Campfire Songs, 3rd (Campfire Books) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

I really like this small size paperback. It has a super selection of over 100 songs divided into about a half dozen categories such as "Spirituals and Gospel Hymns", "American Folk Songs and Rounds", etc. Within the categories the songs are sorted by title. The folk melodies are represented by single sequential notes, with chords presented above the melody line. The chords are simple, and as presented allow plenty of time between chords changes making these songs particularly fun to play. The chords are generally ones that most guitarists would be familiar with although there are some, e.g., B-flat-7th, and F-sharp-7th, that may be slightly less familiar. The general form of the music resembles a 'fake book'. However, for me, the layout of this book makes it much more comfortable to use than most fake books I have seen.

However there are, in my judgment, some minor weaknesses with this book. The binding appears to be glued in rather than sewn. Normally one would prefer to use a music book flat, with this book I would anticipate, perhaps incorrectly, that opening it flat might result in a split binding.

Although the simple melodies make it easy to play on either guitar or keyboard, the downside of this simplicity is that on an instrument such as a piano/portable keyboard the songs do not have a 'full' sound. Also, the melodies for two of the first songs I looked at did not quite match in some respects the melodies for these songs as I remembered them. For example, for the song "He's got the Whole World in His Hands", the notes associated with the first "in his hands" lyrics are shown as:C-E-C, to my ears this should instead be C-D-C. I hope the authors read this review and re-check the melodies and post a review to let us know which, if any, do need correction. Probably with the aim of keeping the book's size relatively compact, verses to songs are often truncated. For example, the folk song Clementine is missing one of the verses I find most humorous.

My copy of this book, recently purchased, is shown as the third edition, I hope there is a fourth and that in the next edition the authors will double check the melodies and consider adding lyrics to songs where some may have been dropped. The price is really a bargain, but I hope the publishers will consider using a sewn binding, even if it means a slight increase in price; I would certainly be willing to pay the difference.

In spite of some minor shortcomings, I really liked the format, songs chosen, chord selections, and simple straight-forward melodies. The small size is particularly appealing; and I am considering getting a second copy to carry around and leave my original at home. It really is fun to use.

This little book of music brings you back to your childhood and all the songs you learned while growing up. I have been looking for a music book like this for years so I could accompany my nieces and nephew on my guitar. This book has many classic folk songs, spirituals, and several patriotic ones that are so much fun to sing. The chords are real easy too! I will enjoy this book for years to come.

I agree with other "raters" that the size of this book is great for camping, hiking, etc. It could fit into a traditionally sized pocket and you could easily find room for it in a back pack, etc. Each song also has notes, so that if you don't know the melody, you can pick it out on the piano. However, it is definately not a piano book, the notes are not arranged for that - just a simple one-handed tune. I was disappointed That most songs only have one verse and the chorus. Occasionally, a 2nd verse is included. But, I would like 4-5 verses for songs that have them.