Schoenhut Children's 25 Key Upright Piano Pals Review

I purchased this piano for my toddler's 3rd birthday. She took to it immediately, and enjoys playing it.

The piano feels very sturdy and well constructed, and the bench is at the perfect height for a toddler. Since the piano ships in pieces, a few minutes will be required to assemble the bench and attach the legs to the piano body. An allen wrench is included in the box, making assembly easy. Note that the dog pictured on the side of the piano is a decal, so you will not see the holes for the screws on the piano body immediately. Just run your finger over the surface until you locate the holes, and use a small sharp object like a scissors to poke a hole through the decal before inserting the screws.

This instrument sounds like a classical toy piano. If you've never heard a toy piano, think more of a chime sound than a piano sound. The description says the keys are full size (in width). When you look at the keyboard, it is hard to believe they are, but I measured them, and indeed they are. I think it is the miniature size of the piano that gives them the illusion of being smaller. The piano has a 2 full octaves, which is one of the main reasons I purchased this model. The notes are also very well tuned.

The piano ships with a small songbook and a cardboard insert for the keyboard so older kids can play by color. I find this insert odd, because it is longer than the actual keyboard. One would have to fold it to make it fit. Perhaps one could use it when the child transitions to a full length piano keyboard.

All in all, a great product. If you have a toddler interested in making music, or who enjoys banging on a piano whenever they see one, I'd highly recommend this.

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Product Description:
Whether for a holiday gift, baby shower, birthday, or any special occasion, these little pianos are the perfect answer. Most importantly, they will encourage a child on the path to music.These versatile little pianos grows with your child!! The main unit, decorated with a whimsical animal's head, is perfect for toddlers because it sits safely and squarely on the floor within easy reach of little hands. Later on, the sides with the animal's body can be attached, conveniently raising the piano to a comfortable upright height for an older child seated at the bench.Jaymar® toy pianos are famous for their excellent quality and unique chime-like tones. An added feature is that the spacing between keys is the same as on a full-sized model. This teaches proper finger placement and affords an easy transition to a real piano.Included is Jaymar's Learning System with a removable color-coordinated strip that fits behind the keys to guide small fingers from chord to chord. The accompanying songbook contains a collection of familiar tunes.

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The Sting (Piano Solo Songbook) [Paperback] Review

I gave this sheet music as a birthday present to a dear friend who plays piano (I don't).She absolutely loves it (and ragtime in general).She now plays it for us when we are visiting at her house...everyone really enjoys it!

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Product Description:
Featuring the music of Scott Joplin and the great classic ""The Entertainer.

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Enchanted (Pvg) [Paperback] Review

The music for Enchanted is as fun to play as it is fun to hear. The arrangements are pretty standard and adequate enough for those in various levels. I was hoping for more variation in the arrangement for "That's How You Know" because of how each verse (as heard on the soundtrack) has a different sound and instrumentation to them. But instead we get bars and bars of the same notes, which I guess is easier to memorize. And the "True Love's Kiss" arrangement is shortened by excluding the fanfare beginning and starts with "When you meet the someone", and also excludes the Prince Edward (James Marsden) part of the song as heard on the soundtrack. These gripes are minor and could be solved with a trained ear. Other than that this book is a must-have for Disney and musical fans alike.

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FIVE FOR FIGHTING AMERICA TOWN (Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook) [Paperback] Review

I took piano for years as a kid and just started up again. I play level 3 pieces easily, level 4 with some practice, and level 5 only if I have to. I would consider this a somewhere between level 3 and level 4. The songs are great and true to the bands recordings.

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Product Description:
Here's the matching folio to the second album from LA native John Ondrasik, who named his band after a hockey penalty, and whose voice the All Music Guide likens to Eddie Vedder singing a lullaby. Contains all 12 lyrically-rich tunes, including the mega-hit "Superman (It's Not Easy)" and: Alright * America Town * Bloody Mary (A Note on Apathy) * Boat Parade * Easy Tonight * Jainy * The Last Great American * Love Song * Michael Jordan * Out of Love * Something About You.

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David Carr Glover Method for Piano / Performance, Pri" [Paperback] Review

My child's piano teacher uses this book in conjunction with the Piano Student book by the same authors. These two books seem to work very well together. My child really enjoys this book, as it has interesting tunes that she can play even though she is just beginning to learn how to play the piano.

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Product Description:
This PERFORMANCE book provides supplementary solo materials to reinforce music fundamentals and concepts presented at this level of advancement. Original compositions, folk songs, and the sounds of today are included for enrichment of the student's repertoire. This PERFORMANCE book is correlated page by page with the LESSONS book and other supplementary materials recommended for this level. It may also be used with other methods of piano study. Supplementary materials correlated with LESSONS, Primer Level, from the DAVID CARR GLOVER METHOD FOR PIANO include: Sight Reading and Ear Training, Theory, Technic, Performance. Additional materials are also available.

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David Bennett Cohen Teaches Blues Piano, Vol. 2 [Paperback] Review

Over the past two years, I have laid hands on just about every "learn piano blues" book I have been able to track down.Some helped me a lot, others less so.Some were fine for an outright beginner, others needed you to be a fully trained musician to make any sense of them.
Daniel Cohen's book is based on an assumption that you know musical notation as far as you would learn it in the first few months of normal piano lessons.Apart from that, he starts at square one.
Daniel Cohen's book includes a CD.Even if you read music 100%, the inclusion of a CD is important.Blues rhythms are only approximated by musical notation, so you need to be able to *hear* them if you are going to play them right.
He starts from ground level - the is no assumption that you already know the chords for a 12-bar blues.Step-by-step exercises quickly get you playing simple but satisfyingly authentic sounding blues patterns.
Then he shows you a number of simple building blocks that can be put together to make your own blues solos.He goes on to cover turnarounds and endings - more blues building blocks.
The way Daniel Cohen presents his material all hangs together - for example he gives a demonstration of how the blues scale of the root note sounds fine when played over the three main chordsof a blues tune.As soon as you have heard this and learned the notes of the scale, you will be picking out your own blues solo patterns.
One of the nice aspects is how Daniel Cohen's enthusiasm for the music comes across and how he gets you to avoid hangups that might otherwise inhibit your blues progress.
Obviously, one 24-page book (and its 54-track CD) won't cover everything.But if you work through each of the exercises, it will get you off to a very good start on your way to playing blues piano.And you will be on the way to REALLY playing the blues - not just being able to trot out two or three songs with no further way forward.
"Daniel Bennett Cohen Teaches Blues Piano" gets my wholehearted recommendation, with no reservations at all.

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Product Description:
This easy play-along follow-up to Blues Piano, Volume 1 is the learning blues pianistÕs ticket to the next level! David Cohen helps develop the powerful grooves beloved by blues and rock nÕ roll players alike. His unique step-by-step teaching method is modular, building logically on each preceding section. Once the basics are mastered, adding walking basses, boogie woogie lines, New Orleans-style rhumba rhythms, 9th chords, "the Fats Domino shuffle" and other variations become second nature. LEVEL 3

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Dave Matthews - Some Devil (Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook) [Paperback] Review

This is the lyrics and sheet music to Dave Matthews' solo album "Some Devil," so that you can learn to play the songs. It is not an autobiography.

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Product Description:
All the songs from Dave Matthews' solo recording debut: An' Another Thing * Baby * Dodo * Gravedigger * Grey Blue Eyes * Oh * Save Me * So Damn Lucky * Some Devil * Stay or Leave * Too High * Trouble * Up and Away.

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

As a mainly classical piano player, I have never been good at playing from lead sheets or improvising.I have a few of the other books in this series and find them all great!Scott Miller is a wonderful composer and teacher and has a very similar style to Mark Harrison (another composer in this series).This book includes important information about vamps, different time signatures, walking bass lines, various modes, octave bass, pedal points, boogie patters, inversions, licks...anything that is used in any type of rock.It goes through classic rock, pop rock, blues rock, southern rock, hard rock, progressive rock, alternative rock, and even heavy metal!The book moves quickly but provides the information that is important for those of us looking to play.It comes with a very handy CD which allows to hear what it's supposed to sound like. I highly recommend this book.

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Product Description:
The Rock Keyboard book/CD pack in the Hal Leonard Keyboard Style Series is chock full of authentic rock keyboard parts! Learn to comp or solo in any of your favorite rock styles. Listen to the 99-track CD to hear your parts fit in with the total groove of the band. Styles covered include: classic rock, pop/rock, blues rock, Southern rock, hard rock, progressive rock, alternative rock and heavy metal.

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Piano Wizard Premier with Silver M-Audio Keyboard - Standard Version Review

I've had this Piano Wizard premier version for a year and a half now. My son has been practicing the piano 90 minutes a day with it. He is 8 years old, mentally retarded, and for the longest time I've had trouble finding something he could do. He could hardly even understand enough to appreciate toddler TV programs. The Piano Wizard is my son's first project of his life. It is an intuitive piano teaching system. You see the color dot on the screen, you press the corresponded colored key on the musical keyboard. The music's speed can be controlled so much that you can have it coming literally at a snail's speed such that even people with the worst reflexes have the time to find the right key to push.

That's how my son got started with Twinkle Twinkle, pushing one key at a time. There is no need to know how to read music at that point. However, music notation is still taught in the system. My video here shows my son playing the first level of a song, where the eggs go straight up exactly in the order of the layout of a piano's keys. This makes it possible even for him to figure out readily when to push which key. Once he's familiar with that, level two has the eggs going sideways, so it is a little less intuitive. Once my son gets the fingering down in level one, he doesn't have much trouble adjusting to level 2. Level 3 shows normal musical notes but still in the color system to indicate the keys. Then Level 4, which I show my son play here in the second half of the video, has just the normal musical notes. As you can see, my son adjusts to that rather well too.

The Piano Wizard premier version is extremely well designed with convenient features. You can set it so that it repeats any part of the song such that you play the difficult part again and again. You can stop the song anywhere and scroll it back to any other part and start right there. I use those two features all the time. It keeps count of how many keys my son missed and gives a score at the end, so I can just let my son practice while I do housework, then check the score to gauge his performance.

The easy level has 100 songs divided by difficulty into 10 levels. This video shows my son play a song in level 6. These songs have the fingerings already keyed in, which is another help for beginners. One can also input or edit any figuring easily for any song. It is also an easy matter to input ANY midi song into the Piano Wizard. I have downloaded free Disney and Star War songs and watch the notes go up inside the Piano Wizard. Learning to play them, however, is still a lot of work!

I use two keyboards with Piano Wizard: the one that came with the program, and a cheap Yamaha keyboard I bought around 6 years ago. Both keyboards work flawlessly with the Wizard in my XP desktop, but with my XP laptops sometimes the drivers fail, and out of the blue the Piano Wizard loses contact with the keyboard and I have to restart the computer to make things go again. But it is not a big problem for me.

The Piano Wizard with keyboard isn't cheap, but it's a lot cheaper than piano lessons. It is enough to get somebody going in learn to play at least up to medium level. I don't even know how to play the piano myself, and yet, by using the program, I have great fun teaching my son to play and watch him improve. I start him slow and gradually increase the speed until he can play at full speed. Who'd ever imagine that he could do this? And it takes me little time because once I get him going, he just practice until he gets good at it; I only have to supervise on occasion. Once you choose a speed, it will play again at the same speed until you change it, so it is really convenient.

In the end, this is easier than driving him to piano lessons even if you don't count the cost. When my relatives and friends watch my son play, they always exclaim, "Wow, you are doing so good with him!"

During the time my son's been playing the piano, his speech and understanding has also improved greatly. I don't know if the piano playing helped? But there is some evidence that music improves a child's intelligence. It's worth a try.

The Piano Wizard is an ingeniously designed system for somebody who wants to teach himself how to play. If even my son can do it, who can't? ( As long as one possesses basic motor skills and hand eye coordination.)

I highly recommend it to anyone.

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Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 1-5 Transcribed for Solo Piano [Paperback] Review

I bought this book as a result of listening to the performance of it on CD. I have always enjoyed listening to Beethoven, and his symphonies have retained a place on my shelves for years. However, being a pianist, I never had a chance to actually play them. The way Liszt transcribed Beethoven's works onto piano is astounding, as he writes in a very natural way. There are, of course, some details of certain harmonies left out, but the overall impression remains remarkably similar. I look forward to being able to purchase the next book of the series when it is released.

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Product Description:
Memorable tribute from one musical genius to another, reproduced from authoritative editions, reveals Liszt's remarkable capacity for translating orchestral effects into pianistic terms. An astonishing, brilliant and sensitive tribute to the master by the 19th-century's greatest piano virtuoso.


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Canadian Brass Book of Intermediate Trumpet Solos: Trumpet and Piano with a CD of performances and accompaniments [Paperback] Review

When I saw this book comming from Canadian Brass, I immediately had high expectations.I was not dissapointed.

There are some beautiful pieces in it:Lydia, Rondeau, Arietta, Gypsy Song, Serenade, The Brook among others (12 total).Though geared towards intermediate players, the book goes progressively from a general intermediate level to some advanced pieces (which is a plus).

The accompaniment on CD is beautifully done.The CD contains both full recordings including trumpet, and separate backing tracks.

It is an excellent package and I am most staisfied with this purchase.I hope you find it the same.

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Product Description:
Trumpet parts edited and recorded by Canadian Brass virtuosos Fred Mills and Ronald Romm, piano parts recorded by Bill Casey. Arrangements by Bill Boyd. Contains full performances and accompaniment. Contents: Arietta * The Brook * Cleopatra's Lament * Dance a Cachucha * Gypsy Song * La Danza * Lydia * Mandolin * Rondeau * Serenade * Solace * Trumpet Air.

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Yamaha YPT-220 61 Key Personal Keyboard with AC Adapter, Deluxe Keyboard Stand and Professional Headphones Review

I had a keyboard as a kid and knew that it would go over well for my boyfriend's 8 y/o artist/musician/gymnast wanna be.While most of the features are too advanced for her, she's catching on!

I did a lot of searching. The price for just the keyboard was somewhat standard for a sale price at at least one store, but I couldn't find such a reasonable bundle anywhere.Any parent who considers this MUST, MUST, MUST purchase the headphones, and the stand is a blessing. It keeps it off the floor and makes for a more realistic piano lesson at home.

Good sound; lots of bells and whistles. Sure it doesn't have 88 keys, but most people don't use the top or bottom keys very often. I think this keyboard is just perfect!

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Product Description:
A great choice for beginners on the go, the 61-key Yamaha YPT-220 personal keyboard features 375 natural sounding voices--including Yamaha's world-famous grand piano sound--and the Yamaha Education Suite of learning tools (with 102 built-in songs) that make piano practice fun. Other features include 361 professional sounding XGlite voices, 12 drum kit sounds, 100 accompaniment styles, and rich reverb effect that adds concert-hall ambience to any performance.
This Premium Package also comes with professional closed-cup headphones, single x-braced stand, and power supply.


The 61-key Yamaha YPT-220 portable keyboard.

Key Features

Voices & Styles: Total of 375 high-quality instrument voices (Stereo Grand Piano, 361 XGlite voices, 12 Drum Kits and Sound Effect Kit) and 100 accompaniment styles.
Sound Effect Kit: Try out each key and enjoy the sound of a dog burking, running water, a creaking door and many other unique effects.
Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S.) is an advanced set of helpful learning tools built into the instrument, letting you teach yourself how to play and perform. Y.E.S. helps you master a song with easy lesson steps. Each lesson can be done in isolation with either your left hand or right hand, or both.
Portable Grand Button: Playing piano is fast and easy with Yamaha's Portable Grand function. One dedicated button brings up a great sounding piano, stunningly rich and authentic in its sound and exceptionally responsive to your playing touch, as well as setting up the keyboard to play as a piano.
Reverb: Different reverb types let you add rich, concert-hall ambience to your performance.

Specifications

Number of keys: 61 (organ style)
Number of voices: Stereo Grand Piano + 361 XGlite + 13 Drum/SFX/SE Kits
Display: Custom LCD
Tone generating technology: AWM Stereo Sampling
Reverb: 9 types
Number of preset styles: 100
Number of preset songs: 102
Amplifiers: 2.5W + 2.5W
Dimensions: 37.2 x 4.6 x 13.7 inches (WxHxD)
Weight: 9 pounds, 11 ounces

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The Best of The Beatles (Pointer Organ) [Paperback] Review

Excellent book! My little second year Trombonist now has some great material to play that's far better than just the rudimentary stuff they're teaching in school! It essentially has him playing the melody (lyric) to the songs!

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Product Description:
This revised book features 26 favorites from the Fab Four. Includes: A Hard Day's Night* Come Together* Eleanor Rigby* Yesterday* and many more.

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Gershwin at the Keyboard : 18 Song Hits Arranged by The Composer for Piano [Paperback] Review

As George Gershwin writes in the introduction, "Sheet music, as ordinarily printed for mass sales, is arranged with an eye to simplicity."In this collection of 18 Gershwin songs, which includes Fascinating Rhythm, Somebody Loves Me, Strike Up the Band, and I Got Rhythm, he presents his music in a way that reflects his "desire for complication and variety that every composer feels when he manipulates the same material over and over again."

Though not for the beginner, these pieces will reward the more advanced pianists who love the Gershwin style.He even supplies a hint about how to play them - keep your foot off the sustaining pedal.American popular music (in the early twentieth century, at least) "asks for staccato effects, for almost a stenciled style."

If you've been at the piano for a few years and love his music, you'll enjoy this collection.If you prefer simpler arrangements with lyrics, try "50 Gershwin Classics," also available through Amazon.

P.S. A note to sheet music publishers: Why not include a few sample pages so web users can judge for themselves whether the arrangements are appealing?

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Product Description:
Eighteen song hits arranged by the composer. Includes: The Man I Love * 'S Wonderful * Who Cares? plus 15 more.

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The Andrea Bocelli Song Album (Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook) [Paperback] Review

Good printed scores of piano (bass & treble clefs), vocals and guitar chord diagrams of the best of Bocelli.Just wish there were more - why not take all of Bocelli?

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Product Description:
30 works as popularized by Bocelli, including: Canto Della Terra * Caruso * Con Te Partiro * Il Mistero Dell'Amore * L'Ultima Canzone * La Luna Che Non C'e * Mai Piu' Cosi' Lontano * Melodramma * O Mare E Tu * Occhi Di Fata * The Prayer * Romanza * Sogno D'Amore * Vivere * and more.

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The Heritage Collection Vol. 1 Lorie Line (Piano Solo Personality) [Paperback] Review

Great item, her music is so challenging, yet so reachable.You will enjoy playing out of this book as much as others enjoy listening to you play.

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Product Description:
Arrangements of five well-known hymns with accompaniment. Great for church and weddings! Includes: Be Still My Soul (Finlandia) * Children of the Heavenly Father * Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee (Ode to Joy) * He Leadeth Me * Jesus Loves Me. Solo piano and accompaniment parts for violin, recorder, horn, and violoncello.

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The Dresden Dolls Companion (Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook) [Paperback] Review

I am a songbook collector. I have them all. But nothing, I repeat NOTHING compares to the content of this book. But more about that in a little bit.

I have been hearing good things about this duo for some time and have just recently started to listen. What Amanda does with songwriting is like what Shakespeare did for plays. It's real. It's amazing. It's...

Now, for this book. Amanda starts with a 35 page introduction that includes photos, drawings, and other pictures of various worth. The intro also includes topics such as: what's under Amanda's piano, her writing rituals, her playing background, the first songs, high school and college life, her first real show, how she met Brian, recording, creating the artwork, etc. Towards the end of this intro, there is a very detailed section about the sheet music itself. There are notes to the player (and vocalist) that says: "This music is meant to be more of a set of helpful hints than a doctrine. I felt the need to make my own handwritten notes, because typing them in would have been cumbersome and unnatural. The essential thing the player must keep in mind is that the music is changeable. These songs are chord-based, with melodies and discernable hooks and parts, but it is not necessary to play or voice things as they are shown. In fact, you would be playing the music most faithfully if you did not. When I play these songs live, the only thing that generally stays consistent is the bass, and even that can hop from one octave to another. For the more classically-trained, this may seem like an impossible nightmare, but I urge you to experiment. For the sight-reading impaired (like myself) this should be liberating. When I buy books of sheet music, I follow the guitar tabs instead of the piano music, and improvise the rest. This is totally acceptable." It continues...but that should be enough to give you an idea of the detail.

She then goes into each song on the album and gives the history of when it was written and also specific notes for the player. THEN...finally the sheet music for each song. Each song contains handwritten notes from Amanda. These notes include performing ideas, different lyrics, when to improv, etc. From a pure songbook collector, this is what sets this book apart from any other out there. It's one thing to have the artist approve what some publisher has put together, but to actually have the artist be the one to create the book is absolutely incredible.

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Product Description:
This Boston-based alternative pop/German-like cabaret duo hand-designed this book which includes art, photos, commentary and 11 songs from their 2004 release. Songs included are: Bad Habit * Coin Operated Boy * Girl Anachronism * Good Day * Gravity * Half Jack * The Jeep Song * Missed Me *Perfect Fit * Slide * Truce.

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Nat "King" Cole Unforgettable: Piano/Vocal/Chords (Legendary Performers, Vol 9) [Paperback] Review

I loved this documentary. It was very candid. It profiles Nat's triumphs, but doesn't shy away from the tragedies, either...it captured the life from beginning to end of this larger-than-life entertainer on video, and I loved the clips of Nat singing the songs. It was a little sad to see some of the celebrities who were close friends of Nat's had since died years after this video was made (Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald) but I still enjoyed watching it. Even though they were friends of Nat's it was obvious that they were still in awe of him, as they should be.
Nat King Cole, in my opinion, was the greatest singer that ever lived, and he was a wonderful jazz pianist (even though after 1948, he played the piano less and less). The video goes into a lot of detail, whereas other Nat documentaries somehow leave you wanting to know more. Also featured are interviews with Freddy and Evelyn Coles, Nat's siblings, Maria Cole, Cole's widow, Natalie and Carole Cole, Nat's daughters, jazz pianist George Shearing, Harry Belafonte, Eartha Kitt and Quincy Jones. Also very moving was the final tune, "Stardust", undoubtedly the best version of that song ever recorded. When you heard Nat's voice, footage of his funeral was shown. I honestly broke down and cried, I was so affected.
NAT KING COLE: UNFORGETTABLE is an excellent look at what made this man and his music so special and beloved all over the world. Obviously he made a colossal impact, because his music is still selling, perhaps even better now than it ever did when he was alive. Seeing this video plainly shows why. It is a must-have for Nat's fans, and also makes for a wonderful study in African-American history. Highly recommended.

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Product Description:
(Legendary Performer Series #9) 33 titles, including: Autumn Leaves * Mona Lisa * Ramblin' Rose * Stardust * Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer * Unforgettable * Yes, We Have No Bananas.

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Pop! Goes the Piano [Paperback] Review

While browsing a used book store over the weekend, I came across this handy book. It stood out among the other piano practice books to me because of it's quirky cover art. I have started to take up synthesizer again and this book has come in handy for practicing sight reading and melody practice. Many of the book's melody's are light-hearted and cute. Some of my favorites from this book include: "City Lights", "Halloween Bounce", and "Summer Mood". If you haven't played in months (or years) and would like to take up piano/keyboard/synthesizer once again, this is a good book for intermediate students. The songs are cute and charming without sounding too childish, I consider this book money well spent.

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Product Description:
There's always a need for recreational piano solos, and these sparkling collections contain a wide variety of light styles that are guaranteed to delight students and audiences alike. Jazz, pop, Latin, country, blues, ballads -- you name the style, it's here! Grouped in three progressive books.

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Piano Guy Tips Cheap Tricks and Professional Secrets Vol.1 Review

I bought this for my husband for his birthday. He likes Scott Houston and has several of his products. He likes this one too.

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Product Description:
Enjoy learning some of Scott's favorite easy techniques for taking your piano playing to the next level. He and his musical guests work through great tunes (Yesterday + As Time Goes By + Amazing Grace + The Rose) as they discuss how to interpret them to a

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A Practical Guide to Solo Piano Music (Meredith Music Resource) [Paperback] Review

At first sight this little book, almost a booklet!, looks less interesting or worth buying because there are so many other good listings of graded piano literature (Klaus Wolters; Albert Faurot; Moritz Hinson; Rudolph Ganz; Stanley Butler; Jane Magrath) and good non-antiquated readings (Burge; Kirby; Gordon; Dubal), and this booklet limits itself in listing piece titles with grades only. Still, you will wonder how useful this can be. Problem with Hinson is that he lists too many unworthy composers and sometimes, even worse, also unworthy piano works...of minor quality, minor significance. So Hinson is good for looking up a specific work but not that useful for exploring and discovering. Barnard has done a selection of the more significant piano music composers (from today's point of view) incl. many modern classics and classics of the avant-garde and has focused on their more significant works (similar to the funny Faurot). Unfortunately I am missing a bunch of modern composers who are recorded and performed frequently, becoming populars, and have written tremendously(!!!) for the piano, such as SORABJI, BENTZON, KAPUSTIN, FINNISSY, FLYNN. In the listmania's by amazon top reviewer "scarecrow ginz1" you will find excellent listings which fully represent the most important body of piano composers&works from the early 20th century up to the beginning of our 21st century. Barnard should have looked on Ginzo's listings first before finalizing the edition of this new 2006 book!

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Product Description:
An invaluable, quick reference tool for any teacher, performer or student of the piano who desires an extensive listing of the most significant works composed for solo piano. Accurate, concise and thoroughly researched entries provide an at-a-glance overview of a composer's output, with information on difficulty levels, opus numbers, movement titles, publisher sources and so forth. Whether searching for new material or refreshing one's perspective, this portable database of information will prove itself indispensable for repertoire study and planning. A must-have resource for any pianist's bookshelf or piano.

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Romance: boleros favoritos [Paperback] Review

A bit about myself.I'm a guitarist and am learning spanish.I have found it useful to learn songs with spanish words to enhance my language skills.
Over the years, I have purchased a number of songbooks containing songs with words in spanish, but found this one to be the most useful, because the songs are more contemporary.Many of the songs in this book are available on CD's by various latin performers.
If you speak any spanish, you will find fascination in the translations.For instance the words to Perfidia simply do not match at all with the English translation.Have some fun with this, and see what you would have used instead.
The musical scores are excellent, with very nice guitar chords.
My personal favorite is Reloj, the very romantic interpretation of time with a lover, or time away from a lover.But there are many other romance standards in this collection that will enhance your repertoire.
Picture yourself with your guitar standing beneath your lover's window, singing songs from this collection.Ah, the language of love, with the songs, is sure to be a hit.
Kevin McCusker

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Product Description:
Features 48 Spanish and Latin American favorites: Aquellos Ojos Verdes ¥ BŽsame Mucho ¥ El Reloj ¥ Frenes ¥ Inolvidable ¥ La Vida Es Un Sueo ¥ Perfidia ¥ Siempre En Mi Corazn ¥ Solamente Una Vez ¥ more.

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On Stage Keyboard Dust Cover for 88 Key Keyboards Review

I just needed a dust cover for my P-85. It fits, it keeps the dust off, and it looks good too. The stretch feature is useful and the drawstring ensures a snug fit.

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Product Description:
A professional keyboard cover to keep your keys free of harmful dust and debris. Dust free spandex material stretches to fit 61, 76 or 88-key keyboards. Comes complete with a built-in bag, plastic cord and locking clasp. Locking clasp secures dust cover over keyboard and also fastens bag shut. Entire dust cover fits in storage bag when not in use.

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Burgmuller, Czerny & Hanon: 32 Piano Studies for Technique and Musicality [Paperback] Review

The pieces in this book are organized according to technical purpose and level of difficulty, which make it easier for teacher to assign students.The pieces chosen are very effective in addressing particular technique and musicality.I use this book after my students complete Faber level 2B or after they learn scales, chords, and arpeggios. I don't usually use method books after students reach intermediate level, so this book makes a perfect switch.

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Product Description:
An outstanding compilation of piano etudes and exercises from the ever-popular Burgmuller's 25 Progressive Pieces, Opus 100, Czerny's Practical Method for Beginners on the Piano, Opus 599, and Hanon's The Virtuoso Pianist. Etudes are organized into four units according to difficulty and emphasize different aspects of technique and musicianship. Hanon exercises are included within each unit to reinforce the need for finger strength, independence and agility. Information about each composer's life, music and books is also provided.

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EZ-Play Praise, Volume 2: Praise and Worship Favorites for Big-Note Piano (Easy Piano) [Paperback] Review

Great product, perfect piano book to learn to play by, Highly recommend it.

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Product Description:
Part of the popular "Play 'N Learn" series for piano students, this book delivers 25 easy arrangements of today's most popular praise and worship favorites arranged for solo piano in a simple "big-note" format. Beginning students will continue to build their skills with the additional music theory pages that reinforce piano methods. Includes: Be the Centre * Come, Now Is the Time to Worship * Here I Am to Worship * Lord, Reign in Me * Oh for a Thousand Tongues * Take My Life * We Fall Down * You Are So Good to Me * and more.

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La Cage Aux Folles ~ Vocal Selections (Piano/Words/Guitar Chords) [Paperback] Review

A typical Hal Leonard publication, this contains Patrick Holland's (?) arrangements of all of the most important songs of the Broadway musical La Cage Aux Folles (not the Robin Williams film or the French original). From the songs on the original Broadway cast recording, only "Cocktail Counterpoint" is missing. Composer/lyricist Jerry Herman is perhaps more well-known, at least to older audiences, as the composer of Mame; these songs are rather in that same vein.
The keys of the pieces here are not always identical to those of the musical--the opening number "We Are What We Are", for example, begins in B major in the musical but is given in C major here. Surely the transposition is for ease of performance, but anyone looking to this to learn the show should be forewarned. The arrangements are not overly simplified and are a good representation for piano of the orchestral score. Chord symbols and guitar tablature are also included.
Songs included are "We Are What We Are", "A Little More Mascara", "With You On My Arm", "Song On The Sand", "La Cage Aux Folles", "I Am What I Am", "Masculinity", "Look Over There", and "The Best of Times".
About the songs themselves; the showstopper "I Am What I Am" has become a gay anthem of affirmation and is a gorgeous song with an important message regardless of one's sexual orientation. "La Cage Aux Folles", "Masculinity", and "We Are What We Are" are quite witty. "A Little More Mascara" is by turns poignant and funny. "Look Over There" and "Song on the Sand" are unconventional love songs, sentimental in a unique way. "The Best of Times" calls us to live and love for today, in a way reminiscent of Candide. Only "With You On My Arm" is a disappointment, and that only because it is rather average, with no particular appeal or sparkle, not because it is actively bad.
Along with the songs one gets a reproduction of the musical's poster on the cover and 13 full or half page black and white photographs of good quality, but not well labeled. Like the original cast CD's photos, if you don't already know which one is George Hearn and which one is Gene Barry, you won't find out here! The most remarkable of the photos is a rehearsal picture showing one of the male dancers in dress and heels (no wig) doing a 180 degree split kick in the standing position--one leg on the floor and the other fully extended over his head. How such a thing is possible without major structural damage I'm not sure, but I'm certainly in awe.

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Product Description:
Complete vocal score to the Broadway sensation with 11 songs: The Best of Times * I Am What I Am * A Little More Mascara * Look over There * Song on the Sand (La Da Da Da) * With You on My Arm * and more.

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Barrelhouse and Boogie Piano (Music Sales America) [Paperback] Review

The transcriptions of some of the greatest barrelhouse and blues pianists such as Jelly Roll Morton, Meade Lux Lewis, Memphis Slim, along with their history are in this music book.
There is also a tantalizing CD of samples of the pieces in the book as played by the great blues pianists. This gives essential information as to how the syncopation and rubato sounds in the hands of the masters. The only problem is that as the snippet gets going, you really want to hear the entire piece and whammo! It's only a few seconds per piece, 12 minutes in all. Why oh why couldn't they put at least a few complete works on the CD?
Other than that quibble, this is a great book for blues piano, though greats such as Roosevelt Sykes are to be found in a companion volume, not in this one.
A must for blues lovers who play keyboard.

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Product Description:
An important instruction guide to the blues-style piano by the author of Six Blues Roots Pianists. Complete with music transcriptions and excerpts from the original recordings of 22 piano greats.

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Yamaha EZ-200 61 Full-Sized Touch Keyboard, Sensitive Keys with Lighted Key Teaching Review

I am a 36 yo man, I've always wanted to learn piano so I thought I'd get this keyboard which I thought had built in lessons that would guide my learning to play the piano...
For all intents and purposes, doesn't the description seem to infer that? That with the Y.E.S.5 teaching system and all those built in songs you'd have a well thought out lesson plan built in. That was my misunderstanding:::
What it actually is is a nice keyboard that you can learn on, but it won't teach you- the emphasis is on getting out what you put in- you have to really stumble your way thru learning the built in songs that the keyboard lights up the correct keys you're supposed to strike- there is not a good fluid way to learn a little piece at a time (It does have an A-B feature but it's not so much a loop as it is a measure to measure cycle with a 2-4 bar intro, each time!) So its not like you can just sit there and play it over and over and over again until you and your fingers get it, its: play the 2 or so bars you select (A-B) and then at the end, it goes thru at least a 2 bar beat count and then resumes the 2 bars of the song you're trying to learn.... does that make sense?
There are not lesson plans. In the book it says to "Listen to and Learn" the song. My memory isn't that fantastic that I can learn the songs by listening to them and then just learning, I think it would be a vast improvement to have a real loop feature that you could use to select a portion, loop it ad infinitum until you learn it and them move on. Also, I was really thinking that with the latest Learning System (Y.E.S.5) that there would be beginner lessons on reading the sheet music, finger drills, scales, etc... all the stuff you learn when you're learning piano- this piano system is for prodigies and people who already know piano.
So while it is a nice keyboard, it is not the EZ piano that will teach you how to play, you will have to look elsewhere to learn, or teach yourself, but this keyboard with all its songs and such will not be a step by step tutor....

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Product Description:
Never played piano or keyboard before? The EZ-200 lighted keyboard from Yamaha will have you playing songs from the very first day. Just call up a song from the 100 songs built-in to the keyboard, select if you'd like to play the left or right hand part and hit "Start". The keyboard will light up the key that you're supposed to play, and in fact, the song will actually stop and wait for you to find the correct key! All of the tools you need are found in the keyboard, including how to play chords.


caption Click to enlarge.
Expressive Touch like a piano
If you're buying a keyboard having piano in mind, you'll want Yamaha's Touch Response feature. On an acoustic piano, striking a key harder will produce a louder sound, striking it softer will produce a softer sound. With Yamaha's "Touch Response" the EZ-200 keyboard responds like an acoustic piano.
Portable Grand: Industry's best piano
You're never more than a button push away from the most realistic piano sound in portable keyboards today. One press of the Portable Grand button resets the entire keyboard to a stereo-sampled piano--perfect for when it's time to practice. Yamaha is known around the world for the quality of our acoustic pianos and this attention to detail is evident as you enjoy the warmth and clarity of the EZ-200 Portable Grand piano. And of course, the keyboard includes a Sustain Pedal jack on the back for practicing and playing piano pieces.
Yamaha Education Suite: Helps you learn to play
The EZ-200 has 100 built-in songs for you to learn to play, using the Yamaha Education Suite. The songs are separated into left and right hand parts, providing 7 levels of lessons plus a convenient chord dictionary. In addition, the correct fingering is indicated in the LCD display.
Correct fingering is indicated in the LCD display.
The keyboard lights up the key that you're supposed to play.
Instant access to Yamaha's Portable Grand sound.

Three keyboard lessons for each hand


Lesson One: LISTEN & LEARN the melody or rhythm of a selected song.
Lesson Two: TIMING mode allows you to play the melody or chord by pressing any key using the correct timing.
Lesson Three: WAITING mode stops the playback of a song until you find the correct note and then continues.

Lesson Grading
Monitors your progress as you practice each lessons two and three and gives you a grade.
Chord Dictionary
Shows you how to play chords and tells you which chords you are playing by displaying the notes and chord name on the LCD screen.

Computer Connectivity: General MIDI (GM) and XGlite compatible
The music pathway to your computer and the Internet is MIDI. It's the way that keyboards communicate with computers. And because the EZ-200 is both General MIDI (GM) and XGlite compatible, you have access to thousands of MIDI song files on the Internet.
367 Voices and the One-Touch Setting
The EZ-200 has 367 Voices for you to choose from. For example, there are pianos, electric pianos, harpsichord, guitars, drums, bass, violins, brass and synthesizer voices. Pretty much every instrument in the orchestra is at your fingertips. And if you don't know which sound goes with what style of music, the keyboard can select an appropriate sound for you using the convenient One-Touch Setting.
Sound Quality: Real stereo (Not just 2 Speakers)
Some keyboards have two speakers but aren't stereo. Don't be fooled. Just because a keyboard has two speakers doesn't mean that it's truly stereo with two separate amplifiers. All Yamaha Portable Keyboards feature stereo-sampling technology.
32 Note Polyphony and 16 Part Multi Timbrel
In electronic keyboards, the more sounds made at the same time--polyphony--the more memory is needed. Obviously, more is always better, because too little polyphony can cause dropouts in dense passages of music. Some keyboards at this price point have only 12-note polyphony. The EZ-200 has 32 notes of polyphony and will play back 16 different parts or sounds at once (16-part multi timbrel); enough for the most demanding needs.
Reverb
Yamaha has long been a world leader in digital signal processing technology. In fact, Yamaha professional audio products are found in most professional recording studios around the world. The EZ-200 takes full advantage of this know-how, giving you an extensive range of nine, top-quality reverb effects that simulate playing in everything from a small room to a large spacious concert hall; a first in this price range.
Metronome
Just what the teacher ordered! A fully adjustable metronome is just a button push away.
Strike up the Band--Keyboard Styles
In addition to the 100 songs found in the EZ-200, there are 100 Styles that allow you to play any song you like. It's just like having a built-in band. Call up your favorite style of music like Rock, Big Band or Country, press a chord or play Single Finger mode, and the EZ-200 will follow you through a piece of music, providing all of the drums, bass, piano, guitar, horn and string parts for you. With this instrument, you can make great sounding music with little more than 2 fingers, however as you learn to play, the EZ-200 will adapt to your new skills and automatically switch between single finger mode and fingered mode where you play all the notes of the chord.
Connectivity
The EZ-200 features MIDI In/Out, Sustain Pedal jack and a Headphone jack for private practice.
What's in the Box
EZ-200 Keybaord, Music Rest, Owner's Manual, Song Book

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James Taylor: Anthology (Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook) [Paperback] Review

You will love this JT Anthology music book, if you are a serious JT fan...it will bring you many memories of your past and the music never dies.Hey, give it a try, you will be hooked!

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Product Description:
A collection of 34 of Taylor's greatest, including: SweetBaby James * Carolina OnMy Mind* Handy Man * Fire And Rain * Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight * more.

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Easy Jazz Standards: Lee Evans Arranges (Evans Piano Education) [Paperback] Review

The important thing here is the "Lee Evans arranges" bit.

The arrangements *are* easy, there are no tenths in the left hand or lightning fast runs in the right and they fit the hand nicely.

The harmonies are not extreme, they are simple but not "simplistic". In other words everything is standard but carefully harmonized for maximum effect with minimum notes.

Here's an example from Nightingale sang in Berkerly Square: the cadence of the title phrase: bars 9 and 10:

1Maj7 V1 11 1V-V7 1

(followed by a single bar of sort of AMaj-BMaj-Ab-Bb magic that links back to the start of the theme (in Eb) - all done with single notes in the base and single or double notes in the RH)

Then it takes off with "classic-melodic-standard" Lee Evans development that any professional would be glad to play in a cocktail bar (meant in a good sense - I like this sort of thing) before finally returning to the last cadence in from 5th bar from the end but this time he *varies* the left hand to this:-

RH (same as above)

LH

bar (end - 5) all quater notes in block chords
G,Ab,G,Gb
Bb,B#,C,Gb

next bar first two beats 8th notes, last beat 8th notes (Bb is last note)
C,G#,F#,Eb,D,Eb
F,,,,,,Bb

next (last three) bar(s)
Eb arpeggio etc to end.

Pure Magic.

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Product Description:
14 superb easy solos including: 'Angel Eyes,' 'No Moon At All,' 'Here's That Rainy Day,' and more.

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Favorite Jazz for Piano Solo (Revised) / Tom Roed [Paperback] Review

Beautifully arranged pieces for an accomplished pianist.Challenging for an intermediate musician like me but worth every effort.I frequently buy this for my friends as a gift.

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Product Description:
Fifteen favorite jazz tunes arranged for intermediate to advanced piano. Includes: Don't Get Around Much Anymore * Georgia on My Mind * Killing Me Softly with His Song * Mood Indigo * On Green Dolphin Street * The Shadow of Your Smile * Take Five and more.

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On Stage KSP100 Universal Sustain Pedal Review

This is a good foot pedal. It works on my casio and is actually a better quality and price than the casio brand foot pedal. It doesn't slide around, either.

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Product Description:
The On Stage KSP100 Universal Sustain Pedal is a sturdy, full size, piano-style pedal that is perfect when you need a sturdy and responsive control over sustain!This high-quality pedal features a polarity switch making it universally compatible with virtually any keyboard. The heavy-duty spring allows for better control and playing longevity. Compatible with any electronic keyboard with 1/4 inch input jack.

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Today's Love Songs (Easy Piano Songbook) [Paperback] Review

Here are some easy piano arrangements for popular love songs, including 'A Moment Like This,' 'Breathe,' 'I Do (Cherish You),' and 'Don't Know Why.'Just because it's easy notation doesn't mean it sounds simple.And these pieces are easy to add your own flair to.

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Product Description:
Includes 19 contemporary romantic favorites: All My Life * Beauty and the Beast * Here and Now * I Finally Found Someone * It's Your Love * My Heart Will Go On * Seasons of Love * Somewhere in Time * Valentine * You Must Love Me * more.

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The Ultimate Elton John Collection Boxed Set (Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook) [Hardcover] Review

The publisher Hal Leonard calls this the "Deluxe Collector's Edition" and that's exactly what it is: It's very pretty, great-looking gift, looks great on the shelf.But the first hint that this might not be as ultimate as you'd like comes the moment you open it:it doesn't stay open nearly as well as you'd hope.

This collection's best feature is that there are more songs here than you will find anywhere else at the price.There are over 100-songs here, including rarities you won't find printed in other books.Still, it's something of a quantity-over-quality approach:"Someone Saved my Life Tonight", "Something About the Way You Look Tonight", and "Sacrifice" aren't in the right key.But if you want "Skyline Pigeon," you'll only find it here.

It's also important to note that These Are Not Transcriptions.Meaning that this is not what Elton John plays exactly (for that, look to the Elton John Keyboard Book).The melody-line is built-in to the right-hand, and it's somebody else's interpretation.This is terrific for folks who don't sing, don't want to sing, but still want to hear the melody.This is irritating for folks who want to sing along with the music without the melody echoed in the piano.

It is what it is.Decent interpretations, incredible selection, at the expense of something more detailed and accurate, for 3x the price of other books.I'd suggest getting it only if you must have every song of Elton's you can possibly get, as you can find his biggest hits at the same or better quality in a different collection for cheaper.

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Product Description:
This deluxe collector's edition features two volumes containing more than 100 huge hits spanning his entire career. Volume 1 features songs beginning A - Le, Volume 2, Lo - Y. Includes: Bennie and the Jets * Blue Eyes * Border Song * Candle in the Wind 1997 * Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy * Circle of Life * Crocodile Rock * Daniel * Don't Go Breaking My Heart * In Neon * Little Jeannie * Levon * Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds * Made in England * Nikita * Philadelphia Freedom * Pinball Wizard * Rocket Man * Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word * Tiny Dancer * You Gotta Love Somebody * Your Song * many more! The contents page in both books also states the album on which each song first appeared, and the year.

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Thelonious Monk - Easy Piano Solos [Paperback] Review

My teacher turned me onto this book and I really enjoy playing the songs.It is not too easy but certainly not at the level Monk played the songs either.....just about right for advanced beginners.I just start out slowly and build up speed to an average of the 140 clicks with swing feel that most songs require.I hope I will finally make it up to that tempo.You will enjoy working on the technique for hours and it's great to add some of these Monk classics to your portfolio.

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Product Description:
Features easy solo arrangements of 16 classics from the legendary Thelonious Monk: Blue Monk ¥ I Mean You ¥ Jackie-ing ¥ Light Blue ¥ Misterioso ¥ Straight, No Chaser ¥ Think of One ¥ Two Timer ¥ Ugly Beauty ¥ more.

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150 More of the Most Beautiful Songs Ever (Piano/Vocal/Guitar Songbook) [Paperback] Review

The songs compiled in this book are beautiful. From Irving Berlin, to Phantom of the Opera's All I Ask of You to John Lennon's Imagine and Disney's A Whole New World.

Pretty good, I wish you can check out the table of contents and see for yourself first. For the price (you can buy 1 sheet music online for around $4-$5) this is great, this one has so many songs.

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Product Description:
A fitting follow-up to one of the most popular songbooks ever 150 of the Most Beautiful Songs Ever, this collection contains 150 more classics with no duplication of songs between the two volumes. Songs include: All I Ask of You * All the Way * Beautiful in My Eyes * Can You Feel the Love Tonight * Change the World * Cry Me a River * Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful? * Don't Know Why * Dream a Little Dream of Me * Easy Living * Everything Happens to Me * A Fine Romance * Grow Old with Me * I Remember You * I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm * Imagine * Let's Fall in Love * Love Me Tender * Misty * My Heart Will Go on (Love Theme from Titanic) * They Say It's Wonderful * Time After Time * A Whole New World * Wonderful Tonight * You Raise Me Up * and more.

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School of Velocity, Op. 299 (Complete): Piano Technique (Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics) [Paperback] Review

It is essential for students, Everyone should study Czerny's Studies. It has a good reviewing and the press is really black: you see everynote. The negative point is the book format, it should be spiral formatted, because it is almost impossible to leave this book opened and flat on the piano.

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Product Description:
School of Velocity, Op. 299 (Complete)

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The Tony Bennett Songbook [Paperback] Review

This book has given me many good songs that I can create solo guitar/chord melodies from.

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Product Description:
Titles in this 42-song folio include: I Left My Heart in San Fransisco Because of You Nice Work If You Can Get It Steppin' Out with My Baby I'll Be Seeing You Cold, Cold, Heart I Got Rhythm The Best Is Yet to Come Rags to Riches, and more!

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William Joseph Beyond (Piano Solo) [Paperback] Review

I love William Joseph Music.I bought this piano music for my son who enjoys very much playing it.

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Product Description:
Josh Groban, Michael Buble and William Joseph have many things in common - they are young, they are not your typical music artists, and they are shepherded in their careers by illustrious producer David Foster. Groban and Buble have become major stars; Joseph is on his way. With his second major-label album, Beyond, the inventive, impassioned pianist and songwriter brings us 12 more piano solo pieces: Apasionada * Asturias * Beyond * Cinema Paradiso * Heroes * Kashmir * Leningrad * A Mother's Heart * Once upon Love * Return with Honor * Standing the Storm * Sweet Remembrance of You.

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The Michel Legrand Songbook [Paperback] Review

I have always enjoy listening to Michel Legrand's work. And of course, just like everyone else, I do have a few favorites. Honestly, I bought the book because of one particular song - The Windmills of Your Mind. The arrangement of the song is not what I expected and used to. There are several questionable chord progressions. However, there are a handful of very well arranged songs. Overall, I am please with the purchase.

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Product Description:
Titles in this 44-song collection from the three-time Oscar winner and five-time Grammy winner include: The Hands of Time * How Do You Keep the Music Playing ? * I Will Wait for You * Little Boy Lost * The Summer Knows (Theme from The Summer of '42) * The Way He Makes Me Feel * What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life?

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Complete Piano Music: Piano Solo (The American Composers Series) [Paperback] Review

The complete piano works of Barber at a bargain price.What more do you want?

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Product Description:
Contents: Excursions, Op. 20 * Sonata For Piano, Op. 26 * Souvenirs, Op. 28 * Nocturne, Op. 33 * Ballade, Op. 46 * Interlude I, Op. Post.

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Casio WK-500 76-Key Personal Keyboard with MP3/Audio Connection, 670 Tones and Power Supply Review

Amazon listed the best price, the vendor was quick in shipping, the product is every bit as good as I could have expected, this was a good purchase.
The only reservation I would list for Amazon is that the time delay when I make an order is 3 to 4 days before they process the order for shipping, Amazon gives some time for customer review and cancellation of an order and I can understand the problem with folks canceling orders and the item is already shipped.With Amazon's experience as a seller I believe they have it right, I'm not the patient type but this wait has been worth it.
The WK-500 is better than I expected, I like the 76 key size, I had looked at the weighted key models but after using this one I'm glad I saved the money and I like the keyboard feel of the keys on the WK-500, they aren't weighted but not cheap feeling like I thought they would be as I have seen on some keyboards.I would say it has a nice action if you can call it that and has reasonable touch sensitive control settings although the default setting appears the best.Good overall sound, when I first got it I was slow to adapt to the different control setup than my smaller 66 keyboard but quickly became at home the Casio's setup.I also thought that the dull black color would be less attractive than my preference would be the higher luster silver type I kind of expected of a keyboard but again I was wrong as the black mantle look matches quite a bit of my other stereo and computer stuff and looks fine.
I'm not an expert on sound quality and keyboard features however I am impressed with both.I have had this about a month and have not used the advanced features like computer hookup etc. so I can't comment further.

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Product Description:
With 76 touch-sensitive piano style keys and a host of features, which include 670 high quality tones, recording capabilities and song expansion, the WK-500 as the latest edition to the "WK" range of Casio keyboards. Featuring 48 note polyphony, line and mic inputs, 10 seconds of sampling, USB MIDI Interface, pitch wheel, a SD card slot for song storage, line outputs for connecting the WK-500 to an amplifier or PA, the quality, flexibility and usability all help to make the WK-500 the ideal instrument for beginners and advanced players alike.


76 touch-sensitive piano style keys and a host of features for beginners and advanced players alike. Click to enlarge.
Touch-Sensitive Keyboard
The WK-500 features 76 touch-sensitive, piano-style keys and two sensitivity levels for a more piano-like experience, along with 48-note polyphony (24-note for certain tones).
670 Built-In Tones
Find just the right sound with 670 built-in tones, from strings to woodwinds and plenty more. You can layer two different tones (such as piano and strings) or split the keyboard down the middle for an ensemble approach.
Reverb and Chorus Effects
Select from ten different reverb and five different chorus effects to add depth and shimmer to your performance.
SD Memory Card Support
The WK-500 supports SD Memory Cards up to 2 GB, so you can store sampled sounds, user rhythms, recorded songs, and more, without running out of memory.
USB Port
For many musicians, the computer has become a music-making center. Connect the WK-500 to a computer using a USB cable and exchange MIDI data between the two devices. Send play data from the keyboard to music software running on your computer, or send MIDI data from your computer to the keyboard for playback.
Stereo six-watt speakers built-in.
LCD display of lesson info, including fingering.
Built-in SD card slot for storage.
Built-In Sampling
You can use the WK-500 to sample a sound from a portable audio player or other device, and then play the sound with keyboard keys. Sample up to ten seconds, and store up to five sampled sounds to keyboard memory.
You can also loop sampled sounds so they continue to play, or replace individual sounds on drum patches.
152 Built-In Songs and Ten User Songs
The WK-500 comes with a bank of songs for your learning and enjoyment, from classics like "Greensleeves" or "Auld Lang Syne" to holiday tunes like "Jingle Bells."
You can also record your own performances, using up to six tracks of different instruments.
Step Up Lessons
To master a song, it is best to break it up into shorter parts (phrases), master the phrases, and then put everything together. The WK-500 features a "Step Up Lesson" feature that helps you to do just that. The built-in songs are pre-divided into phrases to help you master keyboard play. Step Up Lesson takes you through practice of the right hand part, left hand part, and both hand parts for each phrase of a song. Master all of the phrases and you master the song.
Auto Accompaniment
With Auto Accompaniment, simply select an accompaniment pattern. Each time you play a chord with your left hand the appropriate accompaniment will play automatically. It's like having a personal backup group along with you wherever you go.
Select from 200 built-in rhythms or define your own 10 user rhythms.
Auto Harmonize
Auto Harmonize automatically adds harmony to notes you play with your right hand, which adds rich depth to the melody of your performances. You can select from among 12 types of Auto Harmonize to suit the type of music you are playing.
Arpeggiator
The Arpeggiator makes it possible to play an arpeggio pattern automatically. There are 90 different arpeggio patterns from which to choose in order to match the music you are playing.
Transpose Function
An easy operation instantly changes the key of the keyboard.
Audio Input
Play along with MP3 or CD players or other devices by plugging them into the stereo mini input jack.
Battery or AC Power
Power the WK-500 with six D-sized batteries or purchase the AD-12 AC adapter separately to power from your electrical outlets. Built-in speakers make the keyboard entirely portable.
An Auto Power Off feature turns off the device six minutes after the last key is touched, helping you save batteries.
What's in the Box
WK-500 Keyboard, Music Stand, Song Book, Leaflets (Safety Precautions, Appendix, Warranty), User's Manual

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