Portraits of Hope arrangements and soundtracks now available

Filed in News on July 05, 2009



Playing with an orchestra is simply an incredible and indescribable feeling that I wish every pianist could experience.  But the reality is that few ever will.  I have to say that playing with orchestra soundtracks is almost as good, and I am happy to say that every pianist now can have that opportunity.

When I record with the Nashville String Machine, I use those orchestrations not just for my CDs but also as soundtracks in my concerts.  Starting with this last project, I now have another use for them—making them available for other pianists to play and perform with.

Of course, making the orchestrations available is of little value unless I also make the piano arrangements available.  I am pleased to announce that all the arrangements from Portraits of Hope are now available.  With each arrangement you purchase, you will get the soundtrack as well.

You can download arrangements/soundtracks within just a few minutes here.  Or, you can also order the complete book (87 pages) and a CD containing all the soundtracks.  Individual song downloads (arrangement, soundtrack, and if applicable, obligatto) are $7.99 each or you can download the entire project for $39.99.  Yes, these arrangements are more expensive than normal, but the soundtracks were extremely expensive to produce. 

The arrangements are very close to what I play on the CD as well as what I play in concerts.  Certainly, I have not made them easier, and any differences you notice will be subtle.  Most of them are challenging for practically all pianists.  If you are not advanced, note which ones are marked as moderate in difficulty.  Definitely look at the sample pages provided for each arrangement.  I included the hardest places in each song in the sample pages.  If you can play the samples, you can play the song.

The accompaniment soundtracks are exactly what I use in concerts and on Portraits of Hope.  They are a lot of fun to play with and hopefully, if you perform them, your church will enjoy them too.  Playing with soundtracks takes a little technical setup and a little experience but I have written out some detailed instructions here.  The main difference between the way I did them and other similar products I have seen in the past is that I have included a vocal count or click on the tracks (that only you will hear) that will keep you playing perfectly in time with the orchestra.

These arrangements do not stand on their own without the orchestration soundtracks.  If you try to play them without soundtracks, you will notice that the melody is often missing and other things will sound strange as well.

Four of the songs are essentially duets between piano and another instrument such a violin or flute.  If you have musicians in your church that can play these parts, you will be able to use them rather than the soundtracks (these written instrument parts are called obbligatos and are included when you order those four songs).

I certainly hope to see YouTube videos of these being played soon!  Again, here is the link to check them out.



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Janet Deets
7/6/2009 1:35:35 PM

These look great. I remember playing Dino's arrangements with soundtracks like this but have not seen any others on the market in years.

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