The Ultimate Broadway Fake Book [Plastic Comb] Review

This is a good buy for a pro pianist like me who might get requests for tunes I've never heard of from shows I've never seen. It has three indexes: by tune, by show, and by composers and lyricists.

One of the best things in the book is an alphabetical show-by-show synopsis, containing information about each show's history, its major personnel, and its plot.

However -- and it's a BIG however; in fact, several howevers: an awful lot of the songs are second-rate and I can't imagine getting requests for them, or even wanting to play them myself.

The bookproclaims its inclusion of "great songs" from several more recent shows such as "Rent"; gimme a break -- these songs are barely listenable, much less "great."

Throughout the book, many of the chord changes are incorrect (this is a musician's constant complaint about ALL fake books).

Most of the songs do not include the verse (and for Rodgers & Hart, Gershwin, and Kern these are often essential parts of the song). And there are inexplicable omissions.

For example: (1) Some of the included shows are lacking some of their best songs: "The Nervous Set" omits "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most," "Finian's Rainbow" omits "Necessity." "The Merry Widow" omits "The Merry Widow Waltz." "Mack and Mabel" omits "I Promise You a Happy Ending." (2) Some excellent shows are missing altogether. No "L'il Abner." No Cy Coleman's "I Love My Wife." And Leonard Bernstein is represented only by two songs from "Wonderful Town"; no "Candide," no "On the Town," no "West Side Story."

And of course there are many songs I already own in other collections, although the book is useful as a one-stop source for all of these, and there are about fifty to a hundred decent to superb songs that I own nowhere else.

There is ample representation of Rodgers & Hart, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Kern, Gershwin, Porter, Frank Loesser, Jerry Herman, Harold Arlen, Lerner & Loewe, Andrew Lloyd Webber, et al.

In the end, despite its flaws, to me the book was well worth the price.

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Product Description:
Over 720 songs from over 240 Broadway shows! Recently revised to include hits from Martin Guerre, Rent, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Sunset Boulevard, Victor/Victoria, and more! This is the definitive collection of Broadway music, featuring: * Song title index * Show title index * Composer and lyricist index * Synopses of each show. Song highlights include: Ain't Misbehavin' * All I Ask of You * Another Op'nin' Another Show * As Long As He Needs Me * At The Ballet * Bali Ha'i * Beauty and the Beast * Bewitched * Cabaret * Camelot * Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man * Castle on a Cloud * Consider Yourself * Dance: Ten, Looks: Three * Day by Day * Do-Re-Mi * Don't Cry for Me Argentina * Down in the Depths (On the Ninetieth Floor) * Edelweiss * Everything's Coming Up Roses * Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye * Getting to Know You * Give My Regards to Broadway * Hello, Dolly! * How Are Things in Glocca Morra * How High the Moon * I Don't Know How to Love Him * I Dreamed a Dream * If I Can't Love Her * If I Were a Man * If I Were a Rich Man * (I'm a) Yankee Doodle Dandy * The Impossible Dream * The Lady Is a Tramp * Last Night of the World * Love Changes Everything * The Music of the Night * Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' * Oklahoma * Ol' Man River * On My Own * Only You * People * The Rain in Spain * Seasons of Love * Send in the Clowns * The Sound of Music * Starlight Express * Tell Me on a Sunday * Tell Me to Go * Tomorrow * Unexpected Song * Waitin' for the Light to Shine * What I Did for Love * With One Look * You'll Never Walk Alone * more!

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Play Piano in a Flash: Play Your Favorite Songs Like a Pro -- Whether You've Had Lessons or Not! [Paperback] Review

I'm 43 years old and have never played piano before. That is, not until now. I got Scott's book about 2 months ago after seeing his special on PBS. The reduction from 2 staffs to a single staff with chord symbols made sense to me, so I took a chance. And boy, I'm glad that I did. As others have said, the book is very entertaining and helps build your confidence that "Hey, I can really do this." Page 36 is especially helpful in showing you how determine finger placement for all major, minor, seventh, etc. chords.
So, armed with this new-found knowledge and confidence, I made another wise decision. I ordered several "fake books" by Hal Leonard Publishing (all can be ordered through Amazon) containing the lead sheet music with chord symbols that Scott suggests. I now have "Your First Fake Book," "The Best Fake Book Ever," "The Ultimate Fake Book," "Gospel's Greatest," and "The Ultimate Christmas Fake Book."
Now, here's where I get to brag. I have learned 14 new songs in just over a month! These are the songs that I have learned in the order I learned them:
Alexander's Ragtime Band
Do-Re-Mi
When The Saints Go Marching In
Seventy-six Trombones
Blue Suede Shoes
Maria
Beauty and the Beast
Can You Feel the Love Tonight
Angels we Have Heard on High
Auld Lang Syne
Away in a Manger
Frosty the Snowman
Deck the Hall
Do You Hear What I Hear
And the best part is that I have learned them all by heart now. That will leave my books free for those who want to sing along because all of the books I have mentioned come complete with the lyrics. As you can see, I'm quickly trying to learn some Christmas songs to impress my family and friends this year.
Now, here is the best part for you. I know you can do it too. I spend just one hour per night practicing. It usually takes me 2 nights (i.e., 2 hours) to completely learn a song and to start to play it reasonably well. Almost every night I spend the first part of practice playing my entire repertoire before going on to the next song. This system seems to work very well for me.
I know you can do it too. Scott is right. The best way to learn chords is by playing them in songs. Bless you, Scott, for unlocking the dream. I love the piano!
P.S. My 6-year-old son has been taking traditional lessons for 2 years now. He is currently learning a little 2-liner called "Grumpy old Troll." But I can see a little envy in his eyes when I sit down and whip out a nice version of "Beauty and the Beast." We may start to have a problem if he sees his father getting too good too soon.

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Product Description:
As seen on public television stations nationwide, a revolutionary new approach to playing non-classical music on the piano.
Have you ever wished you could play the piano? Well, now you can! Scott"The Piano Guy" Houston teaches you to play the way the pros play, in a style enormously simpler than traditional classical piano and with an absolute minimum of note-reading. By focusing on playing the melody with the right hand (one note at a time) and simple chords with the left hand, Houston gives you the tools you need for a lifetime of musical enjoyment. Best of all, your tour guide to this adventure forces you to have fun along the way!

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Jazz Singer's Handbook: The Artistry and Mastery of Singing Jazz (Book & CD) [Paperback] Review

From the very first page of this book, I knew this was what I was looking for.I teach jazz vocal styles at a university.It is sometimes a challenge trying to express to new students the importance of how to be expressive in singing jazz. This book breaks it down in revealing the many expressions, such as interpreting if the lyrcis are informative, poetic, etc.This book is for the serious jazz vocalist that really would like to learn how to sing, how to express the lyrics, how to become one with the song and how to draw an audience into a world of unforgettable and intimate singing.

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Product Description:
The Jazz Singer's Handbook provides an inspiring and practical window of insight into the world of professional jazz singing. Drawing upon an impressive career as an arranger, teacher, singer, pianist, and clinician, Michele Weir (faculty, UCLA) has distilled her experiences and observations into two handbook sections: the artistry and the mastery of singing jazz. Also included is a jazz chord library, a professional resource guide, a review of music fundamentals, and an index of terms and symbols. The CD includes sing-along tracks for standard songs, many of which are in two keys for different voice ranges, plus recorded examples of the performance and arranging concepts presented in the text.

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The Best Jazz Standards Ever (Easy Piano Songbook) [Paperback] Review

Some of the more popular tunes in this compilation are A night in Tunisia, Satin Doll, Sophisticated Lady and All the things you are. Missing out on classics like Take the A-train in lieu of several rather obscure tunes that aren't exactly Jazz standards, by my measure, is the book's greatest flaw. For the beginning to intermediate jazz student, its a nice book to own. All the songs are full arrangements and not too difficult to play. Advanced pianists will probably be happier with a nice, solid fakebook.

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Product Description:
Easy arrangements of 71 favorites: Ain't Misbehavin' * Autumn Leaves * Body and Soul * Come Rain or Come Shine * Don't Get Around Much Anymore * The Girl from Ipanema * How Deep Is the Ocean * I'll Remember April * It's Only a Paper Moon * The Lady Is a Tramp * Lullaby of Birdland * Misty * My Funny Valentine * The Nearness of You * Satin Doll * Some Enchanted Evening * Stardust * Stormy Weather * The Very Thought of You * more.

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