Windham Hill Piano Sampler: Piano Solo

By Various

(Piano Solo Songbook). This book features a sampling of ten popular Windham Hill recording artists, including: Philip Aaberg, Scott Cossu, Malcolm Dalglish, Barbara Higbie, Triona Ni Dhomhnaill, Bill Quist, Fred Simon, Ira Stein, Liz Story, and Tim Story. It is complete with biographies and discographies for each artist as well as an introduction about the Windham Hill record labels. 18 piano solos in all.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0793523583
• ISBN13: 9780793523580
• Release Date: April 1994
• Publisher: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
• Length: 114 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 9.0" x 12.0"

Customer Reviews

excellent compilation

The music is appropriate for experts or beginners. It is a composite of many composers, all with a common style that is accessible to a wide audience.

A Composer's Opinion

Windham Hill Artists are almost always a notch above the rest(ie. Narada, etc.) The feel, rhythms, originality, imagination, and overall composition can't be matched elsewhere. I've been a piano composer for 10 years and find the beauty of this music unforgettable. This music is well worth discovering and exploring further!!!

Jazz influence

Some of the featured artists in this sampler include Philip Aaberg, Scott Cossu, Liz Story and Barbara Higbie. I was unfamiliar with almost all of the music in this sampler. Although there is a mix of styles, I think there is a strong jazz influence in at least half of the songs. The rhythms can be a challenge to master, and some of the songs suggest improvisation. Although I tend to prefer impressionistic pieces, some of the songs in this sampler have grown on me and can be quite fun to play. My favorite pieces include: "Engravings" by Ira Stein, "High Plains" by Philip Aaberg, and "Solid Colors" by Liz Story.

beautiful music

What a wonderful selection music from some of Windham Hill's most popular pianists. The pieces are enormously varied. Some are complex and technically quite challenging, others simple and offering more immediate mastery. The chosen pieces reflect the styles of each artist and can be used as a spring board to follow up each of the pianists in more detail. Two of my favourites are the beautifully whimsical and meditative "In This Small Spot" Tim Story and gentle, rythmic "Purple Mountain" Scott Cossu. As a Windham Hill fan, I have a CD collection containing most of these pieces and it is incredibly satisfying to be able to recreate the magic yourself. Not all pieces will appeal to all tastes, but the challenge of such variety is seductive and should provide plenty of pleasurable hours playing.