Solace is the companion sheet music book to Doug Hammer’s 2007 debut album by the same name. All sixteen piano solos from that album are included, transcribed by Doug Hammer himself and proofed by me. Many of these pieces have been available as downloads from Doug’s site for quite a while, but we went through them all again to get the sheet music as close to the recording as possible. While individual pieces can still be downloaded, the full album is now available as a beautiful printed book (with spiral binding!!!) and as a pdf download. Both are available from www.DougHammer.net.

The front and back covers are full-color reproductions of the cover artwork from the CD. The notation is very clear, spacious and easy to read. The notation includes metronome settings (where the music is not rubato), pedaling suggestions, and expressive playing instructions. There are a few reaches of more than an octave, but not many. Some of the rhythms are complex, but if you take the time to count them out, you won’t have a problem. Doug is an amazing pianist, so a few of the pieces are somewhat difficult, but pianists at an upper-intermediate to early-advanced playing level will find much to enjoy in this beautiful book. I also reviewed the CD, so if you would like more information about the music itself, the link is on this page. I very highly recommend the Solace songbook!


The song titles, the keys they are in, and the number of pages are:

Unfolding - Key of C (0 sharps or flats) - 4 pages
Sunrise - Key of E minor/ G major (1 sharp) - 6 pages
In The Fields - Key of D (2 sharps) - 6 pages
The Dance - Key of C - 8 pages
Flying High - Key of D - 4 pages
Gabrielle - Key of D - 5 pages
Coming Home - Key of A (3 sharps) - 6 pages
A Warm Place In Winter - Key of G - 3 pages
Emmanuelle - Key of A - 4 pages

A Dream I Once Lived In - Key of G (1 sharp)/ A minor (0 sharps or flats) - 5 pages
Soliloquy - Key of A - 4 pages
Bittersweet - Key of C# minor/ E major (4 sharps) - 4 pages
Sorrow - Key of D minor (1 flat)/ D major (2 sharps) - 5 pages
All These Moments Will Be Gone - Key of D - 4 pages
The Way Things Must Be - Key of C - 3 pages
The Road Home - Key of G - 5 pages