SKU: BT.MUSAM996996

ISBN 9781849380140. English.

The Complete Guitar Player series has taught hundreds of thousands how to play and the accompanying songbooks have featured hits by Paul Simon, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, John Denver and many othertopartists.

Now these songbooks are available in super value omnibus editions like this one. The songs are still graded by ease of playing and everything is there... standard notation, Guitar chord boxes, full lyrics andevenstrumming patterns!

Over 180 great songs! Perfect for all players and singers!

The bonus CD contains backing tracks to 16 of the songs in the book.

SKU: MB.30670

ISBN 9781513465296. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.

This unique collection celebrates the contemporary fiddle music of northeast Ireland, much of it for the first time in print. Not surprisingly, given its location and long history of traditional music, the fiddle music of this region shares some characteristics with Scottish music, yet it has its own distinct style. For those who are not familiar with this ruggedly attractive part of Ireland, this book will introduce you to some of its music and musicians. The tunes presented here, collected by County Antrim fiddler, Rowan Leslie, have all been written relatively recently by local musicians. Each tune is offered in two versions?one with the barebones melody and suggested accompaniment chords, and a second with ornamentation, articulation and bowing details. All tune types from northeast Ireland are represented, including jigs and reels, polkas and hornpipes, marches, barn dances and waltzes, plus set dances and slow airs. Moreover, the biographical sketches and backstories provided for each composer and tune demonstrate how the land itself, along with personal experiences and relationships, influence the fiddle music of northeast Ireland.

SKU: FP.FBS03

ISBN 9790570500192.

Sarah Baker is Vocal Composer in Residence at Education Music Services, an ABRSM examiner and a well known composer of songs and musicals for primary schools and massed-choral events.

All this experience has come together in the creation of this album of piano pieces, inspired by growing up in the Chiltern Hills. Suitable for players of around grade 4-5 standard, her evocative sound pieces describe a crash-landing hot air balloon, garden invading cows and a even a snake in a pond!

Air Balloon!: One vivid memory I have as a child is of the day that a hot air balloon passed over our house and made an emergency landing on the road in front! The sound of the gas being blown into the balloon to try to keep it high enough to pass the house sounded so loud and intimidating, and then there was the bustle of the neighbours as we all went out into the street to watch. It was both terrifying and exhilarating to watch the balloon float past and then land so near by.

Buzzards Circling: There is something so calming and restful about watching birds of prey circling in the thermal currents of a summer sky. Growing up in the Chilterns gave me plenty of opportunity to watch buzzards and red kites. This piano solo captures the beauty of their flight as they glide so effortlessly through the air.

There’s A Cow In The Garden Eating The Flowers: Inspired by the memory of seeing an unexpected cow in the garden! This surreal image is captured in a quirky waltz, as I portray both the absurdity of the moment and the sense of wonder I felt as a child, looking out of the window and seeing the cow walking round and eating the flowers. The final phrase articulates my longing: ‘I wish it would come again’.

Watching The World Go By: A short, reflective piece, remembering what it was like to have time to just sit and watch the world go by from my bedroom window.

Autumn Skies: A miniature about the beauty of Autumn skies and the poignant sense of loss for a summer gone. Friends I was fortunate to have several children of my own age living close by. We seemed to be forever making dens, playing out in the street and generally enjoying each other’s company. This piece reflects that sense of well-being.

Snake In The Pond: One hot summer I was astonished and scared to see a grass snake cooling off in our garden pond! I watched, both horrified and fascinated, as it rose up from the depths and then disappeared again. Here I portray the sense of the hazy summer afternoon as I peacefully watched the tiny movements of fish in the pond, contrasted with the fear and excitement of seeing the snake appear.

Morning Commute: I recollect many mornings stuck in traffic as my Dad took me to school on his way to work. There is one main road out of the village where I grew up, and that got more and more congested the closer we got to the town. We may not have chatted a lot, but it was always good to be together with my Dad, lost in our own thoughts.

The Witch’s Cottage: My siblings and I had a fascination with a small cottage nearby. It was set back from the road in a dark part of the woods and we called it 'the witch's cottage’. Every time we passed, I imagined I heard the distant cackle of the witch and wished I could catch a glimpse of her.

These pieces are written to complement my other collection, Night Time Impressions, which also draw on childhood recollections, particularly of the woods behind the house where I grew up. - Sarah Baker 2023.