My Music List for 2026

My Music List for 2026

Reigniting My Passion for Piano: The journey Continues in 2026

 

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Composergarynoland – Composition Lessons, Music, Piano

 

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Cosmos Music Journal 2026 updates

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Composergarynoland – Composition Lessons, Music, Piano

Music Journal 2026

 

Over the last year, I’ve reignited my passion for playing the piano. Music has always been a significant part of my life, and returning to it daily has been incredibly rewarding. Here’s a glimpse into my musical journey, goals for the year, and strategies to achieve them.

Goals for 2026:

1. Daily Practice: Dedicate one hour per day to piano practice.
2. Mastering Sonatas: Work my way through Mozart and Beethoven’s Sonatas. Purchase new music, including Funk classics, Jazz, and Rock standards.
3. Music Education: Take music theory and composition courses.
4. Equipment Upgrade: Buy a MIDI cable and download Sibelius to learn music writing.
5. Composition: Rewrite music I composed in high school and aim to write one piece per month to post on my blog.
6. Piano Access: Buy or rent a piano while in the States – Must rent a Piano if I am staying anywhere for more than a month, or consider buying a piano if and when we move back home..

Strategy:

• Self-Teaching: Utilize YouTube tutorials to learn the fundamentals of music writing and take online music theory courses.
• Piece Analysis: Review each piece before playing, noting high and low notes, key signatures, and changes. Create cheat sheets for ornamentations such as turns and mordents., spell out on my cheat sheet notation.
• Separate Hand Practice: For Bach pieces, practice each hand separately before playing together.
• Listening and Learning: Listen to the music on YouTube before attempting to play.
• Note Pieces as I play them below 

Rediscovering Mozart and Beethoven: My journey through the piano books will culminate in conquering Mozart and Beethoven’s Sonatas. I recently played my first Mozart Sonata and, to my surprise, did not do too badly. I plan to revisit it next year after completing my initial piano books.

Ode to My Pianos: Ever since I was a young lad, I dreamt of being a professional piano player. Though that dream may never come true, my love for the instrument remains unwavering. At 70, I now play my Roland 88 piano almost every day, delighting in the creative ways I interpret the classics.

Learning to Play the Piano Leads to a Career in Music: Buying a new piano and music software allowed me to practice nightly. Angela’s weekly piano lessons helped me masterpieces, and I even joined a jazz band, the Diplomatic Jazz Ensemble. We released an album that gained unexpected popularity, leading me to retire from the Foreign Service and pursue a career as a studio musician and composer in San Francisco.

How to Re-Learn to Play the Piano: Returning to piano after a hiatus involves picking a series of beginner to intermediate books, analyzing each piece, and practicing with a structured approach. Concentrating on accuracy and rhythm, I aim to play three to five pieces daily, gradually increasing my speed.

Piece List: Here’s what I’ve played recently:

 

Easy classics

 

Arlen Harold I Love a Parade

Bach, Carl Philiph Emaneul Piece for left Hand or Right Hand Alone

JS Bach

Be Thou with Me

Gavotee

JS Bach March

JS Bach Polonaise

JS Bach Prelude in C

JS Bach Prelude in F

Barton, Bella Playing Soldiers

Barton, Bella Ritual Dance

Barton, Bella Teasing

Barton, Bella “Watch Your Step” Dance

Beethoven Allegro Excerpt 7^th Symphony

Beethoven I Love Thee

Beethoven Three German Dances

Bocchieri Luigi Minuet

Borodin, Alexander Plaviason Dance

Bratton, John W the Teddy Bear Picnic

Burmeller, Friederick Pastrole

Cui, Caesar Petite Valse

Chopin, Maurka

Chopin, Prelude

Francis Couperin Rigaudon

Francis Couperin, the Kings Crest of Viols

Dvorjak Indian Legend

Edward, Gus In My Merry Oldsmobile

Friml,  Rudolf  March of the Musketters

Rose Marie

Folk Music, Arkansas Traveler

Coming through the Rye

Red River Valley

Ghys, Henry Amarlys

Michale Glinka the Lark

Gluck, Christoph Air

Gluck, Christoph Gavotee

Ground Charles Ballet Scene from Fraust

Ground Charles Funeral March of a Marionette

Gruber, Brig Caisons Go Rolling Along

Handel Air from Water Music

Handel Minuet

Handel Sarabanda

Haydn Allegro

Haydn Adnatino

Haydn Hymn to Saint Anthony

Haydn Minuet

Haydn Minuet and Trio

Haydn Scherzo

Karganof Petite Valse

Khachaturian Oriental Dance

Liadoff  The Music Box

Edward Mc Donald A Deserted Farm

Edward Mc DonaldA Moon Idly

Mendelsohn Consolidation

Mendelsohn Songs without words

Mozart, Leopold Minuet

Mozart Menuto

Sonata in C

 Nevin the Rosary

Poldini Pouple Valadanse

Waltz Serenade

Walz of the Mice

Prokofieff Grashopper Parade

March

Rainbow in the Rain

Rameu Litle Rondo

Reibekoff In the Mill

Legends

The Wandering Muscians

Rimsky Korsakoff Flight of the Bumblebees

Shcerazande

Rose, Billy Barney Google

Eric Satie Gymnopédie 1

Gynopedie 2

Gynopedie 3

Schubert Waltz

Robert Schuman  Cradle Song

Little Humming Song

Little Study

Song of the Reaper

Jean Sibelius A Prayer from Finland

Silvers April Showers

Smetna Polka nad Furiant

Prelude

Steiner Max Tara From Gone With the Wind

Stravinsky  Lullaby from the Firebird

Teleman Gigun

Tschaikowsky Romeo and Juliet

Song of the Lark

Verdi Grand March from Aida

Villonda Chocolo

Warren September in the Rain

 

Easy Classics to Modern

 

Henry Purcell Minuet

Henry Purcell Air

Henry Purcell Trumpet Tune

Henry Purcell Farewell

George Philip Telemann Bouree

George Philip Telemann Minuet

Archangel Corelli Sarabande

JS Bach Musette

Anna Magalena Bach Minuet

Anna Magalena Bach Minuet

Anna Magalena Bach  Polonaise

Anna Magalena Bach   Musette

Anna Magalena Bach  March

Anna Magalena Bach Minuet

Joseph Haydn Gavotte and Variation

JS Bach Little Prelude in F

Leopold Mozart Minuet

Leopold Mozart Burlesque

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Minuet

JS Bach  Little Prelude in F

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Allegro

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach La Caroline

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Sherzo

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Allegro

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Andante

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Presto

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Minuet

Jean Francois Dandreu Gavotee in Rondo

Jean-Philippe Rameau Rondino

Francis Couperin  Carnival

Francis Couperin Le Petit Rien

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Polonaise

Joseph Haydn Andantino

Joseph Haydn Scherzo From Sonatina No 4

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Rondo

Ludwig Beethoven Bagatelle

Ludwig Beethoven Ecossaise in G

Joseph Haydn Seven German Dances

Carl Maria Von Weber Ecossaise

Jakob Schmitt Sonatina

Joseph Nepomik Hummel Bagatelle

Daniel Gottlob Turk  Gavotte

Daniel Gottlob Turk A Regal Dance

Daniel Gottlob Turk Serande

Daniel Gottlob Turk Miniature Rondo

Daniel Gottlob Turk Evening Song

Daniel Gottlob Turk The Hunters

Daniel Gottlob Turk Carefree

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart  Adagio

Johann Philipp Kimbeger Lullaby

Anton Andre Sonatina

Jakob Schmitt Sonatina in G

Ludwig Beethoven  Three Country Dances

Muzio Clementi Sonatina

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Minuet in F

Franz Schubert Waltz

Ludwig Beethoven Russian Folk Song

 Ludwig Beethoven’s German Dance

Franz Schubert Two Ecossaises

Franz Schubert  Four Ladlers

Franz Schubert Allegretto from Minuet in F

Franz Schubert Adantino Trio from Waltz in C Op 19)

Carl Czerny Two Austrian Folk Themes

Felix Mendelssohn Peasant Song

Henry Bertini On Tiptoes

Henry Bertini Dance Intermezzo

Theodor Kullak, the Clock

Theodor Kullak Cradle Song

Robert Schumann Melody

Robert Schumann The Wild Horseman

Robert Schumann Bagatelle

Robert Schumann Soldier’s March

Robert Schumann Hunter’s Song

Robert Schumann Reaper’ Song

Fredrich Burmuller Arabesque

Friedrich Burmuller Pastoral

Steven Heller An Old Romance

Cornelius Gurlitt Little Suite Morning Song

Cornelius Gurlitt March

Cornelius Gurlitt  Scherzo

Louis Kohler Song of the Hussars

Louis Kohler Village Waltz

Louis Kohler Chromatic Polka

Konard M Kunz Four Short Canons

Peter Tschikovsky Morning Prayer

Peter Tschikovsky Old French Song

Peter Tschikovsky German Song

Peter Tschikovsky Italian Song

Peter Tschikovsky Reverie

Peter Tschikovsky  The Sick Doll

Cezar Franck Song from the Creuse

Cezar Franck Puppet’s Complaint

Robert Volkmann Once Upon A Time

Robert Volkmann, the Enchanted Garden

Robert Volkmann Dance With Me

Robert Volkmann Over Hill and Dale

Vladimir Reibkoff Playing Soldiers

Vladimir Reibkoff Evening in the Meadow

Vladimir Reibkoff Oriental Dance

Alexander Gretchaninoff Tender Moments

Alexander Gretchaninoff Promenade

Nicolas Misaskowsky Fugue in Classic Style

Igor Stravinsky’s Three Easy Pieces on Five Notes

Serge Prokofieff Trantella

Dmitri Kabalevsky Humming

Dmitri Kabalevsky  First Dance

Dmitri Kabalevsky  Little March

Dmitri Kabalevsky Chit Chat

Dmitri Kabalevsky  Waltz

Dmitri Kabalevsky Tocatina

Dmitri Kabalevsky Prelude

Dmitri Kabalevsky Ride, Ride

Dmitri Kabalevsky Scherzo

Dmitri Kabalevsky In the Country

Hector Villa Lobos Constante

Hector Villa Lobos Circle Dance

Alan Khatchaturian Melody

Bella Bartok Six Miniatures

 

Next up, Playing the Blues Standards

Playing Ellington Standards

 the End