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Snake Charmer
Original piano solo by Justin James
Level: Advanced
About this Composition:
Sometimes, we just have to smile or laugh. I remember being a kid getting excited when a piece of music was only one page long - clearly this was going to be the best piece to learn. Short, easy-looking, and then straight back to kicking the footy or bowling fast.
Snake Charmer is the opposite.
Art can imitate life, and sounds can hide in dark places - only to strike when discovered. This piece is packed with deadly quavers, semiquavers, and demisemiquavers that could strike at any second. Give the snake a tap on the shoulder and it may come at you.
This music is visual and programmatic: poetic, graceful, and always poised to strike. Left undisturbed, the snake might even settle somewhere with a morning coffee and scroll a few posts on its laptop - but don’t be fooled.
At its core, Snake Charmer is a deep dive into scales and modes we don’t often explore in Western music. It is a study in reading complex rhythmic structures and developing the ability to produce a wide range of tonal colours on the keyboard through varied touch and articulation.
Practice hands separately first, then slowly bring them together. If you genuinely study how to play this piece, it can transform your musical skills in a shorter time frame than many larger works.
Written for advanced-level pianists, Snake Charmer is ideal for a high-impact exam or recital performance - challenging, expressive, and unmistakably alive.