26 CLASSICS FROM THE 1980S

We love EZ Play Today music books and we love the ’80s so you know this is one of our favorites!  It’s available at ezplaycentral.com at The Pop/Rock Era: The ’80s .  With 112 pages this volume includes 26 great hits including:

HL #00100163

Song List:
Almost Paradise
Another Day In Paradise
Back In The High Life Again
The Best Of Times
Centerfold
Don’t Do Me Like That
Don’t Know Much
Every Breath You Take
Glory Of Love
Hard To Say I’m Sorry
Heaven
I Just Called To Say I Love You
I Wanna Dance With Somebody
If Ever You’re In My Arms Again
Jack And Diane
Lady In Red
Like A Prayer
On The Wings Of Love
One More Night
Refugee
Separate Lives
Summer Of ‘69
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
True Colors
Up Where We Belong
We Built This City

Instrumentation:
Electronic Keyboard
Organ
Piano/Keyboard

In the late 1930s in Winona, Minnesota, Harold “Hal” Edstrom, his brother Everett “Leonard” Edstrom and their friend Roger Busdicker had formed a very popular dance band. The Edstroms’ father didn’t approve of his sons becoming traveling musicians, and did not want them to use the family name. Consequently, Harold and Ev took parts of their names and called the band Hal Leonard. As leader of the Hal Leonard Band, Ev eventually became known as “Hal Leonard.”

Hal Leonard – the print publishing company – was founded in 1947, after the Hal Leonard Band broke up. At the time, Ev started a music store using the Hal Leonard name while Roger and Harold were both directing award-winning high school bands in Winona. In those days, most school bands played serious literature, but Harold and Roger had the unique ability (because of their professional experience) to arrange “popular” music for school bands. Soon band directors across the U.S. wanted their arrangements. They started to mimeograph copies and sell them. They realized that to successfully launch a new publishing company, they needed to license songs, so they ventured to New York’s Tin Pan Alley in search of copyrights. What they got on their trip was an education in publishing and the rights to “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now,” one of the most popular songs of the day. Eventually, many music publishers in New York were licensing Hal Leonard to do school band arrangements of their songs. Thus began their publishing business and a new industry.

The company grew and soon choral arrangements and a wider variety of band arrangements were added to their catalog of publications. In the early 1950s, the home organ industry began to grow rapidly. That is when Hal Leonard published The Pointer System for Organ, which eventually became the bestselling organ instruction method ever created. That method soon led to the first organ “benchpack,” which featured instruction books and songbooks packaged in the bench of an organ. In the late 1950s, The Pointer Systems for Guitar and Piano debuted, introducing millions of beginners to instant playing success.

In the mid-1960s, Hal Leonard began marketing band and choral music to educators by sending recordings of arrangements through the mail. This unique promotional concept is still used by virtually every music print publisher in the industry.

In 1970, Keith Mardak and associates started a new division of Hal Leonard in Milwaukee called Learning Unlimited to create the first book/audio music education products. This division soon outgrew the other divisions combined, and Mardak became general manager for the entire company. Shortly afterward, the Hal Leonard Guitar Method was launched, becoming one of the first methods to incorporate popular music. Released in 2002 in an updated Second Edition, this course today remains the leading guitar method in the world; it has taught millions of people how to play.

Hal Leonard continued to grow throughout the 1970s and in 1980 made the giant leap into popular music print publishing when it established a unique and very close relationship with Chappell Music, the world’s largest music publisher. Shortly thereafter, Hal Leonard increased its presence in virtually every music print market around the world. As a result, facilities in both Milwaukee and Winona were vastly expanded to accommodate corporate growth.

In 1985, Hal Leonard was purchased from the original founders by an internal management team led by Mardak. Since then, it has experienced consistent, dramatic growth due to creative, innovative and aggressive publishing and marketing.

Today, Hal Leonard Corporation, led by Chairman and CEO Keith Mardak and President Larry Morton, is the world leader in the music print industry. The company produces sheet music, songbooks, and method book/CD packs for all instruments, as well as band and choral arrangements, reference books, instructional DVDs and videos, CD-ROMs and other music software, children’s music products and more.

In its more than 120,000 available titles, Hal Leonard represents in print some of the world’s best known and most respected artists, such as: Aerosmith, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Mariah Carey, Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, Kelly Clarkson, Miles Davis, Neil Diamond, The Doors, Josh Groban, Jimi Hendrix, Billy Joel, Elton John, Robert Johnson, B.B. King, Diana Krall, Sarah McLachlan, Pat Metheny, Nirvana, Ozzy Osbourne, Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, The Police, Elvis Presley, Queen, Bonnie Raitt, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Frank Sinatra, Sting, Styx, Justin Timberlake, U2, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Who, Hank Williams, Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa and hundreds of others, plus the music of Irving Berlin, Disney, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Motown and Rodgers & Hammerstein.

Hal Leonard products are sold in more than 65 countries throughout the world through a large network of distributors. Domestically, the company markets its product to more than 7,500 music stores in the United States and Canada through a team of 45 sales representatives. Hal Leonard products are also sold through mass merchants and in bookstores, variety stores, toy stores, television shopping networks, department stores, electronics stores, record stores, and many other locations, as well as on the Internet. Hal Leonard is headquartered in Milwaukee, WI and also has domestic offices in Winona, MN; New York; and Nashville; and offices abroad in Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Each EZ Play Today music book includes a Registration Guide that corresponds to the Registration Number at the top left corner of each piece of EZ Play Today music.  The registration number indicates the instrument settings to use for the accompaniment – for example whether to use a brass section, theater organ, piano or something else.  To use the registration guide follow these instructions:

• Match the Registration number on the song to the corresponding numbered category below.  Select and activate an instrumental sound available on your instrument.
• Choose an automatic rhythm appropriate to the mood and style of the song.  Consult your instrument’s owner’s guide for proper operation of automatic rhythm features.
• Adjust the tempo and volume controls to comfortable settings.

Registration

1) Mellow – flutes, clarinet, oboe, flugel horn, trombone, french horn, organ flutes

2) Ensemble – brass section, sax section, wind ensemble, full organ, theater organ

3) Strings – violin, viola, cello, fiddle, string ensemble, pizzicato, organ strings

4) Guitars – acoustic/electric guitars, banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, ukulele, hawaiian guitar

5) Mallets – vibraphone, marimba, xylophone, steel drums, bells, celesta, chimes

6) Liturgical – pipe organ, hand bells, vocal ensemble, choir, organ flutes

7) Bright – saxophones, trumpet, mute trumpet, synth leades, jazz/gospel organs

Piano – piano, electric piano, honky tonk piano, harpsichord, clavi

9) Novelty – melodic percussion, wah trumpet, synth, whistle, kazoo, perc. organ

10) Bellows – accordion, french accordion, mussette, harmonica, pump organ, bagpipes

The E-Z Play® Today songbook series is the shortest distance between beginning music and playing fun! Features of this series include:

• full-size books – large 9″ x 12″ format features easy-to-read, easy-to-play music
• accurate arrangements – simple enough for the beginner, but with authentic-sounding chords and melody lines
• minimum number of page turns
• thousands of songs – an incredible array of favorites, from classical and country to Christmas and contemporary hits
• lyrics – most arrangements include complete song lyrics
• most up-to-date registrations – books in the series contain a general registration guide, as well as individual song rhythm suggestions
• guitar chord chart – all songs in the series can also be played on guitar, and many E-Z PLAY® TODAY songbooks include a guitar chord chart.

An ez play fan contacted us about Berklee Instant Keyboard. This ez play music can be found in the EZ Play Today items we sell. See the details at Berklee Instant Keyboard This cool new keyboard method will have students of all ages jammin’ right away! It features simple lessons to get you playing instantly, tips on playing and locking in with a bass player and rhythm section, and strategies to help you understand the keyboard and develop your own keyboard parts. Jam with the band in a variety of musical styles – including rock, blues, country and funk – on the accompanying CD.

A local pianist texted us regarding Top Country Hits. This is one of the ez play books contained in the EZ Play Today series. Take a look for yourself – Top Country Hits Simple arrangements of 17 super hits: Achy Breaky Heart • Ain’t That Lonely Yet • Back Home Again • Gone Country • My Maria • She Is His Only Need • You Ain’t Much Fun • more. Achy Breaky Heart (Don’t Tell My Heart) – Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til The Sun Comes Up) – Ain’t That Lonely Yet – Back Home Again – Forever And Ever, Amen – Gone Country – I’ve Come To Expect It From You – My Maria – Only In My Mind – She Is His Only Need – Take Me Home, Country Roads – The Battle Hymn Of Love – Till You Love Me – To Be Loved By You – When You Say Nothing At All – You Ain’t Much Fun – You’re Still The One

An ez play fan asked a question about Pop/Rock Hits. This hal leonard ez play today item is on our EZ Play Today website at www.ezplaycentral.com, which can be seen here Pop/Rock Hits 18 songs in the famous E-Z Play® notation by top artists such as Celine Dion, Elton John, John Denver, Bon Jovi and more. Includes: All by Myself • Annie’s Song • Blue Velvet • From a Distance • It’s All Coming Back to Me Now • Rocket Man • more. Achy Breaky Heart (Don’t Tell My Heart) – All By Myself – Annie’s Song – Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me – Blue Velvet – Calypso – Candle In The Wind – From A Distance – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Hurting Each Other – I Will Survive – It’s All Coming Back To Me Now – Leaving On A Jet Plane – Livin’ On A Prayer – Midnight Train To Georgia – Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye) – Rocket Man (I Think It’s Gonna Be A Long Long Time) – That Thing You Do!

A local pianist contacted us about Love Ballads. This ez play piano sheet music is a popular title in our EZ Play Today webstore (www.ezplaycentral.com). Take a look for yourself – Love Ballads 18 great ballads: Always • Annie’s Song • Butterfly Kisses • For All We Know • Hard Habit to Break • Leaving on a Jet Plane • Please Come to Boston • Somewhere Out There • You Must Love Me • Your Song • more. Always – Annie’s Song – Butterfly Kisses – Can’t Smile Without You – For All We Know – Hard Habit To Break – Have I Told You Lately – If We Hold On Together – It’s All Coming Back To Me Now – Leaving On A Jet Plane – Perhaps Love – Please Come To Boston – Reunited – Somewhere Out There – Sunshine On My Shoulders – When You Say Nothing At All – You Must Love Me – Your Song

An ez play fan called about West Side Story. This ez play today title is included in our list of EZ Play Today songbooks, which can be seen here West Side Story Nine songs from the adored score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim in our world-famous notation: America • Cool • I Feel Pretty • I Have a Love • Maria • One Hand, One Heart • Promenade from the Dance at the Gym • Somewhere • Tonight. America – Cool – I Feel Pretty – I Have A Love – Maria – One Hand, One Heart – Promenade From The Dance At The Gym – Somewhere – Tonight

A local musician sent an email regarding Simply Synth. This ez play organ music can be found in our offerings of EZ Play Today music. See the details at Simply Synth This is a fun “how-to” book for church pianists who may feel somewhat intimidated by electronic keyboards … sort of a “Synthesizer 101” approach! It features several duet arrangements for keyboard and acoustic piano that will fit perfectly in blended worship services. The arranger combines his considerable talents as a musician and teacher (along with his sense of humor!) in creating this much-needed resource for pianists who want to be able to use the technology at their fingertips! Topics include: intro to MIDI • choosing string patches • playing brass, woodwind & percussion parts • simple chord charts • voice leading • playing with acoustic piano • and more! BLESS THE LORD, O MY SOUL (ARR. C. TORNQUIST) – Fairest Lord Jesus – FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH (F. PIERPOINT/C. KOCHER) – JESU, JOY OF MAN’S DESIRING (BACH/ARR:LORIE LINE) – JESUS IS ALL THE WORLD TO ME (THOMPSON) – REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS (EVELYN TARNER) – SPIRIT OF GOD, DESCEND UPON MY HEART (F. ATKINSON) – THE CHURCH’S ONE FOUNDATION (S. WESLEY) – THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD – THIS IS MY FATHER’S WORLD (BOCK)