Intermediate  How long: Performance time 01:30. 

Stormy Sea: Written in the style of a Tarantella, this piece gives a fun introduction to chromatic playing. In m. 17, we see the chromatic figure as part of the melody - illustrating the rising and falling of the waves as they toss the ship to and fro. At the ending, we see a full octave chromatic scale creating excitement before the last mysterious chord. The B section in m. 33, brings interesting triads that move in 1/2 steps: E flat minor to D minor to C sharp minor and back to D minor which add to the turbulent nature of the storm. Dynamics are critical to making this piece shine - make sure to give big contrasts between loud & softs. This pieces offers just enough challenge to make the piece fun for the Early Intermediate pianist. Key: D Harmonic Minor Time signature: 6/8 Skill development: 6/8 rhythms - Tarantella style, Chromatic passages, Accidentals, Dynamic playing! What level: Early Intermediate  How long: Performance time 01:30. 

Lost at Sea: Lost at Sea is a simple yet elegant exploration of these feelings. The repeated patterns make this very accessible for Early Intermediate and the beautiful, singing melodies throughout offer wonderful chances to work on lyrical playing and dynamic differences. Strive to play so your audience hears the desperation in this piece. Key: G Natural Minor, with a touch of G Harmonic Minor (look for the F#). Time signature: 3/4 Skill development: Easy, Repetitive (Ostinato) Left Hand Cross hand arpeggio like figure at Octave. Dynamic contrasts. Lyrical melodies. What level: Early Intermediate  How long: Performance time 01:45. 

“X” Marks the Spot: Here’s a wonderful piece that students will enjoy playing - fun & accessible, but the teacher will love the patters that make it easy to learn. Written in C Natural Minor with a few B naturals to hint at C Harmonic Minor. I love that Left Hand melody! Enough of a challenge to intrigue, but it’s so fun to play, students don’t even realize they are spending more time on the keys! Key: C Natural Minor with a few B naturals to hint at C Harmonic Minor. Time signature: 4/4 Skill development: Counting rests! Left Hand melody. Descending C Natural Minor Scale. Coordinating hands for accented notes. Dynamic contrasts. What level: Early Intermediate  How long: Performance time 01:30. 

Escape! Right hand melody features some repeated notes that builds the excitement. The melody rises & falls, as if at sea. The contrasting B section gives a bit of rest, but continues the syncopated rhythm to help the student really learn it well. The returning A section is the same melody as before, but an octave higher. Key: F Natural minor Time signature: 4/4 Skill development: Repeated notes, Right Hand melodic arpeggio patterns, rhythmic patterns - repeated syncopated patterns, exciting Left Hand 5ths in the accompaniment. What level: Early Intermediate  How long: Performance time 01:40. 

New Horizons: New Horizons features a simple, singing, Left Hand melody that soars over the Right Hand triplet ostinato accompaniment. Organized in a AABA form. This piece is wonderful for working on controlling the Right Hand accompaniment- make sure it doesn’t get too loud. Working on phrasing? Listen to the recording as a guide. Look for the waterfall in measure 39 that leads us into a restful, hidden lagoon. Sounds like a love story to me…. Key: Db Major Time signature: 4/4 Skill development: Spacious, singing Left Hand melody, Right Hand ostinato with triplets for building strength and learning balance. What level: Intermediate How long: Performance time 03:20.