Boosey & Hawkes: the world’s leading publisher of classical, contemporary & educational music

By Christopher Norton

Urban surfer (From Techno Treat Keyboard)
Key: C major

This piece should be played very precisely and in strict time
Keep the left hand crotchets quite short
Slightly accent the first note of all the right hand figures
Bar 2/3: really play rh legato, with the wrist rising on the octave drop in bar 3
Bars 28/29: add more and more arm weight towards the last ff chord
Think of the lh as non-legato strings, the rh as woodwind

Static (From Techno Treat Keyboard)
Key: E minor

Bars 1-4: think of each rh chord with a tenuto mark
Bars 5-8: lh chords also tenuto
Go to a real pp by the end of bar 14
Pedal the last chord (pedal down on the 1^st beat of bar 28
Try to sub-divide the semiquavers, particularly when playing the figure from bar 13

Here Come The Mysterons (From Techno Treat Keyboard)
Key: E minor (really E Phyrgian!)

Make sure each rh phrase is really legato
Bar 11, 15 etc: put a slight accent on the first semiquaver each time
Bar 17: tenuto on each rh note
Use some pedal throughout – in bar 3 for example, on the last lh crotchet
Pedal all lh crotchets in the last line, as well as after the last chord

Don’t touch that dial (From Techno Treat Keyboard)
Key: A minor

Genuinely staccato lh where marked – keep it light
Bars 2/3: follow the rh articulation scrupulously!
Pedal the minims in line 4
Bars 24-32: don’t accent the rh chord after the staccato chord
Pedal after the last rh note in bar 34

Questing (From Smooth Groove Keyboard)
Key: A minor

Play very lyrically, with a singing rh
Bars 4,5: the lh melody should also "sing"
Start mp, so that the mf in bar 10 really seems a level "up"
Singing 3rds from bar 14 and bar 30 – make sure both notes sound together!
An ethereal ending..

Part of the machinery (From Smooth Groove Keyboard)
Key: A minor

Really drop the arm and wrist on the rh accents
Play the slurs as written, particularly the 2-note slurs
Bar 3: practice the lh figure, sub-dividing the semiquavers – tap all 16 semiquavers with your rh while playing (or tapping) the lh rhythm
Don’t rush the final semiquaver of the group in bar 3!
Bar 11: Try pedalling the third and 6^th lh chords
Ditto for rh bar 27

Becalmed (From Smooth Groove Keyboard)
Key: G minor

Use some pedal throughout
Start really mp so that the crescendo to f in bar 6 is more dramatic
Follow the phrasing carefully
The rh should really "sing"
Keep the lh smooth and don’t accent thumb notes unnecessarily
Enjoy the pp at the very end

Gatecrasher (From Smooth Groove Keyboard)
Key: G major

Slightly accent each crotchet beat of the lh and make the upper notes slightly louder
Start f in the rh; the accents (bar 7 for example) should be quite pronounced
Try pedaling every crotchet beat of bar 13
No pedal on the tremolandos except for the final bar!

Smokin’ armadillos (From Country Comfort Keyboard)
Key: A major

Play in strict time throughout
Bar 4: put a slight accent on lh E
Bar 8: put a slight accent on lh E
Bar 15: enjoy the accents in both hands!
Make sure both notes of rh thirds sound really together

Home cooking (From Country Comfort Keyboard)
Key: A major

Some pedal throughout, but not on 1^st 2 chords of rh and similar places
Make sure you follow the dynamics, the diminuendo in bar 2 for example
Bars 9-12: pedal each lh chord
Be really legato where indicated
Get slightly quieter in the last 3 bars

Big Jim (From Country Comfort Keyboard)
Key: Eb major

2 quavers = triplet
Be sure to use 2 fingering on lh where indicated 5
Use the rh fingering as marked throughout
Bar 17:this can be a really extrovert f!
Put a really solid ff accent on the last note

Arkansas harp’n’soul (Country Comfort Keyboard)
Key: D major

Follow the rh phrasing as closely as possible – it will automatically create accents that help to define the style
Slightly accent the 1^st of all rh 2-note slurs
Bar 13: practice the lh by itself so that you find the best fingering
Bar 13 (again!): practice hands together at a slow tempo
Bars 21-24: try to make the rh thirds all the same dynamic – f – and make sure they sound together!
Enjoy the crescendo in the last line and be wildly extrovert on the final chord

Outward bound (From Celtic Melt for Keyboard)
Key: D minor

Bars 1-4: be scrupulous with staccatos in lh and slurs in rh
Bars 10-13: slightly emphasise the lowest note of the rh chords
Be genuinely mp in bar 10, genuinely f in bar 14
Bar 25: do change fingers as marked (last 2 notes of lh)

The old boys’ session (From Celtic Melt for keyboard)
Key: G major

Dotted crotchet, semiquaver = triplet
Bars 3,4: drop with the arm and wrist onto the rh accents
Slightly diminuendo on the slurs in bars 1-3 and similar
Bars 9-11: do accent the rh as marked
Bars 18-21: stay legato in the rh

Mists among the stones (From Celtic Melt for keyboard)
Key: E minor

Pedal more or less throughout on half bars
A very singing rh melody
Lh very legato throughout, don’t crescendo if it isn’t marked
Bar 11: be genuinely mf – it’s the loudest the piece gets!
Place all notes together, real pp on the last bar

Murphy’s magic (From Celtic Melt for keyboard)
Key: D minor

Play with real brio, genuine f
Bars 1-4: follow the rh phrasing
It may help to accent each crotchet beat with a stamp of the heel!
Pedal from bar 13 on (each lh crotchet)
Create a beautiful sonority with the help of the pedal on the last 2 bars

Funki stuff (From Chunky Phunky for keyboard)

Key: E minor
Strict time playing throughout – practice with a metronome!
Do play the lh as written in bars 1-12 – all accents, slurs and staccato
Start mp as marked – you have a long way to travel to the f in bar 13
Be legato when required – rh in bar 13 for example
Follow the dynamics for maximum dramatic effect

Gameshow (From Chunky Phunky for keyboard)
Key: F minor

Swing playing – triplet feel
Legato rh where marked, with the last note of each phrase short (eg bar 10)
Play the semiquavers in bar 18 as marked (not swung)
Bars 26-30: the chords are like big band brass chords
The last glissando would probably finish about middle C (white notes only!)

Fight master (From Chunky Phunky for keyboard)
Key: A minor

Don’t play the lh crotchets too short – a little air between them, but not full length
Bars 2-9: nicely legato rh melody
Bars 10-17: some pedal here
Bar 18: a slight accent on the beginning of the rh phrase (and elsewhere)
Disappear to almost nothing at the end

Centipede (From Chunky Phunky for keyboard)
Key: E minor

This is a creepy-crawly piece!
Build inexorably from bar 3 to bar 7
Bars 11-14: pedal on the half bar
Follow all articulation carefully to get maximum hundred-legged effect!
Really diminuendo on the last line
Pedal down after the last chord has been played

Steadicam (From R’n’b Ripple for keyboard)
Key: C major

Use the pedal throughout this piece
Accents on rh 1^st note in bars1, 3 should be copied to all similar phrases
Put lh chords down with all notes together, top note slightly predominating
Shape the rh phrases and play all slurs as marked, particularly 2-note slurs
Probably pedal each lh chord bars 9-15

Pulse rate (From Chunky Phunky for keyboard)
Key: C minor

Real staccato where indicated
Shape the rh phrases as in bar 2
Do the crescendos in the lh in bars 3, 4 etc
Pedal should be used particularly in bars 11-18
Strict time-playing throughout – practice with a metronome

In circles (From Chunky Phunky for keyboard)
Key: F minor

A very lyrical style, pedalled throughout
A warm tone for the rh melody
Start quietly, really p, so that the f sounds really quite loud!
Think of the underlying semiquavers – try tapping 16 semiquavers with the lh and tapping the rh melody (bars 1-4) with the rh
Strict time-playing throughout

Taking flight (From Chunky Phunky for keyboard)
Key: A minor

A very rhythmic style, with an underlying semiquaver pulse – tap 16 semiquavers (at a slower tempo!) with your lh, tap the rh rhythm. Then reverse the procedure (lh rhythm, rh 16 semiquavers)
Make the crescendo in bar 4 and similar quite dramatic
Bar 11: make lh mf
Pedal lh chords bars 12-14 and on repeat
Follow the dynamics – they go from mp to ff!

Christopher Norton
Leeds, UK
1^st April 2003

Subscribe to our email newsletters

Stay updated on the latest composer news and publications