I bought this book because I wanted a big book of songs so I could practice my chart and sightreading. The books has the vocals written in notation, the chords written above and lyrics written below. Songs range from the 50s, 60s,70s and 80s. There are a few 90?s and early 2000?s songs too but they are in the minority.
Pros
1) This book has so many songs! This is great a tool for practicing your sightreading. There is a wide variety of songs, keys and sometimes different time signatures. You could also use this for a gig where you need to play a lot of songs!
2) It is very clear and easy to read. The print and notation is very clear and crisp. Songs are between half a page to 2 pages long. The 2 page songs are always laid out side by side (no need to turn pages)
3) Composer and year is written above each song, which is nice to know.
4) Instrumental sections are written for certain songs which instrumental passages. They are written in smaller notation.
5) It does include some major artists and famous hits that you would expect (Madonna Prince, Abba, Queen etc?)
6) Book will fit in a school bag, so it is somewhat portable (although it is a little heavy!)
Cons
1) Have to be careful with the pages, they can tear very easily.
2) This book is quantity over quality! I have found some mistakes with certain songs: wrong chords, missing sections, incomplete bars etc?
3) A good few songs are written in the wrong key! Very frustrating when you want to play along with the original recording. Although this could be a good exercise for your transposing skills! :)
4) I feel there is good selection of songs although it could be a little better. I think there is definitely some hits that should be in there that aren't.
Overall I think the book is good quality and worth the money. I?m glad I bought this because it has helped me a lot with my reading and sightreading skills.
