Product Description
This is my (Thomas Gunthers) Solo Piano Arrangement of Over The Rainbow.
(Also see PopJazzKeys.com/Over-The-Rainbow).
I believe the arrangement is suited for intermediate to advanced players. There are different technically demanding elements to it, from polyphony (which require great finger independence), to the techniques associated with the Romantic period (like the ability to work the sustain pedal, arpeggios, and playing thick chords).
The video below shows me performing it (with close-up of hands and sheet music), followed by important practice tips!)
WHO IS IT FOR?
I think classical and jazz pianists will both love it for different reasons.
Classical musicians might like to play something more contemporary with a jazzy touch.
And jazz musicians might like to studying it for inspiration, or to improve their sight reading and technical skills, or simply because they love it.
ABOUT THE SONG
Over The Rainbow is one of my favorite classic jazz standards. Most of you might know it from the classic movie The Wizard Of Oz, for which it was actually composed (and sung by Judy Garland).
I love everything about this song, its melody (which is so cleverly based on a descending diatonic stepwise motion during the [A] section), the harmony, and of course the lyrics that inspire us to believe there might actually be more to life than what we are experiencing day in and day out, well worth dreaming about and searching for.
ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF LYRICS
To me it is important to study the lyrics of a song before I start arranging it. The lyrics guide me in my search for how I want the arrangement to impact the listener emotionally.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.