Product Description
15 keyboard transcriptions from the piano man himself, including: And So It Goes * Honesty * Just the Way You Are * My Life * Piano Man * and more.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 26 reviews)

If you like to sing along...

This is exactly the sheet music I've been looking for. I've always wanted to play Billy Joel and sing along. Unlike most sheet music, these are transcriptions of the piano accompaniment...it's not a dumbed down version of the song where you are stuck playing the melody in the right hand. I'm looking for (and will definitely try out) other keyboard books like this.
November 25, 2008

Where have these been hiding?

Purchased this and The Elton John Keyboard Book. This was more interesting because Billy's style seems more abstract than Elton's, noticeable in the piano solo bits for Piano Man which were missing or dumbed-down in the "usual" published version. Song selection was better here than in Elton's book, but noticeable omissions include Angry Young Man, Root Beer Rag, Billy the Kid, Miami 2017, Last of the Big Time Spenders, Baby Grand. Have a drum machine or metronome handy for several slow-motion practices. Arrangements include "other keyboard" tracks (e.g. strings) but missed solo instrument tracks (e.g. sax or lead guitar). This book is gold for anybody who wants to sound like Billy without agonizing over recordings.
November 18, 2008

If you want to accompany Billy Joel's songs this is the book.

This book has exactly what Billy Joel plays on the piano during his songs, including all the piano solos (even the awesome one from 'Scenes from an Italian Restaurant'). It even has some of the other instrumental parts transcribed in case you want to incorporate them into your playing (when the piano isn't playing, for instance). Billy Joel was an awesome pianist but only some of the songs are really hard to play. If you want to accompany Billy Joel's songs at the piano then this is definitely the book you want to buy. If you just want to play the melodies/harmonies without singing then you should buy a book of arrangements instead.
May 31, 2008

Something for everyone, and yet...

The editors of this Keyboard Book deserve the applause supplied by reviewers here. The transcriptions are neat and reasonably comprehensive.

However, as pointed out by another reviewer, there are anomalies, minor though they may be (pardon the pun). For example page 126 bar 3, the first bar of the bridge of Always A Woman has arpeggiated right-hand notes which, if compared closely with the studio recording, are at odds with those recorded. Not radically, but different nevertheless.

This volume has 16 songs in it, representing a fair cross-section of Joel's well-known and lesser-known works. Quite a few piano players may be disappointed by the editors' choices, but there's no way you could do justice to the weight and variety of his output in one volume, so leave some space on your shelf for Vols II and III and maybe more...

The Book represents good value. On another note (gotta stop doing that), as an Australian purchaser of goods from Amazon I feel the company deserves a pat on the back for speed and efficiency when it comes to processing and delivering products to "out-of-town" destinations.

May 22, 2007

A Fanatic's Must-Have

The best Billy Joel piano book out there for the money. After using many less accurate and sometimes less user-friendly books, I have to say this is far and away the best available. All the riffs are included, accurate, and easy to read. If you are a fan and a pianist, this should be the first place you put your money!
March 16, 2007

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