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Jabberwocky is a playfully galumphing late-intermediate solo in D minor with a lilting swing. Adventurous pianists can even sing the words to the famous nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll whilst they play this whimsical version by Stacy Fahrion.

The original version of this piece is part of the Once Upon a Time songbook.

Mountain Rainstorm depicts a storm that rushes in quickly and then gracefully recedes into the mountainscape as swiftly as it arrived, something that happens frequently in the afternoons in the Rocky Mountains. This lively post-minimal piece features broken octaves in the left hand that only happen on black keys. It begins in E-flat Dorian and ends in G-flat major. The time signature regularly alternates between two measures of 6/8 with two measures of 7/8, but the composite rhythm between the hands is simply steady eighth notes.

This gentle, ambient piece will help ease pianists into playing in 5/4 time signature. It features broken fifths in the left hand that only happen on black keys, with a repeating chord progression of I-vi-ii-V in Gb major. The right hand stays in the same hand position throughout, other than leaping up or down by an octave.

A Spell for Focus, composed by Stacy Fahrion, is in 7/4, and is inspired by Raag Jog from Indian classical music. Pianists can count “1 2 3 4 1 2 3” throughout to help them stay focused. In bars 5-8 and 13-16, pianists are encouraged to improvise using the suggested rhythm and the notes C, E, F, G, and B-flat.

A Spell to Find Balance, composed by Stacy Fahrion, is an intermediate piece in A minor designed to ease pianists into improvising. The left-hand part is a two-bar ostinato, and keeping with the theme of balance, all of the right-hand rhythms are palindromic, the same forwards as they are backwards over two bars. The structure of the piece is also mirror-like.

A meditative ambient solo and improvisation exercise for early intermediates by Stacy Fahrion that will set a relaxed and creative tone before, during, or after lessons.

Stacy Fahrion wrote Nice Tardigrade so that beginner pianists can enjoy playing polyrhythms and playing in Dorian mode. “Nice tardigrade” is a mnemonic phrase like “hot cup of tea” or “not difficult” that may help pianists remember the sound of a three against two polyrhythm. Tardigrades are resilient microscopic creatures that look like tiny bears. They have existed on Earth for about 600 million years.

This mysterious-sounding intermediate-level etude by Stacy Fahrion is ideal for introducing quarter-note triplets to students, and also is a wonderful recital piece. It eases students into playing 2 against 3 and 3 against 2 polyrhythms, and through playing it, students will learn how eighth-note triplets and quarter-note triplets relate. It begins in G Dorian and ends in D minor. Proxima Centauri is the closest star to the sun, but isn’t visible to the eye alone.

Echo Games are a playful way to help pianists of any age improve their listening skills, rhythm, and ease their way into improvisation. The games can be played between teacher and student, between two students, or students can play alone with the included Mp3s. Each game includes a wild card phrase that the leader can throw in at any moment to keep the follower on their toes. Both leader and follower should memorize the wild card phrase before beginning the game. The follower is encouraged to play these games without looking at the music. Stacy Fahrion hopes these games will inspire students to improvise, compose, and have fun at the piano!

Echo Games are a playful way to help pianists of any age improve their listening skills, rhythm, and ease their way into improvisation. The games can be played between teacher and student, between two students, or students can play alone with the included Mp3s. Each game includes a wild card phrase that the leader can throw in at any moment to keep the follower on their toes. Both leader and follower should memorize the wild card phrase before beginning the game. The follower is encouraged to play these games without looking at the music. Stacy Fahrion hopes these games will inspire students to improvise, compose, and have fun at the piano!

Echo Games are a playful way to help pianists of any age improve their listening skills, rhythm, and ease their way into improvisation. The games can be played between teacher and student, between two students, or students can play alone with the included Mp3s. Each game includes a wild card phrase that the leader can throw in at any moment to keep the follower on their toes. Both leader and follower should memorize the wild card phrase before beginning the game. The follower is encouraged to play these games without looking at the music. Stacy Fahrion hopes these games will inspire students to improvise, compose, and have fun at the piano!

Long-Legged Spinners is a whimsically macabre solo composed by Stacy Fahrion. This solo is ideal for intermediates of all ages and is part of the Lullabies for Arachnophobes songbook.

Tweedledum & Tweedledee, composed by Stacy Fahrion, is a whimsically macabre bluesy solo for intermediates. This piece is part of the Once Upon a Time songbook.

Arachne’s Web, composed by Stacy Fahrion, is a whimsically macabre solo featuring lots of syncopation and a unique spin on Itsy Bitsy Spider. This piece is part of the Once Upon a Time songbook.

Alouette, the traditional French folk song arranged as a minor-key whimsically macabre solo by Stacy Fahrion. This piece is part of the Once Upon a Time songbook.

Once Upon a Time is a whimsically macabre solo composed by Stacy Fahrion that is part of the songbook of the same title. This eerie showcase piece is ideal for early intermediates and beyond.

Isolation was written in early 2020 by Stacy Fahrion. This expressive intermediate piece begins and ends in 5/4, and features palindromic rhythms (rhythms that are the same backwards and forwards) and a gentle two against three polyrhythm in the 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.

The Exquisite Melancholy of Everything Left Unuttered is a delicate waltz in E minor composed by Stacy Fahrion. There is an optional cut notated in the score to accommodate students at a lower intermediate level.

Distant Bells is an elegant polyrhythmic etude for early intermediates composed by Stacy Fahrion. This piece serves as an excellent introduction to playing two against three between the hands.

Falling Slowly is a whimsically macabre lyrical solo composed by Stacy Fahrion. This solo is ideal for intermediates of all ages and is part of the These Are Odd Times songbook.

A Wise Old Owl is inspired by a nursery rhyme of the same title and set here as a whimsically macabre solo for intermediates by Stacy Fahrion. If you’re playing on a grand piano, before beginning the piece you can silently depress the low F octave and sustain it throughout with the sostenuto pedal for an added mysterious effect. This is an optional effect, and the piece still works well without it. The damper pedal is often left down for extended periods of time as well for a swirling effect.

Something Wicked This Way Strides is an exuberant, late intermediate solo that evokes the Roaring Twenties. Pianists will not only train their left hand to play typical stride leaps, they’ll also learn a few tricky bits of Chopin’s <em>Etude in A Minor, Op. 10, No. 2</em>, while they’re at it!

Sideways Blues is a strange blues by Stacy Fahrion based on an eight-note scale containing these notes: E-F-G-A#-B-C-C#-D-E. Since it’s based only on that scale, most of the chords are not typical blues chords, although it follows a typical 12-bar structure. Students have the option to repeat measures 13-24 and improvise with the right hand over the chords that are already there.