by Dr. Matthew Warnock.

Countless guitarists have laid in bed late at night and dreamed of being David Gilmour, of soloing onstage next to Roger Waters or Syd Barrett, of laying down the opening riff to "Money" in front of a sold out crowd at Wembley Stadium. While these experiences may be out of reach for the average guitarist, the good people at Alfred Music Publishing have put out a play-along book and CD package that allows any guitarist the chance to spend some time in David Gilmour's shoes, at least in the comfort of the practice room. Pink Floyd: The Ultimate Guitar Play-Along is a compilation of some of the band's greatest hits, arranged to allow any guitarist to play and sing in place of Gilmore, Barrett or Waters alongside a killer rhythm section. Though playing along with a CD can't replace jamming with a live band, the package provides a new and fun way for guitarists to learn to play these nine Pink Floyd classics.

The nine songs chosen for the play-along book and CD represent the diversity of Pink Floyd's extensive catalogue. Starting with "See Emily Play," which was written by original front man Syd Barrett in 1967, the book moves chronologically through the band's biggest hits such as "Time," "Money" and "Wish You Were Here" before finishing up with Roger Waters' "The Fletcher Memorial Home" which was written in 1982. The songs present guitarists with a wide variety of techniques, including single note and chord riffs, chordal strumming, fingerpicking and single-note solos. Guitarists can also use a variety of guitars and effects throughout the play-along in order to fully emulate the sound of each song. Classics such as "Wish You Were Here" are great examples of Gilmour's acoustic playing, while "Comfortably Numb" showcases the guitarist's highly-sustained distorted sound that inspired a generation of players to run out and buy sunburst Fender Strats. The diversity of songs, techniques and timbres adds variety to the play-along package and prevents the practicing of these tunes from becoming boring or monotonous.

Every song is written out in standard musical notation and tablature, with chord symbols written over each bar for easy reference. The specific voicings for these chords are all located underneath the song's title, which is customary for any Alfred guitar book. By including all three notational methods, Alfred is allowing guitarists to decide if they want to play the lead line or strum along with the chord changes, and the standard notation provides the exact rhythmic notation to help those reading the tab with the timing of each riff. The riffs and solos are written out with the utmost detail, which may seem daunting at first for the more inexperienced player, but the high level of detail makes it much easier to learn each piece fully and accurately. For those guitarists who may not be totally familiar with the notation used in the charts, there is a five-page guide to the tablature symbols located in the back of the book following the last tune.

The book is accompanied by two play-along CDs that contain two distinct versions of each song. The first CD contains all nine songs with the lead vocals removed, though background vocals are still included for reference. All of the other parts are present, including the lead guitar part that is notated in the book, allowing guitarists to have a guide track when playing along with the CD. By including the lead guitar part on this CD, it provides a guidepost from which to learn before moving on to the second CD, which has the lead guitar part removed. The musicians chosen to record the play-along tracks on both CDs, do a bang-up job of providing picture-perfect renditions of the original recordings. Though the band doesn't have that certain je ne sais quoi that made Floyd what they were, these musicians can lay down a groove with the best of them, which makes the tunes easy to follow by guitarists of any level of experience.

The second CD included with the book is the "Play-Along" CD. This disc features all nine songs being performed with the main guitar part and vocal part removed. This is so that guitarists and singers can play with the CD as if they were jamming along with a real band. While the play-along CD is not going to perfectly imitate playing with a live band, it provides guitarists the chance to learn these songs along with real musicians, instead of tapping their foot or jamming with a metronome. From a learning standpoint, having the guitar and voice removed will really test one's knowledge of these songs as there are no cues to latch on to, such as there are when playing along with the first CD or with the actual recordings. Guitarists will have to use their ears and count through difficult sections of these pieces which only amplifies the pedagogical nature of this book and CD set. This aspect is what makes this play-along a stronger learning device than if it were just a collection of nine Pink Floyd songs accompanied by the original recordings.

Probably the most interesting, and helpful, item included in this package is the TnT Tone and Tempo Changer. When either CD is inserted into a PC or Mac computer, users can choose to open the TnT program, which allows players to slow down or speed up as well as change the key of any song. This is a great learning tool for those guitarists who want to learn a particularly tough passage or solo but can't quite get it up to speed with the play-along. Instead of practicing along with a metronome or tapping their foot, players can simply drag a scroll bar to slow down the song to a level at which they are more comfortable. When they can play the lick, solo or whole song at a slower tempo, guitarists can increase the tempo until they reach the original speed the tune was written in. The other option, being able to change the key of any song, will not be that useful for those who just want to learn the chords and guitar parts, but it will be extremely helpful for singers who need to change the key of any song to better fit their voice. Instead of straining to sing along with any song in the original key, singers can simply click a button to raise or lower the key by a half-step until they reach one that is comfortable for their vocal range.

Pink Floyd: The Ultimate Guitar Play-Along is as educational as it is enjoyable. By offering guitarists the chance to play their favorite Floyd songs along with a world-class rhythm section, with or without a guitar track, Alfred is giving players a chance to not only better their guitar playing but to have fun while learning to play these classic songs.

Track Listing:
See Emily Play
Time
Money
Have a Cigar
Wish You Were Here
Young Lust
Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)
Comfortably Numb
The Fletcher Memorial Home

Link:
Pink Floyd: Ultimate Play Along- Book & CD on Amazon.com