Customer Reviews

The Vince Guaraldi Collection: Piano (Artist Transcriptions)

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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.

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.

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.

Please note that these are accurate jazz trio transcriptions. They won't stand alone unless you rearrange the pieces to include a bass line. They are perfect for practicing with the original recordings. And some are quite difficult when played at original tempos. It's an absolute blast to read (and play) what Guaraldi imagined - especially the "Black Orpheus" pieces. I'm so glad these finally became available!

If you want to play the music from Peanuts note-for-note, this is the resource for you! I am always happy when I find true transcriptions and this is it. There are a few minor errors on some pieces (e.g. an incorrect note in a chord for instance) but they are easily corrected if you have a semi-decent ear and/or study the rest of the chart and see what is played later when the progression repeats itself. Get this book and have fun playing along with Vince!

These are real transcriptions, note-for-note from the recordings. Everything is quite accurate. Vince Guaraldi was an amazing pianist; if you want to study his style, you'll want this book.

This book of transcriptions has made me understand why I want to learn jazz improvisation. Partly it is to recapture a sense of hope that came across to me as a child in the 70s. I watched the Peanuts cartoon series avidly, and, although I found the characters rather strange at times, I was always moved emotionally by the music. Christmas Time is Here and O Tannenbaum are meant to be played back to back and both are included here. Together they recapture the simple yet moving riffs that Guaraldi can perform in the upper register. The songs are easy enough to study without a great deal of help, assuming you have had about five or six years of classical training, but having copies of Guaraldi's LPs or CDs around is a big help. What Guaraldi brings to the songs in this album is a sense of what made me realize that the 70s were a decade of emotional complexity and responsibility to the intricacy of human experience.

I absolutely LOVE Vince Guaraldi's work and have always wanted to play the REAL version. The fact that this is a great real exact perfect transcription is amazing. It is a pleasure to play.

This is the real deal -- the original Vince Guaraldi score we all remember from the Peanuts TV series, including 'Cast Your Fate to the Wind' and 'Linus and Lucy' plus Guaraldi's arrangements of traditional tunes like 'O Tannenbaum' and 'Greensleeves.' Transcriptions include Vince's sparing but very jazzy, chord-based pseudo-improvisations. Intermediate level. Good value!

This collection is a perfect way to ignite some special memories. It is playable for the intermediate pianist and immediately rewarding. The best thing is it sounds just like I remembered.