Classical Piano
Europe, 1700–1930
Studies, sonatinas and character pieces, read from the first printed editions.
Heirloom
Music the world handed down, for every instrument: jigs and reels, rags and études, spirituals, kritis and dances in seven.
Every piece is read from its original printed edition. Hear it, take it into your key and onto your instrument, loop the bars that trip you, then play it back and the microphone marks each note.
Choose a platenine rooms, one plate each
Sand on a bowed metal plate gathers where the plate stands still. Each room has its own plate and its own note: press the note to hear it, and watch the sand find its figure. Two rooms are open; the rest are being written now.
Jazz Piano
USA, 1899 onward
Ragtime from the Stark plates, plus voicings, ii–V–Is and blues drills in every key.
Irish Jigs and Reels
Ireland
Jigs, reels, slip jigs and hornpipes from O'Neill's collections, with chords.
Celtic
Scotland, Wales, Cape Breton, Brittany
Strathspeys, marches and airs from Kerr, Gow and the Skye Collection.
Spirituals & Gospel
USA, 1867–1930
From Slave Songs of the United States, the Fisk and Hampton collections and Sankey.
Americana
USA, 1835–1930
Stephen Foster, shape-note hymns, fiddle tunes, parlour songs and Sousa marches.
Bulgarian
Bulgaria and the Balkans
Folk dances in 7/8, 9/8 and 11/16, with the beat grouping drawn in.
Carnatic
South India
Compositions of Tyagaraja, Dikshitar and Syama Sastri: sargam with swarasthanas, beside the staff.
Brass Method Books
Paris 1864 · New York 1893 · Elkhart 1912
Arban's Complete Method and Clarke's Technical Studies, page by page.
Inside every room
The old book stays open
Beside every modern copy sits the page it was read from: Burgmüller's Arabesque as Schirmer engraved it, the Maple Leaf Rag from John Stark's 1899 plates. If you doubt a note, look at the engraving yourself.
Your instrument, your key
Pick any of the twelve keys. Pick your instrument and the part is written for it: a trumpet or clarinet in Bb reads a tone higher than it sounds, an alto sax in Eb a major sixth higher, a horn in F a fifth higher. The sound stays where the band hears it.
- C
- G
- D
- A
- E
- B
- F#
- Db
- Ab
- Eb
- Bb
- F
Play it back
Turn on the microphone and play along. Each note turns right or wrong as you play it, with how many cents sharp or flat you were, so you can hear and see your tuning settle.