The Dark Shadows Music Book

[Gothick]

While in the big comics and memorabilia shop I mentioned in my post in the comic book thread last Saturday, I also happened upon a reasonably priced copy of the DS Music Book, and I did bring that home with me.  I don't own a piano although I think there is an app for Mac that could enable me to play at least some of the selections in the book (this may be for the iPad rather than the Macbook).  The main selling point for most fans would be the rare photographs.  I would imagine that nearly all, if not all of these have been reprinted again in other PomPress books since the volume's original publication in 1996.

The book is an enjoyable bagatelle to own if you are into collecting more unusual mementi from the series.  The most fascinating image to me was a photograph of the cover of the actual "Ode to Angelique" sheet music used on the series during the PT 1970 storyline.  The sheet music cover included a photo of composer Bruno Hess.  I laughed thinking how much PT Quentin must have *loved* having that around the house.

G.

[Gerard]

Some of the pieces are incredibly difficult to play - more sharps and flats than the AlCan Highway.  A friend of mine has advanced degrees in music and he had to struggle with them a few times before finally being able to pound them out correctly on the ivories and he still occasionally had to "inovate" in order to make them sound right in an easier way.

Gerard

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The main selling point for most fans would be the rare photographs.  I would imagine that nearly all, if not all of these have been reprinted again in other PomPress books since the volume's original publication in 1996.

Some appear in other PomPress books, but many, if not a majority, are unique to the Music Book. The cover photo is one that was subsequently reprinted (in the Movie Book) - but it's an inferior print of it - and it's not in color. And for anyone who's a fan of NoDS, that cover photo alone is well worth owning the Music Book because it's a spectacular photo, especially in color.

[Nicky]

The cover photo for the Music Book appears in color in KLS' Return to Collinwood released last year.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

That's right. Oops. But then I still haven't read anything past the first six pages (the Five Decades of DS section) of that book because I was so aggravated at finding so many errors in just those first six pages.    But I'm sure I'll get back to the book one day - once I've steeled myself to find who knows how many more errors...

The interesting thing for me about the version in RTC is that until I saw that version I'd never even realized that on the cover of the Music Book they'd airbrushed out the candles in the candelabra. (The version in the Movie Book is so crappy that I barely paid any attention to it.) Though even despite the airbrushing, I think I still prefer the cover version because the color is more vibrant.

[Janet the Wicked]

Some of the pieces are incredibly difficult to play - more sharps and flats than the AlCan Highway.  A friend of mine has advanced degrees in music and he had to struggle with them a few times before finally being able to pound them out correctly on the ivories and he still occasionally had to "inovate" in order to make them sound right in an easier way.

Indeed. I attempted some of these songs on my guitar. No soap.

[Brian]

I have owned this music book for many years.  As a (formerly professional and now semi-retired) musician, here are my thoughts on it:
DS THEME:  For the most part, this piano arrangement will sound nothing like the orchestral version, because the piano glisses in the left hand cannot approximate the harp and contrabass arpeggios heard in the recording.
QUENTIN’S THEME/SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT:  Not exact, but pretty close to the original piano arrangement heard in recordings.
COLLINWOOD:  Okay, so here’s how to make it sound almost like the recorded version: add the harmony noted—e.g., Cmi(maj7)—into the right hand, and put the C pedal point on the downbeats in the left hand and use lots of sustain pedal; change keys as indicated, etc., and you can approximate the voiceover music.
VICTORIA WINTERS:  Pretty easy.
#1 AT THE BLUE WHALE:  The left hand doesn’t give a grounded bass line.  Use the chord symbols above the staff (e.g., F6, Dmi, Gmi7, C9) as the basis for harmony, with each starting note (F, D, G, C) as the root in the left hand, improvise the triplet chords above the root bass, and there you go.
BACK AT THE BLUE WHALE:  See #1 AT THE BLUE WHALE (except that there are no triplets in the left hand).
I’LL BE WITH YOU ALWAYS:  Not too bad as is.
WHEN I AM DEAD:  Good piano rendition of the orchestral version.
JOSETTE’S MUSIC BOX:  Good piano rendition, but play another octave up for a music box-like sound.
MILLICENT COLLINS:  Good piano rendition of the orchestral version.
NIGHT OF TERROR:  The piano arrangement is very good, but we miss the orchestral colors. (The arrangement, with tremolos in both hands at various times, attempted to capture the orchestral arrangement—it is not exactly successful.)
I’M GONNA DANCE FOR YOU/I WANNA DANCE WITH YOU: Very good piano renditions.
ODE TO ANGELIQUE:  Matches the recording almost perfectly.
THE PLAYROOM THEME:  Simple and easy; play an octave higher for music box-like sound.
JOANNA:  It doesn’t get better than this: exactly as played in the piano recording.
GOODBYE, COLLINWOOD:  Again, good piano rendition of the orchestral version.

[dom]

I am not musically inclined but I appreciate your effort and am very impressed.

[Darren Gross]

I concur.  Well done, Brian.  Thank you!