Rob Collier

Ten Simple Pieces for Piano Rob Collier

The pieces in this collection could be considered "simple" from at least two different perspectives. Perhaps most noticeably, they are technically fairly easy to perform. Beginner piano players could perform many of the pieces without much difficulty. Equally significant, however, is the compositional simplicity of these pieces. They are each based on a very simple idea or process: the systematic construction and deconstruction of a pattern; a repeated melodic figure but with different rhythmic or metric emphasis; a repeated melodic figure against changing harmony. Most of the pieces set up a process and let it resolve to its natural conclusion. Some of the pieces, however, utilize a process that could theoretically go on indefinitely. In these cases, it is up to the performer to decide when to terminate the process, thereby ending the piece.