I have updated this review because the songbook is now available as a spiral-bound printed book!

The Beyond Measures & Time songbook is the companion sheet music book for Steve Rivera’s 2018 solo piano album by the same name. All eleven pieces from the album are included in the book and were transcribed by John Zechiel and proofed and edited by me. Since the album is solo piano, some of the sheet music is somewhat more complicated than Steve’s Dividing the Darkness songbook (that recording featured additional instrumentation), but should be accessible to most pianists at an upper-intermediate/ early-advanced playing level. (More advanced pianists will enjoy the beauty and expressiveness of the music.) The book includes an “About Steve” page at the end and features enlarged versions of the front and back covers of the CD on the front and back covers of the book.

The layout of the music is spacious and easy to read. Metronome settings as well as expression and dynamics are clearly marked. An interesting variety of moods and experiences are expressed in the music, making the songbook appropriate for any age group as well as for teaching material for piano lessons. There are just a few places where there is an awkward reach for pianists with smaller hands, but not many at all. The music is very enjoyable to play, and the sheet music is available as PDF downloads for individual pieces or the full songbook from www.steveriveramusic.com. It is now also available as a spiral-bound printed book at the link to the left!

The titles, the keys they are in, and the number or pages are:

Suspended Dream - Key of E minor (1 sharp) - 5 pages
Passing Shadows - Key of C minor (3 flats) - 4 pages
Unlocking the Moments - Key of G (1 sharp) - 5 pages
Spectrum of Thoughts - Key of G# minor (5 sharps) - 8 pages
Falling Closer - Key of Bb (2 flats) / Bb minor (5 flats) - 6 pages
In My Own Memories - Key of Db (5 flats) - 6 pages
Waves and Particles - Key of E minor (1 sharp) - 5 pages
From the Beginning - Key of Eb minor (6 flats) - 3 pages
Dark Tides - Key of E minor (1 sharp) - 7 pages
Fragmented Dreams - Key of F# minor (3 sharps) - 4 pages
Measures & Time - Key of G minor (2 flats) - 4 pages