Music Books

Regardless of the fact that I just love Howlin' Wolf and his music, this is one of the most well written and interesting biographies I have ever read. What I like most about it is that in addition to getting the story of his life, you also get a lot of the history of what was going on at that point in time and around Howlin' Wolf and the Chicago blues scene. It is very well researched. This is more than a biography, it is a major history of the blues. It's "must reading" for any serious blues fan or musicologist.

Seeing this book was one of the reasons I set about the task of writing Revelation Blind Willie Johnson The Biography in an attempt to emulate this great tribute to a great man, this is surely the definitive work on the life of Howlin' Wolf, a must read to anyone interested in the man and his music!
Revelation Blind Willie Johnson The Biography.

Interesting. Provides an insight into the character of Chester Burnett, especially enjoyable since less seems to be known about him than other bluesmen.

This book is without doubt, an excellent, well-researched and detailed account of the life of Howlin' Wolf. The life of the blues pioneer was one of hardship, sadness, and overcoming adversity, and the authors do a good job of conveying what the Wolf dealt with.

From his hardscrabble upbringing, an abusive and hypocritical father, and mother lost in psychological and religious madness, and just obstacle after obstacle, the Wolf endured, but sometimes I feel never achieved the full happiness he wanted. There's no doubt he loved his family, cared for his bandmates and did his best, but you could tell the sadness that the blues often heals might not have been enough.

There's a good examination here of Wolf's music, his influences and how he managed a signature sound as well as a performance style that blew nearly all the others away. All the same, Wolf was very protective of that sound, demanding of his mates and making sure they did it the way he wanted it done. Sometimes he was overbearing and arrogant, as witnessed by the defection of Hubert Sumlin to the Muddy Waters band. But Hubert later did return, and many would come in and out over the years.

The rift between Waters and Wolf is noted here; was there ever really one, beyond the professional rivalry? It does appear that Wolf saw Waters as a company man, in terms of his relationship with the Chess brothers. Wolf was very careful about his money, making sure the brothers paid him what he was due, while Waters was content to allow the brothers to get him a new car or a home now and then, perhaps a bit too trustful.

But in the end, it does seem they cared about each other and made up any differences near the end of their lives.

I do think there's a certain God-worship by the authors of Wolf. Too much in some places I think, where a writer makes the subject the greatest thing ever, and all others are chaff. Just the same, this is a sometimes funny, often sad look at a great musician, writer and performer, who influenced those who followed, such as the Rolling Stones.

When I hear "Smokestack Lightning" now, I don't hear it quite the way I once did. It has a more sorrowful quality now than ever. RIP, Wolf...you deserve it.

Two years ago, I reviewed Howlin' Wolf: The Chess Box in this very hallowed cyberspace, wonderin' aloud (as Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull would have it) when in the world would someone please write the definitive bio of Wolf and his massive (reportedly 6' 3" and 300 pounds) persona? Well, folks, wonder no longer. Within the past year, James Segrest and Mark Hoffman have written said biography. In fact, I first purchased and eagerly devoured this tome a year ago; it was only upon rereading it that I decided it was time for review. Sam Phillips once reportedly said that Wolf was the greatest talent he had ever discovered. (For perspective, remember that Mr Phillips helped discover such "nobodies" as Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the King himself, Mr. Elvis Presley. To say that Wolf was his greatest discovery was quite a statement, doncher know.) We see the early Wolf, cast out by his own mother because his music was "too sinful", and beaten repeatedly by his father, drive a plow on a Mississippi plantatation, until one day, (reads like a fairy tale, don't it?) first Charlie Patton, then Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) come along to teach Chester Arthur Burnett the rudiments of guitar and harp, respectively. We see Wolf through the glory years of Chess, making his classic records, and giving his incredible performances (including reportedly sliding down the length of a fire curtain when he was 57 YEARS OLD, no less!), through the good and bad times with his multitalented bandmates (including a VERY young James Cotton and Hubert Sumlin, his nonpareli guitarist), through the unbelievable records (some of which were originals; others, such as "Sittin' On Top of the World", "Pony Blues" and "Built for Comfort", he received from artists like Charlie Patton and Willie Dixon); and finally, through the later, sick years (when he recorded London Howlin' Wolf Sessions, six years before his death, he was reportedly so ill, he could only complete one song per day). Hoffman and Segrest's excellent prose leaves you spellbound and wishing you could rush right out and purchase some of his music. TA DAAA!!!! The wait is over. When you are done reading this review, why not just do another search and pull up Howlin' Wolf: The Chess Box and send yourself 71 of the Howlin'est, Wolfingest tunes as an early Christmas present???? WHY NOT????? So don't delay, order both Moanin' at Midnight: The Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf and Howlin' Wolf: The Chess Box today, even as we speak. Trust me it's the kind of music (and writing) that will put hair on your chest and make you want to howl all night long!!!!!

First let me say that this book is very well written and easy to understand. It gives the reader wonderful info on MP3's and other music file formats as well as the comparsion from the standard CD format vs. MP3 format. Before reading this book, I had well above average knowledge of the various types of music files, playlist, jukeboxes, and MP3 and WMA and other music file formats. However, it did fill in some gaps that I had overlooked and I learned even more after reading the book. This is a very good reference book for the beginner. However, since it was written several years ago, it only touches on WMA's. Not that this book was written with more info on MP3 formats. Today we have in many Internet online stores the WMA/DRM (protected music). These types of music files need a newer MP3/WMA/DRM player that will handle the WMA/DRM music file format downloads, which many online music stores have. This is a great book, however, a bit historic. The MP3 players as described in this book (available at that time) came with only 64 meg flash drives and 64 meg flash cards. Now the norm is at least a 1 GIG flash player, and many MP3 players today have huge hard drives. However, this book still has good overall BASIC information. I highly recommend this book to a beginner just learning about MP3 music.

MP3's have become one of the hottest new things on the 'Net, to the delight of music lovers everywhere and most likely to the chagrin of the music industry. This book covers a wide variety of topics regarding MP3's, starting off with a brief description of how mp3's came to be, where to find and download mp3's, Internet radio stations, etc. The chapter on digital music and copyright law also contains useful information on just what it and is not legal with regards to having and/or downloading mp3's.

It also tells you what software and hardware is the best for playing mp3's and "ripping" your own mp3's. The descriptions of the software and hardware you can use are quite good. Next are three chapters describing in detail digital audio, along with MPEG audio. Then comes the section any mp3 "ripper" will be most interested in, ie converting music into mp3 form, by first converting it into a .wav format, then into mp3 and finally recording your own CD's.

The book's final chapters are a 'tutorial" on various mp3 software ripper programs like Audio Catalyst and Cool Edit. There's also some info about using WinAmp, which is one of the more popular mp3 players (and the one I use). There's also further information about related web sites, other books, even a glossary.

The future still looks bright for mp3. Not only is it a way for music lovers to download their favorite songs, it also is a way for new artists to "break through" by offering their music on various web sites in the form of mp3s.

This book offers quite a bit of good information about the MP3 phenemenon.

This is an outstanding book on Internet and personal computer audio with emphasis on the MP3 audio-encoding format. It covers the whole range of online audio from the Internet or CDs as well as streaming audio.

Starting with an overview of digital music and the Internet, the book explains why there's so much excitement over MP3 and online audio, discusses how to find music on the web, and reviews Internet Radio. The authors include the best discussion of digital music and copyright law I've seen anywhere.

The chapters on how to prepare your computer for digital audio discuss everything from what software is needed to what to watch for in selecting the best computer hardware, from CD drives, speakers, sound cards, and the cables that connect these things together or with your home entertainment system.

The portion of the book on understanding digital audio contains one of the best overall discussions of how sound and digital audio technology works anywhere. Especially valuable is the discussion of the tradeoffs involved in different selections of parameters in digital audio, such as bit-rates and sampling rates.

The book wraps-up with several excellent tutorials for basic computer tasks used for digital audio. In addition, there are tutorials for common tasks using several popular computer audio software programs.

Bruce Fries is a technology consultant & writer and an Associate member of the Audio Engineering Society. He also is the founder of TeamCom, a new media publishing company. Marty Fries is an audio engineer, technology consultant, and blues pianist. His audio engineering work includes designing and building studio sound equipment systems.

This is the best-written and edited book I've read on Internet audio and streaming audio to date. It's easy to read and explains complicated terms and concepts in terms anyone who can use a computer can understand.

Throughout the book are excellent links to additional resources, as well as an extensive index of websites on the topic of Internet audio. While the focus is on MP3 and audio files (vice streaming audio), much of the information applies to Internet radio as well.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in working with MP3 audio files, whether beginner or experienced "ripper." I also highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in how to improve the recording, playing, or streaming of audio files from their computer. Finally, I recommend this book for anyone concerned about what is and what isn't legal in working with digital audio files.

Review by Mike Powers, Internet Radio Guide, October 1999

I'm the author of the MP3 and Internet Audio Handbook and I've just finished a new book, Digital Audio Essentials, that has approximately twice as much information plus detailed chapters on editing audio, digitizing vintage records, and setting up an Internet radio station. It covers both Macs and PCs and has instructions for using iTunes, Musicmatch Jukebox, Media Jukebox, Sound Forge, and Peak.

... This book by Bruce and Marty Fries covers THE FOREST and THE TREES - concerning all things about MP3 music technology - equally well! In other words, you will no longer be lost in THE FOREST about all things MP3 because of THE TREES! The authors cover the OVERVIEW (The Forest) of all things MP3 just as well as they cover all the minor DETAILS (The Trees). ... The authors make EXCELLENT teachers: they KNOW their subject well, and they know how to PRESENT it to you so that you NEVER get lost or feel left behind! The book is VERY well ORGANIZED. It is layed-out logically and flows from one chapter to the next in a natural and easy-to-follow way. Reading this book is NOT HARD, and because it is so easy to understand, you will learn faster!

... I can't say that I knew NOTHING about MP3 music and technology BEFORE I read this book, but after having read it I feel like I REALLY understand everything I need to know to make the right choices about how to record, play, and listen to music in the MP3 format. Most importantly, the authors do not only tell you ABOUT MP3 technology, they tell you HOW to use it, DO things with it, and WHERE to go on the world wide web to get more INFO on whatever you might be interested in concerning all things MP3. The book is packed to the gills on almost every page - cover-to-cover - with web site URL addresses where the reader can further their search for information about MP3 technology!

... The book is VERY thorough and detailed, with an easy-to-follow lay-out, easy-to-read text and design, and very helpful photographs and illustrations that make it almost impossible to NOT "get it"! After reading this book, if you don't know just about EVERYTHING concerning MP3, you just were not paying attention - because the authors have left NO STONE UNTURNED! ... The only regret I had was that they wrote the book (as they themselves confessed up-front!) for the IBM-compatible, PC crowd - and I am driving an APPLE iMac computer!!! ... I recently wrote to the authors about this, and they said that they are working right now on a revised edition that will have more information in the HOW TO SECTIONS for people using APPLE computers. This will be a welcome relief!

... Even so, there is a lot of helpful mention of places and products that concern the MAC CROWD (of which I'm one! : ), and they DO agree that the SOUNDJAM MP software by Cassidy & Greene "is one of the best for the Mac." (page 69). So, even if you're a Mac-man like me, you really can't go wrong reading this book because it covers all the bases. It's MORE than just an introduction. It's a great REFERENCE book to keep by your computer at all times - whether you're a consumer interested in LISTENING to MP3s or a musician who is interested in CREATING MP3s in order to upload onto musical web sites, over the Internet, on the world wide web so that ANYONE in the world can listen to and/or purchase one's music! ... My hat is off to the authors for a job well done! ALSO: this book is FUN to read! ..

I have enjoyed this poem for many years and have a framed calligraphy of it on my wall. The book is wonderfully designed and the drawings fit so well with the words. I would recommend it to anyone for themself or as a gift. It is heartwarming, uplifting and definitely words to live by!

This is a very nice book... I have it on my desk at work for all to see and enjoy!

As a big fan of Mary Engelbreit and a big fan of William Ellery Channing, I absolutely love the book, except for one thing: Channing's name is incorrect on the book. His middle name is Ellery, not Henry.

Other than that, the book is wonderful. I don't think this error would bother most people, but it is amazing that Engelbreit and the publisher didn't get it correct...

If you haven't already dismissed my comment from yesterday, please do. If it's too late, please print this apology. I feel like such a dope! William Henry Channing is the nephew of William Ellery Channing. I was so sure that Wm. Ellery had written the poem, that I wrote my stupid review of a book I absolutely love. I was wrong. William Henry Channing did, in fact, write the poem "My Symphony," and I'm a person who failed to double-check her references before opening her big mouth. Please forgive. Thanks.

I love this poem, and one of my very favorites, Mary Engelbreit, has beautifully and perfectly illustrated it. It doesn't get any better than this!

Even for the true classic music afficiando, this is a helpful compendium of names and selections to use when purchasing albums or for general hands on reference.

I hope that no potential readers were offput by the very silly and petty Publishers Weekly review. This is a very helpful and at times facinating guide to classical music and recorded music performance. Libbey's expertise and passion make for great reading. Very insightful and very helpful when searching for a good recording of a favorite piece.

"The NPR Listener's Encyclopedia of Classical Music" is a delightful combination reference book and video game for all classical music buffs. Besides its nearly 1,000 pages of listings, from Claudio Abbado to Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, the book gives you access to a page on the Naxos Music website which allows you to listen to more than 500 musical selections online. I just signed on to the page for the first time, and listened to the very first listed selection--John Adams' "Shaker Loops." I look forward to hours of fun with this wonderful new toy! I appreciate the breadth and depth of knowledge author Ted Libbey brings to the project, as well as his inclusion of favorites of mine who aren't necessarily well-known to today's listening public, such as the Danish tenor Aksel Schiotz. In his introduction, Libbey notes he tried to avoid the gaps and errors in such standard reference works as Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, and adds, "Doubtless there will be errors still, and for these I accept full responsibility." Alas, I have already caught him in two. The first is the listing of Beethoven's birthday as December 17, 1770, when even "Peanuts'" Schroeder and Lucy know that Beethoven was born on December 16. Of course, that could have been a printer's or proofreader's error, but the second mistake is more serious--when Libbey states that Vladimir Horowitz withdrew from the concert stage in 1953 in a severe depression over the suicide of his only daughter. Actually, Horowitz's daughter, Sonia, did not commit suicide until the 1970s (which caused Horowitz a second bout of severe depression); I'm not sure exactly what caused Horowitz's 1953 breakdown, but I had always understood that an addiction to prescription drugs was at least partly to blame. Nevertheless, these are minor caveats to an otherwise enjoyable and informative volume. Any classical music lover with computer access would be happy to own it.

Couldn't choose between the NPR ecyclopedia and the Vantage Guide so bought both. The NPR book is younger, more detailed, more information on a wider variety of artists and composers and in my opinion ; much better.

Don't get this if you are looking for an overview of music history, this is a reference book--exactly as advertised.

It comes with a login to naxos.com that allows you to listen to literally hundreds of hours of music from the naxos library for free! This is a tremendous value.

I was most impressed by the sheer amount of information--not just the historic information, even my favorite 20th and 21st century composers were given a fair amount of coverage.

As both an educator serving hundreds of children over the past 12 years, and a mother of three I have found this sensational, practical book a wonderful resource. Parents, teachers and caregivers will find in this well organized, clearly written book a wealth of information for situations that all of us who nurture children encounter throughout our daily interactions. A true, sensitive delight filled with hundreds of user friendly exercises, fresh ideas and insights into how the world sounds to children today. Helen Shaw, secondary school teacher

This book is an excellent resource for both parents and educators who deal with both mainstream and challenged populations. For those of us interested in gaining from the benefits of the latest brain research, or "brain-compatible strategies," without having to sort through the theoretical concepts or scientific research that often make these books cumbersome this book is the answer. The author--a clinical psychologist with actual experience in these matters--shares with us his years of research and professional experience in a very handy, ready to use volume that provides hundreds of fun, useful, hands-on exercises. Each chapter also thoughtfully provides dozens of musical suggestions based on songs that our kids actually listen to and recognize. The amount of research that must have gone into this book boggles the mind. This is an offering from someone who not only KNOWS children, but also loves and cherishes them. If you are fortunate enough to attend one of Dr. Ortiz's workshops on this topic you will be further enriched and enchanted by his charm, knowledge and humor. Mindy Mother of two, educator

This is an exceptional guide for teachers and parents
alike. Well written, filled with creative exercises
and handy resources. Brings color to any environment!

As both a parent and an educator I find this simple to read, highly accessible tool is a "must read" for all of us whose primary emphasis is to raise children to be happy, responsible individuals. Sections on developing positive self-esteem, dealing with hyperactive children and developing creativity are among the best.

A dream tool!

I bought this highly recommended book to assist me with the many practical ideas that all caregivers crave. The book has easily surpassed my expectations and lived up to all the high praise and accolades from my friends. As a mother who also home schools two children, however, this book is a rich source of hands-on activities as well as inspiration for enriching family bonds. For parents-or nursery home workers-in search of very effective solutions for nap-time, or sleepy-time resources Dr. Ortiz's charming CDs: "It's Sleepy Time!" (for younger children), or "Daydreams to Dreams" (for older children)are HIGHLY recommended!!

Not only do you get insights and tidbits that you never could have imagined, but they also get linked together in an informative and fun way. Pete Frame does an excellent job of giving informative and anecdotal stories in a graphical manner that makes understanding the era of music much easier. A must read for any true classic rock fan. A personal favorite.

Pete Frame's obsessive large-format (they HAVE to be or you'd go blind reading them) rock family trees are a feast of rock minutia and an elegant formal statement. If you're of a certain age (harrumph), and remember pouring through the record bins in the 60s and 70s, you'll know lots of these names and albums, and your elderly brain will bask for awhile in the nostalgic glow of... rock and roll reminiscence.

As a reference work, as an aesthetic achievement, as a hell of a good way to waste some time, this can't be beat.

Back in the pre-Internet days many of us gleaned info from record albums, and searched out new music by musicians and producers on liner notes because we had little else to guide us.

In the early 80's Pete Frame was a beacon of light, fleshing out band histories, changes and spinoffs and adding context to the evolution of many great music scenes. At that time few decent books covered anything but specific band histories, and Frame's rtees made for hours of fun reading and paths to explore to expand musical boundaries. His work is as relevant and vital now as it ever was

The only thing that came close to being as valuable a resource was Terry Hounsome's Rock Record which indexed bands and musicians but offered little more that than and basic discography info.

Pete Frame invented a new art form and it shows when you look at how many others copy his style on the web today or just outright steal his work for band reference web sites. It's a shame his various books have been hard to find over the years and that there hasn't a fully comprehensive collection of Frame's work. This suggests it is but I think still misses some stuff that can be complemented by other books - and as far as I know Frame is still churning out new ones, though probably at a much slower pace. So this is as good as it gets as far as an overview of Frame's work, and it's very good.

This book is well worth the price and will offer hours of info and and fun trivia to any music fan interested in just about any realm of rock music in the last few decades.

Hi, I`ve been listening to Music for a long time now and went through a lot of different styles and moods.
Two months ago my girlfriend bought me this book and I am most pleased to research again and again through all the small and big events that marked the best era of Rockmusic.
Through Pete I`ve learned that the picture on the front cover of Airplanes Surrealistic Pillow was taken at the Matrix. Way to go!!
I just don`t know if, by mentioning that Zeppelin never released a single, Pete was refering only to the UK ..? Because in the States the monsterpiece Whole Lotta Love came out as a single in Nov. 69. But I`m just a reader!
Thank you Pete!!!

When you start getting really serious about music, listening to it stops being enough: you need to learn about the band, the members, the changes, the bios, the history behind it all... Pete Frame, in the course of some 15 years compiled this magnificently complex printed documentary that includes the family trees and evolution of most every rock band you can think of dated before 1993 (too bad this was the last edition of this book, which now also happens to be out of print!)

The beauty about the book is that it ties together bands that had a relatively close evolution, such as the case of Roxy Music and King Crimson, for example, who "touched" each other's paths when former Crimson's bass/voice John Wetton landed on Roxy Music #5's album, alongside Phil Manzanera, Bryan Ferry and the crew (the # refers to the nomenclature Frame uses to list the different incarnations of a band). In short, if you can get your hands on a used copy of the book (which is the only way to go about it these days), by all means do so: you will be provided with hours and hours of discovery of musical facts!

Enjoyable and wonderful. Well written, to the point...many anecdotes, but never mean...informative.

A great buy. Makes great present to anyone who is even vaguely interested in piano literature or music in general.

Undoubtedly it's a bible for pianists, as well as a must have for all classical music fans, even whom can not read staves well.

It's getting so that if Charles Rosen announced a forthcoming book on the collective memories of his summer vacations during his youth kind of thing, I would buy it! Bottom line, and obviously what I'm saying here is that I like the way he writes 'all' of his books, what he has to say and how he says it! A style that both holds and informs if you will. So too, he's "been the road" so the contents of these books draw on the cumulative wealth of his experiences whether it's a discussion of Beethoven's sonatas, the classical era itself and its stand-outs or this present book on the world of the pianist.

Regardless of one's level of experience on the piano, this book is an excellent read from a man who knows what he is talking about. It is NOT a book zeroing in on posture or breathing or "don't bang the keys" recitations or 'lectures' but rather a nitty-gritty practical tome that touches on various areas and what life with the keys is all about. The ups and the downs and all in between.

BTW, if books like these appeal to you written by folks who have "been there, done that" albeit well 'verifiably' so as is the case with Mr. Rosen, and as they equally appeal to me when I can locate such informative tomes, and as a classical oriented player making no excuses for literally loving the classical war-horse pieces, check out "Piano Pieces" by Russell Sherman [New England Conservatory]. Another great read!

Doc Tony

As a pianist I stand in awe of Charles Rosen's phenomenal analysis and exposure of the life, status, mind, intellect and passion of one of our most celebrated pianists. If there were ever any doubt about why one plays the piano, here is the answer. This is another MUST HAVE for any honest and serious pianist, either amateur or professional.

I didn't know Charles Rosen from a hole in the ground before I picked this up; I'm just a piano enthusiast. His personality comes through in his writing as he reflects on past concerts and recordings and travels and the likes. Not a memoir, but I suppose something pretty close to it. He essentially goes on about the different facets of being a pianist and if you eat breathe and sleep piano, you're sure to enjoy this. His writing style is polished and rather dignified, without being pedantic or scholarly. Heck I wanna go out and buy all this guy's books and records now. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because it took me some getting used to at the first chapter, but once I adjusted to the fact that he's world class material and I'm just a schmuck doing scales, it was all smooth sailing from there.

any thing by pink floyd gets 5 stars, an A+, and ten on ten. an absolute must for anyone who wants to know what music looks like.

I recommend this book to all P.F. lovers, I collect all of there stuff from books, dvd's, cd's and whatever else is available, this book tells of all whose been involved with P.F. since they've been around, real interesting. Shine On!!

At first I thought I wouldn't like it because it was definitely an encyclopia and I was expecting more of a book (regardless of its name) but the more I delved into it, the more I appreciated it. I bought another Pink Floyd book at the same time so it helped as a reference to that, too. My only complaint is how small the print is. Again I understand it is an encyclopia and know it would be thicker or bigger but think it would be worth it to have larger print. But it is very interesting to the Floyd fanatic like me. It has a lot more information than I expected.

This book is great. Things I never new before. Try it, you won't be dissapointed

This is THE most detailed and expansive resource for Pink Floyd info. That said, it's a true encyclopedia. Don't buy it expecting to read through it, because although its really cool to know specifically what guitar David played in WYWH, you'll find yourself skipping over the page to the next section.

Recommended.

I went to college in Nashville and took a publishing class. This book was more practical than the entire semester!

Has some insight about how to get put on, but not much more than I already knew about.

My son, a music composer, asked for this book as a gift and found it very helpful. He istrying to get some of his work published.

This is a great book for those that are confused by music publishing. I read it and I am now comfortable with music publishing. it gave me enough information that Iknow what is going on as I work with music publishers. It also gave me guidanc eto know what to do when the time comes for me to start my own publishing company.

I purchased Randall Wixen's "Guide" on a whim, having never made a cent off of my home-brewed ditties and not sure I ever would. Now, nine months after moving to Los Angeles, I'm approaching a meeting with a major 'performing rights organization,' and I couldn't be armed with a better tool.

In his "Plain and Simple Guide to Music Publishing," Wixen sets forth in lay terms the basic in's and out's of the music publishing world. He demystifies this piece of the industry with clear examples and makes palatable material that we "creative types" often leave untouched. Importantly, he does it with humor and panache--the stuff is actually readable.

At minimum, you'll finish the book feeling like you at least know how NOT to get screwed in this music publishing arena; at maximum, you'll feel ready to set up your own publishing company, collect every penny off of your art, and take over the world.

And hey, if you don't believe me, just flip through the Foreword, penned by a local little songster named Tom Petty.

I bought this method for my eleven year old son, who is learning trumpet as his third instrument. I like the selection of songs and the easy pace of the book. Also, the video isn't bad, but disappointing from the fact that the video and CD both primarily cover only the first few pages in the book.

I never considered "Gently twist the mouthpiece into the mouthpiece reciever," to be instructions for trumpet assembly before. I have been away from playing for 10 years and thought this might be a good book to help me get reaquainted with the horn. I was wrong...this book is VERY VERY simplistic.

If you are an absolute beginner, who has never even handled a trumpet and does not know anyone who plays trumpet, then get this book. If there is ANYONE that you can ask questions, who reads music or plays trumpet, then you can skip this book. Get something a little more complicated and just ask questions. If you are going to be taking lessons DEFINITELY do not buy this package. You will learn more during the first half-hour of your first lesson.

Got this for someone who wants to learn how to play and he really liked it.

Received my copy and cannot say enought good things about this book. The CD is the key to the teaching method, as with out it, a student wouldn't know if they were playing the right sound.It's like having your own teacher next to you, and one can learn at their own pace. Highly recommend it.

Play Trumpet Today! - Level 1 (The Ultimate Self-Teaching Method)
The best - the DVD is excellant and so simple to understand. The CD is terrific and the book is wonderful but you do need to be able to read music for the book as my son only started the DVD was the best part as it did describe everything he needed to understand with first time trumpet.
He has played this to his friends that come over and rehearse with him and they also found it wonderful, they are only 10 and 11 years old and understand it easily.
Also Amazon products arrive in the best packaging and safely delivered by courier, the books and items will never be damaged due the terrific packaging and their impecible service and communication is just refreshing to come across. Thanks for such good service and products and undersstanding when being asked many questions with fast and speedy answers