Charlie Brown's Greatest Hits

One of my piano students wanted to play some songs from Charlie Brown. This book is super, but challenging. I wouldn't get it for beginner students. It's fine for more advanced students who are up for a challenge and some very fine music. Once they learn it, they feel so accomplished because they had to work at these pieces. Reading music is important, especially as a piano teacher :) This book is great for intermediate to more advanced students who have a solid understanding of theory. I recommend it. It's challenging and that's a good thing! When students really want to learn a song because they love it, it motivates them to practice! Arranged nicely.

「ライナス＆ルーシー」が弾きたいという子どもの為に購入しました。中級と書いてあったので、少し難しいかな？と思っていました。子どもに弾かせてみると［簡単すぎ！」とのこと。他の曲はどうか分からないのですが、「ライナス＆ルーシー」は「バイエル」終了程度だと思います。この曲はハ長調にアレンジされていて、なんか違う！でも、ピアノを習った事がない大人が、ドレミを書き込みつつ弾くにはいいかも。表紙もかわいいし、洋書だから子どもっぽくもない。ただ、楽譜がほとんど読めない人は、「楽譜の読み方」の本も用意して下さい。

Like most who love these songs, I first learned them from the Peanuts television specials. Over time I've learned the name of the composer and a built a great collection of his original work and performances. When I decided to learn keyboard this was one of the first books I bought. So far, I am very happy with the book and would recommend it for anyone who loves these songs. There are a few caveats, though.Fortunately I have some experience with other musical instruments, so as an adult piano student I'm able to move a little faster than most beginning students. That means that I can enjoy this level of work much quicker, but some may not be able to. A true beginning student may find this work a bit daunting. An intermediate to advanced beginning student who puts in the effort will find this book very challenging and useful. In other words, while some might consider this a good "beginning" book, I think it is actually a more moderate to advanced beginner level. Because it is based on advanced skills by the composer (Vince Guaraldi) and only arranged for this level student there's really much more to the songs than initially thought. So don't get frustrated if you are like me and maybe buy this book a little before you are ready for it.Let me illustrate how this is important with two songs. The most well-known is probably "Linus and Lucy" and everyone will identify very quickly the distinctive base line. The line is not overly complicated, but if you are not comfortable with the left hand then you will find it difficulty to keep going at times. What helped me was to take the book and combine it with a couple well done instructional videos on YouTube. As an example, the Piano Guy, the same guy from public television, has a couple pieces on YouTube that were very helpful. The hints/tricks in these videos helped me learn this piece much faster than I would have alone. Unless you have an instructor over your shoulder, the pieces in this book will need some extra effort -- which may include outside sources such as YouTube.In contrast, the song "Oh, Good Grief!" was one that really caused me to struggle a lot. I could not find a good YouTube example with instruction, so I got frustrated pretty quickly. In fact, I'm actually setting it aside until my skills grow a bit. This song, in my opinion, requires a moderate to advanced player to really grab it and make it sound great. If you are a new or moderate beginner then this song, along with a couple others, will really challenge you and probably be too advanced.I'm not sure I would recommend this for beginners but at the same time anyone familiar with the songs and willing to put in the effort can find a lot of enjoyment; even if they're relatively new to the instrument. I think the value is good and it is worth the purchase price.

Not too easy, not too difficult - true intermediate. Some tricky syncopation, grace notes, one hand octaves, some chords. It takes a little a work, but I, a self-taught hobby player, can get through it. It's really fun music. The arrangements are simplified versions of the actual Guaraldi music, so some of it lacks. My goal is to eventually play the real thing, so this book is a good stepping stone.

I'd describe this collection as low-to-high intermediate because of the appealing but challenging harmonic surprises here and there. The arranger should be praised, too, for not dumbing down the various syncopated passages. A fine, serviceable collection!