I want people to play my music, and to hear it, as much as possible. Therefore, these scores are all free, all complete, and all available under a "give them to your friends" sort of license (details). Please make use of this gift, and download a few!

I'd love to swap printed scores and/or a CD for a cool postcard, or some of your own music, or creative work of any kind.

Cello and Piano

Piano solo

From the current work in progress:

You might also be interested in the rest of my music site.

Notes on Notation

These are notes on my personal notation conventions. If you are looking for more general conventions, I recommend the Essential Dictionary of Music Notation by Tom Gerou and Linda Lusk, the Music Publishers' Association's Standard Music Notation Practice, and Kurt Stone's Music Notation in the Twentieth Century. Each includes information the others do not, so I recommend all three if you can find them.

Pedaling

Since it is common in my piano writing for the pedal to stay down for quite a while, I always write explicit releases or Ped. ad lib. If you do not see such a notation following a Ped., it is safe to assume the pedal stays down. The marking Ped. sempre emphasizes that the pedal stays down, in spite of the mass of sound that builds up, but the “sempre” is only for emphasis and does not change the meaning. Of course, pedaling is a subjective art, so you are welcome to adjust my instructions to taste.

Those funny detached ties that look like ripples are a notation I picked up from Don Betts for sound ringing while the pedal is down. It is impractical, of course, to use this notation every time sound lingers because of the pedal. I use it when it is particularly important that the pedal remain down through a passage, especially in situations where a rest might otherwise appear to represent silence, or where classical training might tempt a pianist to change the pedal.

Grace notes

Slashed grace notes come before the pulse; unslashed grace notes come on it. I try to make this apparent in the vertical alignment of notes. Grace notes take their actual notated rhythmic value — no rules like “as fast as possible” or “half the duration” apply.

However, these rules are approximate. Grace notes are intentionally ambiguous — if I intend a precise rhythm, I notate it. Let the ornament be rhythmically flexible so that it fits in a graceful, organic way.

Slurs

Slurs primarily represent that nebulous but all-important idea of a phrase. In piano, they don’t ever just mean “legato” (though phrasing does often imply that). Where breath or bow is involved, I do use slurs to indicate breathing/bowing, but don’t take those indications too literally — I am, after all, a pianist! The phrase reigns supreme, and any unmarked bow changes that make the phrase work are welcome.

Interpretation

It’s funny that I have to spell this out, but I do. Over the last century, classical performers developed a strange reverence for “the intentions of the composer,” and have come to treat scores very literally, even mechanistically, playing everything exactly as marked. While I appreciate the respect for my intentions — whatever the heck they are — please don’t ever do this with my music! The intention of this composer is for performers to interpret the music: play with rubato; stretch the tempo; stretch the dynamics; stretch every phrase; play expressions that aren’t in the score; contradict expressions in the score; summon every color and nuance of your instrument in the service of interpretation; take liberties; take risks!

That’s not to say you should ignore the score. I notate very carefully, and every mark on the page is there for a reason. That reason, however, is not pedantic literalism. Consider what’s written, internalize it, and let something new emerge that reaches beyond the score and into yourself. Make something poetic, passionate and personal out of the music. Make it your own.