The Elton John Keyboard Book

PROS:Intermediate level pianoDirect transcriptions of the piano part from the album versions of the songsGives great insight into Elton John's piano styleAll the intros, riffs, gestures, and short solos in some great vintage Elton John songsCONS:Not for those who want a 'full' melodic arrangement of musicNot for beginners--this is intermediate level pianoVery occasional transcription errors (a missed accidental here or there)Syncopations are transcribed but don't sound quite right unless you add a little 'swing'The Elton John Keyboard Book is part of the Hal Leonard Note for Note series. There are those who have a great ear and can pick out the piano part from amidst the ensemble and simply play. The Note for Note series and this book in particular are for those of us who can't.The key here is that the book is a transcription of what Elton John plays on the original album versions of these songs. Please realize that these are NOT the standard, sheet arrangements that you might buy in a music store. The run of the mill sheet music emphasizes playing the melody and only rarely reflects how the original artist played the piano. If you want a 'full' arrangement that brings out the melody of a particular Elton John song, these arrangements are not for you. However, if you want to see what Elton John actually plays when he performs on stage, these transcriptions are invaluable. (Realize that even when Elton John accompanies himself with piano alone, the piano rarely plays the melody for a performance. Rather, the piano backs up the vocal.)Like many out there, I learned to play piano oh-so-many years ago using the John Thompson method books and then built up to more complicated classical pieces. I love classical piano, but I really wanted to be able to branch out into some rock and roll and jazz. So for me, the book is a godsend. It gives me an opportunity to really see what Elton John does to get his particular sound out of the piano. The riffs, the nuances, and the techniques. This book has really given me the tools to do that and I love it for that.The fact that these are transcriptions, however, means that some of these arrangements are really meant to be played in the context of a full band. The authors realize this, and have done two things to compensate. They have placed a melody line above the music, so you can see how the vocal part fits in with the piano. Depending on the song, they have also added important parts from other band instruments when the actual piano part is more supportive. These supplementary parts can be found below the piano part and are transcribed for piano so that no matter what instruments they were played on in the original recording they are in the correct key for the piano. If you want to incorporate these as part of a performance to get a fuller sound when playing solo, they are there for you. However, there are no specific instructions as to how you might do this. It certainly can be done but sometimes you have to get creative.That said, because of the way the book was put together, the arrangements don't always stand on their own. The ones that work particularly well in my opinion are no surprise: Candle in the Wind, Daniel, Empty Garden, Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, Tiny Dancer, and Your Song. These are very piano-centric songs. The arrangements for piano will sound full below a vocal on top. Ones that didn't work as well for me, but still gave me great insight into Elton John's methods, are Bennie and the Jets, Crocodile Rock, and Don't Go Breaking My Heart. The rest fell somewhere in between for me.Still, even where pieces rely more on the rest of the ensemble to fill things in or the major aspect of a piece is the interplay with the vocal and the bass line (e.g. Bennie and the Jets), there is still a lot you can get out of the transcription. You still get a full helping of vintage Elton John intros, riffs, and fills. You also get an opportunity to look at the short solo sections and see how Elton John puts these together.Realize, as well, that Elton John doesn't necessarily play each song exactly the same way each time he plays it. Moreover, he adjusts the piano part with different performances. If you listen to a song such as Candle in the Wind, the major riffs and gestures are the same from performance to performance, but he plays the piano differently when playing with different ensembles or when playing solo.What really struck me about the songs here was that the piano parts, on the whole, are strictly intermediate level playing. This is not technically difficult music to play for the intermediate to advanced player, but is not for the beginner. This isn't any slight to Elton John. For one thing, he has to sing and play at the same time. For another, the effect that he gets with simple gestures on the keyboard are the particular genius here. Moreover, the album work doesn't cover the breadth of his piano playing; for example, the kind of extended solos that he might do in concert.There isn't much of a downside to these transcriptions for me. There were the very occasional mistakes, but these were only a missed accidental here or there--no bigee. When the piano plays a more supporting role in a song, there can be long sections of filler chords that can be tedious. This is a book of transcriptions, however, so you have to expect this. Finally, it is often difficult to write out the rhythms exactly as played. Rock has a strong back beat, but there are often syncopations that require a little swing to sound right. If you try to play the rhythms exactly as written, the music will sound mechanical. This is where it helps to listen to the original recording if something doesn't sound quite right to you.This book really gives a piano player insight into how Elton John gets his particular sound out of the piano. It has really been invaluable to me and a great learning experience for me, given a mostly classical piano background. Once again, this is not a book that could be recommended to a beginner. It is for the intermediate to advanced intermediate piano player. Highly recommended.

I purchased the Elton John Note for Note songbook and was extremely disappointed. What is lacking is mostly Elton's introduction melodies and beautiful inverted chords. Basically the book uses the standard melody line with bass for piano. Then below that, is what would be considered the piano part used for vocal accompaniment. However all that really amounts to is the chords which are the same structure as the melody and bass above it. Rarely does this book capture the true essence of Elton's complex chord structure which is why I purchased this. Even some of the melody notes sound incorrect and awkward. This holds true for the Carole King Note for Note book. I will say the best I have seen for note to note transcription is the Billy Joel book. Special considerations for Piano Man and New York State of Mind are excellently transcribed. I speak with experience as I have been a pianist for over twenty years and transcribe on a regular basis with other musicians I perform with. So I was really looking for an easy way out and was thoroughly disappointed with this non-refundable purchase. If you want to learn the chord and structure used by the original artist I recommend searching online for videos of your favorite song. Chances are you will find someone who has posted a tutorial on how to properly play a perfectly transcribed song.

I bought this book for my son, who is a multi-instrumentalist and classically trained pianist with several music degrees including one in piano, He is very picky about the accuracy of transcription books and can be very hard to please, so I was quite proud of myself when he expressed his general approval for, not only song selection, but also the quality of the included material, With only a few minor criticisms, he is generally very happy with the transcriptions. And if he is happy with them, I have no problem at all highly recommending the book!

If you are thinking about buying this book it may be helpful to know what's included.Bennie and the JetsBlue EyesBorder SongCandle in the WindCrocodile RockDanielDon't go breaking my heartDon't let the sun go down on meEmpty GardenFriendsGoodbye Yellow Brick RoadHonky CatI guess that's why they call it the BluesLittle JeannieMona Lisas and Mad HattersRocket ManSomeone Saved My Life TonightSorry Seems to be the Hardest WordTiny DancerYour SongIf you're like me, then as you play these pieces you notice yourself making breakthroughs in your playing. Although I am still working through this book, I particularly enjoyed working on pieces such as Bennie and the Jets, Rocket Man, and Your Song.I highly recommend this book, and hope you found this helpful.

This book is so much fun! Recognizable chords and rhythms that will take you back! I even put the album on and played along! A fun book to own.

This book is perfect for the advanced-intermediate piano player. After working with these songs you will see a great increase in your chord sight reading, plus these are a lot of fun, although Elton's vocal range is sky high. The down side is some of the songs don't include all the instruments (such as bass/backing vocals/guitar in Candle in the Wind) and some songs cannot really be played solo piano by the arrangement given because they incorporate xylophones, piano II, electric piano, or whathaveyou (Crocodile Rock, Honky Cat.) Still a tremendous amount of fun. Worth every cent.

As advertised

Very very interesting music. Not a complete list, so I ordered another volume which had more of Elton John's songs. For instance, it does not include Philadelphia Freedom. The rest a really wonderful, a good rewind of time past. The volume does include some suggestions for ad libs, and some of the orchestration used in Elton's recordings. I love this volume!!

Can't make head or tail of much of this. Introductions are 'easier' than the core because the core has less notes and is a mere accompanyment to the vocals. Also you can gain a bit of tune sometimes in the introductions and sections between vocals. When vocals cut in there is no tie in between the voice line and the piano line. Introductions of course are short and just that, with little meat to follow. This is why I stopped buying music years ago, frankly it's easier to write it out yourself and save loads of money. At least you then end up with something recognisable. If you bought this and thought you're not advanced enough because you can't play it, don't be so hard on yourself. I play such as Mozart, Strauss, Joplin, Queen ... All sorts... without this struggle. Needs more notes to make it usefully playable as a stand alone.

More for experience players.

No musical notes

good songs. spot on sheet music

Great, good notes! Thanks