Musicals Books

With reference to the first review, "without you" was not Nilssons song, it was written by Pete Ham. Nilsson was certainly talented but lacked focus.

I am sad knowing Harry will never write , sing or play again. What a smooth as silk vocal and style that is matched by only the very best. A true classic. Whether or not you're a fan, Harry is the meaning of love of life, pleasure and music, a talented musician and a loss for the future. Very sad!

I am a new fan of Harry Nilsson. I love his song: Without You

You know, if you're going to complain that an artist's song "isn't really his song," then you should at least give ALL the credit where it's due.
Tom Evans and Pete Ham wrote "Without You."
Harry was an amazing talent. The world is worse off Without HIM. Enough said.

In dispute to the previous reviewer's comment, Harry Nilsson did NOT lack focus. Rather, he was adventurous. What does a pop star do to stay on top? Find a winning formula, and repeat it. This Nilsson did NOT do. He topped off his mounting pop success of the 60's with "Nilsson Sings Newman," a very UNpopular album at the time, but now quite revered. The project challenged Nilsson as an arranger and vocalist, but confused his more formulamatic fans. Then, he acheived Rock chart success with Nilsson Schmilsson, followed by Son of Schmilsson, which had an "F" word song on it, alienating his more genteel fans. So what does Harry do next? TWO albums of old standards; a thrill for him, but an alienation to his now more rocking fan base. Is this lack of focus? No, it's a artist doing what he wants to do, what he himself finds interesting, without too much concern for public opinion, a la Bob Fripp. Harry could have been a much bigger "Star" by repeating one of his successful formulas such as "Nilsson Schmilsson" over and over again, but he choose a more personal, heartfelt path; followed his artistic vision, wherever it took him.

Berman early on tells you that this is not a "how-to" book. It's not. But it is a book that explores playing the piano in depth in a clear, understandable manner. I've taken piano lessons for four years now and this book shows me what's ahead for me and, most importantly, that learning is doable. If you have some knowledge of music and piano playing you will love this book. No one who wants to excel at playing the piano should be without this book. Most excellent.

Very often when musicians, especially performers, attempt to write about music they lapse into a pseudo-poetic and philosophical tone that, although seemingly charming to the uninitiated, remains unworthy of the serious scholarly and academic environment to which the musical community, particularly in North America, aspires. To offer one example I shall quote one of Mr. Berman's illustrious predecessors - Heinrich Neuhaus:

"polyphony expresses in musical language the highest union of the personal and the general, of the individual and the masses, of Man and the Universe, and it expresses in sound everything philosophical, ethical and aesthetic that is contained in this union. It fortifies the heart and the mind." - The Art of Piano Playing

This is a lovely sentiment, to be sure, but what does it actually mean? Mr. Berman, to his credit, avoids such purple prose in his book. He provides us with an objective and highly informed guide to dealing with the issues that arise in attempting to teach or play the piano and the wealth of great music written for it, as seen through the eyes of one of his generation's most respected pianists and teachers. Of course my purpose here is not to criticize past books on the subject, or even to compare them in any detail. As Mr. Berman himself illustrated in a memorable seminar at Yale University, changes in pianists' approaches to a given body of music cannot be seen as developmental in a scientific sense. It is not that one generation of pianists has more insight into a given piece than did the preceding generation, but simply that each generation has a slightly different set of musical priorities which govern the kind of information they seek out about a piece and the way in which they choose to apply it. Books like Neuhaus' "The Art of Piano Playing" and the two or three others which, together with Berman's "Notes from the Pianist's Bench", make up the highest achievements in this field of study, serve to represent the musical preoccupations of a particular era, just as the finest pianists of a given era do the same through their performances and recordings. Perhaps in another twenty or thirty years a new generation of pianists will once again need their own book on piano playing and teaching which addresses their unique preoccupations. Until then I am certain that "Notes from the Pianist's Bench" will serve as an invaluable guide to students, teachers and even professional pianists of this era who are interested in better understanding the best examples of performance practice in our time and the timeless art of piano-playing.

Vadim Serebryany, pianist

During the years that I had been very fortunate to be able to study with Mr. Berman, I found the countless lessons and the experiences of hearing his concerts to be constant sources of ideas and inspiration. Personally, "Notes from the Pianist's Bench" not only crystallized and revived a lot of the ideas for me, but it also offered me much needed inspiration since I began working independently. The chapters included in the part titled "In the Practice room" ought to be very helpful for any practicing pianists; Mr. Berman's insight into the piano technique, whether it concerns sound and touch, or articulation and phrasing, is always incisive and realistic. I personally find the advice offered in the second part of the book titled : "Shaping Up a Performance" to be particularly indispensable. Chapters such as "Technique of the Soul" and "The Art of Teaching and the Art of Learning" are genuine, thoughtful gifts from an artist. Mr. Berman has shared with us in his book a refreshing and intriguing landscape of music-making via piano playing. "Notes from the Pianist's Bench" is warmly recommended without any reservation.

Imagine you are a piano student playing a Haydn sonata for your professor. In the slow movement your teacher conjures up a Classical opera aria as an illustrative example, complete with specific characters, and even ventures to invent an imaginary reconstruction of the opening: "Dio, che guar - da [rest] tut - ti gli~a - man - ti [rest] ..." Chances are that you are among the lucky chosen ones in the class of famous Russian-American pianist Boris Berman.
Your level of playing (and your budget) do not allow you to study with a professor of international stature at Yale University? There is no need for despair. Professor Berman has crystallized his most nourishing ideas in an astonishingly eloquent and lucid manner. "Notes from the Pianist's Bench" is his highly informative, rational book of advice geared to the undergraduate and graduate piano student. Unlike those dry and overblown piano methods of early German theorists (Deppe, Breithaupt, Tetzel, Martienssen) Berman's prose is striking a perfect balance between the philosophical and the practical, between the erudite and the anecdotal, the comprehensive and the concise, imagination and realism, elementary and advanced; and it can definitely be comprehended by the educated layman, last not least thanks to the many highly appropriate musical examples.
Unlike Heinrich Neuhaus, the legendary Russian teacher of Richter and Gilels, who opens his "The Art of Piano Playing" with a deliberation on the artistic image (idea, vision), Berman's musical notes do not drop too far off the pianistic bench in the first part of this book. In fact he starts there where most diligent students hopefully find themselves presently: in the pratice room. But what a practice room this is! While yours (and mine) consists of four naked white walls with a big black piano in it, Professor Berman's practice room is a laboratory of experimentation and consideration. His enormous experience in performance practice, spanning all styles from harpsichord to Cage, allows him to approach a topic from several angles at the same time. Berman is especially afraid of exaggeration and dogmatic advice and believes our faults to be the extension of our virtues: "My biggest hesitation about writing this book has been a fear that my advice will be misinterpreted or carried ad absurdum. Guided by the teacher, a young musician must learn to use common sense, both in making interpretive decisions and in deciding on appropriate physical actions to realize them."
Naturally this approach should be recommended to the modern passive student craving for simplistic recipes and instant solutions. Berman: "Being a good student is not as simple a task as one might think. The objective of one's studies should be to become an artist, not to perpetuate one's status as a student. With some students I have the feeling that they fall in my lap as a piece of clay: `Here I am, mold me.' In some cases such an attitude is a reflection of the individual's general passivity, and in others it comes from being accustomed to spoon-feeding by their previous teacher."
It is quite obvious that Berman himself is familiar with the specific cultural background of ethnically diverse students. Consider his lesson to a student from Beijing who lacked an understanding of polyphonic texture: "[...] I made the analogy with perspective in painting, but this concept was completely unfamiliar to her, probably because she did not have much experience with Western-style painting. To make my point, I showed her two pictures of birds, one a Chinese drawing and the other a Western landscape. I asked if she could tell me which birds in the first picture were closest to the viewer. That she was unable to do so was not surprising, because perspective was not a component of the artistic system of the picture. The student had no problem in answering the same question in relation to the second picture. Then I tried to explain how the Western artist created the impression of certain objects being farther away than others by making them smaller in size and-very important-more blurred than those in the foreground. In music, I said, we also present the background smaller (that is, softer) and more blurred (that is, less articulated)."
To the advanced reader the unusual degree of common sense in Berman's carefully calibrated advice may sometimes appear "over-informative." Too much neutrality can obscure a powerful vision. There are moments, I feel, where too much common sense can be an obstacle to the creative initiative of a sensitive student. Neuhaus observed that young pianists of genius go through phases of exaggeration because they have to experience the range and the limitations of their power. But these shortcomings are more than made up for by the second part of the book ("Shaping up a Performance"). Some of the real gems of the book are hidden in these chapters, especially Berman's adaptation of Stanislavsky's psycho-technique and "unbroken line" to musical performance.
I strongly recommend this book to the amateur. If you are a professional it is a must read.
In case you haven't read them, I'd like to draw your attention to two other books in this field: Russell Sherman's "Piano Pieces" (aphoristic reflections `laden with culture and atmosphere') and Seymour Bernstein's more methodical "With Your Own Two Hands" (emphasis on practicing and discipline).

Rolf-Peter Wille

I've been teaching piano full time since 1981. I am constantly reading material to learn about performance practice as well as other musical matters.

If I had to recommend one book to either students or teachers of piano this would be it. It covers a wide range of practical and interpretive matters in one very readable and unintimidating volume.

Boris Berman proves to be a knowledgeable yet down to earth teacher who is able to cover a lot of ground without merely glossing over the territory. There is so much food for thought here that can nourish pianists for a long long time.

Highly recommended!

Since everyone else has given this book such good reviews i cant help doing the same, this book really explain the things worth to know about the legendarious rock band Queen. From their very first song and how Brian with his father built his very special guitar to the sad end for Freddie. A whole lot of pictures and things we fanatics really like. Just great book!

If you are a Queen 'FANATIC", or just a newbie looking into a possible interest in the band Queen, this book is for you. From the very beginning we see each band member grow up and come together. We see how this great enigma became, and how so tragically it ended. I have read this book more than 5 times, and plan to read it some more. Kudos to Jackie!!

It is assumed that the buyer of this book either has or is planning to cultivate an interest in Queen, one of the most successful bands of the past two decades. Such a reader will not be disappointed; this book sidesteps the temptation of becoming a tabloid-style biography and instead focusses on real facts. Written by two longtime 'Queenies', As It Began is a frank, clear, and comparatively unjaundiced view of the band's progress, from 70s glam rock band to 90 'macho' musicians. For he who intends to become ridiculously well-read on one of the most memorable bands in history, As It Began is the ideal bookshelf companion.

A fantastic and detailed journey through the history of one of the greatest music sensations of the 20th century. Anyone who wants to really know about this incredible band should read this work compiled by the the manager of the Queen Fan Club and Queen's official discographer. Jampacked with information about the band. Beginning with info about the lives of the four talented musicians who made up Queen : Freddie Mercury , Roger Taylor , Brian May and John Deacon. We see that Taylor , May and Deacon all had BSC Honours Degrees. The life of Freddie Mercury makes particularly interesting reading. Born Farookh Bulsara , of Persian parents Bomi and Jer Bulsara , on 5 September 1946 , on the small spice island of Zanzibar.
In 1954 , at the tender age of eight , Freddie was shipped off from Zanzibar to St Peter's English Boarding School in Panchgani outside Bombay. During his time at Ealing , Freddie formed his first band , the Hectics , which played only within the school at fetes , parties and school dances. After taking his O Levels at St Peters Freddie returned to Zanzibar , but his family fled the island in 1964 , along with many other Indians and British when the African Marxists launched a violent revolution. The Bulsaras moved to Feltham , Middlesex in England and in September 1966 , Freddie began a graphic illustrating course at Ealing College of Art. In 1969 Freddie joined a Liverpool band named Ibex , which played a selection of cover version songs by the Beatles , Rod Stewart and Yes. He had also met Tim Staffel , who together with Brian May and Roger Taylor , had a band named Smile. Freddie later formed his own band Wreckage. A few months later , Freddie disbanded Wreckage and in 1970 , formed Queen together with Brian May and Roger Taylor. The following year the band where joined by John Deacon. The rest is music history , and the book traces Queen's development from a unique inside view, full of colour pictures and exclusive interviews .We feel we are watching the history of the band unfolding. We read of the Bands first triumph in Japan , where they first achieved Superstar status. Of the bands friendship with David Bowie and their meeting in 1977 with Groucho Marx , of Freddies friendship with Michael Jackson and Elton John among others and of John Deacon's friendship with tennis great , John Mac Enroe.
The last chapter is about the tragic death of Freddie Mercury from AIDS after having fought a brave battle against the disease.
I particularly enjoyed reading about the golden years of the Super 1970s.

The complete and virtually unabridged biography of the greatest band of all time is a must-have for any fan. It details the lifes of Freddie, Brian, John and Roger from their respective births, and leaves little out (apart from the malicious gossip that so frequently found in the tabloid papers about them).

The book is written by Jacky Smith (nee Gunn), the manageress of the Offical International Queen Fan Club (which is now the longesy running fan club of all time) and Jim Jenkins, a long time fan who was at most of the concerts Queen ever gave, so the authority from both people is a good one. You cane expect everything in the book to be completetly factual, and absolutley respectful to Queen and their families.

wonderful! writing styles, details, photos, insights all
excellent. It is like reading a national geograohic article
(so many pictures to go with the stories). The depth he went
into to talk about his ideas and thoughts is really
a treat.

This book is a fascinating account of the life of Ravi Shankar. I was a little reluctant to pick up this book at first- -I thought to myself, "Ravi Shankar- pop star, a musician who lives on hype - who wants to read a fan book? If George Harrison hadn't stumbled across him, he would have been just another sitar player." But after reading this book, I have a much greater understanding and respect for Shankar and all that he has accomplished.

Shankar's early life was simply amazing. His first tour of the US was in 1932, when he was all of 12 years old. With that in mind, it makes perfect sense for Shankar to be the leader in bringing Indian classical music to the West, since he spent so many of his formative years in Paris and on tour throughout Europe and the US. During this time, he became familiar with Western audiences and their expectations, as well as with Western music traditions. It is this familiarity that has enabled him to be so successful at explaining Indian music to Westerners. But as this book details, Shankar was not only popular in the West, but long before George Harrison met him, he had built a very successful career in India. For example, he was the one who did the music for film director Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy, among so many other projects.

Shankar's influences on music in both India and the West are enormous and far-reaching. He was one of the first musicians to gain a following in world music, and he fought strongly against the marginalization of world music as a field only fit for ethnomusicologists. As described in this book, in India, he helped change attitudes towards musical performance and performers by demanding full attention from audiences and formal venues, much like classical performers in the West expect.

Interspersed throughout Shankar's text are short interludes from friends such as Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison. The book includes hundreds of pictures that span Shankar's entire career, including the pre-World War II tours with his brother Uday. There is also a very informative glossary at the end, as well as a chronology and index.

Raga Mala is destined to be a classic of literature.
It is a biography, history, diary, and a basic primer
of Hindustani (North Indian) music.
As a beginning Sitar student under a Guru myself.
I appreciate Raviji's journey from student to master.
The life covers so many memorable moments of history.
His triumphs and pain are an inspiration to all who
are open enough to see it. There is not enough that
can be said to fully explain the depth of this book.
It is fair to say that most will not fully understand
it in one reading.
In closing, Raga Mala will be the textbook to be used
by all interested in Pandit Ravi Shankar, Indian music,
and how it has gained popularity in America since the
1960's. I recommend this book as in the top 5 of my
all time favorite books.

Regardless of how you come into this book, as a Beatles fan, as an admirer of Indian classical music, or someone who studies the Indian culture, you will come out of it thinking of Ravi Shankar as someone very special, but who shares the same passion for life as many of us. "Raga Mala" is his story through his words, from his days as a dancer to traveling out of India for the first time, and eventually setting a goal to spread his music and culture around the world. With celebrity comes fame, and with fame comes admiration, and there were many women who admired him, only for he to admire them back. His love of women is at times overshadowed by his love of food, which is something I never knew before this.

But he talks about his music as his core (at point during the book he compared the sitar to his wife), and gets in-depth about his mission to enlighten people with his music. He loved the hippies but hated their lifestyle, and felt that he could make them high, and higher, with his music.

"Raga Mala" shows a well-traveled and cultured man with the utmost respect for his culture, his people, his music, and life in general. At 81 years old, he knows his "old junk of a body" can't do the things it did when he was 15, but he refuses to slow down for anyone, including himself.

Raga Mala is the autobiography of pandit Ravi Shankar,told in story,profusely illustrated{some in color}], beautifully bound {with luxurious endpapers], on high quality, beautiful papers. It tells his story{introduced by George Harrison} from his early childhood, stage[as a dancer in his brothers famous troupe] to his study of sitar and Hindustani music with a master{Khan},to his gradual emergence in the west. I had no idea, that he had performed at Carnegie hall in the 1930's, that John Coltrane's son ravi was named after him, ot that he was well known BEFORE the Monterey pop or woodstock concerts[he called woodstock"terrifying'}. This is a wonderful book, it tells the ENTIRE ARC of the life of pandit Ravi Shankar{including his apparent heir and pupil, his daughter Anoushka}, and does so with such a well put together volume. The papers, the binding, the photographic reproductions are exquisite. The publisher has done a remarkable job. A classic book, both in form and content.

If you're used to the Rough Guide travel series, you will recognize the practical, relevant information they offer in this violin/viola guide.
The book is tailored to people who are new to the instruments, and it makes a very good buyers guide. If you are interested in buying a violin or a viola, I strongly recommend this book. All the questions you should ask are outlined here.

In addition, regular maintenance of your violin, such as string replacement, is clearly explained: it not only tells you how to tell if your strings need replacement, but also has diagrams to show how to wind the string properly on the peg. The most common damages, and how to check for them, are also listed. This makes the book a very useful reference for the more experienced violinist as well, however, I would recommend it most to new players (or to parents of children outgrowing their rental violins.)

I just started learning the violin at the age of 42. I have never read music or really played an instrument. I have however always wanted to learn the violin as it plays to my heart when I hear it. So, I went and bought a violin and started with some lessons. I however felt I always needed to know more than just - here, play this. This book is a valuable resource. I read through this in almost one night. It so help me to understand about the violin and what makes all the sounds, how to take care of it, what I should look for in a bow and violin and etc. I will keep this little book forever and I am sure will refer to it often on everything. A must get for someone who is starting out and really is serious about their violin. I think that every violin teacher should hand this out with the first lesson.

I'm a new violin player and this book has been extremely useful. Not only does it cover the basics like care and maintainence, but it also has information about buying a violin. This will be very useful when I upgrade from my student model. I also learned at there are different kinds of strings, so when I broke one, I had a little bit of a clue about what to ask for at the music store. This book has been a huge help to me and would be great info for any new violinist.

As a beginning violin student, I feel the need for lots of information presented in simple terms. This book does just that. It seems like every time I have a question about the violin, this book is able to answer it accurately and concisely.

Books like these are treasures. I can't think of a single topic the author left out: the history, the major names, how the viola differs, how the violin works, how it's made (even how the trees are cut!)...and on and on. The pictures are skillfully drawn, too, though the prose hardly needs them. And yes, the prose! I'd say buy the book even if violins hold no interest to you. When you have writer's block, pick up this little gem and read a chapter or two. The beautiful prose alone will get your own words flowing again. Throughout the book are wonderful little anecdotes as well. Somehow, this book says so much in scant few pages. The author clearly knows his subject and how to communicate it. I wish he'd written my calculus textbook!

This book feels like it would be useful for someone starting out in making recordings. It maintains a pretty uniform level over a broad range of topics. It does not deal in detail with any; good for what it tries to do, but it is certainly not encyclopaedic.

If a picture tells a thousand words, a recording clip tells even more when you are dealing with sound.If you want to hear what changing Eq settings, filters, compression, mics and room setups does, get this book; the accompanying CD is mind opening. The descriptions and narratives in the book are excellent. I've read a lot of recording books through the years. This one is a must.

You can tell that this book series is presented by someone who has many years of experience. Anyone could learn from this Smart Guide series very well done.

Duane Gibson
Sally Studios
Memphis, Tn

Let me start out by saying this book and the entire series deserves 6 stars, but the Amazon rating box only went up to 5. Whether you've been doing sound,music,engineering for a week or 20 years these books have something for everyone.The full color artwork is the best i've ever seen in any instructional book period.The companion dvd is fantastic, worth the price alone.Bill gibson does a great job with the subject matter and text,he covers the material thoroughly while making it easily understood. Highly recommend.

If you've taken (or are thinking of taking) the plunge into home recording, this should be the first book you look at. I own a lot of books on recording and therefore have a lot of advanced information beyond the scope of home recording. I've had to filter out what was pertinent for my own needs. I can truly tell you this book will spare you that path. And of course, you can always get the advanced stuff later, but this book will get you up and running very quickly. It has very good explanations, diagrams and examples of pretty much all the audio techniques you'll need to get good recordings at home. Highly recommended.

Teach Yourself Acid 3.0 is an excellent resource. Although Acid comes with a manual on PDF, everybody knows that switching between your software and Adobe Acrobat Reader is tedious and a strain on the eyes--which in turn means that you probably won't learn all about Acid's possibilities. With TYA 3.0, you can have the book open while you work with Acid (this alone vastly improves your learning curve); additionally, every chapter (or "hour") of this text has exercises and activities that you can do with the supplied CD-Rom loops. I really recommend doing the exercises--they WILL give you ideas for your own Acid projects.

While it might initially seem a little pricey, the tips, exercises, and CD-Rom make it invaluable.

This book is terrific! I just recently started experimenting with computer music using the ACID 3 programs, and this book makes an already easy to learn program even easier to understand. It is clearly written with the beginner in mind yet will take you as far up the technical ACID 3.0 learning curve as you wish. There is only one change I would make in the contents of Sam's Teach Yourself ACID 3.0 in 24 Hours, and that would be the inclusion of a comprehensive TROUBLESHOOTING section. The book is carefully written in a fashion, that if you follow the instructions to the letter, you should experience no technical problems. But as most will not have the infallibility to successfully follow the instructions without at least a few mistakes, I would wish there be a simple and quick to reference TROUBLESHOOTING section that helps you to easily go back and correct what you may have missed. But with this aside, the book is terrific. Definitely written for actual human beings. Well done.

As a Sonar user, a Sound Forge user, a Vegas Video user, I was completely amazed to discover the power hidden within Acid--whose very name unfortunately causes scornful and undeserved ridicule as with the review below.

Many see Acid as a toy, and it is anything but as anyone who digs beneath the surface will quickly discover.

Acid 3.0 is a professional tool used in professional environments to achieve professional results faster than ever before and where time is money, Acid shines.

For anyone wanting to push this tool past it's apparent limits, using it as the ultimate tool with which to bring together tracks from various sources (including Cubase) this book is essential to understanding its hidden strengths, and workarounds for inherent weaknesses found in some extreme BPM and pitch-shifting tasks. "Acid 3.0 in 24 Hours" is essential to understanding track management, bus usage, FX options, video scoring, and timing adjustments to name but a few.

Do not be fooled. Acid is a most powerful non-destructive digital audio construction tool, although its name may draw prejudice. This book is as worthy a companion and reference as exists for it.

Buy this book. Even the Acid experienced will learn from it.

i got the software and this book on friday, by monday i was making incredible music, i dont know anything about music
i am a flash developer and this works great for flash too.
i only read half of the book and it kicks ...!!!
acid pro 3 is to music what flash is to the internet. it will change everything... the book is excellent, it starts out basic and take you in fast, this book is great for the novice as well as the advanced user. also check out sound forge power book here at amazon, these two programs together and you can do anything.

This is a carefully-written explanation of a complex piece of computer technology. It takes way more hours than the title promises. But it is a wonderful introduction to the fascinating world of audio recording technology. Super Dooper!

This album kicks major( ) ! It starts out as a looped sample on the first track. Then it jams right into the second song "(sic). On one of my favorite tracks"Eyeless" the chorus goes "you can't see California without Marlon Brando's eyes" which fades into the album's biggest and another great one "Wait an Bleed". Throghout the whole album singer #8(or Corey Taylor) lyrically is great. With the guitar riffing, the drums ponding, the dj scrathing and samples galore; the music always is pounding with the screaming vocals, making the whole album exiting and each song is different in it's own way. No soft songs! This cd is the best cd from the first to the last!

Awesome cd...one of the best ever! It's hardcore metal,profanity screamin' 'til the end!

the tabs are all right there is no mistake they sound exactly as they should sound .Perfect.no words are necessary just get it

the tabs are all right there is no mistake they sound exactly as they should sound .Perfect.no words are necessary just get it

Undoubtably one of the best cds i have heard in years..this one shreds from start to finish bolstering 15 mind splitting tracks (19 if youve managed to obtain a U.k release of the cd)which are sure to soothe the soul of heavy music enthusiasts. For me to give this one a 4 star rating is to say that it is but a small step away from absolute perfection. I can only imagine what the follow up to this one is going to be like, slipknot have certainly created a debut release that i am sure even they will have difficulties matching up to throughout their future endeavours. ..So go! ..Now! ..Run even,to your local record store and get this cd!

I can't say enough about this book. Great background and history on Tommy's playing. He's known as one of the greatest unknown guitarists on the planet, but this book shows that he has always been VERY well known in guitar circles. This book really lifts the hood on Tommy's playing, so the reader can understand the impact of his many influences. Great snippets on Chet, Django, Jerry Reed, Lenny Breau, just to name a few.

The instruction parts are dynamite as well. Not only are some of his most challenging pieces tabbed out, but there are many exercises to help you build the necessary skills to play Tommy songs. The "independent thumb" exercises were extremely helpful to me personally. I know this book is a bit pricey, but I don't regret the $$$ at all.

I also recommend Mark Hansons "Contemporary Travis Picking" as a supplement. This book got me ready for the more difficult parts of Tommy's book. And kudos for spiral bounding!

This is not the some of Tommy's music note or Tab book.
It's his biographical book with his sprit of guitar playing and life. The Tab of this book is not easy to follow for beginners, but it has good tips and lessons you might remember all times.
The CD in this book has nicely recored and it's important to listen before you practice the notes.
This book is not good for the first time guitar player or just have some Tab of Tommy's, but if you want to step to some other level of your guitar playing, it has very much value to buy one.

If you're reading this review, you have probably already heard Tommy's music or seen him perform. In this book, which is somewhat of a companion to his DVD "Up Close" but also functions as an outstanding stand-alone book, you not only learn a lot about his songs and how to play them but also a lot about how Tommy became the consumate guitar player and performer that he is. There is excellent background information about the people who created and helped develop this style of guitar playing (Merle Travis, Chet Atkins, Lenny Breau)and the author provides excellent references to the best recorded songs and other learning material available from these other artists as well. For example, the author refers to specific past issues of Frets and Guitar Player magazines in which Chet Atkins describes certain playing techniques.

Outstanding and dead-on advice is also provided about playing and performing in general. For example, Tommy always stresses emphasizing the melody as you play and focusing your passion and expression of the music through the melody rather than just pounding out a lot of notes on the instrument. He describes his practice routine and how he approaches learning a new song.

I will enjoy this book and struggle to master it's content for many years to come. If you're a serious or aspiring finger-style guitar player, you will love this book.

This books blows me away, nothing too hard to get started, nothing too easy to get bored with. Great artist and song background. Highly recommended. Handy spiral bound. Good quality CD. Also, if you haven't checked him out live, DO SO! Travel night and day if you must!

At my age and level of ability, I am reasonably certain that this is absolutely the last instructional book that I will ever purchase! Not to worry, but I will spend several years trying to master the level of playing skill contained within this work.
It is a beautiful missive with great background on some of guitars' true heroes.
TE's humanity and patience are reflected in the accompanying CD. This is a must-have for any student of the guitar.
Both independent thumbs way up!

i loved this movie. its got almost every charcter except 4 maybe the newer onse but still fun 2 watch.
if u dont decide 2 buy it they play it on comedy central a couple times a month i think. but dont worry they air it un-edited and nothins blurred or cut out so buy it or watch it on tv but either way u wont be dissapointed.

should they make a sequal? im not sure they can out do it,but would be interesting still maybe its better they dont any wayz (just to be safe).

This book is definitely a must-have if you require the notes to play the tunes. However, if you're only trying to figure out the lyrics, the best way to go about this is to play the "South Park: BLU DVD" with the English subtitles on (or captions on if you have it on VHS). Then you can sing along with the movie! Neat, huh? Unfortunately, there's no 'bouncing ball' to follow when the kids do break into song, but hey, you can't have everything!

'Late

Let's face it, when you first heard the soundtrack or saw the movie, South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut ... you HAD to know the words. So I sat and meticulously wrote out what I thought were the words. So my question to Trey Parker & Marc Shaiman is ... WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?

This is a great book, especially for the musically inclined who may want to actually play the music to the best, most insane movie of all time. I don't play an instrument but I got hours of entertainment singing such classics as Uncle F*cka and It's Easy, Mkay!

And I'm thrilled to say I had the lyrics pretty much correct on all except the end of Mountain Town. But that's okay. I've got the words now. :)

This score is accurate and thorough in its likeliness to the actual movie, although don't expect the pieces to sound nearly as full as they do with the full orchestral accompaniment of the album. The piano part is thin, but it is more than enough to accompany any singer (or yourself, if you like to sing while you play.) My favorite piece is "La Resistance (Medley)", which pieces together a number of different tunes. For the guitarists out there, each piece contains printed chords and tablature. I love playing through the score and have had great fun with it! I recommend it to any South Park fan/musician, or even anyone who's been wanting to know the full lyrics (but don't waste the music - invite a musician over!)

This movie is hilarious, and it really is hard to make someone laugh reading......it still hilarious. Trey Parker and Matt Stone are genius. This movie is just plain hilarious. This book is hilarious and a must get book for all you south parkatiers..Even if you dont play an instrument, it is still hilarious.. This book shows images of the movie. For the music stuff they show the notes tunes and the lyrics, McKay. The guitar tunes, which I play and now I can play the south park songs on my guitar. You cant too if you buy this hysterical music thingy......P.S. this book is cool to show off to people....viva la resistance!!!!!