John, Elton: Elton John Piano Transcriptions

"The transcriptions are accurate, but incomplete. Rather than transcribing each verse, the book often provides the transcription for one verse and then tells the player to repeat, even though on the original recordings the piano part may change with each verse (e.g., in Indian Sunset). This is also done in the codas (Bennie and the Jets, Rocket Man), where there are some really fun piano parts. Some of the songs are just excerpts (although lengthy excerpts), like Indian Sunset. The biggest problem, though, is that the occasional piano solo is not transcribed - most notably, the solo in Bennie and the Jets is omitted altogether. Finally - and this can be both a plus and a minus - the transcriptions sometimes incorporate other instruments' parts such as bass guitar or guitar (Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me), but these aren't notated as such. The Elton John Keyboard Book is available in the United States, and it fixes virtually all of these problems, though there is the occasional repeat. Buy that book instead. Plus, it has many more songs, and even additional score lines for other instruments such as strings. But if you're looking for Indian Sunset or Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word, you'll only find them in this otherwise inferior book."

Rating:    10/27/2006