Take Note

If you’re like me, the most stressful part of the holidays is finding the perfect gift for all my friends and loved ones. As so many of us here are musicians, we thought we’d share some gift ideas for musicians we’d love to see under our Christmas trees this year! We hope they’ll help you find just the right gift for the musicians in your life.

Constructing Melodic Jazz Improvisation – $24.95

If you’re familiar with the sounds of jazz greats like Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, JJ Johnson or Miles Davis, it’s likely that you were spellbound by their amazing improvisational solos. This book contains a very thorough method with which to acquire a solid foundation for growing your improvisational skills. The best part  about this book that it contains a play along CD to practice improvisation over a wide variety of chord changes. This is a perfect gift for the budding jazz musician.

Constructing Melodic Jazz Improvisation

Brendan
Trombonist and Assistant Marketing Manager

Circle of Fifths Watch – $49.95

Grappling for gift ideas for your musically inclined loved ones? Your family and friends will be impressed by the thoughtfulness of this creative gift that represents their musical side. This watch is the perfect gift for the enthusiastic musician. Also available for men and with a chromatic face. Plus, every musician needs to be on time and know their scales!

Circle of Fifths Watch

Jacy
Hornist and Customer Service Representative

The Real Book – Volume 1 (Book/USB Flash Drive Pack) – $63.99 (20% Off at Sheet Music Plus!)

The best of both worlds: a Real Book with hundreds of songs in it and a flash drive with a back-up band all in one place. Instead of getting genre or artist specific books with background accompaniment (also good) this book encompasses all genres and decades of songs. This is the ideal tool for playing gigs. You can take requests and play to the crowds taste. It’s great to see the music business come out with something so technologically advanced and applicable to gigging, performing musicians like me. Please Santa, I’ve been a good little trombone player this year.

The Real Book – Volume 1 (Book/USB Flash Drive Pack)

Zach
Trombonist and Online Merchandiser

Super GigLight Music Stand Light – $69.00

Increasingly thin budgets mean musicians are called on more and more to provide all of their equipment at gigs, and stand lights are often overlooked until the very last minute. Even if they already have one, a second can never hurt. It will make them the hero of the pit, as you can guarantee someone else will forget theirs!

Super GigLight Music Stand Light

Charles
Bassoonist and Search Marketing Manager

The Beatles – Complete Scores – $85.00

Having trouble shopping for musical friend? Do they like the Beatles? If you answered yes to both, Beatles Complete Scores is the perfect gift.
Performers can work on their bass, guitar, drums, or other skills by playing through some of the most iconic songs in the history of recorded music. Composers and arrangers can use the scores as an accurate reference rather than pared down guitar or piano solo arrangements. Even the box is a beautiful addition to any eclectic music library shelf. I agree with the publisher when they say this is “A must-own for any serious Beatles fan or collector.” I would add that anyone who is even remotely musically inclined would find many more fruitful and satisfying uses for such a definitive collection.

The Beatles – Complete Scores

Jeremy
Trombonist and Website Quality Assurance Specialist

Shure SM57 Microphone – $99.99

The Shure SM57 is an excellent microphone for any musician on a budget. It provides a beautiful sound at a decent price and is a must for any artist who is
looking to perform or record their music. Don’t gamble with your money on the other cheap microphones out there-this microphone is a step above the rest.

Shure SM57 Microphone

James
Trombonist and Music Information Specialist

Sibelius Notation Software – $119.95 – $599.95

If Santa’s going to spend his hard earned cash on me, I’m going to make sure that it gets put to good use in the new year. I owe him that much. So this holiday season I want to be the first one on my block to fire up the latest version of the Sibelius notation software. With high quality samples and an easy to read, intuitive interface, you’ll enjoy hours of fun with the whole family. Or by yourself in your studio. Heck, do a solid for a musician in your life and put this under their tree. You and yours won’t be disappointed!

Sibelius Notation Software

Allan
Rock Pianist and Fulfillment Associate

Alfred’s Teach Yourself to Play Guitar Complete Acoustic Pack – $149.99

My piano student’s parents often ask me for advice on the least expensive way to get their children started on guitar. This pack from Alfred Publishing is the perfect starter kit for any young and aspiring guitarist. It comes with everything you would need, including the guitar itself and instructional books, CDs & DVD, all for one low price!

Alfred’s Teach Yourself to Play Guitar Complete Acoustic Pack

Julie
Piano Teacher and Controller

Bach’s Complete Organ Works – $283.16 (20% Off at Sheet Music Plus!)

Many of my close friends are accomplished organists. They know that Bach is my desert-island composer. Individual volumes of Bach’s Organ works make wonderful gifts, and for someone extra-special, this complete boxed set in its customized Barenreiter case will be treasured.

J.S. Bach Organ Works – Complete

Judy
Vocalist and Director of Choral Marketing

Now that you’ve heard our recommendations now it’s your turn! As a musician, what do you want for Christmas?