32 Piano Games: Piano Studies

These studies resist the separation of technique from discovery. Rather than drilling fingers through isolated exercises, pianists encounter genuine contemporary sounds and notational challenges within complete, satisfying pieces. Finney's writing is generous without being condescending, offering real compositional sophistication at an introductory level.

Exploration and discovery define the experience. Each study opens a new corner of the piano's possibilities, whether through unconventional articulations, cluster effects, or the visual surprise of contemporary notation. There's a playfulness in the title 'Games,' yet the music demands genuine focus and musical maturity.

Advanced elementary through early intermediate pianists ready to move beyond traditional nineteenth-century studies and encounter how contemporary composers actually write for the instrument. These pieces work equally well for serious students approaching modern repertoire for the first time and for any pianist seeking rigorous, musically rewarding technical study.

• Spend time with the notation before playing. Finney uses contemporary symbols intentionally; understanding what each marking represents shifts the piece from cryptic to coherent.
• Explore the full range of the keyboard in each study. These pieces ask pianists to think beyond the treble clef and discover how register choices affect the character of contemporary sonorities.
• Listen to your tone production closely, especially in passages using prepared piano effects or unusual articulations. The sound itself becomes the subject, not just the fingering.

Use individual studies as recital openers or closers when programming contemporary work alongside traditional repertoire. Their brevity and self-contained nature make them ideal for student recitals, competitions, or concert programs exploring the evolution of piano writing across styles. A sequence of three or four studies works as a compelling suite demonstrating twentieth-century pianistic innovations.

• Reading and interpreting contemporary notation systems
• Producing varied piano sonorities and articulations (clusters, prepared piano effects, unconventional pedaling)
• Understanding how register and spacing create contemporary timbral effects
• Developing independence between hands in non-traditional musical textures
• Technique at the keyboard filtered through musical, not mechanical, goals