The Author

After studying at the Musikhochschule Hannover (piano with Prof. Hans Priegnitz and Prof. Konrad Meister, composition with Prof. Einar Steen-Noekleberg, music pedagogy and musicology), followed by further composition studies in New York and New Orleans, Hans-Günter Heumannn (*1955) dedicated himself to the editing of pedagogical piano material. His particular concern is to present music in an accessible way to reach a broad audience.

As a result of his training and personal aims, he has composed and arranged piano music in all styles for beginners to advanced students and has developed methodical concepts for learning how to play the piano. The great number of internationally successful publications reveals the acceptance of his work. As the most well-known piano book author in Germany his books have been translated into many different languages and millions of copies sold. Based on many years of experience teaching children, young people and adults, he created two of the most significant piano methods (1995/96) in the German language, which have been enthusiastically received. He was awarded the German Music Edition Prize in 2001.

Heumann has also created an extensive piano method for English-speaking territories. The Classical Piano Method (2012-2014) is a wonderful resource for young and mature piano students who have a passion for classical music. American Music Teacher reported: “This method approaches piano instruction from the European standpoint of attaining piano proficiency and competent musicianship from the very beginning of piano lessons.” In 2016, another method followed, the interactive piano course for children Piano Junior started with great success worldwide, which offers for the first time online access at www.piano-junior.com. This creative method has been translated into several languages and received best reviews in the press, such as: Pianist Magazine, Pianodao and Music Teacher Magazine, for example: “They are (the books) extremely thorough, clearly and attractively written, and teacher and pupil friendly …”

As well as an immense repertoire of pedagogical piano material covering a great range of technical difficulty and eras, including classical, jazz, rock, pop, folk, new age and minimal music, the composer series such as Get To Know Classical Masterpieces (1996-2012) in 12 volumes –  reach out to a wide audience. Further highlights followed with: Pianinissimo (2008-2018) in 8 volumes – a treasure chest containing purely classical piano music for students, adult returners and amateur enthusiasts; Best of Piano Classics 1 (2012) – a collection of the most beautiful 50 original compositions;  Best of Piano Classics 2 (2018) – another selection of 40 arrangements of popular classical masterpieces; Best of Beethoven (2019) – a colletion of 30 well-loved pieces.

Fantasy Piano (2015), Mystery Piano (2018) and Galaxy Piano (2019) is meant to inspire dreams at the piano with enchanting, mysterious and galactic easy piano pieces. Mini Maestro 1-3 (2020) presents 150 little piano pieces advancing progressively from very easy to intermediate level, presented across five centuries suitable for concert performance, tuition purposes, examinations and competitions. Children, adolescents or adults: anyone can be a Mini Maestro!

For several years Hans-Günter Heumann has made himself a dream come true, composing modern classical piano music. The compositions combine Minimal Music, Meditative Music, Film Music, Pop Elements and New Age and you can hear the great passion the composer has for the piano. In his debut album Live Your Dream (2011) his inspirations came from spiritual aphorisms. In Light And Shade (2013), the second album for piano solo, he takes a look at the bright and the dark sides of emotions. In Go Your Own Way, released in 2015, twelve very emotional compositions take the pianist and the audience on a musical journey during which each one of them follows his heart and his inner voice. Piano Balance (2016)  takes the pianist into a world of relaxing, hypnotic sounds and sound carpets, stoically repetitive patterns and relaxed rhythm. An album to relax and get in perfect balance. The follow-up Pianomania (2016) features 20 compositions with different emotions from obsessive, hypnotic-meditative to dreamy. The intention behind the sixth album Piano Flow (2019) was to provide a step back from everyday life and to convey a happy feeling of infiniteness. Stream of Life (2020) touches the heart and soul deeply with the melancholy mood of the expressive, nuanced harmonies and the meditative character of the piano pieces. All these albums convinces with touchingly melancholic pieces of fragile aesthetics.

Hans-Günter Heumann is a freelance composer and author, living in southern Germany.