The Vince Guaraldi Collection: Piano (Artist Transcriptions) [Paperback] Review

I bought this together with Vince Guaraldi - Greatest Hits, both containing a lot of songs I really wanted to play on the piano myself. That combination has allowed me to hear what Vince played while also reading through the music to see just what it is he played. Without exception, I've found the written music exactly true to what Vince recorded, including pick up notes, tricky min-maj-min progressions, arpeggios, diminished 9th chords, and what-not, and it has made some previously unapproachable passages much easier to understand. I've also been able to use the book as a sort of learning tool, getting a feel for what a jazz musician really tries to accomplish when he sits down and plays a piece. I would like to have seen some fingering indications included, and without those, I think some beginners will not be able to do much with this work. And personally, I didn't find the performance notations particularly useful ("laid back" doesn't really convey much to me), but like I said, I also purchased a CD of Vince's music, so I already have an idea of what sort of sound I want to achieve. Other than those two minor points, I can't find anything wrong with this edition. The binding is "lay flat" perfect bound, so the pages stay glued together but pull away from the spine, allowing this book to retain a crisp appearance and feel even after the pages are pulled open on a music stand. Guaraldi fans and aspiring jazz pianists will gain a lot from this work.

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Product Description:
Along with Dave Brubeck, Vince Guaraldi was one of the leading pianists to rise to prominence from the California Bay Area scene. Originally a Latin jazz musician, his recording of "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" is one of the best-selling jazz records of all time. Guaraldi later composed the beloved and timeless music for the Peanuts television specials. This folio spans Guaraldi's multi-faceted career, with note-for-note transcriptions of 9 terrific songs: Cast Your Fate to the Wind * Christmas Time Is Here * Greensleeves * Linus and Lucy * Manha De Carnaval * O Tannenbaum * Outra Vez * Samba De Orfeu * Star Song. Includes a biography and a discography.

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The Great Family Songbook: A Treasury of Favorite Show Tunes, Sing Alongs, Popular Songs, Jazz & Blues, Children's Melodies, International Ballads, Fplk ... Jingles, and More for Piano and Guitar [Spiral-bound] Review

This book has an excellent selection of songs for families to play and sing together, everything from "Hava Nagila" to "Look for the Silver Lining" to "If You're Happy and You Know It." You can argue with their song choice, of course. Everyone will find gaps, but that would be true of any book like this. Personally, I'd recommend "Keep on the Sunny Side," for their second edition. Pros: great songs in good keys, chords and piano arrangements,beautiful illustrations, etc. It came in handy last night when I looked up "Auld Lang Syne." However there are some easy ways it could be improved in the next edition: give it a metal spiral binding, simplify the chords a little bit, make the lyrics stand out a little more from the page (better typeface? different color?), and include more the lyrics (Erie Canal only has one of the three verses). That's nitpicking however, this book is a very good deal, particularly for $13.00.

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Product Description:
A one-of-a-kind collection of the songs you love to play and sing, including music and chords for piano and guitar. Now in a new paperback format with a lay-flat, wire-o binding

Hours of family fun and entertainment featuring 100 carefully selected songs from every era and for every occasion, from "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" and "Clementine," to "Amazing Grace" and "Simple Gifts." Charmingly illustrated with four-color drawings throughout


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