Customer Reviews

The Dresden Dolls Companion

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a songbook collector. I have them all. But nothing, I repeat NOTHING compares to the content of this book. But more about that in a little bit.

I have been hearing good things about this duo for some time and have just recently started to listen. What Amanda does with songwriting is like what Shakespeare did for plays. It's real. It's amazing. It's...

Now, for this book. Amanda starts with a 35 page introduction that includes photos, drawings, and other pictures of various worth. The intro also includes topics such as: what's under Amanda's piano, her writing rituals, her playing background, the first songs, high school and college life, her first real show, how she met Brian, recording, creating the artwork, etc. Towards the end of this intro, there is a very detailed section about the sheet music itself. There are notes to the player (and vocalist) that says: "This music is meant to be more of a set of helpful hints than a doctrine. I felt the need to make my own handwritten notes, because typing them in would have been cumbersome and unnatural. The essential thing the player must keep in mind is that the music is changeable. These songs are chord-based, with melodies and discernable hooks and parts, but it is not necessary to play or voice things as they are shown. In fact, you would be playing the music most faithfully if you did not. When I play these songs live, the only thing that generally stays consistent is the bass, and even that can hop from one octave to another. For the more classically-trained, this may seem like an impossible nightmare, but I urge you to experiment. For the sight-reading impaired (like myself) this should be liberating. When I buy books of sheet music, I follow the guitar tabs instead of the piano music, and improvise the rest. This is totally acceptable." It continues...but that should be enough to give you an idea of the detail.

She then goes into each song on the album and gives the history of when it was written and also specific notes for the player. THEN...finally the sheet music for each song. Each song contains handwritten notes from Amanda. These notes include performing ideas, different lyrics, when to improv, etc. From a pure songbook collector, this is what sets this book apart from any other out there. It's one thing to have the artist approve what some publisher has put together, but to actually have the artist be the one to create the book is absolutely incredible.

If you're a fan of Amanda Palmer,
please buy direct from HER website,
or buy in person at one of her shows.
The record company is withholding all profits if you buy
anywhere other than directly from her.
Please repost this review anywhere her products are sold.

I was surprised that the piano part of the music very much correlates to the music sheet and I'm glad that I invested in the book. Not a lot of sheet music books especially for the piano are printed the same as the piano music. It's a personal book and a great part autobiography about the struggles Amanda had to go through. I'd recommend this to anyone who's interested in playing the piano and want to learn how to rock out like Amanda!

Buyer beware.

This is supposed to come with a DVD and Amazon

is selling it with the DVD removed.

There price is not the bargin they claim, when you add

the cost of the DVD back in.

As a fan of the music, as well as a musician, I find a great amount of appreciation for the Companion. It really is the only book of its kind, you aren't going to get a songbook with both the histories of the band, each individual song, and perfomance tips written in on the musical scores.

If you're interested in playing songs by the Dresden Dolls, this will be an invaluable resource, but even if you just appreciate their music, this is a window into the heart and soul of an excellent band. The only problem I have is with the book itself, I wish it were capable of resting open on a music stand without closing or flopping over.

This book was really helpful when trying to play the songs i've heard for so long. It's actually very cool to see Amanda scribble out a lyric and write in one she prefers instead. Keep in mind though, that this book does come with a parental advisory sticker, but it's really nothing to be concerned about. If you're old enough to listen to their music, you're mature enough to hand the content inside.

If I could give this book more stars I would. It is really something to get excited about.
The sheet music, guitar tabs and vocal arrangements for all the songs on the Dresden Dolls' self titled album are made all the more special by Amanda Palmer's handwritten edits and additions. But as if this isn't enough to make any fan of the Band start foaming at the mouth... there's even more!
Amanda explains the recording of the Self-titled album, the birth and early days of the Band, her songwriting process, including where her songs come from, what they are about and what they all mean, which for fans raises as many questions as it may answer, but it is a very intriguing read all the same. The non-sheet-music part of the book also contains never-before-seen pictures of the band (yay!), artwork made by fans, friends and band members, and things Xeroxed in from Amanda's notebooks, which give a fascinating insight into Amanda the Person and Performer.
The only possible low point for this amazing book may be some naughty words and the nudity in some of the pictures. But for people familiar with the Dresden Dolls' material this should not come as a great shock.
If you are even considering getting The Dresden Dolls Companion, I strongly recommend you do.

I love this book! It is amazing for any Dresden Doll fan that wants to play their music. Or if you can't play the piano, it's worth buying just as a collectable, there is SO much more to this book than just sheet music.

It starts off with background information about Amanda and Brian then goes into the background of each song with notes for playing/singing it followed by sheet music with expressive handwritten notes. Also it is studded with captioned photos and art.

It's pretty damn awesome, anyone that says otherwise is a filthy liar.
(If like me, your not crash hot on the piano it is quite common for people to go have a few lessons just to play a few songs.)

Having almost universal disappointment with album songbooks, this one comes as a very welcome surprise. Amanda Palmer put A LOT of time and effort into this, both in terms of content and the accuracy of the transcriptions themselves. (You can see "Hal's" review for a breakdown of all the book contains.) Her apparent honesty and self-deprecating sense of humor show clearly throughout the text.
Even if you don't play an instrument but are interested in the Dolls, this is Amanda telling the story of her life, the band and each of the songs. That may sound (and easily could have been) quite pretentious but the way she does it is not.
If you play piano, these transcriptions require some dexterity but you don't have to be Liszt to play them and they sound great. No one I know of plays piano quite like Amanda Palmer.

I don't know if the book Amazon is currently shipping contains the DVD. My copy has it and it consists of a very informal 21 minute interview conducted by her friend while she assembled the lyric collages for the "Dresden Dolls" CD on her kitchen floor.

The only thing that might improve this book would be if the amazing Brian Viglione had contributed a chapter giving his thoughts. Then I'd have to glue on an extra star.