Customer Reviews for Rockin' The Suburbs
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Albert
Location: from Mukilteo, WA
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
May 28, 2009
Great playalong transcription
I could play this all day from cover to cover with Ben on the CD. In fact, my neighbor thought I was having a live jam at my house and peeked in my front door when I was playing it! The transcription was pretty accurate. Ben does a few minor variations in the repeats, but those could be figured out pretty easily (esp. on Luckiest).
16 of 32 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from Fountain Valley, CA
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
February 2, 2009
He loves it!
I bought this music for my son for Christmas. He's been playing it non-stop and has already memorized a couple of the songs. I am glad I purchased it. I enjoy listening to him play it.
30 of 45 people found this review helpful.
Matt
Location: from San Diego, CA
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
August 6, 2008
Ben Folds is awesome!
This book is great. Awesome songs, even if you don't know his stuff. And the charts are really accurate with the album. I can just sit and play the album front to back and play with it.
15 of 31 people found this review helpful.
Jen
Location: from Florida
Difficulty Level:
Early intermediate
July 24, 2008
Luckiest
I bought this book for one song: The Luckiest. It has been my favorite song for a long while, and this was the only place I could find it! The money spent on the book was well worth it, as the song appears exactly as it sounds. If you like the song, get this book!
15 of 32 people found this review helpful.
Annette
Location: from Nevada
Difficulty Level:
Advanced
March 14, 2008
How can someone play this fast?
Okay, Ben Folds is an amazing pianist. Either that, or he lays down the track in normal speed and electronically speeds it up! I liked that the music is written in the same key as the CD. To get help on some of the rhythms I sat down at the piano with the CD. Realized that my brain and fingers will never move at those speeds. Oh well, it's still fun to play, even when you're old and slow like me.
21 of 47 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from NE
Difficulty Level:
Advanced
February 21, 2008
blah
Very hard music good arrangement
7 of 12 people found this review helpful.
Alex
Location: from Washington DC
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
January 15, 2008
Rockin' out to Rockin' the Suburbs
The sheet music was great! Some of the pieces were a bit tough due to an overwhelming guitar presence in some of his songs but for the most part the music was great.
8 of 14 people found this review helpful.
zach
Location: from dayton, ohio
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
July 20, 2007
fun to play.
If you are a Ben Folds fan, which if you have heard his music I'm sure you are, and you enjoy playing piano, this is a great book. Notes appear to be what you hear in the songs.
11 of 20 people found this review helpful.
Megan
Location: from Utah
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
July 12, 2007
awesome
I think that Luckiest is the best love song ever written! This sheet music is fun to play, and the rhythms are challenging. The writing is very pianistic (fits well under the hands) and the lyrics are of course very clever.
6 of 16 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from Cleveland, OH
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
June 13, 2007
The Luckiest
I've only had time to learn one song "The Luckiest". I learned it in about a week for my brother's wedding and it came out really nice and it wasn't too difficult. Playing along with the cd you can tell certain parts that they didn't include in the book but it's nothing too dramatic and it still sounds nice. I'm happy with the purchase and I would recommend it to anyone.
10 of 19 people found this review helpful.
Lauren
Location: from Chattanooga, TN
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
April 30, 2007
Fun & Challenging
Ben Folds: Rockin' The suburbs is a really great book. Once you start playing (or trying to play) this music, you gain a deeper understanding of Ben Folds' amazing musical abilities. It's tough, but one of the best purchases of sheet music I've made.
4 of 11 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
April 6, 2007
Great Sheet Music...
... If you love Ben Folds. Learn how to play everything from "The Ascent of Stan" to "The Luckiest." It also includes "Hiro's Song," which is not on Rocking the Suburbs, but still a great bonus! Get this!!!
6 of 13 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from Houston, TX
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
March 29, 2007
WONDERFUL!
If you love accompanying yourself, this is a really great album! I've been playing piano for 14 years, and I LOVE this book! If you love Ben Folds, I highly recommend it.
6 of 11 people found this review helpful.
Pete
Location: from NY
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
March 8, 2007
Sweet
The songs are beautiful and lyrics are meaningful, but if you're looking for melodic music with the harmony, you'll need to take the time to do it yourself. It has both the melody and the harmony, but they are separated, it's not too hard to integrate them if you have the time, i did it for the luckiest fairly easily and it sounds great.
6 of 14 people found this review helpful.
MC Fresh
Location: from Northern Virginia
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
February 13, 2007
Pretty good stuff.
I can read sheet music, but I don't play the piano. After purchasing this book, I am almost fluently playing The Luckiest. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.
10 of 16 people found this review helpful.
regan
Location: from johnson city, tn
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
December 21, 2005
excellent choice, chap
i've had this book now for well over a year, and i've enjoyed every minute of it. yes, not the same, rockin the suburbs, etc. are not *exactly* as played, but transcribing guitar to piano isn't easy and they did a good job. those are very fun songs to play. the luckiest, fred jones pt 2, carrying cathy...these are spot-on, and would alone warrant buying this book. the ascent of stan, zak and sara, gone...plan on doing some work. ben don't write no beginner songs, that's for sure. still fighting it is perfect, btw. the solos are done very well too, such as in fired. again, not *exactly* as heard on the album, but a *little* effort and you can *easily* figure out what's lacking. this is all coming from a guy who HATES hal leonard and their right hand vocal melodies. you're here, so you must like ben folds. buy it. trust me.
7 of 16 people found this review helpful.
Pat
Location: from Binghampton, Ny
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
December 16, 2005
Not as good as others but worthy
This book is great for allthe songs that are pure piano.Rock in the suburbs, not the same and annie waits the piano is not transcribed that well.Other than those couple the rest of the book is almost perfect
6 of 12 people found this review helpful.
alexis
Location: from deeeetroit michigan
August 1, 2005
Amazing
searched and searched for this one and this was the only place i could find it. absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down. buy this book, now.
6 of 14 people found this review helpful.
Becky O'Connor
Location: from Minnetonka, MN
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
January 31, 2005
Such an AMAZING book!
I love Ben Folds, like many, and was sooo excited to purchase this book so i could play his songs. I was expecting it to be pretty difficult, but once you get the hang of it most of the songs are not so bad in difficulty. There is a wide range of different keys in the different songs, that's what I love a lot about this music. Overall an AMAZING choice, and totally a keeper!
6 of 14 people found this review helpful.
Ashley
Location: from Chicago, IL
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
December 7, 2004
For those worried about skill level...
This book is great for a diverse range of skill levels. Songs like "Annie Waits", "The Luckiest", "Losing Lisa" are all very easy in key and rhythm. But for someone who likes a challenge, "The Ascent of Stan", "Zak and Sara", and "Carrying Cathy" are all difficult enough through key signatures and tempo. Incredible book over all :)
7 of 14 people found this review helpful.
Anonymous
Location: from Kansas City, KS
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
July 1, 2004
Great
The book itself is worth the purchase price. There are a few songs that really aren't meant to be played on piano because a few of the songs feature the piano as background with repetitive chords and use the guitar and drums as a primary (Rockin the Suburbs, Not the Same, Losing Lisa to name the main culprits.) But songs like the Luckiest, Carrying Cathy, and Fred Jones are worth their weight in gold. There are some other good ones, but those three (with the jazzy, rocked out Fired being a 4th) are my favorites. Buy it. You won't regret it.
8 of 15 people found this review helpful.
Emminello
Location: from my home
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
March 5, 2004
Ben Folds rocks me and my suburb
WOW!...WOW!....I had never really listned to Ben Folds before, except for a song or two here and there from my big bro, but then when I met my boyfriend (whom, by the way, is rockin awesome...the suburbs)he really introduced me to him, and made me fall in love (with him and Ben :) ). then he was talking about wanting to get ben folds music, so for Christmas I bought him this book... I've been playing piano for 14 years, or so, and I wanna play them, too:). yeah....this book has improved the quality of our relationship...in a way....wait...isn't this couples couseling? hey...and mr. "madisonman"...what's your problem? This is an awesome book that had transcriptions very close to the original. I know everyone is entitiled to their own opinion, but you dont' have to give it so harshly...psh......I LOVE BEN!!!
7 of 13 people found this review helpful.
Nick Frank
Location: from St Charles, IL
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
December 27, 2003
Rockin' Book
I went to college and had never heard of Rockin the Suburbs before, but another kid introduced me to this book and I fell in love with it. I could already play some of his older stuff, and I thought his newer music was a lot more mature and something about it was, well, addicting. It especially works well for someone such as myself, who needs to have music in front of them. I'd recommend it highly; I just wish it was easier to find a book of my own.
9 of 15 people found this review helpful.
madison78man
Location: from Madison, WI
August 29, 2003
Hal Leonard dropped the ball
I don't understand why people like this book of music. Only reason is b/c it's Ben Folds music. This is by far the worst book of transcriptions for Ben Folds music (including Ben Folds Five). Matt Senter did MUCH better online transcriptions of the RTS songs, but Hal Leonard raped him of being able to post those transcriptions. HL cares more about money than accuracy, that's for sure.
5 of 11 people found this review helpful.
Joel
Location: from Eugene. OR
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
July 13, 2003
Sheet music a little lacking...
The sheet music is a little lacking. In times, the book adds notes, and in others, it simplifies, or even changes notes. Sometimes the changes are not very noticeble, in others they are glaring. Some of the songs, like Fred Jones pt. 2, are fairly easy to pick up, but fun to play. And others like The Ascent of Stan are extremely difficult, but worth the time and effort to master. Overall, it suffices though. Even if it isn't perfect, it's still worth the money, to be able to play Ben's amazing music
6 of 13 people found this review helpful.
Jimmy
Location: from L.A.
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
June 27, 2003
**Don't think, just BUY IT!** AWESOME!
Ben Folds is hands down one of todays greatest artist, performers, and songwriters. While it may not be as detailed as other books, it is still greatly worth the small price to sound somewhat like Mr. Folds. If you have doubts about purchasing this book because of other reviews, debate no more... I assure you it is worth it.
6 of 12 people found this review helpful.
Ally Bankier
Location: from Scotland, UK
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate
February 23, 2003
At long last.....
It has arrived, The book is not as challenging as the previous collections of ben folds five stuff but just as good. Ben may have lost the five but he hasn't lost the ability to write good music. Although the score is not as detailed (bass and strings etc. left out) the piano is largely accurate. Songs like ascent of stan and carrying cathy are slightly frightening on the page yet still playable with a little time and effort, while still fighting it and fred jones part 2 are beautiful in their simplicity. Have fun!
8 of 14 people found this review helpful.
Chris
Location: from Pickering, UK
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
February 17, 2003
Arrives at last...
At last a music book for Folds' first solo album. Maybe not quite as detailed as his bands previous books, for example, no longer have bass tab, but still an excellent accompaniment to any fan. Difficulty spans a wide chasm - everything from reasonably easy to 6-flat hand-spaningly hard fun.
12 of 21 people found this review helpful.
Desi
Location: from Jackson MS
Difficulty Level:
Intermediate/advanced
January 17, 2003
it's about time this book was published!
i had been waiting for the music from the album to finally be released as a book...well, i got mine about 3 weeks ago, and it is fantastic. it's entirely accurate, lyrics do not fight the instrumentals, and my favorite songs are NOT very difficult! [fred jones part 2, we're still fighting it, and the luckiest]. the ease surprised me, but some of the songs are VERY hard [the ascent of stan, specifically]. i really do recommend this book to ANYONE [even if you just want to play the melody, which is posted a line above]. lots of easy key signatures, and a few challenges as well.
8 of 14 people found this review helpful.