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Catalog > Books > Piano updated June 3, 2008
Titles listed in alphabetical order
Celtic Back-Up for All Instrumentalists -- by Chris Smith $22.95
104 pages. This book teaches the most crucial function of a chord instrument in the Celtic session - that of playing tasteful, interesting, imaginative, and supportive improvised accompaniment. Celtic Back-Up presents accurate and directly applicable information on the theory, conception, stylistic considerations, procedures, and resources for accompaniment. Every facet of session accompaniment is thoroughly explored. With this book you will come to understand why many of our Celtic authors are reluctant to suggest chord accompaniment with their melodies in the first place; the idea is to be open to fresh ideas and improvise the accompaniment as you go.
The Simon Fraser Collection: The Airs and Melodies Peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland and the Isles -- $17.95
128 pages. The Simon Fraser Collection brings together the Airs and Melodies peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland and the Isles from 1715 to 1745. Many of the over 240 Airs in this book are Captain Fraser's instrumental settings of Gaelic songs derived from the singing of his father, grandfather and their acquaintances. Other tunes are a mixture of traditional and newly composed strathspeys, reels and jigs from this time period. The music in this book is especially written for those who play the piano, harp, organ and fiddle. People interested in this type of music will be aware of the Simon Fraser Collection due to the history that it is part of. The product has been unavailable for years, which makes it a very popular item.
French Tangos for Piano -- by Uri Ayn Rovner $12.95
64 pages. An intriguing collection of fourteen tangos by French composers arranged for piano solo. The tango is a ballroom dance of Latin-American origin characterized by long pauses and stylized body positions. Most of these instrumental renditions were originally published as Musette pieces in France from the 1930's through the 1960's (with a couple of newer arrangements). Intermediate in difficulty.
Fun With the Piano -- by Tim Price $7.95
32 pages. Fun with the Piano is a collection of big-note, easy solos on folk favorites; and functions as an extremely successful early-intermediate supplement to any method, as well as a source of fun-to-play songs. Tunes include: When the Saints Go Marching In, Shenandoah, The Entertainer, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, and many more. Lyrics are included with most of the songs in the book.
The Harp and Claymore -- by Scott Skinner $21.95
184 pages. This classic collection, recently reprinted, is comprised of pastorals, marches, strathspeys and reels, hornpipes, laments and songs in memory of a romantic and patriotic past. Music is provided for voice, violin, bagpipe and piano. Devoted to Scottish music, this work contains the mature fruit of a life-long cultivation of the Scottish reel and strathspey. It includes the best work of various composers, together with choice examples of traditional melodies, so that the student of native Scottish music may have an overview of what is best and most enduring in this art.
Ireland's Best Loved Songs and Ballads for Easy Piano -- $12.95
48 pages. Easy Irish favorites for piano, including A Bunch of Thyme, The Mountains of Mourne, Danny Boy, The Rose of Tralee, The Wild Rover, and many more. Lyrics included.
Roving Through Ireland: Piano Solos of Traditional Irish Folk Music -- $8.95
40 pages. "Irish folk song" is the generic term for ballads, rebel songs, work songs, lullabies, laments and drinking songs. Many Irish folk songs developed from historical events and Celtic mythology, and include airs, polkas, set dances, long dances, jigs, slides, slip jigs, hornpipes, and reels. About 200 tunes of the great Irish harpist Turlough O'Carolan have also survived through the aural tradition. This collection contains 38 tunes representing a broad cross section of Irish folk music which have been arranged for intermediate solo piano. Also, the songs are suitable for use as teaching material, as recital pieces, or as music for dance.
Russian Gypsy Folk Songs -- by Bibs Ekkel $14.95
96 pages. Presented here is a rare collection of some of the best Gypsy folk songs popular among the Romanies of Russia and Eastern Europe. All offered in the original Romany tribal dialect, as appropriate to each song, with easy-to-follow pronunciation guide specially formulated for the native English speaker and literal (word-for-word) English translation. The appended short historical and linguistic overview offers a rare insight into the history, traditions, language as well as the music and songs of this unique and mysterious people. Great addition to any pianistˆ¢s collection!
The Skye Collection of the Best Reels and Strathspeys -- by Keith Norman MacDonald $21.95
206 pages. The famous Skye Collection, which first appeared in 1887 and was later reprinted in a smaller edition, has been out of print for many years. The title page indicates that it included "the best Reels & Strathspeys extant embracing over four hundred tunes collected from all the best sources, compiled and arranged for violin and piano by Keith Norman MacDonald." It is hoped that this new edition, which includes all the tunes from the earlier first and second editions, will meet the demand from Scottish music enthusiasts to have available again one of the outstanding collections of original airs. Many of the tunes are originally for bagpipe, but all of the tunes have been presented here in piano arrangements with melody and accompaniment. Violinists or fiddlers, pipers, or other melody instruments may double the melody. The original compiler's 1887 preface is also included, which provides insights into the sources and proper interpretation of the tunes.