Amazed in the Presence: Early Advanced Piano Book

These arrangements respect the melodic integrity of each hymn while using harmonic color, rhythmic variety, and strategic voicing to keep familiar material engaging for experienced players. Dean's work here proves that freshness doesn't require abandoning what makes these songs beloved, just reimagining how they sit under the hands.

Stepping into these arrangements feels like sitting down at a church piano that's been lovingly maintained and thoughtfully tuned. Each hymn carries its spiritual weight, but the piano writing adds modern harmonic color and rhythmic energy that makes you want to linger at the keys.

Church pianists who want reliable, musically substantial repertoire for services, preludes, or special performances will find exactly what they need here. Students preparing for festivals or auditions, as well as teachers seeking material that builds technique without feeling like an etude, have a genuine resource in this collection.

• Study the harmonic progressions separately from the melody; understanding Dean's harmonic language will help you voice the chords with intention rather than just hitting the notes.
• Pay attention to rhythmic notation in passages that depart from the hymn's original pulse. These moments often provide the arrangement's character, and precision here pays dividends.
• Record yourself playing through the collection to identify which pieces sit most comfortably in your hand. This awareness helps you program them strategically across a service or recital.
• Let the slower hymns breathe; Dean's arrangements often feature space and silence as much as notes, and resisting the urge to fill every moment will reveal the writing's sophistication.

These pieces work beautifully as preludes or postludes in a worship service, particularly when you want to offer something more textured than a straight hymn playing. You might also program two or three alongside other sacred piano repertoire for a recital section, or assign individual pieces to festival-bound students as performance vehicles that don't require accompaniment.

• Harmonic reharmonization and voice leading
• Pedaling for color and resonance in sustained textures
• Balancing melody with accompaniment figures
• Sight-reading progressions beyond diatonic harmony
• Performance practice in sacred music contexts
• Rhythmic independence between hands in syncopated passages