The long-awaited Radiohead Piano Songbook has
finally arrived. This 28-song softbound book, released by Alfred Music Publishing,
coincides with the band’s latest studio release The King of Limbs,
although no new material from that album is included in the book.
The good news is that finally there is a Radiohead songbook perfectly
suited to piano players and other musicians. There is no need to deal with guitar
tablature or suffer through inaccurate transcriptions found on the Internet.
Fans and musicians, including guitar players, will be pleased with these comprehensive
and accurate transcriptions of Radiohead classics “Creep,” “Karma
Police” and “Fake Plastic Trees.”
This songbook is for intermediate to advanced players as some
of the songs are written in key signatures beginners may find difficult to play
in. With guidance and practice, however, they are worth the effort and will
definitely enrich and stimulate the novice player.
It should be noted that Radiohead is an English band, therefore
the songs transcribed within the book are done so in “British/English”
notation. Several of the musical instructions are listed in that style and may
be unfamiliar to musicians outside Great Britain.
A key to the British notation in the book would have been helpful.
For example, the book references “semiquavers” in lieu of “sixteenth
notes” and two degrees is the American/English equivalent to two times.
This difference in notation does not diminish the quality or practical use of
the book, it simply needs to be noted. For further reference, I have included
a chart below, translating examples of American/English notation to British/English
notation:
Double whole note = Breve
Whole = Semibreve
Half = Minim
Quarter = Crotchet
Eight = Quaver
Sixteenth = Semiquaver
At USD $21.99, the Radiohead Piano Songbook is
a bargain, almost a steal! To order each song at a digital download site, if
they are available, at an average cost of $4.00 each, would cost you well over
$100.00.
This book gets a nine out of a ten rating, with only a minor
flaw — the usage of British notation with no American reference. Nevertheless,
Radiohead fans and musicians alike should seek this one out, buy it and add
a few of these great songs to their set lists.
~ David R. Pighin
