THE BEST OF MARK HAYES - CLASSICAL PIANO MUSIC BOOK WITH POTPOURRI OF SACRED SONGS - PIANO PRACTICE

This is a wonderful collection and I use it very often! It Is Well With My Soul and His Eye Is On The Sparrow are my favorites! The Best of Mark Hayes Volumes 1 and 2 feature classics from his iconic “Well Tempered Praise” series, so if you have those books, you may not need this one. I chose to purchase this and the second volume instead of the Well Tempered Praise volumes, especially for the bonus arrangements!

I love Mark Hayes arrangements, however this book was just too advanced for me. I’m more of an intermediate level so I’ve found many of his books better for my abilities.

As someone who has been teaching piano intermittently for 40 years, I can say that the pieces in this book are entirely playable for anyone who has reached the grade 9 level of music in the Royal Conservatory (Canada). For Americans, that level corresponds to the point at which most of the Chopin waltzes are introduced. The arrangements are beautiful and timeless. But what I especially like about them is that they do not require a large hand. If you have small hands (as I have) but can master four note chords that span the octave, these arrangements will be fine for you. To cut down on the practice time required, look for places where you can substitute the L.H. for certain notes in the R.H. and vice-versa. There are many such places, some less obvious than others. For example, in bar 59 of "Higher Ground," taking the bottom note of the four note chords on beats three and four with the L.H. will greatly facilitate the playing of this passage. Of course, that advice is intended only for women with small hands, who have nevertheless learned to play the piano and have good dexterity.

Mark Hayes always writes beautiful compositions that are accessible to above-average musicians. These are beautiful compositions that will delight and inspire the pianist as well as the congregation. As an added bonus, they are accessible to the late-intermediate-level pianist without numerous weeks of practice. Plainly stated, they are gorgeous arrangements that are sure to inspire the pianist as well as the listener.

The content of this book met my expectations.

vey nice

Wonderful, beautiful arrangements! Mark Hayes is a tremendous arranger.

Mark Hayes hat bekannte Spirituals und Gospels in unglaublich interessante Arrangements gekleidet. Auf alle Fälle sind diese sehr anspruchsvoll und bedürfen sehr viel Übung. Wenn man diese "Blue Notes", also Jazz und Blues Klänge mag, macht es schon viel Spaß.Ich habe mir dieses Werk ausgesucht, weil man diese Sätze in Youtube findet und sich dort anhören und sehen kann, wie man sie spielt. Das erleichtert ungemein.Scheinbar hat Mark Hayes sehr große Hände, da manche Akkorde sehr weite Spannweiten haben. Hier lässt sich aber gut tricksen, ohne dass es hörbar ist. Ich schlage diese Noten nacheinander an oder streiche unwichtige Zwischentöne. Dadurch wird das Spiel flüssiger.Gerne hätte ich noch Akkordangaben und eine Textzeile, diese fehlen leider. Das Buch ist entgegen der Abbildung geheftet, also nicht blätterbar, d. h. um die Stücke zu spielen, muss man sich diese kopieren oder das Buch auseinanderschneiden.

It wasn't quite what I expected. Thought they would be a little easier to sight read. Found a few gems.