Michele McLaughlin - The Journey Songbook

The Journey Songbook

Michele McLaughlin

2011 / Michele McLaughlin

11 songs

The Journey songbook is a collection of eleven of the twelve pieces on Michele McLaughlin’s 2002 album by the same name. (The piece that wasn’t included is “A New Day,” which was orchestrated rather than solo piano.) The majority of these pieces are relatively easy, fairly slow, and most are in easier key signatures. There are quite a few passages where octaves are played on either hand, but there are no chords with a reach of more than an octave. The notation is clear and roomy, with transcriptions by John Zechiel and David Shenton. A couple of my own favorites are “The Struggle Within,” “Saying Goodbye,” and “Letting Go.” The songs in The Journey are fun to play and will bring pianists of average and above playing skills a lot of pleasure. It is available from www.michelemclaughlin.com.

Below is a list of the songs in the book, listed in the order they appear on the CD. I have included the key signatures and how many sharps and flats are in those keys, the level of difficulty on a scale of 1-5 compared to Michele’s other pieces (with 1 being the easiest and 5 the most advanced), and the number of pages.

The Greatest Gift - Key of D minor (1 flat), F minor (4 flats), Db (5 flats) - level 4 -

5 pages

A Clearer Vision - Key of G (1 sharp) - level 3 - 4 pages

The Struggle Within - Key of D minor (1 flat) - level 4 - 5 pages

Saying Goodbye - Key of G minor (2 flats) - level 3 - 3 pages

Letting Go - Key of C minor (3 flats) - level 3 - 4 pages

Going Home - Key of Bb (2 flats) - level 3 - 4 pages

Learning To Grieve - Key of A minor - level 1 - 1 page

Moving On - Key of C - level 3 - 3 pages

A Fresh Start - Key of D minor - level 4 - 4 pages

The Awakening - Key of C - level 4 - 4 pages

Inner Peace - Key of C - level 4 - 4 pages