Hal Leonard – Page 6

Masterpieces for the Modern Pianist

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Bumper books of piano repertoire have long been a popular feature of the music publishing landscape. They can also prove hugely useful, as illustrated by a student I currently teach who is putting together a complete Grade 7 programme using only the free music compendium that arrived (in a polythene bag, alongside the instruction manual) with his Yamaha piano.

One of the enjoyable quirks of such anthologies is that they often include some unexpected rarities alongside the usual chestnuts, and this is a strength that The Willis Music Company have particularly played to with their latest venture into this market. Masterpieces for the Modern Pianist claims, and succeeds, in offering:

“a unique classical piano solo collection of over 70 timeless favourites and featuring undiscovered gems!”

Read on for the complete list and review of this remarkable fresh arrival…

The Gradebusters Series

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Grade exams getting you down?
Who are you going to call?… GRADEBUSTERS!!

Gradebusters is a cheekily-titled series from Hal Leonard, which launched in 2019 with Grade 1 books for piano, violin, cello, flute, clarinet, trumpet, alto and tenor sax.

The series now encompasses five solo piano books, respectively for Grades 1 to 5, each delivering “15 awesome solos”, and together serving up a rich feast of 75 universally popular and neatly arranged songs that piano players everywhere will be keen to play.

The Joy of Graded Piano

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

The Joy of Graded Piano is a set of five deluxe repertoire collections newly published by Yorktown Music Press, and heralds the return of one of the most iconic piano series of all time.

The five books cover Grades 1-5, offering an enjoyable and well-rounded introduction to the astonishing riches and greatest composers of the piano repertoire.

“Attractively presented from cover to cover, these are among the best graded collections currently available.”

Pianist Magazine

Denes Agay’s original Joy of… piano books are one of the great achievements of music publishing. They began to appear in 1955, and he went on to produce more than 50 titles for the series, collectively selling millions of copies. These books remain popular with piano students, players, and teachers around the world to this very day, although much else has changed.

This new series of graded piano anthologies builds on that remarkable legacy with care, drawing together new titles to reflect developments in piano education and musical preferences that have occurred within the intervening decades.

It is a pleasure and a privilege to have worked with the publishers on the development of this series over the last three years:

selecting the 120 included works
editing them afresh, looking to the most authoritative sources, and adding new fingering where needed
writing background notes and practice tips for each and every piece across the series

Using the UK grade exam system as a guide, I have tried to ensure each book in the series offers a wide selection of repertoire, including many of the “greatest hits” of the Baroque, Classical and Romantic piano literature, alongside brilliant newer pieces composed by women and men from all around the world, right up to the present day.

Phillip Keveren • So Far

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

“Decade birthdays get our attention. I have not been that impressed with any of mine, until this one. Six decades. It seems like a good time to take stock and be grateful. In that spirit, I have written twelve new piano compositions, musical timestamps from my life’s journey.”

So writes Phillip Keveren in the introduction to So Far…, the latest addition to Hal Leonard’s hugely popular Phillip Keveren Series of publications, which largely comprise this superb arranger’s take on popular, showtime and jazz classics, but occasionally also includes his original music.

Previous Keveren originals that I have enjoyed include Piano Calm (reviewed here) and Circles (reviewed here), both superb collections for intermediate players. Now he returns with So Far…, suitable for early advanced players and another surefire winner.

Vince Guaraldi • Jazz Piano Solos

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

I have previously looked at a number of titles in Brent Edstrom’s superb Hal Leonard series of Jazz Piano Solos (you can read those reviews here), and the series has become the established go-to for advanced players (from around Grade 7) wanting to explore the jazz repertoire.

The latest addition to this growing resource, Volume 64 no less, is devoted to the music of the legendary Vince Guaraldi, known to many as the man behind the music in the Charlie Brown cartoons. And for those not familiar with Guaraldi’s other work, this new volume is a great entrance to discovering it…

Celebrating Disney

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

As the Disney centenary draws to a close, I don’t want to miss the opportunity to highlight some of the recent publications from Hal Leonard celebrating the studio’s unrivalled catalogue of hit songs, spanning the decades.

Having previously reviewed Disney Goes Classical (read the review), which offers a wonderful selection for late intermediate (UK Grade 5-6) players, I have picked three easier collections for this celebration, delivering outstanding selections of great songs for elementary to intermediate players.

These collections are equally prime examples of the larger series in which they appear; those interested in exploring Hal Leonard’s various easy piano songbook series can thus use this review, and these books, as a jumping off point for doing so…

Peaceful Pop Piano Solos

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Hal Leonard’s popular Peaceful Piano Solos series has been a deserved success over the last few years. I reviewed the original series here, while Peaceful Christmas Piano Solos was reviewed here, and the recent Peaceful Jazz Piano Solos reviewed here.

Peaceful Pop Piano Solos has just joined this growing series, and makes an obvious and very welcome addition to the existing range. The publishers introduce it thus:

“Relax at the piano with this exceptional collection of satisfying and profoundly beautiful pieces to play.”

Quite a claim, but the book is an easy recommendation for those who have enjoyed previous titles, and to teenage and adult players looking for decent late intermediate arrangements of well known hit songs.

Phillip Keveren Carol Anthology

The Christmas Shortlist
Selected and reviewed by Andrew Eales

When the top US piano arranger Phillip Keveren tells us that Christmas music is a genre of which he never tires, we can easily believe him, because his catalogue of Hal Leonard publications includes an almost bewildering array of seasonal titles.

The question of where to start an exploration of these publications is made easier by the arrival of another. The Essential Christmas Carol Anthology offers “36 Stunning Seasonal Arrangements”, selected from five previous titles, and including five new arrangements.

As such, and though offering a sampler from which the player might then want to go and explore more of Keveren’s Christmas fare, this could be the only Christmas collection late intermediate players (around UK Grades 5-6) need. Let’s find out….