Product Description
Pianists and vocalists alike will enjoy the great song hits of this golden age from the ragtime show-stoppers of Irving Berlin to the lowdown blues of W.C. Handy and other blues masters.
Customer Reviews:
Good, but lacking some later material.......2005-06-12
I am a 14 year old pianist, and I love Ragtime & stride. This is a good collection. It comprises of many Joplin rags, 2 Eubie Blake rags, some James Scott, etc, and some Early Blues. It is one of the biggest ragtime collections available. I am disappointed, however, that some of the later (ie, 1915-25), more advanced ragtime is absent. It really could have used some 'Kitten on the Keys', or 'Cataract Rag' to "break the ice" on what is otherwise a bit of a dull, repetitive folio. What is there is good, but most is basically just the same.
I would instead turn to Dover for some more interesting ragtime folios
The Best of the Best.......2005-01-25
The Library of Ragtime and Early Blues by Amy Appleby and Peter Pickow is Outstanding.
As a New York school music educator, this is the best and most complete musical tribute of this era that I have seen. It deserves 10 stars and will definitely be a fantastic addition to add to your home music library. I highly recommend it for the more advanced piano student since ragtime and blues can often be a bit challenging to play.
The book has a beautiful introduction, table of contents (grouped by composer) and index. I like the fact that the name is printed on the edge of the white plastic binding, making it easy to find on a book shelf. All of the Amsco books in the library series that I own are attractively the same height. Each and every "rag" in this book is not only fun and exciting to play but appears to be easy on the eyes due to the fact that it is printed clearly on heavy, white bond paper.
My favorite ragtime composer is Scott Joplin. To my delight, there are 22 of his original compositions in this book. I began playing my favorite of all ragtime pieces, "The Maple Leaf Rag" the minute I received this book as a gift. It was the best gift ever! I didn't even know that Scott Joplin wrote a "Wall Street Rag." I liked the annotations over the different sections of this piece, such as "brokers feeling melancholy" or "good times have come."
I would be remiss if I didn't mention some of the other 40 composers in this book such as James Scott, W.C. Handy, Joseph Lamb, Scott Hayden, Irving Berlin, Tom Turpin and Eubie Blake, etc. There is also a whole section on Ragtime songs, such as Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band" along with cakewalks, classic rags, blues rags and folk rags. I have hours of enjoyment ahead of me.
GREAT collection of ragtime and blues.......2004-02-26
What a wonderful collection! I'm an intermediate-level pianist and relative newcomer to ragtime/blues piano. I was looking for a big sample of all these styles, and this is definitely it. Over 300 pages of stuff, in a sturdy book with a spiral binder (a must-have for big piano books!) I've played this book 'til my hands were sore, and there's still lots I haven't gotten to yet!
Contains some of Joplin's good stuff, but that's widely available. What's really neat about this book is the great selection of other ragtimers' best -- James Scott's Grace and Beauty, Great Scott Rag, Eubie Blake's Chevy Chase Rag, some other great pieces I'd never heard of.
Also, classic old-time blues included, such as W.C. Handy's Memphis Blues and St. Louis Blues, Ballin' The Jack, Tiger Rag, etc.
Also, some wonderful pieces called Cake Walks; kinda like ragtime but slower. Really lovely stuff!
Clear, easy-to-read sheet music. A lot of Scott Joplin........1999-08-05
Includes: The Entertainer, Easy Winners, Swipsey, Maple Leaf Rag, Elite Syncopations, Weeping Willow, and more of Joplin. Also contains several cake walks, ... delightful pieces not often heard. This book removed the mystery of ragtime for me, an amature pianist, and I discovered to my great amazement, that, with some effort ... I can play it, even the Maple Leaf!
Product Description
This superb fingerpicking reference book features 101 authentic, traditional blues fingerstyle licks for guitar. The goldmine of licks is divided into the following categories: Four-beat licks; Eight-beat licks; Introductions and turnarounds. The licks are written in both standard notation and guitar tablature, and recorded at a moderate speed on the companion CD. This is not a method book for beginners, but a nice collection of licks for guitarists who have some fingerstyle ability and want to do some exploring. Another GREAT guitar book from Red Dog Music Books.
Book Description
Add to your repertoire and reinforce your technique with this collection of blues songs. Bring these songs to life by listening to the recordings on the companion CD, which features short versions of each piece, played slowly and up to tempo. Includes full guitar parts in standard notation with chords, accompanying parts, and tablature, as well as detailed notes on song origins and arrangements.
Customer Reviews:
Simply the best intro to fingerstyle blues.......2007-03-10
Unlike many such books, these are fairly easy (but plenty challenging for the intermediate fingerstyle player) and sound great. Hours of fun. You have to get this book.
More songs, more information.......2006-05-31
As S.Newman said, this book contains tabs for a range of musical styles - mostly in the country blues vein - at a range of difficulties. I'm a (very) rank beginner, and there's a couple of pieces at even my level. There's no real scale of difficulty for the pieces, so you have to check 'em out yourself. There are suggestions of techniques, but this isn't really a "teaching book" per se. As stated, the CD is a useful adjunct.
One feature I truly appreciate is the biographical and musicological information Mr. James includes with each song, along with suggested recordings. I frequently find myself reading these snippets even when the song is beyond my current skills.
Expand your repertoire.......2006-02-01
I'm an intermediate finger picker and I bought this book to learn a few more songs. There are 15 arangemets ranging from country, piedmont, Texas, delta and slide in standard and open tunings.It contains some easy songs that I could play almost immediately and some more challenging ones that I'm still working on. The CD was very helpful as it has each song played twice: once full speed with sung lyrics and once slowed down so you can work out what's happening.
If your thumb can already do its own thing without you having to tell it, then this book is a bargain at only 10 bucks. If your thumb is still connected to your brain, then buy beginning fingerstyle blues by Arnie Bearle and Mark Galbo first.
Book Description
In 1919, the world stood at the threshold of the Jazz Age. The man who had ushered it there, however, lay murdered--and would soon plunge from international fame to historical obscurity. It was a fate few would have predicted for James Reese Europe; he was then at the pinnacle of his career as a composer, conductor, and organizer in the black community, with the promise of even greater heights to come. "People don't realize yet today what we lost when we lost Jim Europe," said pianist Eubie Blake. "He was the savior of Negro musicians...in a class with Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King." In A Life in Ragtime, Reid Badger brilliantly captures the fascinating life of James Reese Europe, tracing a critical chapter in the emergence of jazz through one man's remarkable odyssey. After an early start in Washington, Europe found his fame in New York, the entertainment capital of turn-of-the-century America. In the decade before the First World War, he emerged as an acknowledged leader in African-American musical theater, both as a conductor and an astonishingly prolific composer. Badger reveals a man of tremendous depths and ambitions, constantly aspiring to win recognition for black musicians and wider acceptance for their music. He toiled constantly, working on benefit concerts, joining hands with W.E.B. Du Bois, and helping to found a black music school--all the while winning commercial and critical success with his chosen art. In 1910, he helped create the Clef Club, making it the premiere African-American musical organization in the country during his presidency. Every year from 1912 to 1914, Europe led the Clef Club orchestra in triumphant concerts at Carnegie Hall, winning new respectability and popularity for ragtime. He went on to a tremendously successful collaboration with Vernon and Irene Castle, the international stars who made social dancing a world-wide rage. Along the way, Europe helped to revolutionize American music--and Badger provides fascinating details of his innovations and wide influence. In World War I, the musical pioneer won new fame as the first African-American officer to lead men into combat in that conflict--but he was best known as band leader for the all-black 15th Infantry Regiment. As the "Hellfighters" of the 15th racked up successes on the battlefield, Europe's band took France by storm with the new sounds of jazz. In 1919, the soldiers returned to New York in triumph, and Europe was the toast of the city. Then, just a few months later, he was dead--stabbed to death by a drummer in his own orchestra. From humble beginnings to tragic end, the story of Jim Europe comes alive in Reid Badger's account. Weaving in the wider story of our changing culture, music, and racial conflict, Badger deftly captures the turbulent, promising age of ragtime, and the drama of a triumphant life cut short.
Customer Reviews:
Jim Europe, The Founder of the International Jazz Movement.......2000-02-23
In a true sense of the word pioneer James Reese Europe, brought the only true American Art form to continental europe in the early part of the twentieth century. Reid Badger has captured the essence of a time in history that brought jazz and the cultural attitudes of black America to the international scene.
The very detailed text is a wonderful read, that gives you a sense of the push and pull of being an American Black living in the early 1900's. The book reads as if it were an adventure tale with all the action one could wish for.
The author has done a wonderful job of putting together facts and photos in a fast moving easy to understand academic work. His understanding of the contribution that Europe made to the growth of Jazz is clear and compeling. The details of the stature of the man that was Jim Europe reveals his human and sometimes non perfect personality.
Of particular interest to all should be his tenure as the Band Master of the famous 369th Infantry "Hell-Fighters" band during WWI in Europe.
This a must read for any student of jazz or military history and all who read about contributions to African-American society.
Product Description
Rev. Gary Davis was a musical giant. His ideas spanned a wide range of techniques and styles. His repertoire featured blues, rags, show instrumentals and gospel songs. He played with his thumb and index finger to pick out complex melodies, rhythmic licks and lightning fast single-string runs. In this book, seven of Rev. Davis's blues are presented. These arrangements have been performed and recorded by a host of great artists including Bob Dylan, Taj Mahal, Hot Tuna, David Bromberg, John Renbourn, Bert Jansch and many others. These lessons are for the intermediate to advanced fingerstyle guitarist. The accompanying three CD lessons teach these arrangements phrase by phrase as well as presenting the original recordings. LESSON ONE: Our first lesson highlights two of Rev. Davis's most popular blues arrangements. Hesitation Blues is played in the key of C. Baby, Let Me Follow You Down is played in the key of G. LESSON TWO: The key of C was a favorite for Rev. Davis. In this lesson we explore the party tune Sally Where'd You Get Your Liquor From (made popular by Hot Tuna). Rev. Davis used to joke that he could play Candyman so many different ways that he would be able to play it nonstop for at least 8 hours without repeating himself! We look at two versions of this very popular folk blues with the regular Candyman followed by the Two-Step Candyman. LESSON THREE: "Raggin' the blues" was a great part of Rev. Davis's repertoire. His Walkin' Dog Blues is a tour de force in a blues in C. All fourteen verses are transcribed here, and we study how this arrangement develops. Buck Rag is a fascinating rag played in the key of C. Single-string runs, counterpoint lines, rhythmic variations and syncopated bass patterns are featured.
Customer Reviews:
RAGTIMEFUN.......2003-07-25
This book is real fun. I find the style of Rev. Gary Davis very intriguing. It takes a lot of time to master it, but this book has very accurate instructions. The CDs teach you step by step the songs that are listed, and the tablatures are very easy to read. The CDs also contain other songs of Gary Davis that are not in the list and are not teached, which are real rarities. A strange, 3/4 version, of "Candyman" and other songs you wont find on any commercial CD.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing.......2007-08-18
Kudos for what he's trying to do. They don't give you enough time to tune with the DVD. They don't explain the fingerings clearly enough. Songs are great. Not a terrible value. Worthy - but could be SO much better with SO little work.
Rev Gary Davis Tunes.......2007-06-14
Woody Mann is one of the best Guitar players in the world.
The reason why is due to his hard work and being a faithful student of Rev Gary Davis.
This is one of the best written music books for that type of music,of course it is written by one of the best.
I have studied this music for a while and studied from video dvd's and tape instruction as well as other books but this is the easiest written so far and gets right to the heart of the music without much difficulty.
I wish i could have studied this one first.
Highly recommended excellent book. Worth 10 times what i payed!!!!!!!!1
Customer Reviews:
Classic introduction to jazz.......2002-02-17
Joachim Berendt first published this work in German in 1953. Many editions and revisions later, this has become one of the cornerstones of jazz historical criticism. It has been translated into many languages, reflecting the universal appeal of the work. A clandestine Russian edition appeared in the former Soviet Union, and in Japan alone it has been edited three times. The Jazz Book is possibly the clearest, most didactic work of its kind. It's the first book I read about jazz and it made me appreciate the whole picture. It helped me to make the connections between musicians, works, instruments, ideas, styles, movements and influences. It's an invaluable introduction to jazz; it is written with great affection for the music, and translated very elegantly. It appears to have "fallen off" most current jazz reading lists, perhaps because there are newer, trendier writers addressing a modern, demanding, informed audience. But it's still a starting point that knows no rival.
Book Description
In 1974, the academy award-winning film The Sting brought back the music of Scott Joplin, a black ragtime composer who died in 1917. Led by The Entertainer, one of the most popular pieces of the mid-1970s, a revival of his music resulted in events unprecedented in American musical history. Never before had any composer's music been so acclaimed by both the popular and classical music worlds. While reaching a "Top Ten" position in the pop charts, Joplin's music was also being performed in classical recitals and setting new heights for sales of classical records. His opera Treemonisha was performed both in opera houses and on Broadway. Destined to be the definitive work on the man and his music, King of Ragtime is written by Edward A. Berlin. A renowned authority on Joplin and the author of the acclaimed and widely cited Ragtime: A Musical and Cultural History, Berlin redefines the Scott Joplin biography. Using the tools of a trained musicologist, he has uncovered a vast amount of new information about Joplin. His biography truly documents the story of the composer, replacing the myths and unsupported anecdotes of previous histories. He shows how Joplin's opera Treemonisha was a tribute to the woman he loved, a woman other biographers never even mentioned. Berlin also reveals that Joplin was an associate of Irving Berlin, and that he accused Berlin of stealing his music to compose Alexander's Ragtime Band in 1911. Berlin paints a vivid picture of the ragtime years, placing Scott Joplin's story in its historical context. The composer emerges as a representative of the first post-Civil War generation of African Americans, of the men and women who found in the world of entertainment a way out of poverty and lowly social status. King of Ragtime recreates the excitement of these pioneers, who dreamed of greatness as they sought to expand the limits society placed upon their race.
Customer Reviews:
"Most complete biography on Scott Joplin".......2007-05-13
The reason I purchased this book was for my Jazz history class presentation on the 'King of Ragtime'. I could not find any recorded live performances by the classical ragtime composer because talking movies were not invented until 1920's long after his death in 1917. This book is just as good as recorded interviews from people who knew him as a friend, a composer, a performer, and a teacher. My teacher complimented me on my presentation for the interesting and valuable information I have shared with the class. This book contains speculations and contradicting facts about the composer. The author did a very diligent research on Joplin's life. It is an excellent book.
Excellent.......2004-12-20
We have searched for biographies of Joplin to sell in our book shop at the Scott Joplin House SHS in St. Louis and Dr. Berlin's is great. He is the most thorough researcher we have come across in regards to Joplin. He is also a music historian and sometimes it is confusing for non-music people, but all in all you cannot beat the research and the information.
Great.......2004-05-23
This book is by far the best Joplin biography out there. It gave me all the information I needed to know about Scott Joplin. It's highly recommended to everyone who is a ragtime or Scott Joplin fan.
Thorough.......2003-05-10
My review in two words: BUY IT.
This book is probably as thorough of a study into the life of Scott Joplin as is possible. Edward Berlin has obviously exhausted every resource available to him, and throughout, the book is well-noted - that is to say he gives credit to probably 99.9% of the sources of his information in the section for notes. Berlin has went through census records, newspapers, other books on ragtime, interviews with/statements given by numerous people affiliated with Scott Joplin and countless other sources for this book. This book is 99.9% true, solid facts; he seldom states a personal opinion, and when he does, it is made blatantly clear that that is what he is doing. This book also includes a listing of the complete known works of Scott Joplin, and the sheet music for the three songs "Good-bye Old Gal Good-bye", "Snoring Sampson" and "Lovin' Babe". (I would like to say in response to someone else's review that it is very difficult for me to see how the biography of a *musician* can be "interrupted" with music scores.)
Excellent Piece of Reporting and Scholarship.......2001-01-02
Despite years of detective work by musicologists, Joplin's life remains something of a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle with half the pieces missing. Berlin's work is the most coherent and robust work on Joplin's life to date, and barring some miraculous finding (such as the Sweatman files), it is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. The depth of Berlin's reportage and the obvious breadth of his detective work (he's a superb "triangulator") give his assertions and educated guesses on Joplin's life, work and motivations far greater academic vailidity than that of many authors who have chased this musical ghost.
Product Description
As part of Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop Audio Series this comprehensive and thorough collection of fingerpicking guitar lessons contains invaluable tips and instruction implemented throughout the arrangements in this book. The three audio CDs give 3 full hours of note-by-note, phrase-by-phrase instruction. Lesson One: Basic picking patterns for pop songs and rock ballads, shuffle beat/boogie woogie, moving bass lines, playing leads with thumb beat. Lesson Two: Songs include: Bill Bailey , Cocaine , Oh Babe, Ain t No Lie , Maple Leaf Rag and more. Lesson Three: Moveable chords, rockabilly leads, chord families, changing keys. Songs: Nine Pound Hammer , Will The Circle Be Unbroken , Wabash Cannonball , Bury Me Beneath The Willow Tree .
Book Description
Covers the whole spectrum of this exciting area of guitar playing. Careful grading enables the beginner to progress through this course and play well-known and enjoyable songs as well as learning the technical aspects.
Customer Reviews:
Country Blues.......2003-07-30
Piano ragtime on the guitar evolved into country blues. These are all fun to play and great tunes.
Almost All Blues (despite the title).......2002-04-26
I have no doubt this is a good book. But as a beginning guitarist if it were not for the fact that I've spent almost a year teaching myself how to play classical guitar this book would be even more frustrating than it currently is. It has many examples of songs by old blues masters - but that's not really the reason I bought it. I bought if for the word "Ragtime" in the title as I am a big ragtime fan. Have been since my childhood days of 7 years of piano lessons - many of which included ragtime tunes. Since picking up the guitar I've been very interested in learning how to translate some of the fun, snappy feel of piano rags to the guitar. In this, I was disappointed. While technically the title is correct there are actually only 2 ragtime pieces in the whole book - every other song is blues - something I just don't have as much interest in playing. For someone interested in blues then this could possibly be an interesting book. For learning ragtime it is lacking.
The instruction itself is solid, the strum patterns, notes, tablature and standard notation are clear. But it would help had there been an accompanying cd. A lot of the songs are from old blues guitarists - most of whom I've never heard their songs although their names are familiar. Intermediate guitarists wanting to learn blues will enjoy this book. But if you want to learn ragtime guitar keep looking.
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Ragtime Jubilee: 41 Piano Gems, 1911-21
Ragtime Rediscoveries
Classic Piano Rags
Library Of Piano Classics 2 (Library of Series)
Library Of Piano Classics (Library of Series)
