Making intermediate-level duet arrangements

by Scott

Over the last few months, several people have suggested that I make more intermediate and easy-level arrangements that students could play. Up to now, most of my arrangements were intended for our concerts, so I wanted to maintain a certain level of difficulty, but that meant that only more experienced pianists would be able to play them.

Last month, a family purchased my Nutcracker Suite arrangement and asked whether I thought their children would be able to learn the Waltz of the Flowers by mid-December. I told them it might be a bit difficult, so I offered to write a condensed and simpler version. It was a fun process and I will do my best to make more simplified 4-hand arrangements that students can enjoy in the future!

If you have any requests for pieces you’d like me to arrange in a simple style, please let me know in the contact form!

The first page of my Waltz of Flowers original arrangement

Already there are several challenges: the widely-spanned arpeggio, the full four-note chords and stretches of 9ths, a timpani tremolo, and a busy harp cadenza.

The first page of my simplified version

The arpeggio is two octaves shorter and doesn’t require crossing as far into the primo' part’s “territory”, the four-note chords are replaced with two-note chords, and no octave stretches throughout the whole arrangement, no more tremolo, and the harp cadenza only contains the main melody notes.