What Is The Difference?

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 10:03pm

I am on Amazon.com and am looking at the songbooks for Avenue Q and Legally Blonde. There are "Vocal/Piano Selections" versions and "Vocal Line w/ Piano Accompaniment" versions. I have never purchased these before, so what is the difference? Thanks.

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 10:12pm

Most likely the accompaniment version has no melody at all, and is just used the same as a musical director's score...

[dramarama2]

Posted: 8/14/09 at 11:47pm

Piano/Vocal has the vocal melody in the piano part.

[rufussars]

Posted: 8/15/09 at 1:26am

Deciding which version to get largely depends on what purpose they will serve. The "Melody Line with Piano Accomp." is just that. So, if these songs were to be used for mostly audition/solo settings, that one would be your better bet as the pianist would have a more accurate orchestral reduction to play underneath your melody. Otherwise, if you yourself are the pianist, the straight (and much more common) "Piano/Vocal Selections" might be the better choice since it includes a (most likely) simpler accompaniment part with an incorporated melody (although, some argue that tying the melody into the accompaniment actually makes the latter version MORE difficult; ah, well, that factor depends entirely on the specific score).