Steely Dan Complete

Amazon's search engine gave me this when I searched for sheet music. It's back-stories about the songs, but not actual music. I returned it without reading. The sheet music book cover looks very similar when I found it. Be careful.

I bought this book for the “popular” hits, as im attempting to play on harp and wanted voicings and color tone chords Steely Dan is known for. FM is one if my favorites and it is not in here. How can publisher say it is “complete”?On a good note, it does contain “Black Cow” and it was hard to find that in sheet music in a book. So i got no FM in exchange for a Black Cow. LolOtherwise there is a great selection of tunes, and more than i need for my project. Would recommend thus far, but not played anything out of it yet so cannot comment to accuracy of chords, etc.

I can play most rock songs by ear, but not the Dan. If you don’t like playing on the black keys, look out: we’re talking F#, A flat, etc. Also many minor 7ths, 9ths, and even 11ths, if your hands can stretch that far. I’ve been working on “Rose Darling” since Dec.; thought I had it , then realized I hadn’t learned the bridge…oh well. Becker and Fagen’s music is so original, so layered and intelligent, that the effort is worthwhile. I can read music, but the guitar chords proved to be useful shortcuts and aids to improvisation. Playing Steely Dan music is like hanging out with the smartest people you’ve ever met. Recommended!

Generally good transcriptions although some advanced chords are not spelled out.

Great book

Summary: Just buy the individual sheet music for the individual songs2 really big problems with this book:First, the intros and leads in the songs are missing or "summarized"Second, the keys are wrong, so you cant play along with the song.If you compare the sheet music on-line with what is in this book you can see what I am talking about. The sheet music on line is correct and complete, the "content" in this book does not resemble the actual music.I am a huge Steely fan and a have recently taken up keyboard playing. Steely Dan is a band of great complexity given the quality of the musicians, This book is a travesty and its clear that the authors of the music (becker and fagan) were not involved in the creation of this book. If you cant create a book that celebrates such a complex band with correct sheet music, just dont publish the book! Its not like the correct sheet music is not available...Now I am stuck with a really useless book I cant return.BTW, its missing "FM" !!!!

This book was 100% what I was looking for! I bought Steely Dan Complete for my father , who was wanting the Katied Lied PVG book .. But could not find the album book by itself. He has all the albums on CD and was so happy when I gave it to him!! It was for fathers day.. But when i got it in the mail ( i ) was so excitied about how it was exactly what I was looking for , I had to give it to him a month early!! =)

As one who has spent most of my musical career playing folk music it was quite an adventure to take this u And to challenge myself with the music of Steely DAn. It's wonderful just to use the chord progressions for practice if nothing else but ha d to learn "Reelin in the Years" for food measure. Seller provided in record time & I perfect shape

I mostly agree with the other reviewers. However, I have a SD song book from long ago (first four albums--with the pink paper). The introduction is written by Donald and Walter with a particularly interesting section written by Denny Dias in which he describes the real "secret" to playing Steely Dan songs: the "mu" chord. Look up "mu chord" in Wikipedia, scroll down to "Sources" and click the link "Intro to the Steely Dan Song Book". Denny fully explains the mu chord and the text is exactly what I have in my original SD book... including chord diagrams.Because you're here, the mu chord, in E as a basic open chord, is E, B, F#, G#, B, E, or if you prefer intervals, 1, 5, 2, 3, 5, 1. I'm not a musician so I don't know if it's called a 2 or a 9. Either way, the 2 voiced beside the 3 is what gives SD its unique sound. The essential element (to me) seems to be the stacked 5ths: E-B, B-F#, which adds richness to the bottom. Then the F#(2nd) to G#(3rd) is also a major 2nd. It's such a warm chord structure.Once you have a feel for the sound you'll start hearing it everywhere (in SD songs). Apply the structure to D, A and E and you'll have a halfway decent sounding "Rikki Don't Lose That Number". (oh, and that riff before the chorus is B, D#, G#, A, D, G#, A, E... notes, not chords). You can also hear the mu well in the chorus of Reelin' In The Years.The only place I've noticed it being used with a minor third is in The Boston Rag "... and the feeling was bad at home" the chord under "home" (as an open Am: A, E, F#,C, E). Beautifully dissonant, the 2 beside the flat 3 (gives a minor 2nd).I am WAY off topic. The book will point you in the right direction but if you play Josie with Fm7 the way it's written in the book (1st fret) it will sound terrible, so to be (more) successful with this book you should be (or become) familiar with a variety of voicings for any particular chord.

Good but frustrating if you want to play along to the records

This is the most complete collection of Steely Dan tunes. There are other books with more detailed transcriptions, but for a non-pro, who doesn't aspire to be the next Donald Fagen, just have fun with some great old melodies, this is a good place to start. Later one can add intros and solos by listening to the actual songs, but adding too much info to begin with can also be a bit intimidating. Would have preferred a spiral bound book, but you cannot have it all!

Love Steely Dan. The music! Those chords! Those musicians! Great to find a book that has a proper crack at the lot.

No dumbing it down, this book is the best for SD fans.