Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday

Cyprien Katsaris – Paraphrase on Piano

Minute Waltz

Minute Waltz

Probably the most popular and well-known
of all piano waltzes by Frederic Chopin.

Technically known as Waltz in D-flat major Op 64 No 1.
Some interesting paraphrases. 

Wiki link here.

Gymnopédie No. 1 by Satie

Gymnopédie No. 1

by Erik Satie

Minimalist piano piece
by French composer Erik Satie.
Part of a set of three Gymnopédies.
Simple, melancholic, tranquil.
Interesting harmonic structure.
Precursor to ambient music.
Wiki link here.

Tiger Rag

Tiger Rag
(1917)

Traditional Jazz Standard.

Wiki link here.

Sleigh Ride

Sleigh Ride

In the spirit of the Christmas season

 here's a post on this seasonal favourite.

Composed by Leroy Anderson in 1948.
Very catchy song. Nice obbligato lines.

Harmonic structure based on repeating cycle of fifths.
Allows many opportunities for reharmonisation. 
(transcription format below highlights the harmonic symmetry)

Frequency Midpoint

Tweeted this earlier.

Just tweeted the answer: 

Between C7 and C#7/Dfl7.

Midpoint of the Piano

Just tweeted this:

It is left for the reader to work out the answer.

Time-honoured tradition of maths and engineering textbooks.

Answer straightforward but an interesting point to note.

If curious, check out this tweet for a solution without counting.

Cherokee

Cherokee

Jazz standard by Ray Noble, published in 1938.

Pentatonic melody, with long notes.
Opens up opportunities for reharmonisation.

Second section has interesting chromatic modulation through IIm⁷-V⁷-I sequence.

(for illustration only)

Black Key Etude (Chopin/Godowsky)

THE ORIGINAL

Background. The Black Key Etude or Etude Op. 10 No. 5 is an effervescent concert piece for piano by Frederic Chopin, the fifth in his first series of Etudes published in 1833. Etude is the French word for study, and each of the Chopin Etudes focuses on developing a specific skill on the keyboard. 

Italian Polka

The polka is a Central European dance which originated in the 19th century in Bohemia, according to Wikipedia.  It is a lively dance with a fast tempo. Many composers have written polkas, and piano versions of polkas are popular as encore pieces.

The great Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote his Polka Italienne or Italian Polka in 1906 for four hands, i.e. two players on one piano. There original version is lively but with rather  straightforward harmony, which is quite uncharacteristic of Rachmaninoff.