China Gates

Piano Solo

By John Adams

Exactly what I asked for and arrived when they said it would arrive. Very happy with my first 'sheet music plus' purchase and will continue to buy from them when in need.

Don't be deceived by the relaxed pace, gentle tune, and minimalist structure of the notes--this is actually a very difficult piece to play. The piece contains just two interwoven piano passages that repeat themselves until a "gate" is switched and the passage changes, but to realize the full...

beauty of the piece, special care must be taken to give the piece two melodies that blend perfectly together. Once you learn the tricky syncopations and contrary motions of the hands on the same octave, you'll need to make sure neither hand ever plays louder than the other, that there are no accents or lapses, and that you always play at the same pace for all 9 pages. Most conventional pianists will find this piece frustrating and maybe a bit boring, but if minimalist polyphony is your style, it will surely delight you. If you can get it to be as pure and unblemished as possible, it will sound absolutely beautiful.

This piece is really fun to play. It takes a little while to learn the syncopations but it's gratifying. Even if you dislike minimalism, you may still like this piece.