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I've recently listened to Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells for the first time since I was a kid ( and long before I played any instrument ). So....I'm a little obsessed and in danger of getting repetitive stress disorder!
I'm trying to find a good musical analysis of whats going on ( I'd be happy with just Part 1 ).
Does it stay in Am the whole time? It sounds like it modulates to other keys but I can't really tell what's happening.
I know its too complex a piece to be transcribed to just a piano score, but I figure it would be a fun challenge to try some improvisation with, if I could get my head around it without going mad....it already seems to have taken up permanent residence in my cranium!
If anyone has any insights/websites to share I'd appreciate
This live BBC performance of Part 1 is pretty awesome

Tubular Bells

Hi Suzi

I have no insights yet but like you was mesmerised by TB when it was released. You have given me the idea to go play some of now!
If no one else can offer anything, then in the words of the big muscle man ... I'll be back

This may take a while but good post

Andy

Hi Suzi

I did have the sheet music for it until quite recently. But of course now I actually want to look at it, I can't find it.

If I do find it, I'll be back as well :-)

Cheers

Thanks to you both! I'd be happy to purchase a score that was recommended by another piano player. I looked around a bit on the usual websites, but the snippets I could view looked a little dubious....

I tried Chordify and it's there...that could possibly be useful. Not Sure how accurate it is but I'll play around with it and see.

Good documentary here

Mike Oldfield BBC Documentary

First thing that I noticed on the score is the timing. This piece is so familiar to me that once the notes are in I would not count and rely on click and inner mind, Take it one section at a time ie per timing change.
For me I might just use the score as an indication and play by instinct due to the repetition. I think that's just how the musicians played in your link as there were some deviances from the original in there. This is all good and I believe how M O probably achieved the original back in the day. Best of luck with it all Suzy. Thanks for these links too by the way.
Let us know how you get on

Andy

Will do! I have the opening piano cycle down...RH alone at first and then punctuating the melody line with the LH ( I love the time change ). The rest as you say, I'll have fun trying to follow along or improvise with. I guess what I'm looking for is a cheat sheet/lead sheet/score that I can use to aid me instead of painstakingly listening and re-listening.
Thanks again for your input and encouragement. It's 5:30am here now and I've had my coffee so I'd better get playing....it's all downhill for my brain after that!

ha ha - wow that is early start Suzy - best of luck and if you get to a point where you are happy with it do a vid on YT or something so we can hear the results - you do not have to make it public and you will get a sympathetic response! .. just sayin'

Hi Suzy
I assume you have seen the versions on the internet? Posting anyway

https://www.virtualsheetmusic.com/score/HL-207543.html

https://www.onlinepianist.com/sheet-music/mike-oldfield/tubular-bells

I hope this is of some help.

The adapted score for solo instrument, presumably piano, was published by Wise Publications in about 1976 and the ISBN Number is 0.86001.249.2 (That is followed by "AM 1721D" with no description of what that refers to, is it part of the ISBN number? I don't know.) Included with the 38 pages of sheet music that are the adapted version of both sides of the piece was an article, "The text of this book originally appeared in "Let It Rock" magazine, December 1974, under the title of "Balm for the Walking Dead".

There are some good photos and an analysis by David Bedford included. A brilliant shot of Mike standing on an approx 1ft by 2ft grassy island in a pool in a field with sheep, he is completely surrounded by water yet his socks, sandals and flares are dry! It isn't the middle of the pool, but you couldn't jump or step that far.

Sometimes all sorts of things can turn up on blogs. It may be important to define "sheet music" in the description, or "PDF".

It is interesting to see it described as "easy" on some web-sites, for example, Bar 17 has 7/8 in the right hand and 3/4 in the left hand.
Bar 18 is 7/8 RH but 4/4 LH. I do not find this easy!
While RH remains 7/8, the LH then goes 3/4 in bar19 and 5/4 in bar 20!!

This continues until bar 40 when both hands become 3/4.

Good luck with your hunt. My copy has fallen apart after years of bending, stacking, folding and general abuse so it may now be difficult to find. However it was printed on good quality paper and has survived well. Considering the life it has been forced to lead.

Thank you so much Slipperykeys!! The ISBN number worked like a charm
The secondhand copies I located were very expensive, but I found a free PDF copy for downloading yay! It's exactly what I was looking for.
In the meantime, I've been having lots of fun just trying to follow along by ear in bits and pieces...
Maybe down the road I'll find a few people that would be into playing it together.
It was really great of you to take the time to pass that along, thanks again

Really glad that for once I could help. Good Luck.