Piano The Books

I'm a big fan of Liz Story's Solid Colors album/CD. In Volume 1 of her piano music series, she has Solid Colors and Things With Wings. In this volume (Volume 2), she has Wedding Rain, which in my opinion ranks #2 on her Solid Colors album (Things With Wings is my #1 favorite). So if you're into Liz Story's piano playing style, I highly recommend this book.

Not every modern jazz/New Age composer makes arrangement of their compositions avaiable in sheet music. And some arrangements available on sheet music are just plain awful. Liz Story is not only a great jazz/New Age pianist/composer but she puts it down on paper. These are playable and just wonderful pieces. And if you want to hear them, go listen to the album of the same title.

My 5 year old daughter started taking piano lessons this year. Her teacher insisted on starting with this book. I couldn't believe it, but by the end of her first lesson my daughter was sight-reading music. The book focuses on landmarks...Landmark G in the G (Treble) clef and landmark F in the F (Bass) clef. It starts you off from the beginning knowing where you are in relation to the second line on the staff. This prepares the student right from the beginning to learn about intervals (seconds, thirds, fourths, etc.). I was always a poor sight-reader because I was not taught properly from the beginning. This book teaches you properly from the beginning!

This is the most complete book on Vierne to date. Highly recommended. The majority of the book is Vierne's own Memoirs translated into english. The remainder constists of some analization of the organ works, textual corrections of the symphonies, improvisation themes written by Vierne, etc. Most complete, and a fanscinating read as well as being highly useful. No organist should be without a copy!

I borrowed this book from my piano teacher, and since it has a second piano part for if you don't want to play with CD, my sister and I have performed several of the pieces. The arrangement of How Beautiful is very beautiful. The pieces are challenging but are well worth the effort to master them.

I just got done writing the review for the minor scale workbook, so I might as well complete my duty and write a review for major scales. This book is without a doubt the best scale book available on the market today. I personally know the author and I can attest that her method works. Pictures are used to describe what the scale could look like if it were outlining a picture on the keys. As in binary code with 1's and 0's, if you wrote a line that moved up and down and at the points you replaced keys instead of 1's and 0's, you could trace a picture that would stay in your mind while you played. I own both books and I recommend these books to anyone who wants to learn their scales in a fun way.. a way that'll help you remember even after you close the book. Memorizing is always a challenge but if you use a "landmark" or a picture then memorizing can be easier. I always remember the B major scale as the "big boot" because the first 2 black keys represent the heel and the last 3 black keys represent the toe so I always picture a boot in my head when I play that scale. I love these books. Whether you're teacher or a student, these books are worth the investment.

This is a short yet intelligent and inspiring guide to organ music, with 'user-friendly' introduction to the building of the organ, performance practice and interpretation issues, and special focus on the music of JS Bach. Insights from one of the leading organists in the world Peter Hurford provide interesting personal perspectives. A must on any organist's bookshelf.

Like Let the People Sing, this book too was recommended to me by the same organist from Indiana Universtity. This book as well has helped me to improve my improvisation on the organ.

Manufacturing The Muse: Estey Organs & Consumer Culture In Victorian America by ethnomusicologist Dennis G. Waring is a very thorough, informed and informative history and analysis of the reed organ, an majestic instrument once more popular than the piano, in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The amazing story of how this remarkable instrument was standardized and distributed is illustrated with black-and-white photographs and artworks. An accompanying music CD with reed organ selections rounds out this fascinating compendium of musical and American consumer history. Highly recommended for academic Music History reference collections, Manufacturing The Muse is also available in hardcover (0819565075, ...).

IT CONTAINS THE MORE PICTURES THAN ANY OF MY OTHER MARIAH BOOKS. IT CONTAINS LYRIC IN TWO FROMATS SHEET AND REGULAR IT IS THE ONLY BOOK IN IS CLASS THAT DOES THIS. OF COURSE IT GIVES YOU THE LYRICS YOU CAN'T FIND IN THOSE CD BOOKLETS LIKE THE LYRICS TO THE RAP MARIAH DOES ON "PRISONER" ALL OF THE PICTURES ARE IN COLOR EXCEPT FOR ONE THAT WAS PHOTOGRAPHED IN BLACK AND WHITE. I HAVE ALL OF MARIAH'S BOOKS, AND SOME BY OTHER ARTIST AND I CAN HAPPILY SAY THIS BOOK IS A MUST FOR ANY TRUE MARIAH CAREY FAN OR MUSIC LOVER AND IS THE MOST QULATIY BOOK ON SHEET MUSIC THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN.