Mindfulness: The Piano Collection is a unique compilation of well-known piano favourites and beautiful discoveries that brings a fresh approach to playing. Through carefully selected repertoire, supporting notes and bespoke artwork, established players are encouraged to take a mindful approach to playing and, through this, to achieve a truly rewarding musical experience.
Mindfulness is the simple practice of ‘present moment’ awareness. It can be applied to many situations at any moment of the day – whether that’s first thing in the morning, on the commute to work, when preparing for an interview or performance, or before going to bed. It is proven to help break the cycle of unhappiness, alleviate stress and anxiety, and help people find their way in an increasingly frantic and pressurised world. Mindfulness has helped countless people to flourish in many different aspects of life, and now these benefits are being applied to music-making.
Mindfulness: The Piano Collection offers a way to bring mindfulness and playing the piano together by sharpening musical focus and establishing the pianist’s attention in the present moment. The carefully selected repertoire, which is aimed at intermediate level players, is presented with guidance on how to bring mindfulness into piano playing. For example:
Gnossienne No.1 by Erik Satie
“Be aware of the sensation of playing music. The touch of your fingers on the piano keys, the way the music makes you feel and your breathing as you play. If your mind drifts, bring the focus back again to making music in the present moment.”
Music-themed illustrations for colouring in are interspersed between pieces to offer another avenue of mindfulness to explore.
CONTENTS:
Ambre (Nils Frahm); Arioso (BMV 156) (J.S. Bach); Earnestly Yours (Keaton Henson); Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis (Ralph Vaughan Williams); Gnossienne No. 1 (Erik Satie); I Giorni (Ludovico Einaudi); Lento (5 Preludes #4 in Eb) (Alexander Scriabin); Moonlight Sonata (no.14 in C#m) (Ludwig van Beethoven); Morning Prayer (Pyotr IlyichTchaikovsky); Pavane op.50 (piano version) (Gabriel Fauré); Pavane pour une Infante Defunte (Maurice Ravel); Romanze (from Piano Concerto No. 21) (W.A. Mozart); Der Dichter Spricht (Op.15 XIII) (Robert Schumann); Prelude In E minor (Op.28 No.4) (Frédéric Chopin); Rêverie (Claude Debussy); Shackleton’s Cross (Howard Goodall); Snowflakes (Dame Evelyn Glennie); Une Larme (Modest Mussorgsky); To A Wild Rose (Edward MacDowell); Winter (slow movement) (Antonio Vivaldi)
Mindfulness: The Piano Collection, ISBN 0-571-53954-8, £9.99, is available to buy now from www.fabermusicstore.com