Little Toy Lost

Description

Little Toy Lost is a short piece written in 2006 by the contemporary composer Andrew Sidwell. The title calls up a small scene - something like the feelings of a child who has lost a favourite toy. Details of how it came to be written could not be confirmed.

It is in 4/4, lasts 28 seconds and has just 97 notes, which puts it among the very shortest pieces on the site. The range runs from E3 up to C6, so it fits entirely on a 61-key keyboard. With almost nothing in the low register, both hands work from the middle of the keyboard upwards.

It is rated beginner. With so few notes, attention can go to matching the volume and length of each one and to placing the end of each phrase gently. Start with the playback slowed down and use the hand colours to see which hand plays which notes, then try it at full speed once it feels familiar. At under thirty seconds, the whole piece can be set as a single A-B loop and repeated. Listening through a few times before playing, to fix the shape of the melody in your mind, is also a good way in.

A broad collection of standalone piano pieces not belonging to any specific set, offering hundreds of varied character pieces to explore and compare.