Big Book of Beginner’s Piano Classics Volume Two: 57 Favorite Pieces in Easy Piano Arrangements with Downloadable MP3s (Includes 5 Duets) (Dover Classical Piano Music For Beginners)

An excellent book for beginners of all ages and stages! A compilation of 57 piano classics with simple arrangements from the seventeenth through twentieth centuries, includes five duets to help you improve your piano technique and understanding of music. And every song has a FREE MP3 download, so you can practice as often as you like. The Big Book of Beginner’s Piano Classics Volume Two will help beginners develop their fingers and ears; train their hands to be independent of one another; learn how to contrast minor and major chords; and how to create a hushed sound and calm tempo. Each of these piano classics has been carefully selected and simplified to help students develop their skills. A new feature introduced in this volume is duets. For those new to playing piano duets: Piano I sits to the right, and Piano II to the left. Each duet can help focus on a specific skill: Chopsticks: an introduction to duets and playing in rhythmic unison with another. This is a chance to practice playing evenly and in time with another performer. Chorale No. 96: four-voice playing and interaction of individual lines. Learn to play evenly and reverently, bringing out individual melodic voices. Fur Elise: melody versus accompaniment and counting rests. It is very important to count rests and be confident of your entry. Great Gates of Kiev: gain confidence playing forte in the lower register (Piano II). Both performers should play as one. Symphony No. 25: a perfect way to practice and teach syncopation. Each special arrangement offers historical insight into the era and composer. Works are arranged in alphabetical order by composer, however, some works have been placed in such a way that it is easier to facilitate page turns. The selections range from standards to classical works by the masters. Familiar melodies include Chopsticks, Panis Angelicus, Can Can, Cradle Song, and Tarantella. Classical pieces include Rachmaninoff’s Ave Maria, Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate, Siegfried Idyll by Wagner, works by Gurlitt and Clementi, highlights from Mikrokosmos by Bartok, and many other selections.