Let's Go Solo!, Book 2: Early Intermediate/Intermediate Piano Book

Karp refuses the false choice between teaching pieces and pieces worth playing. The rags and character dances here snap with real rhythmic personality, while the slower selections reveal genuine harmonic and melodic substance. Students finish a Karp collection having built real chops and real musicianship at the same time.

You'll move from the syncopated bounce of a winter scene to the contemplative shimmer of a lake, then pivot into a peasant stomp. The writing is always stylish, sometimes witty, always pianistic. There's a sense of discovery throughout; each piece occupies its own musical world without feeling like a technical exercise in disguise.

Intermediate pianists who have moved beyond beginner collections and are ready for pieces with real character and rhythmic sophistication. Teachers looking for a single book that delivers variety without requiring a stack of different publications will find this essential.

• The rags demand clarity in the accompaniment figuration. Keep the left hand crisp and rhythmically locked; it's the engine that makes the syncopation land.
• Approach the unusual time signatures as an opportunity, not an obstacle. Listen through first to absorb the meter, then drill the transitions between feels.
• Balance is crucial in the lyrical pieces. A sustained melody can easily get buried if you don't voice the harmonic support consciously.
• Record yourself playing the faster pieces at moderate tempo first. Speed comes when the rhythmic patterns are completely secure, not before.

Pull individual pieces for studio recitals and student showcases; the variety means you can find the right selection for different temperaments and abilities. Book 2 also works well as a core text for intermediate group lessons, where the contrasting moods and technical demands accommodate learners at slightly different points in development.

• Rhythmic accuracy in syncopated patterns and unusual time signatures
• Left-hand independence and accompaniment figure clarity
• Pedal control in lyrical passages
• Voicing and balance in multi-voice textures
• Finger dexterity and evenness in scalar and arpeggiated writing
• Stylistic interpretation across contrasting character pieces