This book has been designed to give good quality musical material into the hands of younger pianists. Folk songs have stood the test of time, and can form part of a balanced and progressive musical diet, combining very well with studies of classical music. The international choice of songs offered reflects my own upbringing in London, as well as the variety of students I have had over the years. Many of these versions have a deliberately simple left hand: this allows the pianist to concentrate on the melody, and on the words of the songs. Singing the lyrics helps the understanding of rhythm, as well as opening a door to the fascinating world of folk culture, with its universal tales of love won, and love lost.

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The main technical challenge of folk songs for the young pianist is this: good melodies tend to use 6 or more notes; but the young pianist may be familiar with playing 5-notes only. So the pianist must learn ways to look ahead, and move their hand to the side where suitable, lightly and comfortably. In terms of fingering, changing fingers on repeated notes is a worthwhile skill to learn, and allows you to get into position for the notes to come. This trick becomes easier by angling the hand to the side, so that the fingertips are all aligned on the same key.

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Fingering is a subjective matter, but I have tried to follow Chopin’s advice by choosing strong fingers for louder notes (as here in ‘Soldier, Soldier’). Matters of tempo and dynamic and pedalling have been mostly left to the discretion of the pianist, guided by their teacher: the formation of personal taste is valuable. Enjoy!

MK, Taipei, 2019