Minimalist Music for Adult Piano Students

My piano library includes quite a bit of minimalist and contemporary music (with minimalist characteristics) for my beginning and early-intermediate adult piano students. I like the minimalist style of music because the piano music can be very accessible to the beginning adult piano student and it typically sounds modern and sophisticated despite its simplicity.

Minimalism Definition: The term minimalism often refers to anything or anyone that is spare or stripped to its essentials and typically emphasizes simplicity, utility, and elegance. Minimalist music is a form of art music that employs limited or minimal musical concepts and materials.

There are also minimalism movements in visual art, photography, architecture, cooking, fashion, and lifestyle, etc.

Characteristics of minimalist music include:
• Repetition with subtle gradual changes
• Steady Drones
• Consonant Harmony along with selective dissonance
• Reiteration of Musical Phrases
• Phasing – multiple performances of the same line of music played at different start times.
• Standard classical instrumentation mixed with technology
• Natural sounds like rivers, rain, thunder, wind, and insects are sometimes employed as instruments

Some Important Minimalist Composers include: LaMont Young, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, John Adams, Terry Riley, and Michael Nyman

Minimalism has had a profound effect on nearly every aspect of contemporary society. Musically, it could easily be considered the common musical language of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Its techniques are routinely used in film music as well as in the popular music.

A great explanation of the invention and evolution of minimalism in classical music from AllClassical.org by Megan Reich.

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The following is a listing of minimalist piano books that I use with my adult students along with some suggested pieces from those books.

For Beginning Adult Piano Students

For Intermediate Adult Piano Students