Song Book
"Get this song book. It belongs in your library. It belongs on your music stand, because it's more than a collection of songs ..." (Victory Music Reviews)
Self-Propelled Music. ISBN: 978-0-981033-0-8
Songbook price: €25 plus shipping from Ireland. Please contact Tom for full cost.
Digital Edition: €12 - This is the latest edition of the book in PDF format. A WeTransfer link to the songclips files (a verse and chorus of each song) will also be provided . Please email Tom to purchase.
Having decided that 1000 sold copies was
sufficient - it appears Tom was mistaken! His songbook,
originally produced after many suggestions and requests, too
many years of cogitation, and copious bucketfuls of (virtual)
sweat, was to have been retired this year. However, market
forces prevailed, and he has bowed to numerous requests for a
further print run - although, in consideration of his
advancing years (we have just had a brilliant celebration of
his 80th birthday) and not wishing to burden his daughter with
too much to dispose of when he shuffles off this mortal coil -
only 50 more have been commissioned. All of Tom's compositions
are included, having persuaded the wonderful Ed Wilson to dust
off his copy of Finale PrintMusic and provide the musical
notation to the latest song,
'A Shanty for Singin' .
Worth the Singin' encompasses the music and lyrics to all of Tom's original songs, plus those songs which have either his lyrics or melodies; in whole or in part; totalling 41 songs and one lonely little poem.
The package is 110 pages, in 8.5” X 11” format, to accommodate text fonts which should not tax aging eyesight; and (insofar as possible) with musical notation and lyric of each piece on facing pages. The high-quality wire binding enables the book to conveniently lie flat, and the thicker pages and covers facilitate it standing upright where required. Those covers are laminated and glossy, the better to withstand the depredations of slopping tankards and beer-soaked pub tables.
Each song is accompanied by some drivel (let's call it "commentary", shall we?), mostly pertaining to the relevant piece, at least loosely — even if the relevance may not be immediately apparent to the casual glance!
The musical notations were achieved using Finale PrintMusic and the assistance of a 'bona fide' professionally qualified musician. Tom's intention has been to make them clear and (for the most part) un-sophisticated. You'll find simple chord notations where appropriate.
For the un-tutored musician (like Tom!) each book comes with a professionally manufactured (43 tracks) CD containing at least the first verse and chorus of each song.
Supplementary pages detail some information and comment in respect of 53 other songs, to be heard on Tom's recordings — the traditional, the borrowed and the stolen.