Without Gershwin's exceptional piano skills, his career would have been virtually unimaginable. Since musical talent was largely absent in his family home, he didn't begin playing the piano himself until the age of twelve. A street musician playing Rubinstein's Melody in F sparked his enthusiasm for the instrument. Soon after, he began taking classical piano lessons and eventually arrived in Tin Pan Alley, where he worked as a song plugger for Jerome H. Remick & Co. There, Gershwin developed his distinctive style and quickly gained recognition that would stay with him until the end of his life.
His first instrumental work, Rialto Ripples, named after a Venetian district, was published in 1916. Later in his career, he composed the Two Waltzes in C from Pardon My English, which Gershwin performed with Kay Swift as an instrumental interlude and which reflect his stylistic versatility.
The Gershwin Songbook, initially published in a limited edition, contains sheet music and arrangements of his famous songs. In his prefaces, Gershwin demonstrated a keen understanding of different interpretations and emphasized that his compositions are tailored to various levels of playing. Works such as Swanee, Who Cares?, "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise," and "Do It Again" attest to the originality and innovative spirit of Gershwin's music.