Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
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With last year’s publication of Calming Christmas Carols for Graded Piano, Willis Music Company introduced the fresh and rather neat idea of curating an anthology of popular music, presented in arrangements suitable for players from Grades 1-5, divided into sections that progress accordingly.
In my review, I noted:
“Cleverly, and rather uniquely positioned as the progressive collection to which learners can reliably return each year throughout their Elementary to Intermediate piano journey, and thus maximising the book’s continuing value to teachers, learners, and parents, the concept is certainly attractive.”
I’m not surprised to see Hal Leonard visit this useful and inspiring concept, this time delving into the enduring songbook of The Beatles for material, and with ace arranger Christopher Hussey on board, whose name you may recall from the brilliant Gradebusters! series, which I have reviewed here.
From me to you, here’s my review…
25 Works for Piano
With the above subtitle, it’s clear from the start that this publication has been conceived and designed as a solo piano collection, as opposed to the various PVG Beatles songbooks already on the market.
The plain cover (in Beatles ‘White’ apparel, and printed on classy matt card) seals the impression with an illustration of an expectant grand piano, while the prominence of the word “Graded” in the title leaves no doubt that these are arrangements intended for traditional piano learners to explore alongside the usual exam material.
Here’s an example of the format from the publisher’s website:
Within (printed on bright white paper), we are greeted by a contents page which whets our appetite with the following list of classic songs, by grade:
Grade One
• Let it be *
• From Me To You
• Eleanor Rigby
• Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
• Love Me Do
Grade Two
• I Feel Fine
• She Loves You
• A Hard Day’s Night
• In My Life
• Hey Jude
Grade Three
• Yellow Submarine *
• Can’t Buy Me Love
• Get Back
• Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
• Hello, Goodbye
Grade Four
• And I Love Her
• All You Need Is Love
• With A Little Help From My Friends
• Help!
• Yesterday *
Grade Five
• Blackbird
• Penny Lane
• When I’m Sixty-Four
• Here Come The Sun
• The Long And Winding Road
Three of these arrangements (indicated with an * asterisk) reappear from Gradebusters, two of which sport minor improvements here. The rest are new to me, and if I am counting correctly, 12 were UK number one hits.
In any case, here’s a list of truly classic songs, offering a strong “greatest hits” of the Fab Four if ever I’ve seen one!
A Long and Winding Road?
There are of course both strengths and weaknesses to the series concept. For some players working through material arranged for such different levels, the pathway through the book could prove a long and winding one.
Some will no doubt enjoy revisiting the book between other learning (a great summer holiday project, perhaps!) while others may find the rising difficulty inspires them to make quicker progress.
Hussey has provided additional support to help! Each graded section of the book begins with a two-page spread of short exercises. Here’s an authorised example:
This basic concept has been tried by many over the years, and while I tend to advise learners to check out the exercises when practising at home, I must admit I quite often skip them in lessons. Here, however, I think they will prove genuinely useful
This is because Hussey’s short exercises expertly hit the spot, introducing learners to the syncopated rhythms and vamps needed when playing the songs themselves. And these are patterns and rhythms which they may not have encountered in their musical development elsewhere. Notice in the sample above how he also makes direct connections to the songs. Helpful!
As for Hussey’s arrangements of our Beatles favourites, these are spot on, perfectly capturing the essence of each, while matching the grade levels nicely.
Inevitably, some or these piano realisations are bigger hits than others and we’ll all have our favourites, but those familiar with the Gradebusters series (and Hussey’s many other publications) can expect the same high quality, musical adaptations they are used to.
Closing Thoughts
If you like the graded concept here, and are looking for an elementary to intermediate Beatles solo piano collection with practical, solid arrangements, this is an easy publication to recommend. And it further benefits from the helpful practice exercises that Hussey has included.
The 80-page staple-bound book itself is robust, so should stand the test of time, but most importantly, the choice content will enthuse players and entertain their listeners for many years to come.
If you read this far, you’re probably interested, so Get Back, and get a copy!
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