Tom Waits: Blood Money (Music Sales America) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a good purchase for anyone wanting the true structure to the songs on the Blood Money album.

When I first opened it, I closed it again to look for the 'easy play version' printing on the front. I couldn't find it, so I opened it again warily and began to play.

The piano parts are grossly bare, but they provide an amazingly accurate platform to build on, which ought to get you pretty close to the end production of Blood Money in its audio format. Instrumentals are missing altogether, and left hand instructions could be read by a committed student in their second year of learning. But there is enough printed to recognise the pieces, and their is a lot of space in the writing to allow for individual treatments or improvisations to work out where the real interpretations lie. In defense of the producer, to produce a book that is note for note the artist's work would mean a 534 page production that looks messy and is near on impossible to play at a glance. There would be painists out there still trying to work their way through the second piece eight months after purchasing the book if it were offered in that format!

I actually found the guitar chording to be of better or more immediate value. I've been able to take these chord charts straight from the book into a busking or live performance situation, and they are spot on. I have found that Tom Waits on acoustic guitar is a completely different game, but one that is a lot of fun. This book has opened new doors musically and creatively for me, not where I expected it (at the keys), but where I went experimentally (guitar).

All in all, this is a great purchase for someone wanting to learn how to follow Waits' form or writing style (for this album, anyway!), or for someone who is familiar enough with his work to fill in the gaps. For anyone just wanting to be able to belt out a few Waits numbers (on piano or guitar) to impress family and friends, this production will let you do this in about eight minutes after you open it. Absolutely no strings instructions, or brass, which is understandable in a guitar, vocal, piano book... but can you buy the brass/strings book anywhere? I think not. :-)

Click Here to see more reviews about: Tom Waits: Blood Money (Music Sales America)

Product Description:
The companion songbook to Tom WaitsÂ' 2002 album release, Blood Money is the matching folio containing 13 of his best songs. Based on WaitsÂ' retelling of the classic tale "Woyzeck", songs include Misery Is The River Of The World, Coney Island Baby, All The World Is Green, Knife Chase, Woe, Calliope and A Good Man Is Hard to Find. Arranged for piano, vocal and guitar.

Want to read more honest consumer review about Tom Waits: Blood Money (Music Sales America) now ?