The Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook: With Lyric Booklet

Rating:
Summary: A treasure
Review: I am so happy I bought the Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook this year! The arrangements are not that difficult, yet they sound very satisfying and are fun to play. I think any second or third year piano student will have the skills needed to play anything in this book. It's great to have such a big collection in one book (110 songs!) so I don't have to switch around and search through other books and sheet music to find what everyone wants to sing. All of the standards are included as are a lot of hard-to-find favorites like "Blue Christmas" and "All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth." I love the hardback/spiral bound edition which lays nicely flat on the piano. Also, most songs are on two facing pages so there's not a lot of page turning. One of the best features is the songbook you get with the lyrics -- this means I can pass out copies so everyone can sing without crowding over my shoulder to use the book I'm trying to play from. I just got this book two days ago and I've already spent tons of time at the piano just enjoying playing through the arrangements. Great book and a good value.

Rating:
Summary: A treasure
Review: I am so happy I bought the Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook this year! The arrangements are not that difficult, yet they sound very satisfying and are fun to play. I think any second or third year piano student will have the skills needed to play anything in this book. It's great to have such a big collection in one book (110 songs!) so I don't have to switch around and search through other books and sheet music to find what everyone wants to sing. All of the standards are included as are a lot of hard-to-find favorites like "Blue Christmas" and "All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth." I love the hardback/spiral bound edition which lays nicely flat on the piano. Also, most songs are on two facing pages so there's not a lot of page turning. One of the best features is the songbook you get with the lyrics -- this means I can pass out copies so everyone can sing without crowding over my shoulder to use the book I'm trying to play from. I just got this book two days ago and I've already spent tons of time at the piano just enjoying playing through the arrangements. Great book and a good value.

Rating:
Summary: Bringing back the memories...
Review: I can't believe they still print this book! My family has had it since probably the mid-80's, and I have been playing out of it ever since I could read music (about age 6). It has always been a joy. The music is definitely for experienced pianists, but be sure and read the "stories behind the songs" at the beginning of each section for some fascinating insight into your favorite Christmas songs. This book is a definite must for those who love playing and singing Christmas music.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Christmas Songbook
Review: I was first introduced to this songbook last Christmas, and over the holidays I immensely enjoyed playing from it. For a less experienced pianist, the songs might be more challenging, but as an advanced pianist, I enjoyed being able to play numerous songs without a lot of practice. The book has all the familiar carols, and almost any other carols and other Christmas pieces can be found in it. The arrangments were familiar and delightful to play, free from some of the rather wierd versions available. With the variety offered in this book, it is also suitable for recitals, church, parties, or anything at Christmas, and can be prepared with minimal work and much enjoyment. This book is a valuable addition to any collection.

Rating:
Summary: Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook
Review: The Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook is by far the most comprehensive compilation of Christmas music I have found (and believe me, I've searched high and low for good Christmas collections!) The book contains almost every piece of Christmas music ever written... from classic carols to popular favorites to obscure and hard-to-find selections. Each piece contains piano and vocal parts as well as chords for guitar; arrangements are easy to play yet sound great. As an added bonus, each song includes a summary of its history, information about its composer, and other such information. Overall, the book is a must have for any musician who gets called upon to play or sing Christmas music or for anyone who just enjoys sitting around the piano with family and friends during the holiday season.

Rating:
Summary: Merry Christmas Songbook
Review: This collectin of classic and popular Christmas carols is truly wonderful. Not only is it at a level suit for an average piano player, the compositions of the songs are so enjoyable, and fun. This book is definetely worth the money! Have fun!

Rating:
Summary: Only Missing One Song
Review: This is probably the finest highest quality collection of Christmas songs for Americans on the market. It is said to be "hardcover", but is spiral bound with a "hard" outerlayer and is printed on quality paper. There is also included a separate lyric book for sing-a-long with accompaniment. It contains 110 songs arranged for intermediate piano and also has plenty of notations for organ pedal and guitar chords. The songs range from traditional to modern (Adeste Fideles to Winter Wonderland and Silver Bells, for example) and there are a number of suprise favorites (Chestnuts Roasting, Friendly Beasts). Almost every tune is on adjacent pages so there is no page turning problem. Color coding makes lyrics stand out. Lyricists, composers and origin are clearly identified. You might find as I have that it is already a cherished family heirloom.

Rating:
Summary: Readers Digest Merry Christmas Songbook
Review: This is probably the finest highest quality collection of Christmas songs for Americans on the market. It is said to be "hardcover", but is spiral bound with a "hard" outerlayer and is printed on quality paper. There is also included a separate lyric book for sing-a-long with accompaniment. It contains 110 songs arranged for intermediate piano and also has plenty of notations for organ pedal and guitar chords. The songs range from traditional to modern (Adeste Fideles to Winter Wonderland and Silver Bells, for example) and there are a number of suprise favorites (Chestnuts Roasting, Friendly Beasts). Almost every tune is on adjacent pages so there is no page turning problem. Color coding makes lyrics stand out. Lyricists, composers and origin are clearly identified. You might find as I have that it is already a cherished family heirloom.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This is the best collection of Christmas songs I have found. Spiral bound with hard cover. If you are looking for Christmas sheet music, look no further.