The Essential Film Collection (Piano solo)

I think this book is fantastic! I’ve immensely enjoyed some of the pieces in this book. My favourites are Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, Lion King and Dances with Wolves. Many years ago I played at around Grade 5 standard and as other reviewers have noted, if you’re at about that standard then these pieces won’t be that difficult for you (although Tubular Bells from The Exorcist is giving me quite a challenge). BUT they’re fun and easy to play and give a good sense of the original music. So think of the book as a tasting menu of some great tunes that you can sample without chewing off more than you can swallow.

This probably sits around Grade 2 standard. The theme of each song is recreated, but not the other voices, so it sounds a bit simple. Still, this is great for beginner's to play some of well known music and build confidence.

this is a brilliant selection of movie songs that are a joy to listen to and play. they will not pose a challenge to anyone above grade six piano but if you are above grade six i would still recommend the book. The songs have been arranged in a brilliant manor and at the price the book is going for it is a small amount to pay for the joy the songs will bring. This book it brilliant for everyone!

A lovely selection of film music that has been edited for lower grades. A must for all grade 1-4 students.

This book is brilliant for beginners like myself - I imagine that pianists with high grades would find this a bit easy but I really like the pieces as they can be played after a while and they sound great! It's nice to play something familiar and there's a range of pieces in here too from Hedwig's Theme to Lawrence of Arabia main theme to the Rocky main theme! All great fun to play and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants either a challenge (for beginners) or a collection of fun tunes to play in their spare time!

This is a rather eclectic collection of simplified arrangements of movie themes. For some pieces, like the arrangement of Gabriel's Oboe, the simplicity actually works quite well. In others, the results are rather thin and uninspiring. Some of the themes really don't lend themselves to a piano arrangement at all, and I wonder why these pieces were included, when there is such a colossal range to choose from. Most of the pieces I would rate about ABRSM Grade 1-3, but a couple (like Tubular Bells) are a little more technically fiddly. Not a bad piano album for beginners, and more accomplished players looking for some sight-reading practice; but not hugely compelling, either.

Bought as a gift for a pupil. Samplers of film music but good fun to play.

Loved this collection, especially pirates of the caribbean. my favourite one. would recommend photo copying the 3rd page of PotC because turning the page at a fast pace ruins the tempo