Complete Music for the Fife and Drum
Just a quick review of this book and cd. I found that this book has some unique futures that many other books on fifing. The music is well annotated showing not only the normal staccato marks and dynamics, but also includes marks for breathing and has chords for guitars in Bb and D. For the fifer, the book has a fingering chart for trills, something I have not seen in any other book. If knew how to read drum music, I am sure that it would be equally well thought out. Although not a complete How To for marching, the book does have tips spread through it.
The end of the book has Mr. Sweets views on articulation of the fife, how traditions change, and comments and history of the songs in his book. This section of the book is worth going to the library and reading even if you do not play the fife. Through out the book there are illustrations, some of which are diagrams of instruments and others are just humorous additions.
At times the organization of the book seemed odd, for example the fingering chart that he provides is on page 30-31 and the medleys on the CD are not in the same order as they appear in the book.
The CD that accompanies the book is clear and presents the music in such a way that a person could play along just as easily with the drum as the fife.
There is obviously songs that are in Complete Music for the Fife and Drum that are in Bruce and Emmett’s The Drummers’ and Fifers’ Guide, but there are enough comments and historical notes on those songs to bring insight even to the repeated songs.
This book does not go over the rudimental principals the way that B&E does, but that was not the intent of the book, instead it provides music with some additional tips not found in other books and would be a useful addition to other fife books.