Chorus Line, A Vocal Score [Paperback] Review

This isn't "sheet music" for the songs on the cast album, this is the ENTIRE vocal score.This is a reduction rather than an arrangement; the full orchestral score was reduced to one piano with a number of extra notes added showing where you would throw in other instruments.This is more difficult and comprehensive than the "Piano/Vocal/Guitar" arrangement, also sold by the same publisher.But go ahead and try those challenging notes, because look what you get!

*Every* piece of incidental music in the show is included here.That means all the lead-ins to songs, not just the songs themselves.That means all the spoken cues to start the music.The filler songs "And" and "The Tap Combination" are included.The full version of "Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen" is here.Both versions of "One" are here for your enjoyment; the "rehearsal" version (where the actors recite the dance steps, count the beat, and sing the song in a brilliant 4-part arrangement) and the finale used for curtain calls (which includes the countermelody "She walks into a room..." that turns into a terrific interwoven melody for verse 3, followed by fantastic 4-part harmony reprise in verse 4).

The 96-page "sheet music" (Hal Leonard SBN: 088188068X) does not have any of this detail.It features the same pieces in the cast album but only one version of One, which skips both the rehearsal thoughts and the final verse with harmony.It also severely truncates such great hits such as Hello Twelve (which has four parts) and "The Music and the Mirror" (which has an extended musical section where Cassie does her mirror dance).The Vocal Score, this product right here, has ALL that detail.

Don't be confused by the incorrect "look inside" for this product.It shows the identical contents of thePiano/Vocal/Guitar version I mentioned above, and that is NOT what you get with the Vocal Score.It really is over 200 pages of material, and that's why it costs so much more.And it is WORTH IT.

If you just want to play a few of your favorite songs from the show, buy the shorter, easier, and less expensive version.But if you want to capture every element of Marvin Hamlisch's score, if you just love everything about this show and want to recapture the music, THIS is the one to buy.

NOTE: There is something wrong with Amazon's handing of this product.This review is appearing for both the VOCAL SCORE product and the PIANO/VOCAL/GUITAR product.This is probably the same bug giving the wrong "Look Inside" information for the vocal score.However, if you buy the vocal score, they will ship you the correct product.

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Product Description:
One of the longest running shows on Broadway, A Chorus Line won nine Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Our updated songbook features vocal lines with piano accompaniment for ten songs: At the Ballet * Dance: Ten; Looks: Three * I Can Do That * I Hope I Get It * One * What I Did for Love * more.

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Monty Python's Spamalot (Vocal Selections) [Paperback] Review

I decided to take a chance with this piano/vocal/guitar collection since I had already read a review warning that it was a fairly simplistic arrangement.It is indeed very basic; someone with four years of piano experience could handle just about every piece.

All that was taken from the actual score was the melody and the chords.Songs that had clear baselines, such as You Won't Succeed on Broadway's descending octaves at the end of each couplet, simply don't have them in these book.Typical left-hand arrangements are a series of eighth notes pairs with bass-root, inverted chord, over and over again no matter what sort of mood the piece should set.Given the range of tempos and their amusing descriptions, (where else would you find the term "Jaunty Madrigal"?), having identical left-hand arrangements is ridiculous. Right hand arrangements tend to double the melody with chords filling them out below.Most songs are cut down to a bare minimum, leaving out parts that could easily have been included such as accents, grace notes, and the like.

Most frustrating of all is missing lyrics for subsequent verses, which is absolutely unforgiveable."Knights of the Round Table" only has 2 verses.Yes, you can pull the lines off the internet, but why should you have to?

Probably the best arrangement of the whole book is "You Won't Succeed on Broadway" which does include all the lyrics but inexplicably cut the piano solo!So when I say it's the best, that's where "best" gets a 7 out of 10.The Act II Finale does not appear, either.However, the book does include most all the other songs from the musical.Many sheet music books from musicals omit more.I am looking forward to a vocal score being offered as these are a reduction rather than an arrangement and offer all the incidental music as well as instrumental and lead-in sections.

Hal Leonard often rates their arrangements on a difficulty scale but I can't find one on this book.I would give it a "2" on their 6 point scale where 6 is the hardest.

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Product Description:
Vocal selections from the uproarious Broadway production that won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2005. Songs include: All for One * Always Look on the Bright Side of Life * Brave Sir Robin * Come with Me * Find Your Grail * Fisch Schlapping Dance * He Is Not Dead Yet * His Name Is Lancelot * I'm All Alone * King Arthur's Song * Knights of the Round Table * Laker Girls Cheer * Monks Chant * Run Away! * The Song That Goes Like This * Whatever Happened to My Part? * Where Are You? * You Won't Succeed on Broadway. Includes five pages of color photos.

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Ragtime, Vocal Selections [Paperback] Review

I had an urge to play some Ragtime tunes on my piano, so I bought thisbook and began to play.It has the vocal selections along with the sheetmusic.I find that the sheet music consists of many many chords, making itmore difficult, but it's still great fun to play and sing!Great forauditions!
Ragtime has awesome music, and though not all of the bestsongs are in this, most of them are.My favorite song from Ragtime isWheels of a Dream, and I was SO happy to see it in here.
One thing Ienjoyed about the Ragtime music book was that it wasn't chopped up.When Isay that, I mean from experience with other piano books.Many books withchop up the song like from movies for instance.The songs are translatedand arranged horribly, but I loved that since a lot of the music from themusical was in piano solo, the music plays EXACTLY the same as you would'veheard on Broadway!
Overall, each song is wonderful and this music is anabsolute delight to play!Enjoy!

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Product Description:
Titles are: Back to Before * Buffalo Nickel Photoplay, Inc. * Gliding * Goodbye, My Love * Make Them Hear You * New Music * Our Children * Ragtime * Sarah Brown Eyes * Till We Reach That Day * Wheels of a Dream * Your Daddy's Son.

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Selected Themes from the Motion Picture [Paperback] Review

This music is great.It's also kind of dificult. My favorite song is Harry's Wondrous World

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Product Description:
...this folio featuring the hit music by John Williams from the blockbuster film also includes color photos from the motion picture and more!

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Prince -- Come: Piano/Vocal/Chords [Sheet music] Review

" alt="Prince -- Come: Piano/Vocal/Chords [Sheet music]" border="0">The score was delivered in excellent condition and just as provider described.I am very pleased and will use this service again with confidence.

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Product Description:
Always creative and often controversial, Prince has won over both fans and critics by blending infectious rhythms with memorable melodies. This album-matching folio includes the chart-topping hit ""Letitgo"" plus: Come
* Space
* Pheromone
* Loose!
* Papa
* Race
* Dark
* Solo.

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Thoroughly Modern Millie: Vocal Selections [Paperback] Review

A bit tough at times for intermediate players, but a good choice for those wanting the V/G/P parts for the show.

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Product Description:
The winner of six 2002 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Orchestrations and Best Actress (Sutton Foster), Thoroughly Modern Millie takes us back to the jazz and flappers of the Roaring '20s. Based on the 1967 movie of the same name, which starred Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Channing, the Broadway show features new songs, 1920s favorites and tunes written for the film - all of which are featured in our 14-song piano/vocal highlights folio. Also includes a special section of fantastic color photos from the Broadway production, a plot synopsis, show credits, and bios of composer Jeanine Tesori and lyricist Dick Scanlan.

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Broadway Belter's Songbook [Paperback] Review

This songbook is one of the best you could get for belters.It has great classics and some awesome new songs to sing.Seriously, if you buy this book and you will not be disappointed!

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Product Description:
A great collection for women singers. All songs have been chosen especially for this type of voice, with careful attention to range and keys. 30 songs, including: Broadway Baby * The Lady Is a Tramp * Everything's Coming Up Roses * I'd Give My Life for You * Cabaret * Memory * and more. 176 pages.

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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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