Love the harmonies and the continues triplets that creates flow. Completeley different to any other arrangement I have seen. Thank you
Genius - this piece lives in my head on continuous repeat. David Hicken is the mastermind in his genre.
The Gladiator soundtrack is one of my all time favorite pieces, something I’ve always wanted to play on the piano. When I saw David’s rendition on YT for the first time, I fell in love. I’ve started practicing his piece this week and it’s been giving me such joy. I can’t wait to memorize it all and play it wherever I see a piano!
Bought “Secrets To Better Composing & Improvising” not because I want to become a composer, but because I badly needed chord exercises. Thank you David. All your instructions books are a real gem.
Legend of Taktam has every ingredients you expect from a David Hicken's piano piece that makes it so fun to listen to, to learn and to play : lyricism and real piano technique, modulations that attract your ear, joy, dexterity, inventiveness and the sensitivity of a beautiful melody.
All this will make you want to buy the piece and feel the satisfaction of being able to play it : to yourself, to your family, to friends.
And above all if you are a piano teacher you know that your pupils will enjoy playing it a lot while making progress. Real music for real pianists ! Just « play it like you wrote it »
My sister dreamed of performing this composition, and I gave her this little gift. Here is her comment:
"When I heard David Hicken's Shchedryk for the first time, it was love from the first sound. And I really wanted to learn this particular arrangement. Thanks for the notes. I fulfilled my dream."
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnF1QoItpPj/?igshid=MzVlODdmYjc=
The immersion felt during the 5 minutes is unbreakable. However, the score itself is of a difficulty that can be mastered with some practice. However, in order to express it as desired, basic skills must be sufficient. I am lacking in basic skills and am constantly stumbling.
Beautiful, thoughtful arrangement without being weird or too difficult. Will definitely purchase more arrangements and compositions from David!
I bought the organ version of the piece. It's quite catchy and beloved by the audience. So my point of critic is only small:
The whole piece has a very piano-like feel to it ; I would have loved more pedalworks, which also surely would support the whole carillon idea of the piece. But other than that- a great addition to my repertoire!
While playing this wonderful piece I can easily imagine myself sitting on the ground with master Ryokan, outside his hut, narrating stories and advising me through his famous lines:
In this world of dreams, drifting off still more; and once again speaking and dreaming of dreams. Just let it be.
Thank you Mr Hicken for offering us mind trips through your music.
What an exciting piece of music to both listen to and learn at the piano! Thanks to David for transcribing his wonderful work for us. The purchase and download process for all of my orders from David's website has been seamless.
This tutorial has the correct title. It is the Ultimate Piano Wortkout! You will benefit a lot from it!
Thank you for giving me a chance to play this wonderful piece, taking me on a journey to Kaiaka Bay on a rainy morning.