Play-Alongs

Teachers return repeatedly to John Riley's The Art of Bop Drumming, a best seller for percussionists serious about jazz vocabulary. The Lord of the Rings Instrumental Solos for Strings by Howard Shore and the Star Wars Instrumental Solos by John Williams appeal across grade levels, giving string players and brass students recognizable material with full accompaniment. Jamey Aebersold's Jazz, Volume 1 remains a cornerstone for students beginning to improvise, and the Harry Potter Instrumental Solos series (available for violin, flute, and other instruments) consistently draws both younger and intermediate players.

Vahid Matejko's Klezmer-Miniatures for Piano (2024) joins his growing catalog of klezmer-inflected play-alongs, offering pianists a chance to explore this distinctive melodic tradition with recorded backing.

Jamey Aebersold's 79 titles in this collection reflect nearly four decades of defining how jazz improvisation is taught in schools and studios. His volume-by-volume approach to building jazz literacy has become a standard reference, and Volume 1 remains one of the most widely adopted play-along titles for students learning to solo over blues and jazz standards.

Jim Snidero brings 56 titles to the collection, drawing on his reputation as one of the finest alto saxophonists in jazz. Over thirty-five years, he has built a body of work as composer, arranger, and educator that Downbeat Magazine has recognized repeatedly, and his Jazz Conception series gives saxophonists (and other reeds) essential etudes paired with recordings that model phrasing and tone.

Howard Shore and John Williams anchor the film music side of this collection with 32 and 29 titles respectively. Teachers rely on their instrumental solos to make orchestral music tangible for students; Shore's Lord of the Rings series and Williams's Star Wars solos are proof that movie scores work as serious study material, not just novelty.