A More Rational Approach to Traditional Music Notation: Elementary Piano Compositions, Volume 1.

A More Rational Approach to Traditional Music Notation: Elementary Piano Compositions, Volume 1. A More Rational Approach to Traditional Music Notation: ElementaryPiano Compositions, Volume 1, by Peter Hayes George, edited by AnnelieBoonekamp and Ginerva House. The Creative Arts Research Trust,www.simplifiedmusicnotation.org; 01273 746 818; 53 pp; $17.60. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This multi-volume series is a new notation method designed to makesight reading easier. The author claims that this new notation ishelpful for students with learning disabilities, including memoryretention and dyslexia, and I agree. The simplified notation method is easy to understand. Traditionaloval note heads are used for all non-altered notes; accidentals,including flats and sharps in the key signature, are indicated withvarious non-traditionally shaped note heads. The use of shaped notes forall accidentals eliminates the need for the performer to memorize keysignatures or to remember accidentals throughout the measure. I found iteasy to sight read music that was mostly linear; however, dense chordswere more difficult for me to read than with traditional notation,probably because of my age and years of experience with traditionalnotation. The author gives due importance to continued theory and scalestudy so that students can make the transition to traditional notation,which is important because students who learn with this new method maylearn to read faster, but they would not be able to pick up a piece oftraditionally notated music and understand it without extended study. The first 18 pages of the book contain instructions, explanatorynotes, examples and supporting statements. The instructions are easy tounderstand, and they contain ample side-by-side comparisons oftraditional notation and the simplified music notation. The middlesection of the book contains 13 standard piano solos. It is important tonote that "elementary" can be misleading, as the Elementary 1book includes C.P.E. Bach's Solfegietto and Brahms' Waltz in Aflat ,Op. 39, No. 15. The end of the book contains six appendices,including additional supporting statements, available repertoire andanswers to frequent questions. There is a very helpful website, www.simplifiedmusicnotation.org,which lists all available titles. The current catalog includeselementary, intermediate and advanced books, collections of classicaland jazz favorites and popular single compositions. The vast majority ofthe repertoire is for piano solo; however, there are currently twocatalog selections for flute and piano. There is also an option toe-mail the author for additional transcriptions of pieces not alreadyincluded in the various collections. The series is published in Englandby the Creative Arts Research Trust.--Reviewed by Linda Christensen,Wayne State College