The Piano Hive company produce books of original pieces specially written for piano students at all levels. They aim to provide a repertoire that is easily playable, musically rewarding, accessible and with genuine musical rigour and depth. In a daily routine that can be full of stresses, the Piano Hive books really are a welcome relief, aiding relaxation whilst still hitting practice goals.
Learning to play the piano brings with it a host of benefits, equally accessible to learners of all ages, as well as some unexpected paradoxes. Even the most committed of piano evangelists would agree that whatever the benefits, getting to grips with the traditional repertoire entails a level of commitment, dedication and even frustration before those benefits manifest themselves. On the other hand, we’re all unfortunately only too familiar with the increasingly prevalent proffering of solo piano in the form of bland, anodyne Easy Listening music, intended to sooth away any irritation, but often having the exact opposite effect.
These paradoxes are exactly what the Piano Hive series of books are intended to address. Created by pianists for pianists – the enterprising team of Janette Mason and James Alexander Thompson are both professional players and composers – they offer the learner carefully graded sets of original compositions that fall easily beneath the fingers and have a direct melodic appeal. The pieces are designed to foster a mental state of calmness and satisfaction, affirming the player’s sense of achievement, while still having the technical and artistic depth to be truly enriching for both the performer and listener.
Janette Mason
(© John Lyons)
As Janette explains: ‘Our idea was to create books that give you pieces at your level, so you’re hitting the ABRSM goals while enjoying stress-free playing. You’ll be offered a refresher break away from your grade repertoire, but you’ll still be playing real piano music that actually means something.’
Both composers are passionately committed to the project and their sense of fun and creativity comes through in the work. James was classically trained as a pianist from an early age and went on to study at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music and Leeds Conservatoire before forging a career as a TV Composer and educator. Guildhall-trained Janette’s musicality is deeply informed by her successful twenty-year career as a jazz composer and producer and her work as a session player with bands such as Pulp and Oasis.
James Alexander Thompson
‘We like to write by sending musical sketches and ideas back and forth, with the pieces developing with every revision. So sometimes there’s an element of humour, or a particular mood will emerge,’ says James. ‘I often find myself exploring my favourite avenues of harmony, while Janette’s signature is her imaginative use of rhythm and metre.’
Their inspirations range far and wide – from the clarity of Satie’s piano miniatures and the melodically inviting simplicity of Olafur Arnolds and Nils Frahm to the lush harmonic richness of Chopin and Debussy.
‘We’re not dumbing down the player – we’re aiming at lifting them up,’ says Janette. ‘Every piece is carefully composed – you won’t just be playing the same arpeggio over and over again!’ These are pieces to be played for pleasure, to promote a feeling of well-being while also directly reinforcing the player’s learning. ‘A grade piece can take months to get up to standard,’ says Janette. ‘Our pieces are concise in their creation and designed to be played with minimal study. But each one of them will have an inbuilt reference to ABRSM grade level technique – whether that be in fingering, or key choice, or rhythmic complexity, so that the level is always appropriate and always quietly helping the player move forwards.’
The Piano Hive teaching philosophy is that challenge is an important part of the process, but so is reward. ‘We’re our own biggest critics,’ says James. ‘If it doesn’t sound great to us, it doesn’t go in the book. We hope the books will be around for years to come so we want to feel proud of them. We don’t want to be a faceless company either – we’re trying to build a community.’
The books have been enthusiastically received by students and teachers alike, and the Piano Hive community looks set to continue to grow.
Written by Eddie Myer
Customer Reviews
‘Although I have quite a few piano and keyboard books, I go to my three Piano Hive books just for the sheer pleasure of playing.’
‘I have to commend the authors for how good the book is, and would not hesitate in recommending this, or any other from their range of available books.’
‘This book is amazing. Not complicated but sounds fantastic. It’s inspired me to play again! I’ve been away from the piano for 35 years. This is a game changer.’
Musicians Reviews
‘Congratulations to Janette and James for a marvellous contribution to the piano repertoire.’
-Jason Rebello (Sting / Jeff Beck / Phil Collins / Joss Stone)
‘I would 100% recommend these books!’
-Andrea Vicari (Professor of Jazz Piano and Senior Lecturer at Trinity College of Music)