Piano solos · Listen to every piece

The Color Suites

A collection of piano solos for the late beginner or early intermediate pianist.

Highly patterned pieces, perfect for recitals and for students who need something that sounds ‘fancy’ without being overly challenging. Listen to every piece below.

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The Blue Suite

Pale Blue

Pale Blue is the first movement of The Blue Suite. It has a key signature of no sharps or flats, and centres around the minor mode (A minor). It’s composed around a simple chord progression, and for an extra challenge players can easily transpose it to other keys.

Azure

Azure is the second movement of The Blue Suite. It also has a key signature of no sharps or flats, and centres around the minor mode (A minor). This piece allows the player to explore the technique of bringing out an inner voice, as the melody is in the alto line played with the right thumb.

Cobalt

Cobalt is the third movement of The Blue Suite. It is also in A minor, but the character is less melodic and gives the student freedom to experiment with a more lively tempo and staccato articulation. This piece completes the Blue Suite and is a wonderful contrast to the first two movements.

The Green Suite

Sage

Sage is the first movement of The Green Suite. It is in the key of G major with one sharp. Pianists have the chance to develop hand-crossing techniques with the ascending and descending arpeggios. It’s also wonderful as a way to experiment with phrasing and pedal techniques.

Sea Green

Sea Green is the second movement of The Green Suite. It is in the key of G major and is a simple-to-learn piece that sounds beautiful and charming. Pianists have the opportunity to experience dotted rhythm, which creates a lilting feeling. It also presents a left-hand line with inverted chords, which might be new to the player.

Malachite

Malachite is the third movement of The Green Suite. Although it has a rapid tempo, it is technically accessible to the late beginner or early intermediate pianist. The right-hand pattern introduces a rotation motion that lays the foundation for trills found in more advanced repertoire. It sounds elaborate but is highly patterned, making it much easier to play than it sounds.

The Purple Suite

Magenta

Magenta is the first movement of The Purple Suite. At first it appears slightly more complex than it is, as it has three sharps, but the pianist quickly notices the patterns throughout the piece that build naturally on each other, making it accessible to perform and helping to develop more advanced reading skills.

Violet

Violet is the second movement of The Purple Suite. It is wonderful in its simplicity and rich musical elements. Pianists explore a dotted, lilting rhythm as well as enjoying inverted chords in the bass clef.

Fuchsia

Fuchsia is the third movement of The Purple Suite. It is a wonderful piece for recitals and any performance, and is extremely ‘showy’. However, the composition is accessible, with lots of patterned repetition. It teaches a valuable rotation technique in the right hand that pianists will go on to use in more advanced repertoire.

The Yellow Suite

Gold

Gold is the first movement of The Yellow Suite. It is a wonderful piece for recitals and any performance. Pianists can explore a hand-crossing technique as well as grow familiar with reading intervals of a second, which is often new notation for the late beginner or early intermediate player.

Summer Ochre

Summer Ochre is the second movement of The Yellow Suite. It is simple in its melody and chord structure, but presents a more complex rhythm with a syncopation theme that pianists at this level might not have seen before, practised within a beautiful melodic theme.

Citrine

Citrine is the third movement of The Yellow Suite. It is a wonderful piece for recitals and any performance. Pianists also experience the freedom of “Ped. ad lib.”, which gives them the opportunity to really listen to their pedalling and adjust it for musical reasons. It also includes Alberti bass, which might be a new technique for players at this level.

The Red Suite

Mahogany

Mahogany is the first movement of The Red Suite. It is a wonderful piece for recitals as it is easily accessible for the late beginner or early intermediate pianist. The key signature of two flats might be something new at this level, but the chord progression is straightforward, making the challenge manageable.

Vermillion

Vermillion is the second movement of The Red Suite. It is a wonderful piece for recitals and any performance. It continues to give the player experience of working in B flat major without too many compositional complexities. It also includes the marking “Grazioso”, which might be new to pianists at this level and is a fun articulation to learn.

Crimson

Crimson is the third movement of The Red Suite. It is fun and charming, and a wonderful piece for recitals and any performance. It is levelled more towards the intermediate pianist, as the technical demands are slightly higher than the rest of the collection. It is excellent for exploring staccato articulation and experimenting with different characters.

The Grey Suite

Fog

Fog is the first movement of The Grey Suite. It is wonderfully atmospheric, with a tempo marking of Adagio con rubato. Pianists have the chance to experiment with rubato, a technique not often found in repertoire at this level. It also includes the terms “parlando” and “cantabile”, letting the player experience the difference between these two qualities within the same piece.

Silver

Silver is the second movement of The Grey Suite. It has a tempo marking of ‘Flowing’, but the pianist has the opportunity to be creative with a personal tempo. It is wonderful for experiencing more hand-crossing technique and uses a wide expanse of the keyboard.

Slate

Slate is the third movement of The Grey Suite. It is a wonderful and quirky piece for recitals and any performance, and is extremely ‘showy’. The level is more early intermediate, but late beginners will not find it too far beyond their reach. It explores a persistent staccato articulation and includes quick grace notes, which players at this level might not have seen yet.