Red and Blue are the titles of two new books from the Color piano book series by Dror Perl.  BLUE: Contemporary Music with a Harmonic Twist is written for all levels of pianists. RED: Jazz, Blues, and Funk is written for early-intermediate (and up) pianists.

In these pieces Mr. Perl has given us some really sophisticated contemporary and jazz music that can be played really well by pianists with limited experience or limited dexterity. The pieces don’t feel watered down or childish—no stereotypes here. This music is appropriate for young people up to octogenarians.

Chord symbols have been included to make it easier to memorize and “encourage a healthy teacher-student dialogue about harmony.) Motives and sections are repeated artfully in most pieces setting up a perfect non threatening environment for improvising. The presence of the chord symbols adds another dimension to the possibilities for improvisation.

I appreciate the fact that the pieces explore the different registers of the piano. Rather than change clefs during a piece or use two treble or two bass staves, Mr. Perl opted to use 8va symbols extensively. This may cause some momentary confusion in pianists who already read pretty well (they’ll get over it and it will build in needed flexibility in reading). All pianists will appreciate the humor in the metronome markings—108’sh, 92’sh,176’sh, etc.

Favorites? In BLUE, I love The Big BLUE which depicts waves in phrygian mode, Burn With A Low Blue Flame which explores the rich lower register of the piano, the mildly twisted waltz (his description not mine) Once In A Blue Moon, and The Blue City in which the harmony floats effortlessly under incredibly long melodic lines over the full range of the keyboard.

In RED, I love Spicy Tuna Rolls, a fun little ditty in a minor (you might be able to reinforce transposition with this one), the syncopated Medium Rare Funk which explores the bass register (I hear funk guitar and picked bass here), Red Monk Boogie with it’s driven boogie A sections and contrastingly slow harmonic rhythm in the B sections, and the spirited rag, Do Not Press The Red Button (OK, the title is enough to put it on my list but the music made me smile too.)

Duet parts for oboe, flute, violin, guitar, alto sax, Bb clarinet, Bb trumpet, and soprano sax are available for $.99 on the website making the pieces in RED and BLUE perfect for families and friends who love to play together. BLUE book Playbacks will also soon be available for when family and friends are not around.

There is also a volume of pieces for young students who can read basic music (and apparently for all climates and elevations.) PURPLE uses mainly quarter and eighth notes in 14 jazz and blues pieces. Duets are available for these pieces too, so even the youngest of the family and friends can participate in group music making.

Copies of the books and duets can be purchased directly from the SheerPiano website. Score and sound samples are also available for each book on the website.

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