Left Alone -- Right On!: 14 Original Pieces for Left Hand Alone or Right Hand Alone: Piano

These fourteen pieces solve a genuine problem: students recovering from injury or needing focused technique work on one hand don't have to sit out of active repertoire study. Each piece targets a specific musical concept while building independence and control in the working hand, and the fact that many selections earned Federation Festivals recognition means you're assigning music that meets competitive standards without requiring two-hand coordination.

These pieces range from contemplative and introspective ("Melancholy," "Solitude") to rhythmically energetic ("Little Lively Latin," "Rocking Rainbow"), offering musical substance rather than mere exercises. Each one maintains legitimate character and expression while its singular focus allows the working hand to speak clearly.

Students recovering from broken fingers, broken arms, or sprains who need to keep developing at the piano without two-hand demands. Pianists also benefit from these pieces when targeting weak-hand technique or when preparing for repertoire that requires independent hand strength.

• Isolate the technical pattern in the first few measures and establish fluency there before moving forward; the repetition throughout each piece means that early mastery compounds quickly.
• Practice at a tempo slow enough to maintain accuracy in the weaker hand, then gradually increase; rushing these pieces defeats their purpose.
• Use the patterns as memory anchors; Grill's design with repetition and variation makes these pieces manageable to memorize, which frees your attention for musical shape.
• Work sections of the piece in isolation before connecting them, especially when recovering from injury; this prevents re-injury while maintaining progress.

Program individual pieces as recital selections when students are recovering from injury, or use them strategically in studio rotations to isolate and strengthen technique in students whose non-dominant hand lags behind. These also serve as sight-reading material for advancing students who need to build fluency without harmonic complexity.

• Single-hand independence and strength
• Technique patterns specific to right hand or left hand (scales, arpeggios, hand position shifts)
• Memorization through musical patterns and repetition
• Sight-reading fluency across varied musical styles
• Musical expression and phrasing within technical studies
• Recovery and rehabilitation during injury rehabilitation