Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
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As Halloween approaches, many teachers and players ask about top choices of easy, but spooky, piano music to enjoy on these darker evenings.
Most method books and many anthologies include suitably scary thrills, but when it comes to whole collections dedicated to exploring the ghoulish and macabre, here are my top choices.
Most of these collections are suitable beyond the October month of Halloween, offering fantastic, magical music that can be enjoyed around the year.
Between them, these titles will thrill players from elementary to intermediate level, as shown. Simply click on the images and titles below to read the full reviews…
ELEMENTARY (Beginner to Grade 2)
Ghostly Piano Tales
Composing a collection of elementary piano pieces which stand out from the crowd is no easy task, but Melanie Spanswick has certainly succeeded with Ghostly Piano Tales. Definitely weird, often wonderful, this is without doubt one of the most distinctive, creative, and scarily good music books out there…
Donald Thomson’s Halloween Piano Tunes
From devilishly enjoyable tunes to hauntingly scary sounds, Donald Thomson’s Halloween Piano Tunes is a suitably chilling addition to the young player’s music library, and a collection to which players will want to return each year…
Fantasy Piano: 20 Enchanting Easy Pieces
With the new term getting underway at Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, now is surely a good time to mention Hans-Günter Heumann’s magical collection ‘Fantasy Piano’…
INTERMEDIATE (Grades 3-5)
Grooves for Piano Dudes
‘Grooves for Piano Dudes’ includes three volumes, including one with a special Halloween theme. All are suitable for intermediate players, and between them offer 37 fresh pieces in jazz, rock, blues and boogie styles…
Willis Music’s ‘Strange Sounds’
This collection is a real find, including ten equally enchanting pieces that are bound to be popular with elementary players, while showcasing the creativity of some of the most characterful voices in the piano pedagogy repertoire. Terrific!
Mystery Piano
Sequel to the popular “Fantasy Piano”, Hans-Günter Heumann’s “Mystery Piano” delivers 20 mysterious piano pieces for early intermediate players…
Barbara Arens: Piano Misterioso
Barbara Arens’ writing for the piano is consistently wonderful throughout this highly imaginative collection, exploring sonorities, colours and registrations that are generally less frequented in music written for intermediate players.
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