Musicals Books

Absolutely first-rate, performance-quality jazz guitar. There is TAB here, despite what other reviews say - but only the solos are TAB'd; you'll still have to learn how to read music and chord charts to get through the chord-melody sections. However, this learning is extremely important and well worth the effort. The CD has the solos recorded on the left channel, rhythm section on the right, so just turn your stereo balance for easy accompaniment. Highly recommended.

A great look into the art of reharmonization with some wonderful pieces.Beginners will need patience and cultivation of reading skills (pitch,rhythym ,counting, right and left hand identification skills) as these skills will make short order of any musical endeavor. great text! great price!

The recordings are clean and beautiful .
Each song is presented twice : firstly the ordinary fake book presentation , then (much expanded ) a full transcription of Mr.Coates complete rhythm/chord-melody guitar 'take' on the tune . This followed by a transcription of the solo .
Since the playing doesn't stray too far from the 'original' fake book , its perfect for the student seeking to understand the 'how ' of working from fakebooks . There is no tab , but there are very many chord diagrams ( which really do match the scored chord ) . Layout and print quality are excellent .There are one or two very tastey photos of Benedetto guitars , here and there . Jimmy Haslip's basslines keep it simple , but without becomming dull : its a pleasure listening to the rhythm section on this CD . Better playing and recording than many commmercial releases !

I'm not a bad banjo player,but i'm not a good one either! As plectrum banjo books go I have had them all, but this is by far theee most clear and well written banjo instruction book ever presented. I know this book will help anyone improve their banjo ability and musical knowledge,because it sure has helped me.

I was waiting for this book to come out for the last ten years... and I didn't even know it! It is very complete and well organized. The two volume arrangement works quite well. The first volume consists of lessons and techniques. The second volume is filled with songs and sheet music showing you every single note and chord position! What usually slows me down is not knowing a good transition chord fingering... but Dave and Susanne solve that by listing every single note for every song. Wow... just like having a teacher available at all hours of the day or night... and as any dedicated banjo player knows... that's when you practice! Buy it, you won't be sorry. I've been using it for 4 weeks and I'm only seriously up to chapter three so far. It is loaded with good information! Another good feature is that you can scan ahead and pick some items that move you at your own pace. Be sure to get the two CD set that goes with this... now you can practice with the music playing at the proper speed. What'll they think of next?

If you are like me, living in the middle of plectrum nowhere, you only have a vague idea of how a plectrum banjo should sound. We've heard a lot of Bluegrass, as well tenor banjos tucked away in the background of a Dixieland band, and maybe some Harry Reser or Eddie Peabody virtuoso recordings. Just enough to whet our appetite for the greater range and melody breaks possible on a plectrum banjo.

The typical sound of a 4-string ringing away is a difficult sound to get out of a banjo, however, and the necessary slow beginning steps sound nothing like the real thing. The trouble with most instruction books is that you can't hear them. Playing triplets, for example, is the key to the 4-string banjo sound but a slow triplet sounds nothing at all like a triplet played at the hyper velocity of a professional player.

The Volume I CD takes you through each and every exercise in the book. Not only can you see the exercise, you can hear it played properly at the level of speed compatible with the exercise.

The Volume II CD has a recording of David Frey playing every tune exactly as it is written in the Volume II book. With the CD, you can play along with David as you follow; (a) the standard "lead sheet" notation, (b) the chord chart showing only the chord(s) in each measure so you can chunk along with the backup, or (c) play the chord melody as represented by the chord diagrams for every note in the tune.

The CDs and the books present a fabulous way to learn to play this instrument. I heartily recommend the whole set to anyone with the slightest interest in playing the plectrum banjo.

Kirle's assessment maps the theatre's change as America changed. The reader gains more insight into what they have seen and the way others have viewed the same play during different time periods. It is pretty well put together. Each chapter has something for a student of theatre and those that catch a show once a year. It will keep you thinking about the new shows you see. Don't be turned off that it is a text book used in universities. It was an entertaining read.

This is one of those rare books on musical theatre that really understands and appreciates the art form and that has new, fresh, interesting ideas to put forward. Anyone who loves musical theatre should check this one out. It's a smart, insightful book that is a real joy to read.

"Unfinished Show Business: Broadway Musicals as Works-in-Process" is a rare treat of a read for enthusiasts and students of the theater. It's a fun step ahead. Bruce Kirle travels beyond the familiar chronological litany of titles and gossip to investigate what makes musical theater trends live and die.

He argues that the style of musicals is ever changing because musicals are based on the foundation of the ever changing American mind. Public scuffles and feelings about race, gender, homosexuality, war, politics, economy and the struggle for human rights are shown as the intimate energy that not only fueled changes in the meanings within the plays but the physical and musical methods as well.

As a big fan of musicals who reads these things all the time, I jumped off my couch in delight as I shared Kirle's adult consideration of history and drama as it effected what took place on the musical stage. It is exciting to depart from the hero worship of the great masters for a moment in order to get a new grip on what led audiences to crown a hit a hit and a star a star in the past century and how the most clever individuals molded their great acts and scores within a fluctuating civil atmosphere.

And there are plenty of lovely facts and amusing anecdotes to be had as well, and so much of it is new to me. Kirle brings his own experience as a composer, director and conductor into play giving a fresh appreciation to the great Broadway artists and their work.

Just when I mourned there was nothing new to think about musical theater, I got a hold of this book and I am grateful. I LOVE this book.

The following songs are in the book:
Apache
Beethoven Five-O
Bulldog
Eight Miles High
Flashback
Hang On Sloopy
Honky Tonk
Let's Go
(The) Lonely Surfer
Mr. Moto
Out of Limits
Penetration
Pipeline
Quicksilver
Road Runner
Runaway
Shanghied
Tall Cool One
Tequila
Torquay
Walk, Don't Run
Web Surfing
Wham!
Wipe Out
Wooly Bully

Also, each song names the Ventures CD album it came from.

I have always loved the Ventures for their style.
This is a terrific book, It has most of the best songs and is an easy guitar chord and tab format. When playing I remember what I was doing when each song was popular, terrific memories. I would highly reccomend this book to us old timers as well as younger musicians who are studying this era of music.
Buy it, It's worth it!

The kings of guitar instumentals, the Ventures. If you're like me and enjoy the rich ringing sounds of the Ventures you'll love playing each song note for note. Easy to read guitar tab, notes and chords are included. Play just like they do! I'd have a hard time comming up with better songs to accompny my father with his guitar. Everyone knows Ventures hits and loves to hear them played. There are several good articles reproduced from a guitar magazine, you'll learn more about the band. I had no idea! If you enjoy early pop/rock guitar, you'll love playing Ventures hits.

Wow what a great book!! I couldn't put it down. The Virtuoso - A - Love - Story is truly a captivating and enchanting story. Walmsley did his homework in capturing the events of the 50's, 60's and 70's, and wrapping a very captivating story around them drawing out every human emotion and making us feel all of them deeply. It is an outstanding novel that should definitely be made into a movie.

Escape into a novel with increasingly fascinating twists and turns, written with a you-are-there quality, propelling his characters through scenes. Delightful-especially for music lovers!

This is one of the very best novels I've read in a long time.

Treat yourself to the entertaining lives of the characters. You won't be sorry. A saga that will be remembered for a long time. A real tribute to New Orleans and its substance.........
Sophia and Jack will melt your hearts and you will long for more. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did.

I live in Peru. my father went on a business trip in 1979 and bought me my first electric guitar in Manny's. in 1996 i visited New York and stopped by Manny's to thank them for helping my father to choose the guitar, which i still proudly own and this year will be 30 year old. I was impressed by the pics in the walls of the store. More worthy than the memorabillia of a dozen Hard Rock Cafes. I was specially impressed by a letter by Pete Townshend giving a guitar as a present to a yougn boy living in NY with no money to afford a guitar. If you want to witness the history of rock, from Buddy Holly to U2, buy this book. I will.

THE WALL OF FAME: NEW YORK CITY'S LEGENDARY MANNY'S MUSIC recalls a New York institution with a guide to one of the most important music instrument stores of the swing, big band and electric eras. Manny's was the music store of choice for musicians ranging from Kiss to Chet Atkins, Chet Baker and Dizzy Gillespie: THE WALL OF FAME is a rock celebration of these musicians, offers a gorgeous blend of a concert diary and rarely-seen souvenir photos, and reproduces nearly 200 autographed photos from the store's walls. Any definitive music collection whether it be at the college or general lending library levels needs WALL OF FAME.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I wish I was in there shoes growing up. Meeting the stars that are in this book, words can't express. Jimmy, Janis, Paul and Bob to name a few bring goose bumps to my arms. I would rather be in there shoes than to hit the lotto. They rocked!!!!!!

Notes are easy to read, format is well laid out, all the waltzes and scherzi from a major romantic composer, and at a very reasonable price. What more could a music lover or pianist ask for? Highly recommended!

This collection of Chopin's waltzes and scherzos is excellent. The waltzes are perfect for anyone from the intermediate-grade pianist to the professional performer, and the scherzos are dramatic, emotional pieces suitable for advanced pianists. The book itself is put together well so that it won't fall apart (as so many other piano books of mine have).

For Students and Professionals alike, you cannot go wrong buying this edition of Chopin Walzes and Scherzos. They are from a respected source, priced right, and printing is clear and easy to read.

Insightful, witty, and fascinating. It's easy to read the whole book in one sitting, without meaning to, simply by following the cross references where they take you. The author was my piano teacher, and so many lessons, so many epiphanies and instructive anecdotes came back to me as I read her uncommon glossary.

a great little book...smart and imaginative -- the kind of informative little tome that one dosen't see much of. Not only does it answer questions, but it provokes further curiosity.

Anyone with a feeling for music will find many engaging things in this book. The writer is a musician who brings both a very distinctive sensibility to musical experience and an unusual ability to express her perception to the reader. "What might it mean?" is organized as a glossary of musical terms, ranging from 'accidentals' to 'voicing', almost always concerned with the immediacies of hearing and other senses, and illustrated with references to the work of well known composers and the author's own experience. Here is part of her gloss of 'fingering'. "There are basicly two extremes [of fingering]: those who believe that fingers should be trained to function interchangeably, just as tonalities on the piano are supposedly interchangeable; and those who maintain that the distinct characteristics of individual fingers must relate to the specific leverage of black and white keys in every scale and every passage. Artistry is in the ear and expressed by the hand. Your hands are the only ones of their kind ...". Glosses are often eccentric, and sometimes 'hilarious' (one of the terms glossed). Here is 'dolce': "Dolce is an Italian dessert, whose only relevance to music might take the form of a smudge on the printed score or a sugar-induced slump in a players brain. In music I think it means something closer to 'dolce far niente'- freely translated: 'Take it easy, don't count'". Many people will be entranced and enlightened by the book.

Word-By-Word Translations of Songs and Arias: Part I German and French by Coffin is an excellent resource for literal translations of both German and French Songs and Arias. In many cases the exact translation is awkward due to its syntax. In these cases, Coffin also offers a translation in English format. This book is an excellent resource for both teacher and student.

This translation source is one of the best. The word-by-word format is so helpful to singers--so much more accurate than the usual English "translations" found under the foreign text. Knowing exactly what each word means allows for so much more expression than just having an overall idea that the song is "all about love" or "it's a song about rejection", etc.

I bought this, and its companion volume, after twisting the arm of my voice teacher -- who was not wildly thrilled at the price. An hour after my return home from delivering them, he called me and told me they were so good he'd reimburse me double the purchase price!

The word-for-word technique was highly valuable, and we appreciated the added fillip of the re-prasing of certain passages where a literal translation was a bit difficult to understand.

This book is a must for Related Arts Teachers in Kentucky. Zig combines the music and culture in a way that students are spellbound. The rhythm tracks on the CD have fabulous sound. The book covers two of the core content cultures we must study in KY, Native American and West African. Zig has made teaching fun for both students and teachers.

having watched zig interact successfully with kids, i was pleased to be able to see his new book
as a former teacher i was able to appreciate the detailed lesson plans and suggestions for involving all aspects of curriculum
i could even follow them myself, and i am by no means a percussionist
the band and chorus directors with whom i have shared this book have been excited by it and look forward to seeing zig in person
it is great fun for the classroom,lending itself to further research into various customs and cultures and helpful for all levels of music instructors
keep on !

My students (K-5) love Mr. Wajler's play-along tracks. The warm- up Call & Response rhythms are a wonderful review of various note values that we have been working on in the classroom.
I would have to say that my student's favorite song to play-along with is a toss up between 'Far East Medley' and 'America Rocks'.

As a surprise for our students we brought Mr. Wajler's, Hands On with Zig performance to our school.
After seeing the instruments and hearing the music included in his book in person
my students want a return visit.
Even more so, they are now making reference from the live performance to lessons from the classroom.

Thanks ZIG!