The Small Hours is the companion sheet music book for Neil Patton's 2024 solo piano album by the same name. Neil did all of the transcriptions himself and I proof-read them, ensuring that the scores are as close to the recordings as possible. What makes this songbook truly remarkable (besides the music itself) is that Neil included twelve pages of text explaining the origins of the music as well as detailed practice tips and approaches to get the best results as you learn to play the music yourself. Even though I had proofed all fifteen pieces, I found reading this section of the book absolutely amazing and incredibly useful. If you have ever seen Neil play either in person or in his videos, you are aware of what an incredible pianist he is. Sharing some of his "tricks" and techniques is like having several piano lessons with him - quite a bargain! In addition to the performance notes, Neil included rankings for the difficulty of each piece along with a list of classical pieces with a similar level of advancement. There is also a brief biography on the inside back cover. To make the book even more practical and useful, it is spiral-bound and printed on a medium-weight paper.

If you have played any of Neil Patton's previous songbooks, you know that his music can be very challenging. While most of these pieces are not easy, they are easier, as Neil consciously took a quieter and less-dramatic approach to this album. He also added extensive fingering in some of the trickier passages. More of the pedaling is also marked, in addition to the various tips and techniques mentioned in the front section of the book. Metronome settings are also included for each piece. The Small Hours is an exceptionally well-done songbook, and I very highly recommend it. It is available both digitally and as a printed songbook from www.neilpatton.net. Single pieces are also available to download there.

The title of each piece, the key(s) it is in, and the number of pages are:

Day's End - Key of G (1 sharp) - 5 pages
We Will Tell the Stories - Key of Bm (2 sharps) - 6 pages
Goodnight, Daddy - Key of A (3 sharps) - 3 pages
Good to See You Again - Key of D/Bm (2 sharps) - 3 pages
Above the Treetops - Key of C/Am (0 sharps or flats) - 7 pages
A Room With a View - Key of Dm (1 flat) - 6 pages
Falling Up - Key of Am (0 sharps or flats) - 4 pages
The Moon and Sun Dance - Key of A (3 sharps) - 6 pages
A Prayer in the Darkness - Key of Am/C (0) - 4 pages
The Small Hours - Key of Dm (1 flat) - 5 pages
Trust - Key of C (0) - 5 pages
Shame and Grace - Key of C minor (3 flats) - 6 pages
This Grief Lies Down Beside Me - Key of Dm (1 flat) - 3 pages
Nightwalk (Be Thou My Vision) - Key of D (2 sharps) - 5 pages
Daybreak - Key of G (1 sharps) - 9 pages