The Vince Guaraldi Collection: Piano (Artist Transcriptions) [Paperback]

Vince Guaraldi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2001 | Series: Artist Transcriptions

Along with Dave Brubeck, Vince Guaraldi was one of the leading pianists to rise to prominence from the California Bay Area scene. Originally a Latin jazz musician, his recording of "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" is one of the best-selling jazz records of all time. Guaraldi later composed the beloved and timeless music for the Peanuts television specials. This folio spans Guaraldi's multi-faceted career, with note-for-note transcriptions of 9 terrific songs: Cast Your Fate to the Wind * Christmas Time Is Here * Greensleeves * Linus and Lucy * Manha De Carnaval * O Tannenbaum * Outra Vez * Samba De Orfeu * Star Song. Includes a biography and a discography.

Product Details

• Paperback: 88 pages
• Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation (December 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 063403099X
• ISBN-13: 978-0634030994
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive introduction to playing Vince., July 19, 2006

By 

Eric C. Sedensky "late-to-jazz musician" (Madison, AL, US) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Vince Guaraldi Collection: Piano (Artist Transcriptions) (Paperback)

I bought this together with Vince Guaraldi - Greatest Hits, both containing a lot of songs I really wanted to play on the piano myself. That combination has allowed me to hear what Vince played while also reading through the music to see just what it is he played. Without exception, I've found the written music exactly true to what Vince recorded, including pick up notes, tricky min-maj-min progressions, arpeggios, diminished 9th chords, and what-not, and it has made some previously unapproachable passages much easier to understand. I've also been able to use the book as a sort of learning tool, getting a feel for what a jazz musician really tries to accomplish when he sits down and plays a piece. I would like to have seen some fingering indications included, and without those, I think some beginners will not be able to do much with this work. And personally, I didn't find the performance notations particularly useful ("laid back" doesn't really convey much to me), but like I said, I also purchased a CD of Vince's music, so I already have an idea of what sort of sound I want to achieve. Other than those two minor points, I can't find anything wrong with this edition. The binding is "lay flat" perfect bound, so the pages stay glued together but pull away from the spine, allowing this book to retain a crisp appearance and feel even after the pages are pulled open on a music stand. Guaraldi fans and aspiring jazz pianists will gain a lot from this work.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Personal Favorite, March 12, 2006

By 

Tritone (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vince Guaraldi Collection: Piano (Artist Transcriptions) (Paperback)

Like a lot of people, I have loved these tunes since I was a kid. I'm so happy to see them faithfully transcribed. I disagree with the way some of the chords are arranged, but all the notes are there.

You'll need to be able to listen to the original recordings to be able to learn to play these tunes. This book includes a discography. So the transcriber showed which recordings he transcribed - something that sadly is missing from a number of these Hal Leonard Artist Transcriptions.

I noticed someone said these are intermediate piano pieces. The thing is, there are a lot of advanced classically trained pianists who will not be able to play these tunes. It's jazz piano - the real thing.

Whoever transcribed these tunes chose to remain anonymous. He has earned a heartfelt THANKS! from me and many others who have finally been able to learn to play these great songs.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good transcriptions, but not necessarily good solo arrangements ...., March 23, 2006

By 

Mark B. Snyder "Midnight Special" (Bridgeville, PA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Vince Guaraldi Collection: Piano (Artist Transcriptions) (Paperback)

These are pretty much exactly what Vince played on the recordings ... which is great if you're playing with a band, but not always good for solo work. Some parts sound great by themselves (usually the beginnings and ends), but there are obviously suppporting parts missing in the middle of some songs where other instruments are soloing and Vince was just noodling along. Overall a great job of transciption.