Frequently asked questions.
Klezmer Playbooks
Orders & Payment
KlezmerPlaybook CLUB – Online Workshops
Do you have any questions that are not answered here? Send us an email!
Klezmer Playbooks
Why is the Klezmer Playbook not available as PDF?
The Klezmer Playbook and Klezmer Playbook 2 are only available as printed physical books, not as PDF. We apologise to those of you who live outside of Europe and have to pay expensive shipping costs, and to those who prefer to use iPads and tablets. Please understand that we like to protect our work by not giving out digital files of the books. It was an enormous amount of work to put these books together and we don’t want them to be spread easily over the internet. But on the other hand, this makes the Klezmer Playbook something special and precious, so welcome to the KlezmerPlaybook CLUB :-)
What is the Special Offer on Klezmer Playbooks?
Within each order, the first book is 35.00 and subsequent books are 20.00. This offer applies to all Klezmer Playbooks and is especially for ensembles and multi-instrumentalists who want more than one edition of the book. We are also thinking of our friends in the USA/Canada and outside of Europe to bulk an order together to save on shipping costs. The discount only applies within the same order and transaction, so we advise you to phone your band mates and all your musical klezmer-loving friends and order it on their behalf. Once they get their books, remember to tell them to sign up for the Klezmer Playbook CLUB, if they don’t know about it yet!
Which book should I buy?
The Klezmer Playbook comes in six editions for C, Bb and Eb instruments, Viola, Cello and Melody & Bass. If you play a non-transposing instrument like violin, accordion or flute then you need the book for C instruments. If you play clarinet, trumpet or tenor sax you probably read in Bb. Alto saxes are Eb instruments, and the Cello book is for any instrument reading bass clef. If you don't know what a transposing instrument or a bass clef is then you probably don't play any of those and you will be fine with the book for C-instruments. All the books include chord symbols. The Melody & Bass book is identical to the C book with an added bass line, intended for eg. pianists, guitar or bass players. The bass lines are not perfectly suitable for accordion so accordionists would be probably better off with just the C book. Please have a look at some sample pages of the books on our website before you make your decision.
Are the playalongs on a CD? I didn’t receive one.
The playalongs are available digitally via the link and password written on the inside front cover of your Klezmer Playbook. Each tune is recorded twice, in slow and faster tempo and each recording is with and without clarinet (= a piano-only backing track). So there are 4 playalong tracks for each tune, which is almost 10 hours of music, so it wouldn’t fit on a CD. You can play the playalongs directly in the browser or download them to your computer or mobile device. Make sure you have a good WIFI connection and enough space on your device while downloading. You can burn audio-CDs for your personal use, of course.
Can I access the playalongs if I don’t have a Dropbox account?
Yes, absolutely! You don’t need a Dropbox account to access the playalongs. Dropbox will ask you to sign up or log in – just ignore that. Also, do NOT click on "Copy to Dropbox"
or "Join Susi Szilvia on Dropbox" as these options are not available. You can either play the MP3s directly in your browser while you're online, or download them to your computer or a mobile
device. If a small window appears asking you to “Sign up or log in,” simply click the link at the bottom that says “Or continue with download only” – and you're done. Dropbox
makes this unnecessarily complicated.
Orders & payment
Can I pay for the Klezmer Playbooks to the same bank account I use for the CLUB workshops?
Please make sure to pay for your Klezmer Playbooks ONLY to the bank account we send you in the order confirmation email – it’s NOT the same one we use for CLUB workshops! The reason is simply that, for tax reasons, we have to keep book sales and workshop contributions strictly separate. Thanks for understanding!
Do you accept credit cards?
No, sorry. Our preference is for bank transfer. We can also accept payment by Paypal, but this incurs extra charges.
Can I pay with Paypal?
Yes, but our preference is for bank transfer. We can accept payment by Paypal, but this incurs extra charges. Please make sure that you send your payment to the email address we give you in the confirmation email.
How much are the shipping costs?
It depends on where you live. Postage within the UK is included. For Germany and all other countries, shipping costs will be added to your total and you’ll receive an email from us with the exact amount. Shipping to countries outside the EU or overseas can get quite expensive – the smallest international parcel starts at 16,00€ but the good news is: we can fit up to 5 books in one of those! So please don’t just order one book – make the most of it!
How long will it take till I get my book?
It depends on where you live. We ship regularly from Germany and the UK. We are full-time touring musicians, not a book shop, so sometimes it takes us a few days to respond to orders and deal with shipping. Thank you for your patience!