Music Books

This book contains essential information for any music student. Purchased to address physical discomfort that required a year-long sabbatical and hand therapy, splints, etc. Previous methods researched included the Taubman method, etc. were much too time-consuming and impractical for the average person who practices less than 12 hours a day. The material on the mechanics of playing was very helpful in helping me overcome tendonitis and shoulder pain. As for practicing approaches, he first part of the book (A Reason For Practicing: Why Do You Practice, Why Don't You Practice and Concentration) is motivating and inspiring, something I refer to again and again. Helped me understand why I practice and don't practice. Addresses psychological barriers that may influence one's approach to music. Wonderful section on concentration, memory, Listening, You and the Piano and Choreography. Section on Performance Anxiety was also insightful and provided innovative approaches.

Bernstein's book is full of great lessons on how to improve your piano playing. This book and "The Art of Piano Playing" by Newhaus should be on every piano player's shelf. I gained a great deal of insight from reading this book and plan to read it again and again. This book will help any serious student of the piano no matter what your level. As you improve your skills you will turn more and more to this book because it will help you at each level. A must read.

If you can tolerate all the touchy-feely psychobabble, the boasting, self-promotion and pretentiousness, you will find some genuinely worthwhile and (to me anyway) original ideas on a variety of topics -- how to memorize, how to strike a balance between staying loose and obtaining a "big sound", hmmm, I might be able to come up with one or two more. So basically, you're looking at a high noise-to-signal ratio here. On the other hand, if you hate to practice and you're looking for a motivational book, this may be just the thing.

I got a LOT out of this book. The suggestions helped me flesh out many misunderstandings I have at the piano. My teacher told me it's all about concentration and Seymour Bernstein gives tons of suggestions to helped get me to the level of concentration I needed to achieve. I'm an A.D.D. type, mind wondering practicer who focused way too much on muscle memory even though I consider myself musical and the piano hasn't been my primary instrument. That led me to certain distracting physical challenges that took away from the musicality. This book will help you understand how to listen to yourself better and consider all of the notes when you're playing instead of the bulling though hard parts. Get this book, The Art of Piano Playing by Heinrich Neuahus and Piano Technique by Walter Giesking. These books vary in thier suggestions but you can build a complete point of view out of them to find yourself in your piano playing.

Before reading this, I thought it was a kind of mechanical things. And I treated playing piano carelessly. But this book helped me to be serious about it.The title itself shows his idea on piano playing. In the first part I reflected on my attitude to practicing and my teacher. He suggests various aspects of techniques in the second part. Not all of suggestion worked for me but surely it is worth reading.If you are interested in 'why' and 'how as an intermediate player, I think this book is for you.

I purchased for my wife to better understand iPod and iTunes. She likes it, therefore I'm happy with it.. Nuff said..

to have to admit that I knew absolutely nothing about iPods other than what they were and that they looked rather cool.

But I'll never have to admit that again. This book is great for those of us who are "absolute beginners". I think it may even prove helpful to people who have a good understanding of the function of iPods but get really messed up in the organization of their iTunes libraries.

The book is broken down into three sections; iPods, iTunes, and iTunes store. The author covers each section thoroughly and yet keeps it light and entertaining.

The book has really helped to get me started with a good basic, maybe even advanced?, understanding of all things iPod.

I knew absolutely nothing about iTunes or iPods..... This book is excellent - it's helped me sort everything out. It's clear, written in as simple language as you get with anything to do with computers and what I really love is that my screen actually matches the illustrations in the book. I'd recommend it to anyone starting out.

I am new to the ipod experience. All the kids have had them for sometime. I was confused on all the little details which now seem simple due to this easy to read and understand book. Recommend it to all.

The iPod is an intuitive device and most folks need only play with it to use most functions. The same thing is true for iTunes. It's when you have gone beyond the obvious and hit a snag or an annoyance that you find whether a reference is useful or not. This books does well at anticipating "second level" issues and provides good guidance. A good example is"compilations" which affects how you browse and hot music is organized. Through the index, I zeroed right in on how this works and setting it to my preference. I would recommend you start with this book whether an absolute beginner or just in need of a reference.

If you think that you might benefit from "therapy", listen to these programs. A large part of the effort of therapy is getting an individual to open to themselves, to see themselves as they really are, as a precursor to making changes in their life. Caroline Myss' recordings of "Energy Anatomy" and "Advanced Energy Anatomy" open the door to that introspection, giving you a framework in which to see your past life, and present actions. True, you may not agree with everything she says. But I guarantee you will find yourself nodding in agreement over and over again, at the insightful ways she presents the workings of human minds and emotions. And you will find Caroline Myss offering you answers to many of the questions you've asked yourself ("Why do I do this?" "Why did I do that?") over the years. I'm not recommending you forego therapy, if you really need it. Professional therapy can be very valuable. But I am saying that Caroline's recordings are a terrific way of getting in touch with yourself, and seeing yourself clearly (maybe for the first time), regardless of whether you want to pursue professional counseling, or not. And because (as Caroline says) the mind and emotions are prime determinants of the health of the body, this is an excellent series for anyone interested in taking good care of their body, and creating the best health possible for a vibrant and very happy life.

Caroline's wisdom is remarkably shared with examples that I can understand and encompass. This is not my first Caroline Myss tape, but it has helped me more than I can write. I'm from a family of "victim" archetypes and I have a tendency to overspend when I'm letting my "child" archetype have control of my thoughts. Caroline's tapes have helped me make positive changes in my life that I would have taken years to even comprehend before these tapes. Buy the CD version because you will want to listen to the lessons over and over.

I listened to the first Energy Anatomy set and loved it, so I bought the Advanced set. I was disappointed. There is less actual material, more pontificating. Fewer real life stories, more bold, brazen and mostly unusable assertions. Above all there is far less charm, humility, humor and humanity. Myss must have a clientele of new-age noodle heads who enjoy being berated. Or maybe she's just sick of her audience. But she says a lot of things like "you have no idea what the consequences of any action will be, and your foolish to think you do". Well, if that were true, getting from your bathroom to your car in the morning would be impossible, right? She says "you have absolutely no idea how much you've been influenced by the social mind." Well, actually I've given this quite a bit of thought, Carolyn, but then you wouldn't know that because YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA who I am.

Also, content-wise, I don't find this to be about "advanced energy anatomy" at all, but about archetypes, which is a bit of a different subject. Pass on this title and listen to her previous work, before fame made her arrogant.

Described as Advanced it means exactly that. But, most chapters in the series of 9 CDs are easy to follow and really don't need too much previous spiritual reading. The material reveals what the listener is ready to hear no matter the stage of a person's inner development. Listen to chapters that appeal most to you. And when they appeal to you. You will be sure to learn something you've never heard before, gain new perspective you've never had before. And if you were to listen to the lessons again at another time, you will be sure to still pick up new insight only because your own experiences and spiritual maturity add to the experience of listening to this series.

Mysticism is being able to see the unseen world---to see the invisible world. Mysticim is deeply cultivated insight. Carolyn Myss teaches you through Advanced Energy Anatomy ways to cultivate your insight and presents mystical insight in easy to understand monologue. She is truly a leading teacher of our times. Her speech is easy to follow and her samples are always practical and involving.

The introduction and discussion archetypes can help you understand your self better and your relationships with others and the world better.

The lessons on creativity and spiritual vocations are inspiring. Being able to see your creativity and your dreams interwoven and inseparable can help you understand yourself better and seek fulfillment...at the same time realizing your divine potential.

The discussion on survival, creative and visionary intuition was only one of my favorite new discoveries.

For those who seek to heal themselves and maybe even others, this audio set is very, very enlightening.

So much wisdom and insight is found here! Don't just listen, take out your notebook, post it notes or journal and write the best of what you hear.

Of the many spiritual readings I have endeavored, here is a series that is well worth your money. For practicality, for spirituality... for joining heaven and earth within you...don't miss this series!

Caroline Myss at her best!! The most profound answers to the questions you didn't even know you had asked.
I listen to this series over and over and highly recommend it to anyone who is seeking to live in accordance with their higher truths.

I loved this book so much I have decided it is definitely a keeper. I will reread it over many times

Funny, touching, passionate. Make me laugh and then cry. There's no doubt, this book is the best novel i've ever read.
Read it more and more!

WHEW! HOT, STEAMY. he's a hunk but he is mean in the beginning this book will make you cry. It is Diana at her best.

I enjoy all of Diana Palmer's books, but this one is especially good - highly recommended.

Description from the book back cover:

It all started as a joke. Sabina Cane was only pretending to be engaged to her best friend, millionaire Al Thorndon. Al had talked her into this scheme as way to trick his older brother, Thorn. Al had no choice but to lie and make Sabina his accomplice, and she thought it would be for just one night. So when Thorn accused her of being a gold-digger, she just laughed it off. She didn't think of the repercussions - that Thorn would dig up her long-buried secrets. Revealing them now would destroy everything she'd worked so hard to put behind her. But she couldn't let her best friend down, could she?

Diana Palmer is so good! This is another one of her wonderful novels. Why is it that I always get so upset at the male leads and then fall head over heels for him? It must be because she expresses the male character so well, you can't help but understand his conflict and reactions. I became emotionally involved in this book and it satisfied me in every way!

The best educational book on jazz. Covers ride cymbal, comping, solo ideas, uptempo, brushes and has a good play along cd. All of the written words do a fantastic job of putting things in context. Mr. Riley clearly knows his stuff. "Beyond Bop Drumming" is also a great book for more advanced jazz playing.

This book is fantastic sorce material for any intermediate drummer looking to begin exploring jazz. For experienced players the content can be quite challenging and the advice is imminently valuable. Really a spectacular educational resource.

I'm simply going to reinforce what you may have heard elsewhere: this is as good a foundational text on jazz and bop drumming as you can find (along with Ed Soph's and Jim Chapin's books).

If you are interested in learning to PLAY jazz and bop on the drums, this book takes you from a level assuming some knowledge of the drum kit, little knowledge of jazz, and brings the two together in a very logical way.

I have milked four years (so far, many more to go) out of this book with regards to the density, depth and entertainment/interest-level of the material.

I bought this book after playing professional jazz gigs for 4 years. It is authentic and a great place to start for beginning to intermediate jazz drummers. The CD is a nice accompaniment.

Like Jazz? Don't like Jazz? It doesn't matter. Whether you like to swing or not, this book WILL make you a better drummer and musician. The triplet feel is almost its own dimension in drumming and every drummer should master it. Although it is targeted for bebop jazz (basically faster swing feel as far as a drummer is concerned), this book will give you plenty of exercises and ideas you can incorporate in any genre. The exercises are great for independence and time-keeping, and offer very, very good fill and solo ideas.

As for aspiring jazz drummers, there is absolutely no question, GET this book. Any jazz professor at the university level would approve and it is used widely in music schools such as Berklee and Indiana University Music School (I graduated from IU).

The lessons on brushes are crucial and if you have never placed your hand on a brush, here is where you should start looking.

The accompanying CD is great as well and helps you to master a good swing time, listen to exercises being played, listen to compositions and play along tunes with a bassist or with a whole rhythm section.

A wealth of information. Techniques, warm-up scales, alternate fingerings, transposition, practice music to improve different areas such as range, intervals, pitch. Learned about this from a horn player in the Dallas Symphony when I was in high school, found it very useful when I played with the Guam Symphony, and used it regularly when I returned to playing after several years of absence. Given it to young players across the US and overseas.

This book is my favorite of all time-- and for a teenager, that may seem strange. I have played horn for about four months, and this is my reference for any issues from technical problems, to practice advice, to encouragement and warnings. Philip Farkas speaks in a way that I love-- he offers frank advice and talks to the reader in a voice that clearly states that he is a fellow hornist, a friend helping a friend. His tone is clear, honest, and very distinguished-- I found it very encouraging that he does not speak to the reader in a condescending way. I am extremely encouraged that he offers such a wide variety of advice, though I do question some of his techniques, such as sitting while practicing and advising not to hold the horn "free". I do agree with his preference of a dark, mellow tone, but I believe that can be achieved while holding the horn free if the right hand is in the correct position. Furthermore, Mr.Farkas's book is the bible of french horn and should be commited to memory by each and every hornist that is serious about this art.

95 pages full of advice for any hornplayer, beginner, advanced or pro. Maybe the fotos and the layout are not best quality, but finally its the content that counts.

As a Horn teacher for many many years, this is required text for all my students. The "manual" for Horn playing.

This book is awsome, it is a wealth of information that every horn player should know. I love it to death, as has been said before it truely is the bible of french horn playing. If your not the reading type you may not appreciate this book's full potential, but for everyone else: BUY THIS BOOK!

man.. matt good is the best.. i already can't get enough of his music and now his writing is just... excellent... very enjoyable... go buy this book now!

FINALLY AFTER ALL THIS TIME OF WONDERING WHY MATT SINGS ABOUT JENNI, MY QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ASNWERED!

tHIS BOOK IS ABSOLUTLEY AMAZING, BUT HARRD FOR ME TO FIND WHERE I LIVE. IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS CONSTANTLY SOLD OUT AT CHAPTERS SO I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO ORDER IT. WELL WORTH IT FOR ANYONE WHO READS. EVEN BETTER FOR THE PEOPLE THAT DON'T LIKE READING CAUSE YOU ILL FINALLY BE INTERESTED

A masterpiece for anyone who is a twisted as I am. What he says makes alot of unexpected sense and makes you think. Which I think is what he is always trying to do. We live in a "What's in it for me?" So Invest in this book if you know you're a little stranger than everyone else and enjoy it. For me it was worth every penny and the two months it took me to find it.

(Just a Note...the reviews that are on the back of the book were written by Matt himself.)

I've been a fan of Matthew Good for a little over a year now, ever since a friend introduced me to his music. Matthew Good Band broke up a while ago, but Mr. Good has pursued a 'solo' career, with a new band, but somewhat similar style. I can honestly say that I don't believe that Mr. Good has done a bad piece of work, written or otherwise

As mentioned in a few other reviews, various lyrics from Matthew Good/Band songs are mentioned in various places during the book, and there are even whole stories which relate to certain songs. It's very impressive. A casual reader would definitely be very confused with the book, but a fan like myself would most definitely enjoy it immensely. Not only are the stories well-written, but there are sporadic and seemingly random pictures which actually relate to certain parts of the story, or a comment on society.

Also, the book is not your conventional book. It's pretty much a paperback square shape, with large pages and medium-sized font. Anyway, that's enough. If you're a fan of Matthew Good, I'd advise you to order the book and enjoy it; if you're not, then start listening to the music.

At Last There is Nothing Left to Say is Matthew Good's (of The Matthew Good Band fame) first, and perhaps last, foray into the world of the written word. At Last There is Nothing Left to Say is not a complete novel, nor a series of novella, but rather, a collection of short 1-10 page stories of fictious accounts of Matthew's life and narratives of events in the lives of a host of characters. The novel is layed out in an interesting, dual-story fashion, where one will find major stories taking up 3/4 of the page, and smaller stories taking up 1/4 of the page. The smaller stories are more like manifestoes than short works of fiction, which give some insight into Matthew's delightfully twisted and cynical world view.

At Last There is Nothing Left to Say is not one solid, cohesive work, and it doesn't have a unifying central theme. Instead it makes a few statements on society, on the environment of the mind, and the dysfunctions of people. At Last There is Nothing Left to Say is an entertaining read that offers morbid and twisted insight into the minds of teenagers, rock stars, and sociopaths. And while it doesn't have all that much to say, it still manages to say alot.

This is quite a comprehensive book of "selections"...I feel that you could almost perform a revue of the show just using this book! (Just kidding, don't try it or they'll throw you in the Pit of Copyright Infringement!) In addition, delivery was prompt and the book was in very fine condition (looked new).

I am most pleased with this book because of the very detailed arrangement. Although the melody is written in the Treble Clef, the music survives arrangement very well. The chords are accurate, and in my case, difficult to play, but all the songs are included. But the most surprising thing about this book is that it includes all the vocal harmonies as well. Currently I am learning how to better play the music (it is NOT for beginners) and I'm sure I will appreciate the score when I can play it more effectively. This was a very good buy.

I bought this book because the other Avenue Q book I have was only the "Vocal Selections" and it was missing several songs. This songbook has every song from the Broadway Cast Album, with the exception of "School For Monsters/Money Song (Reprise)" and "There's A Fine Fine Line (Reprise)/What Do You Do With A B.A. In English? (Reprise)". Other than that, every song is here.

This book, unlike my other Vocal Selections book incorporates the melody into the right hand, but it can be easily removed to make room for vocalists if needbe.

The best songs to play/sing in this book are "Schadenfreude", "There's A Fine Fine Line", "It Sucks To Be Me", and "Fantasies Come True". At least, that's what I think. To each his own.

I like the book I bought. It had all the songs I wanted. It came in a decent amount of time from when I bought it.

If you haven't seen the show, go and do it. If you have, well done.

What many piano arrangements for recent Broadway musicals nowadays such as Wicked, Mamma Mia, and Spamalot have in their respective arrangements is a lack of a challenging score to play, though it may sound easy, and how oftentimes, they composer tries to alter the original score into something more adaptive for the public. Although this may sound like a good idea, it really isn't, because as soon as you play it based on the arrangement or sing it, you quickly realize it's not as good as the original, which is what everyone wants, right?

The Avenue Q Piano arrangement, however, keeps all the songs in their original context, letting everyone emulate the classic songs the way they're supposed to be sang. No one wants to sing "Defying Gravity" from Wicked without the chorus back-up or Glinda singing in every now and then, right? Avenue Q gives you the score straight from the source, without awkwardly messing up the original greatness of the music. A must-buy.

mr kooper has been at the correct musical intersections many times in his life. this yarn of the early years of the rock era morphing into the new reality is one of the best "art meets music biz" autobiographies around.

Kooper's back room view of the music industry is hilarious. One flaw that is understandable is that he errs on the side of being far too polite. Almost Canadian......After getting screwed over to that degree, anyone would have trouble keeping their yapper shut shut. He shows great restraint, given the circumstances. I wanted more dirt, but a great read, nonetheless. Very funny.

What a remarkable story of a near miss star. Al Kooper was some of the glue that held early rock together. While never a star in his own right he added so much to what he did play on, that is, more ground breaking hits than anyone I know of. Just being the first organ in Rock is enough plus the horn band idea with BS&T, wow! His work with Leonard Skinered was a career in itself. Too bad he let his ego take him away from the limelight he deserves. He seems bitter in the end. Truly a story of Rock and Roll itself with Al as a matrix. He doesn't seem to know just how lucky he was. Can't say he let any moss grow on him though.

Great book - I couldn't put it down. Here's some insight into some of the greatest acts in rock - Dylan, Mike Bloomfield, Hendrix - it's all there. Al Kooper is a funny guy and I enjoyed the book tremendously!

I recommend this book for everybody interested in the rock scene
of the 60`s and up !
Al Kooper has a lot to tell of the early days in rock music and is
a great writer .
A lot of good reading and dont forget:
Mr Kooper is still making really good music, listen to the newest
album Black Coffee and see what I mean...

It stood the test of time for me anyway, since I used to read this book in bed every night when I was about 14 or 15 and marvelled not only at the world of the Beatles but at the way that Schaffner's words opened up a realm of ideas whose breadth I could only intuit at the time. I just finished rereading the book again, 25 years later, and it still strikes me as elegantly written, passionate, honest, insightful and at times very humorous. (The way he speaks about McCartney's solo career is particularly funny). In 1977, he wrote, "As usual the wild card of the lot is John Lennon."

I think this is the book about the Beatles we all wish we had written. My copy is in tatters, and has a torn-up dust-jacket with the Rubber Soul fish-eyed lens photograph. I will never part from it!

This book is one of a few that every Beatle collector must have. Along with "The Beatles" with covor work by Andy Warhol, "The Beatles Forever" is a must have. If you are interested in owning the 1977 and 1978 soft and hard back copies of "The Beatles Forever" in near mint condition contact Seth at henry23@home.com

I have the pair listed under Yahoo auctions, "music," THE BEATLES, "The Beatles Forever." Look it up via search or let your fingers do the walking. I will ship upon receiving certified funds and you must pay shipping however it should not cost but $7 to $10 max to ship and you can see what the current bid is in Yahoo auctions.

This book must have taken Nicholas Schaffner all his energy to write. It's a wonderful account of the lads music from their rise to fame in 1964 to their solo careers in 1977. Schaffner cares most about the music and he definetely knows his stuff. He's not escatic about Sgt. Pepper, which is an overated album, and he mentions a forgotten George Harrison masterpiece, "It's all too Much". Schaffner writes in a dry witty factual style focusing on the Beatles albums, their influence on rock music, the ups and downs of their solo careers, and anaylizes their lyrics. There are pictures of all the Beatles singles and rare pics of the beatles infamous butcher cover. This is my favorite Beatle book.

I have loved this book for years. Nick Schaffner has done a superb job of sharing his personal love for the Beatles from both an objective and subjective standpoint. Not only does he make personal references in re the Beatles, he also details the history of the band and the recordings they had released up until this book was published. Certain references, such as the Beatles' hair length being comparable to then-president Jimmy Carter (1976-80) are what "dates" this work; other than that, this excellent book is a timeless classic.

When I was in the 9th grade, I wrote a paper on the breakup of the Beatles entitled "The Gestalt Beatles: The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts" and smile today as I think of how much I wanted to be a paperback writer. There is no doubt that Mr. Schaffner has inspired countless hordes of fans in this manner. I think of my old term paper because the writing in this book is greater than the sum of its parts - the combination of objectivity and subjectivty make for a very well rounded presentation indeed!

I had the pleasure of meeting Nick Schaffner at a Beatles' convention and he graciously autographed my copy of this book. He also shared stories about the Beatles and offered words of solace to fans still mourning John's death. This book deserves a place of honor and is a must-have for the avid Beatles' fan. Please read this book and share it with somebody. You will be glad that you did.

I own over 150 books about this lot....and this is one of the 4 or 5 best. Track this down