Greatest Hits: The 1960s for Piano: Piano/Vocal/Guitar Book

Opening this book is like walking into a record store in 1969 and hearing everything at once. You move from the shimmer of "Aquarius" to the grit of "Mustang Sally," from Shirley Bassey's theatrical glamour to Simon and Garfunkel's close harmonies, all within reach of a single musician or small group.

Solo pianists preparing recital material, singers looking for varied repertoire that spans the decade's styles, and small vocal ensembles or piano-voice duos wanting to build a setlist without needing large arrangements. It also works well for pianists and guitarists who want to expand their pop repertoire beyond the usual standards.

• Study the original recordings of unfamiliar titles before rehearsal. The 1960s produced wildly different interpretations of similar sounds, and knowing whether you're after Sam Cooke's restraint or The Rolling Stones' swagger changes everything about arrangement choices.
• Balance the vocal melody against the piano line rather than doubling it. Many of these songs rely on countermelody or rhythmic interplay in the accompaniment, and burying those details under unison singing flattens the character.
• Use the guitar chord diagrams to inform your rhythmic feel, even if you're not including a live guitarist. The chord voicings and rhythmic notation tell you whether a song should sit in a swung pocket, stay straight-eighths, or push forward with syncopation.

Program individual selections as solo recital interludes between heavier classical repertoire, or use three or four consecutive numbers as a complete set that showcases how rapidly popular music evolved across the decade. A voice student could also use this to build a non-classical audition or performance program that demonstrates range across multiple styles and eras.

• Reading piano-vocal-guitar scores with chord symbols and lyric alignment
• Sight-reading lead sheets with varied rhythmic notation and syncopation patterns
• Adapting accompaniment style to period-appropriate grooves (swing feel vs. straight rhythm)
• Managing tempo flexibility in songs with rubato or dramatic vocal phrasing
• Coordinating with singers on breath marks and phrase endings while maintaining rhythmic integrity