Christmas Books for Intermediate Players

Hi everyone,

In todays post I will be talking about Christmas books that are available for intermediate players.

All of the Christmas books that I have chosen for intermediate players come from the Classical Players range of books from Hal Leonard.

Favourite Christmas Carols

This book features a range of well known Christmas Carols, but some of the arrangements can be a little tricky as it does feature some changes in time signatures, and the key signatures go up to five flats and sharps. I would say that this book could also be pushing it to players who are early into the advanced stages of their grades.

Pieces featured in 'Favourite Christmas Carols'

- Angels we Have Heard on High

- Away in a Manger

- Coventry Carol

- Deck the Hall

- The First Noel

- God Rest Ye Merry, Gentleman

- He is Born

- In Dulci Jubilo

- In the Bleak Midwinter

- Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

- Joy to the World

- Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

- O Come, All Ye Faithful

- O Holy Night

- Once in a Royal David's City

- Silent Night

- Still, Still, Still

- Sussex Carol

- What Child is This?

Christmas Songs

This book features a range of well known Christmas songs, and most of the pieces seem pretty manageable for an intermediate player. There's one piece that uses five flats within the music, but apart from that the music seems pretty straightforward.

Pieces featured in 'Christmas Songs'

- The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)

- Christmas Time is Here

- The Christmas Waltz

- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

- I Wonder as I Wonder

- I'll Be Home for Christmas

- The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

- O Christmas Tree

- Silver Bells

- Sleigh Ride

- Waltz of the Flowers

- White Christmas

The Nutcracker

This book features ten pieces from Tchaikovsky's ballet 'The Nutcracker'. These are arrangements are really nice for the intermediate player, and the key signatures that they have chosen are also lovely. They maybe some tricky finger placements and passages throughout, which might be a bit of challenge for someone whose just starting to play at an intermediate level.

Pieces featured in 'The Nutcracker'

- Arabian Dance (Coffee)

- Chinese Dance (Tea)

- Dance of the Reed Flutes

- Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

- March

- Miniature Overture

- Pas de Deux

- Russian Dance (Trepak)

- Spanish Dance (Chocolate)

- Waltz of the Flowers

If you are looking for Christmas books for an intermediate player I would highly recommend the 'For Classical Players' series by Hal Leonard. Just make sure you have a browse inside the books before purchasing, as I have looked inside one of these books for the violin and it looks to be on the more challenging side. Whereas for the flute, these books aren't actually that bad.

Hal Leonard Classical Players Book Collection

Hi everyone,

In todays post I'm going to talk about the Hal Leonard Classical Players collection, which is a relatively new series of books from Hal Leonard.

The Classical Players series is lovely new collection of books, which gives a more classical take on well known pieces. Also, the quality of these books has been improved a lot since the Play a Long series.

What is Included

- Instrumental part

- Piano part

- Backing/ Practice tracks via digital download

The quality of these books are excellent, as the cover alone is quite thick with a glossy finish, and the paper quality that is used for both the piano part and the instrumental part is also really nice. The printing quality is also really clear.

The Classical Players collection covers a select range of genres, and the books that feature in this series are :-

- Movie Themes

- Wedding Music

- Broadway Songs

- Andrew Lloyd Webber

- Les Miserables

- The Sound of Music

- Sondheim

- The Nutcracker

- Christmas Songs

- Favourite Christmas Carols

This is such a lovely collection of books, and they are available to buy for a number of different instruments. This collection would be ideal for anyone whose interested in getting into classical music, but would like to approach classical music with a modern twist.

I would recommend these books for anyone whose around Grade 4 and above, as there's a number of pieces within these books that change time signatures, and key signatures. This collection of books is such a lovely upgrade from their 'Play a Long' series, and they still in the same approachable format. The only difference is that there's more on offer within this new collection.

Music for Disney Fans

Hi everyone,

In this post I'm going to talk about the music that is available for all of the Disney fans out there.

There's a lot of Disney music out there, and most of it is mainly published by Hal Leonard. You have a lot of options when it comes to buying Disney music. Also, because Hal Leonard is the publisher its available for a wide range of instruments.

You buy your Disney music from your favourite films in a couple of ways, and they are :-

- Hal Leonard Play a Long Series

- Compilations

Hal Leonard Play a Long Series

You can buy the Play a Long series in two different formats for Disney music. You can either buy it per singular Disney film/ your favourite Disney film, or as a small compilation book. It just depends on what you are looking for to add to your own personal collection. The Play a Long series is aimed at beginner to intermediate players, and they are printed in large format to make it easier for you to sight read.

Compilations

Compilations are books that have been compiled to feature a range of Disney music to form a collection. These books contain a lot of variety from loads of various Disney films.

Disney books are great if your just starting out on your instrument, and you fancy adding a bit of variety into your practice and have some fun at the same time.

Hal Leonard: Play Along Series

Hi everyone,

In todays post I'm going to talk about Hal Leonard's Play a Long series. This series of books from Hal Leonard has been around for an extremely long time.

The 'Play a Long' series from Hal Leonard has become a classic series of books in their own right, as these books are ideal for anyone whose just starting out on their musical journey and are looking to have a bit of fun along the way by learning pieces from their favourite musicals, films and genres.

I love the variety that this series provides for people who are new to learning a musical instrument. It covers such a wide variety of different musical genres that I actually can't list them all. I also think there's an area within the 'Play a Long' series that features music from well known composers such as JS Bach and Chopin.

The 'Play a Long' series is also printed in a slightly larger print compared to the usual size of sheet music; and this is because this series is aimed at beginner players/ learners who aren't familiar with reading from the stave. So, the stave and music has been made slightly larger to accommodate this to make it easier for the player to learn and understand reading music, while having fun at the same time.

Also, this series used to feature a CD which held the backing tracks, but that has now been moved to a digital download through the Hal Leonard website.

The 'Play a Long' series is also available across a variety of musical instruments.

 

Music for Musical Theatre Fans

Hi everyone,

In today's post I'm going to talk about the music that is available for fans of Musical Theatre.

For anyone whose learning a musical instrument, and who are also fans of Musical Theatre. Hal Leonard has you covered by providing you with a range of music that covers Musical Theatre, and for a wide range of instruments.

There's a few options when it comes to buying sheet music for Musical Theatre, and they are :-

- Hal Leonard's Play a Long Series

- Hal Leonard's Classical Players Series

- By Individual Musical

- Compilations

Hal Leonard's Play a Long Series

The Play a Long series is a starting point for beginners, and who are looking to add a bit more variety into their learning. But, these books also cover a wide range of Musicals. So, if you are looking for a starting point to getting into playing music from the Musicals then this is good place to start off.

Hal Leonard's Classical Players Series

The Classical Players series are for people who are interested in going down the more classical route, but who would still like to explore the world of Musical Theatre at the same time. These are a little more refined, but they are also still user friendly. These are a brilliant option for anyone whose at the top end of a beginner going onto intermediate level; as they will push you but you can still have some fun and explore a more classical take on Musical Theatre.

Individual Musicals

If you only want music from certain Musicals then you can just buy a book that contains music from the musicals that you are interested.

Compilations

You buy music in two ways for compilations either as a generic Musical Theatre compilation book, or by the composer. This is probably the best way to get a variety of musical theatre music within your collection, as you can explore around within compilations and get a feel for you like to play without just getting stuck into just learning from one musical. 

Books for a Chill & Easy Practice Sessions

Hi everyone,

In this post I'm going to talk about books that you can use for creating a chill & easy practice session.

You may decide that you would like to do a more relaxed practice session, and this could be due to you wanting just to change up your usual practice routine for something a little more laid back or you may just coming back into practicing your instrument after a break away, and you want something easier to start off with.

I've tried to find material thats on the easier side to sight read while at the same time you can have some fun in curating a list of music that is on the more relaxed side of things. To help you get back into playing or if you just doing something different for a change.

Winner Scores All

This book is only available for both woodwind and brass players, but it contains a good mix of music from traditional pieces to musicals. Also, the pieces aren't that long in length and are very user friendly as the key signatures used are on also on the easier side. I've used this book a lot over the years, and its one that I started out with when I was just starting out on the flute. It was a godsend for me last year while I was getting back into practicing, due to ongoing health issue. It helped me to get back into playing, and trying to figure out how high up the stave I could go on any given day.

All the Tunes You've Ever Wanted to Play Book 1

I've got the book that suitable for all C instruments, but I'm sure there's a copy out there for your range of instrument. This is similar to 'Winner Scores All', but it contains a mixture of TV themes, musical theatre and traditional songs. This book is more beginner level, but it will still do the trick of getting back into playing without being stressful.

Hal Leonard Play a Long Series

The Hal Leonard Play a Long series is brilliant, as not only does it cover a wide range of musical interests; but everything within this series is available for most instruments. I'd say that the books in this range are between beginner and early intermediate level. I'm just going off the fact that some of key signatures/ time signatures can be a bit tricky to get your fingers around if your not familiar with them. All of that will come as you progress through your usual learning and development.

James Rae Studies

James Rae are modern studies for woodwind players, and they are fun to learn. There's two books (I think) for all woodwind instruments. Book one is beginner to intermediate level, and book two is more intermediate to advanced with some easier pieces. The James Rae studies are definitely on the more laid back side compared to the usual study books out there. 

If you are interested in learning an easier study, but your not too sure where to go for your chosen instrument I would recommend doing an search on the internet and see if you can find anything suitable for your playing style and ability.