Customer Reviews

Mel Bay Complete Book of Modulations for the Pianist

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

 

 

I will actually give a 3.5. I'm an intermediate to late advanced player. This book covers all examples for modulations (going from one given Key to a different one).
The book is divided in four sections: a) from every major key to every major key b) every major key to every minor key c) every minor Key to every minor Key d) Every minor Key to every Major Key. Each section has 12 examples for each of the 12 keys.
However, the book lacks any kind of explanation for the student to understand how to approach a modulation or how they work. Just examples. No text at all.
Although a good previous knowledge of harmony and function of chords can provide the reader with the tools for figuring it out, this should be notice when buying it from the net. Another thing that rested points to this book is the fact that many examples are repetitions of other ones just in a different Key. Maybe it could have given different examples of modulating in consideration of the lack of text in the book.

Undoubtedly these modulations "work" but they are COMPLETELY juvenile. What's more, is that if you understand a TINY bit of theory, you can create modulations exponentially better than these. Aside from this, all of the modulations are exactly the same in each section, just transposed. And while this is obviously the easy way out, it begs questioning why a book like this must even exist if the modulations lack any sort of creativity.

This is a must for church musicians who do not have the skill to modulate to different keys between hymns and praise songs. This book makes life much easier.

As an amateur pianist who subs at church sometimes, I've already used this book several times to create modulations for hymn medleys. Very easy to use.