The Piano Trio is one of the most popular chamber ensembles in classical music. In this video I discuss how composers write for it and why it's difficult. Along the way, I look at one of my own compositions along with examples (with sheet music) from Telemann, JS & JC Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Schubert, Clara Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Andriessen, Morton Feldman, Gordon McPherson, Donnacha Dennehy, Jonathan Harvey, etc. I also describe my own writing process too, drawing on a great performance of my work by the Fidelio Trio.