Key changes provide the opportunity for awareness of the changing landscape of the various keys, their sharps and flats and the hand positions that work best within each.
Careful evaluation, before beginning, of the patterns inherent in all of this, and most particularly the triads and their inversions, will simplify the learning process for the student.
Intermediate Level
3rd - 4th Grade AMEB/ANZCA
4th - 5th Grade ABRSM
2. Tomb Spiders
Creepy and Desolate is the description but that doesn't mean ploddy! Take care to keep the triplets flowing and 'shaped'.
It's easy for students to miss all the flats in this piece, as they are generally not used to seeing augmented 3rds and the like in their music. Go through the piece carefully and thoroughly, separate hands, in the initial stages to find and be conscious of, those unexpected trip-ups!
Late Intermediate Level
4th - 5th Grade AMEB/ANZCA
5th - 6th Grade ABRSM
This collection was inspired by the boys I teach and their never-ending demands for fast, dark and scary music. Some of these needs, I've already met in other collections, with pieces such as 'The Dark Phantom', 'Troll', 'Dragon's Lair' and others.
And it should be said from the outset that these pieces are in no way intended exclusively for boys. Many of the girls I teach take great pleasure in speed and teenage girls in particular relate strongly to rich, dark textures and melodies that stimulate their emotional responses. In general, as always, my aim is to cultivate sound technical development along with the requisite capturing of the imagination.
Fast music provides a wonderful opportunity to work with and hone technical skills, without which these pieces can't be performed effectively. The greatest effect is created through contrast and 'effect' is what most of our young students want to deliver. Fast playing is most effective when countered with stasis or variation in the tempo. Similarly, big chords have more power when balanced with delicate notes and loud playing has its greatest impact when contrasted with soft.
Ultimately my young students (and yours) either want to impress anyone and everyone who can hear them or shut themselves away in a private place to live deeply into their music. These pieces are designed to meet those needs. None are easy - they all present challenges within the levels they are written for - but they do inspire the student to step up to meet that challenge.
Usually I grade the pieces in my collections, at least roughly, from easiest to hardest but in this case I wanted the book to be a journey, with each piece fitting into its own place in the story - consequently some of the easier pieces will be found further into the book and pieces can and should be chosen according to the appropriateness for, as well as the desires of the student.
I use pedal pretty freely throughout to add colour and contrast so feel free to add pedal where it seems appropriate and where the student can manage.
3. Under Attack
Take time to analyse the direction of movement between the hands in the introductory bars 5 - 12. A thorough understanding of what is happening here will make life much simpler for the student!
For the rest, take small groups to build the fluidity and speed of each small section and eventually the whole.
Late Intermediate Level
5th Grade AMEB/ANZCA
6th Grade ABRSM
5. Hell's Bells
The pedalling direction is very general, however it is not the intention to have the usual church bell feel of long, blurred, bell-like sounds.
In this case, the sounds are too discordant so pedalling needs to be reasonably discriminate. Sometimes two pedal changes per bar works, sometimes each beat needs a new pedal. Rather than having all of the pedalling marked out, use it as an exercise in listening for what gives the most effective result.
Early Intermediate Level
2nd Grade AMEB/ANZCA
3rd Grade ABRSM
7. Racing with Nightmares
I don't experience too many problems with this piece - it fits well under the fingers and flows quite comfortably so long as appropriate fingering is established and adhered to.
With students who don't like to stick with the given fingering, allow them to suggest alternative fingerings and write them in if they are workable.
Early - Mid Intermediate Level
2nd - 3rd Grade AMEB/ANZCA
3rd - 4th Grade ABRSM
9. Dirt Bike Heaven
Boys love this piece and breathe its title with reverence, so I've clearly struck a chord that resonates!
The repeated notes provide the opportunity to play very fast with minimal effort but effective fingering does need to be practiced from bar 9.
The chromatic runs, likewise, are quick and easy to play once the fingering is mastered but beware of the trick in the LH run in bar 32!
Early Intermediate Level
2nd Grade AMEB/ANZCA
3rd Grade ABRSM
11. Flight of the Sorcerer
Make sure that the student sees the scale in all its different variations and registers - and by this I don't mean 'knows' the scale ... it's not necessary for the student to understand the structure of the scale in order to recognise it.
Similarly, take note of the repeated patterns which move through the registers. The feel of the piece should be 'flying' from the top of each scale to the bottom and from the top of the first until it comes to land at the bass of the last.
The RH chords in bars 6 - 8 can have the middle note omitted if they are too difficult to play. In bars 15 - 19 small hands may not be able to manage this stretch so substitute fingering 1 and 5 to 4, releasing the bottom note.
To manage the rhythm, use words such as 'Flight of the sor-ce-rer, the kee-per of the" for the Taa-titi-titi-titi-taa-taa-taa-taa ..... and stimulate the imagination at the same time with the question - keeper of the ???
Intermediate Level
3rd Grade AMEB/ANZCA
4th Grade ABRSM
4. Into the Fire
Although this piece is played fairly strongly throughout, care should be taken not to 'hammer' the notes - rather feel the flow of the 'three in a bar' giving a slight 'strong weak weak' accent to the beats.
Intermediate Level
3rd Grade AMEB/ANZCA
4th Grade ABRSM
6. Monster Blues
There are a number of options for fingering the left hand - those given are only a suggestion - so feel free to explore what works best for the student.
The patterns are repetitive but tricky and are best worked thoroughly before constructing the piece as a whole - I generally write out each of the patterns for the student to play around with at home. Then, when the patterns, particularly those in the left hand, are comfortable and familiar under the fingers, the piece is relatively simple to learn.
Late Elementary Level
1st Grade AMEB/ANZCA
2nd Grade ABRSM
8. Fishing for Trouble
If this piece is pedalled, make sure the pedal is released for the staccato chord on the 2nd beat in the RH.
If the glissandi can't be managed, just have the student play the main notes with a good, sharp staccato. Most children love to play glissando and this can be a good incentive for them to stop biting their nails!! Older children can be a little intimidated so turn the learning of them into a game that has no pressure or repetition.
The biggest problems I encounter in this piece are in the RH of bars 16, 20 - 22 and 27, where the fingers must slide in amongst the black keys to be comfortably positioned - something that is approached with great trepidation by most students!
Early - Mid Intermediate Level
2nd - 3rd Grade AMEB/ANZCA
3rd - 4th Grade ABRSM
10. Brave the Warrior
This piece is 'Battle of Camlann' for the intermediate level.
Keep the chords ringing - while repetitive and insistent, they shouldn't be weighted down.
A RH cantabile should be aimed for, particularly in the tranquil section.
Early - Mid Intermediate Level
2nd - 3rd Grade AMEB/ANZCA
3rd - 4th Grade ABRSM
12. After the Apocalypse
I like the students to work out their own pedal in this piece - they may need guidance but having them write it in as they work it out provides a good exercise for them in listening to what works to give them the richness that they want with heaviness and blurring.
