Customer Reviews for Bohemian Rhapsody
Dave Edwards
Location: from Newcastle UK
Difficulty Level:
Advanced
February 13, 2009
Queen masterpiece arranged for steelband
I chose this piece of music because of the variety of styles contained within it; it has several similarities in construction to many pieces specially composed for steelbands and has the bonus that it is recogised and liked by people representing a good cross section of the population and age groups. The sheet music follows the recorded version accurately and is well laid out, clear and easy to read. I bought the basic piano version to adapt for a steelband; this is a technique we find useful. It leaves you the option of creating as many or as few parts as you want/need from the paino accompaniment, and there is some scope for making the level of difficulty suited to each player or section.
33 of 71 people found this review helpful.
Larry W. Mayes
Location: from Lewiston, ME
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
February 5, 2009
Exciting composition
As a seft taught violinist of 9 years, I love to try beautify musical passages. This one has such a melody and some challenges to go with it, that should NOT be backed away from
29 of 68 people found this review helpful.
Joe H
Location: from Bellaire, MI
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
September 10, 2008
Awesome Arrangement
I was extremely pleased by this arrangement, I don't know what else to add. I guess just that it's meant to be a piano solo. It's not too hard to learn either if you've been playing for a while.
35 of 72 people found this review helpful.
P Clarke
Location: from Toledo, Ohio
August 15, 2008
Love it!
I have this sheet music and love it! I put the Queen CD with Bohemian Rhapsody in our surround sound stereo system and play along with the song! Sooooo, it is VERY close, I am getting it perfected, so much fun. I am 62 and love Queen, have all their videos, love to watch them They are the best! I highly recommend it!!! Now I want "Somebody to Love" full medley in accompaniment. Please help!
37 of 69 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from Boston, MA
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
July 26, 2008
okay arrangement
i would say that this piece is pretty far from the real Queen version. it's great if you're not looking to sit down and play a masterpiece version or you just want to play the basic melody, but it leaves out a lot of the fancy chords that make this song such a beautiful classic. if you want to play what you hear on the CD, i advise you not to buy this.
34 of 68 people found this review helpful.
Leslie
Location: from Pennsylvnia
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
June 17, 2008
Fun, easier than than I thought
My pre-teen son bought this. He is level 4 on the Alfred series. We both agreed that it was easier than we thought it would be. He looks forward to playing it when friends are hanging out at the piano after chorus. They like seeing who is can play the coolest song.
6 of 12 people found this review helpful.
Larry Davis
Location: from Kentucky
Difficulty Level:
Advanced
May 29, 2008
Initial Experience A Success
This was my first order going through Sheetmusicplus -- I do a lot of arranging for brass quintets, and when a friend mentioned that she would like an arrangement of Bohemian Rhapsody for that instrumentation my interest was piqued. I found the piano score on sheetmusicplus to use as a guideline and the ordering process was easy and my purchase was shipped promptly. I will definitely use this source again.
5 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
December 17, 2007
Super fun
This is a great version. Sounds great and isnt too tough. Some difficult chord progressions but that just proves how sweet Freddy really was!
7 of 12 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
November 12, 2007
Close but not what you hear
This transcription sounds okay, but does not have the key piano parts (arpeggios etc) in the beginning to make it sound like the CD.
5 of 10 people found this review helpful.
The Botch Man
Location: from SC
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
October 9, 2007
Bohemian Rhapsody
On the whole, this edition of Bohemian Rhapsody is not bad. But, some of the voice leading and chord structures could have been a lot better. That is why I rated it a 3. It was in the middle. I would liked to have seen a closer representaion of the actuall music. Still, it was pretty sweet.
8 of 14 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from Toronto, ON
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
August 23, 2007
Awesome!!!
This is such a great piece. I didn't know what to expect when I ordered the sheet music to Bohemian Rhapsody. But when it arrived, and I played through it, it was just perfect! The transcription's got it covered note for note, and it sounds great on the piano! I highly recommend this for anybody that enjoys the song.
5 of 11 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from GPP, MI
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
March 18, 2007
very good
very good, sounded like the recorded version.. i love playing it
6 of 11 people found this review helpful.
Elhardt
Location: from -
March 12, 2007
Actual Specifics About What's Wrong
I guess I have to be the voice of reason. This is a decent version of the song. It just dosn't make sense to say it sounds nothing like Bohemian Rhapsody. I have a budgetbooks Classic Rock version, and that sounds nothing like Boh Rhap. That's why I bought this version. What I think others failed to mention is that it's only about 95% of the song. There is a chunk of the song missing that should go on page 10 close to the bottom, but it's just not included. That [angers] me. Also, the wellknown piano part doesn't include the part where Freddie Mercury crosses his left hand over his right to play those higher notes. But it's not hard to figure that out yourself and pencil it in. Those are my two main gripes. Anytime you transcribe a full band performance to piano, you'll lose something.
7 of 12 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from
Difficulty Level:
Advanced
March 4, 2007
THE BEST!
I have been playing piano for 8 years. I love to play difficult songs, so I absolutely love this music! I memorized the whole thing after months of practicing it. Whatever anyone else says, this is a must have piece!
5 of 11 people found this review helpful.
Paul Scott
Location: from Los Angeles
September 15, 2006
A Real Treasure
I don't know what the reviewers who claim this sounds nothing like Bohemian Rhapsody are talking about. It is clearly recognizable, and has, in fact, more elements of the original than I would have expected. I mean c'mon, this was arranged for personal entertainment, as is 99% of all sheet music available. If those critics are such sophisticated musicians that they demand 100% accuracy, then they can transcribe their own arrangement and stop whining at the rest of us. I've bought a lot of sheet music I found disappointing, but this is not one of those. Sure, this is a simple arrangement, but it's also very rich. So much so that I became emotionally taken. I'd have to say I enjoy playing this more than listening to the CD recording. However, I play the 5th chord in the 4th measure as G-Bb-D-F, because I think it sounds better, but everything else I play as written. If you're not an arrogant wannabe, then you won't be disappointed.
6 of 13 people found this review helpful.
Ian Phillips
Location: from Shorewood, WI
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
June 28, 2006
Forget about the bad reviews.
I bought this item, and I thought it was absolutely AMAZING!! People complain that the "backdrop" music is not in this score. IT IS. It may not sound "exactly" like the recording, but it's pretty close. For real people, when you figure out how to play this not-so-hard-to-learn song, people will be asking you to play it for them! People ask ME all the time.
5 of 8 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
May 30, 2006
Applause!!!
My junior high choir is practicing it right now, and we all absolutely love it. It's challenging, entertaining, and helped boost my self esteem (I am an alto in the soprano section for some reason, and I can easily hit the high E).
4 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Queen
Location: from Rockfield Studios, Monmouth
Difficulty Level:
Beginner
February 21, 2006
Any way the wind blows...
Mama... just blew four bucks, Sent them to Hal Le-o-nard, Bought the book, and now they're gone, Mama... I just earned those four, But now I’ve gone and thrown them all away... Mama... ooooeeoooo, The music went and made me cry, If I don't get my money back tommorrow, Carry on, carry on, as if precision doesn't matter...
6 of 11 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from Canada
Difficulty Level:
Beginner
December 20, 2005
definetly horrible
only vocals it isn't the actual part played in the song in general very dissapointing
4 of 9 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from Canada
Difficulty Level:
Early intermediate
December 17, 2005
horrible
this doesn't sound like the real song at all. i found out the real version and it's so much different. this is one of my favorite songs of all time and this version butchered it.
6 of 10 people found this review helpful.
dace
Location: from PA
Difficulty Level:
Beginner
October 19, 2005
Agreed..
I actually agree with "anonymous from las vegas". I bought Bohemian Rhapsody because it has an awesome piano part. As a musician, that's automatically what I hear when I listen to a song. This song was completely rearranged to flow with the melody, which is fine for a beginner or someone who wants to sing along, but sometimes, with genius pieces like this one, the original accomp. should not be tampered with
4 of 9 people found this review helpful.
A.N.S.A.H.R.A.I.N
Location: from victoria (AUS)
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
September 23, 2005
great
i'm 11 i found it pretty fun 2 learn and my mum and me find it enjoyable 2 sing along 2!!!!!! i 1st heard the song on ROCKSTAR INXS and i wanted 2 play it straight away!!! it waz so fantastic!!!
4 of 10 people found this review helpful.
k
Location: from i don't remember
June 29, 2005
fun
Whoever is anonymous from Las Vegas....Some people like to sit at a piano and just play, believe it or not, some people don't like to sing. Hal Leonard does a good job of writing the music to sound like the song. People wouldn't like to listen to just piano accompianment. If you want that, get the right music for it.
5 of 10 people found this review helpful.
no one
Location: from nowhere in particular
June 7, 2005
It's fun
This song is pretty easy to play. I liked it because I like the song ok, and this music is fun. It's challenging, but fun! (As I've said about a million times!:)
4 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from las vegas, nv
May 22, 2005
Usual
The only reason why the sheet music industry has gone downhill is because of Hal Leonard. Every Hal Leonard "work" is rewritten so that the piano part follows the melody. You can have beautiful piano harmony in original songs and then Hal Leonard will rewrite/degrade every line to match the melody. This is not the way to transcribe sheet music.
4 of 10 people found this review helpful.
danielle
Location: from colorado
Difficulty Level:
Beginner
November 12, 2004
haha
it was easy to learn and sounds like the song because the piano part of the song doesn't sound like the rest of the song. i would know because i've been playing the piano my whole life which is 16 years!
4 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from Houston, TX
Difficulty Level:
Beginner
September 6, 2004
UGH!! is this music?!?!
This song sound nothing like the real song!! i was expecting to be able to have people recognize the song i was playing...but few people did. this song was very easy and did not sound one bit like bohemian rhapsody!!
4 of 9 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from Los Angeles, CA
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
September 2, 2004
Most Excellent
This is such an awesome song. It isn't that easy either, but its nowhere near impossible. It's exciting to play and it's a must have.
5 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from Santa Barbara, CA
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
March 16, 2004
Very accurate and fun
Although this booklet is not the full score of the song with literally dozens of seperate orchestrations, it still has the accuracy in the main areas. No solos.The piano is right on, and the chords for the guitar are correct. However, you must learn how to finger-pick the the chords for it to sound right. Great for learning and lots of fun!
4 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Robert Plant
Location: from Chicago
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
August 9, 2003
This sheet music is no bueno!
Seriously, listen to me. The sheet music doesn't sound anything like the song. They put it in a format so that it just kinda goes along with the sound. You know how there are songs that aren't meant for the piano, but they still make sheet music for it and it sounds all funny, but kinda similar? That's what this is. None the less, it's kinda fun to play and it's not difficult at all. But don't listen to me. Enjoy the sunshine!
4 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Rebekah
Location: from Rockland, ME
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
June 1, 2003
I've found "The One"
I was first handed this piece of music to play for a friend's band, unfortunately it didn't work out, but I had some of the most fun teaching myself. I've read some other reviews, and no, it isn't what the background piano sounds like on the CD, but if you only had that, you really wouldn't have a song people would enjoy listening to. This is written as a solo piece, and it sounds exactly like the CD's melody line. I've taken lessons for 7 or 8 years, and found this piece of music a little challenging, esp. when the triplets go up against the quarter notes, but other than that, it's an awesome piece of music, and is worth anyones time to sit down and learn. It's also fun to play along with the CD. I'm pretty sure it's in the same key, and by doing that you get better practice. Ovbiously if you didn't have a metronome, the CD would help you keep your timing.
7 of 12 people found this review helpful.
Andy Ebert
Location: from Arkansas City, KS
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
April 25, 2003
Awesome Piece
This is the right arrangement of this song. It sounds exactly like it. My jazz band is now composing for jazz band from this arrangement. AWESOME!!!!!
4 of 9 people found this review helpful.
Chewitt
Location: from Luton, Beds, UK
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
November 18, 2002
Brilliant!
before i first tried to play this song, i thought it would be REALLY hard to play. i'd heard it on the radio a couple of times and it had loads of changes in tempo, but it is really easy to play when you have the music. i sorta teach myself how to play piano and haven't got very far, so this is really good to use.
4 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Natalie
Location: from i dunno
Difficulty Level:
Early intermediate
January 26, 2002
Close, but no cigar...
I thought the piece was very easy to play, however, only about half, if that, of the sheet music was how it's supposed to sound. Bits and pieces and most of the ending were right on, but most was just vocals, which ISN'T how the piano sounds on the album. If you like Queen a lot, then go ahead, cause you'll probably be satisfied enough. But
3 of 8 people found this review helpful.
Matthew Kennedy
Location: from New Jearsey Pemberton
Difficulty Level:
Beginner
April 23, 2001
Great if you want the EZ music
This is okay IF, and I strongly mean if, you want to have an extremely simple function of the song. Its not full music at all, and doesn't sound like the CD version. The keyboard plays the vocals, not the back drop you are used to hearing.
4 of 9 people found this review helpful.