Piano The Books

This 3rd volume of transcriptions is an essential purchase for the aspiring Jazz musician. The transcriptions are very accurate as far as I can tell. The Piano features on the top two staves, bass on the 3rd stave and the drums on the 4th.

These performances are all from the middle or late part of Bill Evans career and you will probably be able to find the actual recordings on CD if you hunt around. Sadly the book does not tell you from which recordings the transcriptions are taken.

A word of warning, these transcriptions are not for beginners, they are technically demanding and unless you are blessed with superb reading skills and a natural Jazz feel you will have to work hard to perfect these.

Great Transcriptions. There is some important product information missing in the first 3 volumes - including the transcribers: Liam Noble (the piano and bass), Chris Baron (the drums) and Artemis Music Ltd.
And the Albums from which each track comes (A big setback I'm sure for anyone who has bought the books but does not own a lot of actual Bill Evans Recorded material)

These are the albums used in this volume:
Alfie - Re: Person I Knew
Emily - Re: Person I Knew
Funkallero - The Bill Evans Album
'Round Midnight - You're Gonna Hear From Me
A Sleepin' Bee - At The Montreux Jazz Festival 1968
Someday My Prince Will Come - You're Gonna Hear From Me
The Touch of Your Lips - At The Montreux Jazz Festival 1968
Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me) - You're Gonna Hear From Me

My neighbor bought a keyboard and wanted to learn 60s and 70s Rock 'n' Roll music. I find everything on Amazon and sure enough, I got both of the Billboard books, 60s and 70s Rock 'n Roll piano series. He loves it. He's practicing for karaoke with his friends who are from the 60s and 70s generation!

Great selection of songs and very nice arrangements overall...A bit tough in some places for my level but still a great book.

This book makes a great addition to any church accompanist's library. The piano solos include 'More Love, More Power,' and 'Change My Heart, Oh God.'

This is the accompanying piano book to a Tom Howard CD that Amazon seems not to carry and I was lucky to find, odd as it sounds, in a bookstore in Hawaii run by nuns. It was tucked in next to Switchfoot, and all I can say is that the Sisters have some very good taste in music. It's been decades since the Vineyard fellowship began in Larry Norman's living room, and nearly that long since I heard Tom Howard open for Larry Norman. A classically trained graduate of the Juliard School, Tom Howard blew me away with his unadorned and accomplished piano playing and I have been a fan ever since.

I may prefer his jazz work on Beyond the Barriers and the stylish renditions of Solo Piano, both long out of print and being sold used for ridiculous amounts. But if the music publishers have let those classics slip out of print, I thought for sure this CD, featuring as it does the most popular rock praise songs of the day, would surely be climbing the best-sellers chart. The motto of Vineyard Music is "From the Church, For the Church," so you'd think they'd applaud this true talent following his calling and using his gifts with the tiny favor of reissuing his CDs (I also cordially invite Calvary Chapel, the other everywhere fellowship, to reissue his earlier albums).

So before it's gone, you'd probably like to get this piano book of what might be called the Howard method, enabling pianists, from beginner to virtuoso, to play these songs. On the CD, Howard punctuates these nine numbers with three original interludes that sound like movie music, suggesting that he normally plays them all together as a medly, seguing in and out of the various songs, and they are only divided into twelve songs on the CD in order to separate the tracks. This is something like what Jeff Johnson, my other favorite instrumental musician (although both artists also have vocal albums) does with his Selah contemplative music.

In the '60s a renewal movement known as Vatican II swept through the Catholic Church, leaving in its wake, among other things, what was generally known as the folk mass. That led to some great folk praise songs (and some quite bad ones). But it's the same with any age. Apart from the few, well-known classics, hymn books are chock full of pieces best forgotten or, as C.S. Lewis dubbed them, "hymns I have always hated". Larry Norman once said that today's musicians may be writing tomorrow's hymns. The current contemporary praise movement is certainly churning out its share of forgettable numbers (you can't really make praise a business, can you?), but Tom Howard, with canny sense, has ferreted out the keepers. It's as if a great musician not only came to the door offering lessons, but also gave away his own personal arrangements. If this is the prelude to Vatican III, I can hardly wait.

An eclectic and interesting collection of ragtime era dance tunes, including a few rags. Many of these memorable pieces started dance crazes of their own, such as the Grizzly Bear, Kangaroo Hop, Cubanola Glide and Ballin' the Jack. Others are just exciting to play, like Eubie Blake's Chevy Chase, Too Much Mustard, and the wonderful latin-influenced Panama. As a testament to these fine pieces, many of them lived years longer than Disco, and are certainly as much fun as the Mashed Potato... or is that potatoe? Anyhow, a fascinating look at the ragtime era that will interest afficianado and newbie alike.

This is a most unique book. Music sounds like ragtime, but is a little less sophisticated. Very catchy tunes and fun to play. If anyone knows of other books with this type of music, please let me know! kdern@yahoo.com

Pachelbel Canon in D is thee greatest songs ever. It is also a great wedding song.

The music book of Canon in D , created by Johann Paehelbel , the version is Masterpiece Edition.

This is a wonderful edition, including all of Schumann's chamber music (excluding duo sonatas) in one book (no-one else does this!) for a very low price. It is a great study-score; as a performance score, the only downside is the lack of parts (which can be photocopied).
The famous Piano Quintet, the Quartet, the three trios and three string quartets cover a vast range of moods; the melancholy D minor trio is my favourite, especially the scherzo movement. This score is a must-have.

The Schumann Chamber music is appeasingly romantic, while not going over board. These pieces are extremely fun to play, as well as listen to!

I purchased this book for a 14 year old friend of mine. She was so excited!! She seems to really love the book and the fact that there is a CD to go with it. I purchased this version because it has the CD and the suggestions about interpretation and fingering.

This masterly set represents every major feature of Romanticism. The modest skill requirements of no. 20 encourage the deeply emotional musician in the intermediate player, while the demands of no. 8 celebrate virtuosity. No. 16 indulges in stormy bombast, whereas no. 7 unabashedly embraces simple sentimentalism. The harmonic advances of the nineteenth century are explored in no. 9, while broad melody comes to the fore in no. 6. The serious, spiritual overtones of the central portion of no. 15 are balanced by the capricious whimsy of no. 23. The tonal clarity and simplicity of no. 3 are balanced by the complexity and, in some passages, virtual atonality of no. 14. And the grinding ugliness of no. 2 is matched by the elegant, sonorous beauty of no. 19. And the set as a whole successfully expresses so much variety that it offers a sensitive view of an awesome world every bit as deep and rich as (if not more so than) a Wagner music-drama, a Tchaikovsky symphony, or a Strauss tone poem. If you love Romantic music and don't know these pieces, you'll want to own them. If you don't love Romantic music, this set will probably win you over.

This is a wonderful book, it walks you through step by step. You are able to use this book as a self teaching method. Albert DeVito really did a wonderful job putting all this great information in one book (The Complete Edition).With each technique given, you have songs to practice with, you will then be able to incorporate these techniques in other songs you may wish to play. He shows you how to play Arpeggios, Boogie Woogie Bass,Walking bass Lines, Chord Substitution, Intervals, Theory of Chord Construction, Embellishments, and much more.

Covers the basics and the finer details of what has become the most popular method of learning keyboard as an adult ie. the Chord Method of Piano wherein the melody is played by the right hand and the base chords are played by the left. Arranged in various lessons which increase in complexity as one reads.Covers chord construction and playing in a complete but easily understood manner much like the Pointer System for Piano does. However this book covers this approach to playing piano with much more depth.

(...) That reason is because this book provides all the necessary information needed to fill your brain with a river of knowledge about this musical genius. A few templates of information I had read from the book were:
* At age 5, Clara Schumann (her name was Clara Wieck, up until she married) had amazing talent for the average child in the world at the time. As it says, as soon as she layed her fingers on the keys of the piano for the first time, she already yielded her amazing skill at music.
* Amazing for a child in her pre-teens, her first concert was conducted at age 12, at the Gewandhaus Theatre in her birthplace and what was one of her many hometowns of Leipzig, Saxony, in Germany. One of the many guests she played for were the King and Queen of Prussia.
* Not suprising for a 16-year-old, she fell deeply in love with Robert Schumann, which, like all superstars, affected her music by how emotional her music sounded to her audience, although this aspect did not affect the quality of her music, as her emotions leaked into her music and it either told her audience whether she felt gloomy or joyful. A way it affected her personal life was by angering her father, Frederick Wieck, because he did not want anything to do with Robert Schumann. He threatened Clara that if she didn't break up with Robert, he would launch her career into mass jeopardy. So that didn't stop her from communicating with Robert. She wrote letters secretly to Robert, and all the letters she wrote to Robert up unto his death in the 1850s would fill several bookshelves.
* She had seven children total, of which a few suffered terrible fates. Her son Ferdinand served in the military and he died of morphine addiction.
* Some of her friends were Felix Mendelsohnn and Johannes Brahms.

In my opinion, I feel the author of this book, Sussana Reich, should be renowned the world over because of all the thought, effort, and precision she put into this biographical journey. She gives you every little detail you need to know about this genius. While some biographies just have the basic texts of a book, she included a timeline which I found especially helpful when I was writing a biographical report about her. This author is truely an individual who stands out from the rest of the crowd. In fact she has "convinced" me so much about her that I feel she will convince you the same way!

Clara Schumann (nee Wieck) lived a heroic life that would inspire anyone in any age. She lived a life of amazing contrasts: unable to speak with other people when she was young; a piano virtuoso at age 6; the student of a domineering father; the oldest child in a broken home at a young age; the major source of income for her family all her life; a young woman who had to defy her father to marry the man of her dreams; mother of 8 children; young widow; wife of one of the world's most famous composers; constantly on tour while raising her children; friend of the most prodigious muscial talents of her day; and the dominant piano performer of her time.

This book is written at a level that will appeal to all but the most serious musical fans and students. The book is full of interesting illustrations and exhibits. I enjoyed the discussion of the sources in the back of the book. The author's mother has also written about Clara Schumann, so they were able to share data. Ms. Schumann's diary was started by her father, so it contains information from both of them. She also loved to write to her friends, and spent several hours a day doing that. As a result, there are a lot of quotes in her own words.

Amazingly modern, yet little known to many modern people, Clara Schumann faced many of the conflicts and contradictions that today's young women and mothers face. Her brave and extraordinary life can provide inspiration and guidance for today . . . and tomorrow.

I especially encourage you to share this book with young people who have extraordinary talent or a calling at a young age, to help them understand what some of the issues are that they will face over the rest of their lives.

Overcome your misconceptions about what it means to be a career woman in the 21st century by examining one from the 19th century!

"The Classic Hoagy Carmichael" by John Hasse was published by the Indiana Historical Society in 1988. Hasse began the research when working on his Ph.D. at Indiana University, where Hoagland Howard C. had received his undergrad & law degrees.

Hasse compiled memory-provoking photos along with satisfying notes about the many recordings included on 3 CD's. There is an excellent bibliography and a 'select' filmography that will lead fans down another poignant bi-way. This is a marvelous collection for which Indiana University. Indiana Historical Society and Smithsonian Collection of Recordings deserve heartfelt thanks.

Hoagy Carmichael absorbed ragtime rhythms, primarily from his pianist mother who played often for fraternity dances. Music contributed greatly to his self-confidence while growing up. His early inspiration as a composer came from Bix Beiderbecke, fellow Hoosier & cornetist.. "Stardust" was one of the earliest of Hoagy's popular songs of which he wrote several hundred (& the lyrics for almost 60 ). Melody was one of his strengths and made his work unmistakable: "The Nearness of You," "Skylark," "Rockin' Chair," "Georgia," "Ole Buttermilk Sky." Hasse wrote "his melodies are memorable and hummable" and he was known as a musical Will Rogers, and loved for his nostalgic themes and regional folk sounds. "CAN'T GET INDIANA OFF MY MIND" !

Hoagy said this about his quirky singing voice: "my native wood-note and often off-key voice is what I call 'flatsy through the nose.' " His delivery was intimate and compelling. He asked once if the songs of the twenties were considered to be classics because they were old /OR/ "because they are often still fresh, strong and real?" Several of his tunes are classics, and in this collection some are interpreted by different artists, the most numerous being six versions of "Stardust." Allow plenty of time to enjoy "Lazy River," "Rockin' Chair," "Two Sleepy People" with Bob Hope, Ethel Waters singing "Bread and Gravy," and "Blue Orchids."

We, the listeners continue to relish our good fortune! With producer John Hasse, Reviewer mcHAIKU wishes for each of us "REPEATED AND INCREASINGLY AFFECTIONATE HEARINGS." That quote of Hasse is filled with loving appreciation of Hoagy Carmichael's craft and his impact on American music.

There are so many recordings of Hoagy Carmichael songs here that it's hard to know where to begin.

The Music: This box set is a phenomonal collection of fifty-seven songs performed by jazz greats from 1927 to 1984. In addition to early and later performance by HC, you'll find Louis Armstrong, Mildred Bailey, Ray Charles, Bing Crosby, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Ethel Waters and many, many others. Some of these recordings you will just not find anywhere else as they were found in the Indiana University HC Archives.

The Book: Written by John Edward Hasse, Curator of American Music at the Smithsonian. This 64 page paperback is loaded with information and photos. Three mains sections: "The Man", "The Musician", "The Recordings". The first two section are relatively brief.

The third section contains the major reason for this book's existence. Here you'll find details of each recording. For starters: who played what, where and when and the label and number it was released on as well as who gave permission to include it in this set. Following that introduction is information about each song and its recording. Fascinating stuff.

Then, to round things up, there are recommended other recordings, thumbnail bios about lyricists and collaborators, a select filmography, bibliography and discography. Each of these occupy a page more or less but it's enough to get you going if you are so inclined to further research.

The Box: There are multiple versions of this box set available. LP, cassette, CD. All come in the same size 12x12" box. All contain the same book.

Availabilty: Searching Amazon, you'll find this set listed under both books and music. I know it may look like it's unavailable in the music section. This is not out-of-print. It is available from both the Indiana Historical Society and the Smithsonian Collection of Recordings.

Other information: Hoagy Carmichael fans: Visit the Indiana University Hoagy Carmichael website! It is loaded with information, photos, interviews, correspondance, music clips, etc!

Highly recommended!