Focus on Melody, Volume 2: Piano Book

Moving through this collection feels like a master class in listening; each piece in a different key or meter becomes an opportunity to discover how melody adapts and thrives across varied contexts. The variety keeps the ear fresh while the scaffolding of exercises and notes keeps your focus clear.

Intermediate to advanced pianists ready to move beyond technical accuracy toward genuine musical communication. This book serves teachers seeking a structured approach to melodic awareness and students who benefit from understanding the thinking behind each piece they learn.

• Study the technical exercises before tackling the piece they accompany; they isolate the specific melodic challenge you'll face in context.
• Read the descriptive summary first to establish the mood and character, then let that frame your approach to phrasing and dynamics.
• Experiment with different tempi within the marked range; melody projection shifts noticeably when you find the tempo that lets the line breathe naturally.
• Mark the moments where the melody transfers between hands or registers, and practice those transitions separately until they feel like one continuous voice.

Use this as a core text for a technique-and-repertoire curriculum that refuses to separate the two. Students can draw from it continuously throughout the year, selecting pieces that complement their concurrent solo repertoire or provide tonal variety in recital programs.

• Identifying and projecting primary melodic lines across varied harmonic contexts
• Shaping melody through phrase direction, weight distribution, and subtle dynamic inflection
• Navigating melodic lines that shift between hands and registers
• Reading and executing music in multiple keys and time signatures
• Connecting technical facility (from the included exercises) to expressive musical goals