Diabolical Dance

Wistful Waltz, composed by Stacy Fahrion, is a mysterious, Chopin-esque waltz with a very un-Chopin-like modal middle section and an abundance of tritones. Ideal for early advanced level pianists of all ages.

This exhilarating Toccata by Stacy Fahrion gives advanced pianists an opportunity to showcase their rhythmic skills. A bold hemiola-based theme in 6/8 gives this piece a dancelike rhythmic vitality. Use of the double harmonic major scale makes it sound mysterious and earthy. Ideal for conjuring up drama at Halloween recitals, or any time your students crave a dramatic and rhythmic piece. This piece is part of the “Polyrhythms for Pianists” method book.

Composer Stacy Fahrion interweaves Hickory Dickory Dock and snippets of For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow into this whimsically macabre solo that will delight late intermediates of all ages.

Inner Turmoil is a fury-filled, fast and flashy advanced showcase piano solo by Canadian composer, Lisa Frederick. Perfect for teens looking for an impressive spotlight solo for their next performance.

Nice Little Monster is a bluesy piece by Stacy Fahrion about a creature that is tired of being called a little monster. Ideal for intermediates of all ages.

Waltz for a Six-Legged Octopus by Stacy Fahrion begins whirling gently in 6/8 time, but the real hexapus waltzing starts when the piece shifts to 9/8. This waltz, ideal for intermediates, is for anyone who has ever felt like they’re missing something that everyone else has.

With its catchy rhythmic drive and harmonic twists, Tango Twist, composed by Jenny Walker is a joy to play, a pleasure to listen to and a real showcase piece for adventurous students and teachers alike.

Disjointed Waltz, composed by Jenny Walker, is an evocative waltz with a few surprises. It contains some dynamic time and key changes. It has been written with the advanced player in mind, though rubato could be used to make things easier. The changeover to 6/8 works well and the syncopated rhythms are very effective.

Hungry for a fast & flashy showcase solo? Stataco Tostada is a cheeky ode to the common mispronunciations we’ve all heard a million times. This early intermediate showcase solo, arranged by Jennifer Eklund, is loosely based on traditional Mexican folk melodies and provides a great opportunity for students to work on articulations and chord inversions.

Tarantellas are always a student favorite, and this spritely one, composed by Lisa Shoemaker, is sure to make your intermediate students shine! This is a great piece to work on quick transitions between open and closed hand positions.

Composer Stacy Fahrion transforms Three Blind Mice, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and a snippet of Rain, Rain, Go Away into a mystical minor showpiece.

Chaos by Lisa Frederick is the perfect showcase solo piece for your students who are begging for fast and flashy minor-key pieces. Ideal for late intermediates of all ages, this will be a hit at your next recital!

Pernicious Pumpkin is a whimsically macabre concoction of nursery rhymes by Stacy Fahrion. This eclectic, minor-key gem will be a hit with teens and intermediates of all ages.

Who doesn’t love a good tarantella? Your early intermediate students will go crazy for this fun and energetic performance piece by composer Lisa Shoemaker. It’s also a great review of chromatic scales!

The Chase is a fast piano solo with lots of flashy passage work that sounds much harder than it actually is to play! Music composed by Jennifer Eklund and part of the Spotlight Solos Volume 1 songbook.

A hair-raising, haunting tarantella by Stacy Fahrion with an abundance of crunchy minor 2nds and a slower, nostalgic middle section.

Tarantella is a virtuosic, spellbinding piece for advanced pianists composed by Stacy Fahrion. The time signature is 6/8, although one of the recurring left hand patterns is in 7/8. In the recording, the piano is deliberately detuned, intensifying the dissonances of the double harmonic major scale by lowering the minor 2nd and minor 6th slightly, and raising the major 3rd and major 7th slightly. The percussion sounds are created by placing a tambourine on the bass strings of the piano. Detuning your piano and tossing a tambourine in it is entirely optional, although the composer encourages it.

These Are Odd Times, by Stacy Fahrion, is a whimsically macabre collection of solos composed in odd meters. Rife with less common meters, shifting time signatures, and intricate contrapuntal textures, this collection provides a rewarding challenge for late-intermediate and advanced pianists.