Dedication is the companion songbook to Michele McLaughlin’s 2008 CD by the same name, transcribed by David Shenton of New York Music Publishing. Most of these pieces are fairly easy to play. A few are in more difficult key signatures (“La Mia Famiglia” is in Gb and “When You were Still Around” in Ab) and “Palamidi Fortress” changes keys three times. “When You Were Still Around” has sections that are very high in the leger lines, as do “Drifting Through Antiquity,” “The Music Box Angel,” and “The Eternal City.” I mention this as only a “heads up.” There is no reason why you can’t pencil in what those notes are so you don’t have to stop and figure them out each time you come to them. There are some octaves and a few octave runs, but no big chords and no reaches of more than an octave. This is a fun songbook to play and ranges in difficulty from intermediate to upper intermediate. More advanced players will enjoy this colorful pieces and the expressiveness of the music. Recommended! It is available from 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.

When You Were Still Around - Key of Ab (4 flats) - level 4 - 4 pages
La Mia Famiglia Bella - Key of Gb (6 flats) - level 4 - 3 pages
Drifting Through Antiquity - Key of C Minor (3 flats) - level 4 - 2 pages
The Music Box Angel - Key of C Minor - level 3 - 4 pages
Just You & Me - Key of A Minor (no sharps or flats)/ C Minor - level 4 - 3 pages
The Eternal City - Key of C Minor - level 4 - 5 pages
Brandon’s Song - Key of C (no sharps or flats) - level 2 - 2 pages
Learning to Fly - Key A Minor / F (1 flat) - level 4 - 7 pages
My Little Darcy Lou - Key of C - level 3 - 2 pages
Palamidi Fortress - Key of C Minor/F Minor (4 flats)/Bb Minor (5 flats) - level 4 - 4 pages
Sad & Sorrowful Goodbye - Key of D Minor (1 flat)/Bb ( 2 flats) - level 4 - 4 pages
Dedication - Key of A Minor - level 4 - 5 pages
Venezia - Key of C - level 2 - 3 pages
Dream Come True - Key of C - level 3 - 3 pages