Salsa Piano - The Complete Guide with CD!: Hal Leonard Keyboard Style Series [Paperback] Review

I really like this series on Keyboard Styles by Hal Leonard which gives an interesting survey of the various types of music a keyboardist might need to play (or fake). I find that this series works the best when the music has a pretty set formula in which to work in.So for instance, the Blues Piano book is my favorite because you really can fake your way through the style after working through it, but the Jazz books are too cursory for really working your way through the vast landscape of Jazz.

The Salsa piano book is really interesting because it is so different from the others.It gives a great overview of the style, and does a really good job of explaining the function of the clave, the unique beat that is the characteristic rhytym of the style, and how to play in and around it.It covers typical chord progressions and how to build accompaniments in the style.This style is so different from all of the other styles in the series which all have the Blues as their jumping off point (e.g. rock, blues, jazz, jazz-blues, r&b) and that makes for a pretty interesting read.The problem is that outside the context of a band (and in particular a percussion section), it is really hard to apply the work in this book as solo piano Salsa isn't really the style.

I'm guessing that the average piano player buying this book doesn't have access to a Salsa band to play in like me which limits the applications of the book if you just play for your own enjoyment.That said, it is very interesting and the CD does have some patterns to play along with.

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Product Description:
Learn how to play authentic salsa! From traditional Cuban music to the more modern Puerto Rican and New York styles, you'll learn the all-important rhythmic patterns of salsa and how to apply them to the piano. The book provides historical, geographical and cultural background info, and the 50+-track CD includes piano examples and a full salsa band percussion section.

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