Music Books

This was my first book on filmmaking howto, and i don,t regret it. This is a general introduction to film making, covering both traditional 16-35 mm mediums and video. It's out of date if you're looking for references to all the latests video hd tech, but a nevertheless very worthwhile.

great book if you plan on going into the film industry. i would recommend this book.

The Filmmaker's Handbook is exquisitely detailed in it's delivery of filmmaking knowledge and know-how. It cover's everything from film to video and from the film industry to the television industry, delivering updated information that will prepare even the most amateur videographer for the professional industry. However, it would be a good idea to start with some basics before tackling this book because it IS quite detailed and technical in it's delivery. Overall though, it is an excellent resource! Bravo!!!

I bought this book few months back in order to study the film making process. The book has details for practically everything and best for beginners as well as professionals. however since the version dates 5 years old so I'd suggest anybody interested in learning the aspects to consider this book as a base and then also subscribe to a magazine as you'll have a know how of latest stuff happening in the movie making technology. something like movie maker magazine. anyway the book still deserve 5 stars for its content.

This is a required text book, and is used in many colleges. It is a great book and it is so good to read that studying is not a chore

This is one of the few books I've had trouble putting down. It's the story of an amazing man that I truly admire. I would recommend this book to everyone. Also his CD's and those of the three tenors are beautiful music to say the least.

Dr. Ronan Tynan has to be one of the most friendly, inspirational, and heart-warming people on the face of the planet. I'm convinced of it. For a man who has had to persevere as much as he has, his outlook on life, his accomplishments, and his stories are awe-inspiring.

I first learned of Tynan when I heard him sing "God Bless America" on TV. I was enthralled. I had never heard a voice so pure, so powerful, so emotional. His voice touched me, it caused goose-bumps. I immediately began to research, trying to find out about the man who had just amazed me so.

After reading "Halfway Home", I am even more impressed with the man. In every aspect of life, he has triumphed over odds and circumstances that would have buckled the average person. To be accomplished in so many ways, to have lived such a rich, full life, is a dream for which we all should strive. The blueprint for such a goal is in Ronan Tynan's approach to life, which is guided by kindness, decency, hard work, love, passion, and faith.

At times the book is a bit boring, as is nearly all biographical material, but the inspiration overcomes, just like Tynan. Add him to my short list of personal heroes.

This is an inspiring book. I cannot overstate that. Ronan could have folded his cards and done nothing in the face of adversity. He could have just stayed inside and watched tv or something of that nature. Instead he did not even let it bother him at all. In fact he hurdled right over the adversities.

Firstly this review is not intended in any way to be objective. I love the man who is Ronan Tynan, I love his voice and all that he has contributed to the world. Halfway Home is the story of a man who is passionate, driven, inspired and someone who refuses to beaten down in any way. He is a Maverick, who in this side-splittingly funny book, outlines just some of the things that he has done in his life. What makes this book special is that his accomplishments that are detailed in this are done so with such humility that it seems as if he is with you in your living room having a friendly chat. I met him a few weeks ago and he is just as funny and outgoing in person as this book suggests. One of life's true heroes.

Dennis Charles

In the book "Halfway Home-My Life til Now" Ronan talks about family and those whom he has met so far in his life. He also talks about the women he has slept with so far. Which I find appalling, and just plain bad taste. He should apoligize to the women he talks about in the book. I wouldn't let anyone under the age of 21 to read this book. Keep it away from children.

Wonderful resource for preparing my lessons as Music Teacher. I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to be a more effective teacher.

This approach develops incredibly sophisticated musicians at an early age. Kodaly Today provides thorough guidelines for the music educator throughout the calendar year. Lesson planning runs smoothly which allows me more time to be creative and teach a in step by step, cognitive way. But it also provides specifics like key phrases and terminology to help you communicate in the classroom. It is an essential to my planning time.

I found that this book had great information and really took the time to explain the reasoning and philosophy behind the ideas presented. It almost contains too much information. I plan to use it as a reference to supplement the Kodaly training I'm receiving at Capital University, and hope other will use it as a reference and not a replacement for training.

If you are a Music Educator, this book will help you to be a more effective teacher and will keep you from going crazy trying to figure out how to present all those music concepts on your list. The book is well organized, relevant and easy to understand. Believe me, everything you need to teach wonderful music lessons is in this book. There are song suggestions for every part of your lessons and many ideas for making your lessons more creative and powerful. After almost 30 years as a Music Educator, I am so grateful to have this tool and support for my teaching.

I bought this book after hearing about it on the MENC boards. It is packed full of great information about organizing curriculum, and offers many ideas that you can incorporate immediately into the classroom. Worth every penny!

I have played various musical instruments throught my life and this is BY FAR the Best Beginner Book I have EVER Used, I give it 5 Stars!!!

I thought I would buy this to finally learn to read notation. What a mistake that was! The instruction consists of one line of notation with the notes on top of page four. That's it. You are supposed to be be reading music notation after that single line. Go ahead and check it out in Amazon's free sample of the book. Click on First Page, and go forward one page to "Notes in the first position" as the heading. See where it reads Frets and Fingers? That's it. That's all you get. Now, go to the next page, and the next. No references to notes at all, and you are supposed to be playing full pages of music after page 4! The numbers you see only tell you which finger they want you to use, not what string or fret.

The Complete Idiot's guide takes NINE! pages to fully explain music notation, and runs you through single string exercises to learn notation. The Modern Method? One line! Does the Modern Method mention Every Good Boy Deserves Favor (EGBDF), or FACE? Nope. No need to include any memorization tools taught by every singe teacher in the world, to every single student.

How this gets so many high reviews is beyond me, unless they are from students who have proper instruction to go along with the book. Larry Baione's halting, stammering, video presentation is about what I'd expect from a 1980's era metal guitar instruction video, not from the Chair of Berklee's guitar dept. Basically, don't expect actual "instruction" from this video. You'll get examples and displays. and little of value to a beginner.

The Berklee guitar books could very well be the best comprehensive method out there. This is the first of three books. The DVD is a big help because it lets the student hear and see the exercises along with reading them. Anyone who takes the time and exercises the discipline to give the Berklee method adequate attention will emerge an accomplished legitimate guitarist.

The Berklee books are geared to the serious student. Those who are looking for a few hot licks to amaze the garage band or the folks at the club should probably look elsewhere.

Levitt's 'Modern Method' has been the foundation stone upon which many great guitarists have built their careers and reputations. It's pretty much beyond criticism for many players, but it's worth noting some observations:

1) It's not recommended if all you want is to learn how to strum a few chords

2) If you simply want to read TAB and chord charts, this is not the book for you

3) This will not help you perfect your string bending, hammer ons, pull offs, fingerpicking or even sweep picking

So, why the five stars? Because it's essentially boot camp for guitar. Spend a year with the book (and the accompanying DVD) and you will come away with a good basic understanding of how music works and how to apply that understanding to the guitar. You'll also be on the way to be able to sight-reading 'the dots'. Plus, in the process you will improve; playing slowly, carefully and methodically to the unstinting beat of a metronome can reveal many weaknesses in technique.

The DVD is hugely useful, too. Not only does it demonstrate the exercises well, but Larry Baione adds a human touch that the text is sometimes missing.

In short, if you want to take guitar seriously, there's no better starting place than William Levitt's books.

THis book is for anyone who wants to take their playing to the next level. It takes you from the beginning to very upper imtermediate and helps you hone your reading skills. If you are not a music reader this book can be the catalyst to knowing just what it takes to be a master. I recommend this book to anyone reguardless of what level of playing.

An easy read. plenty of useful, practical(as the title implies) information, especially for the uninitiated.It covers a lot of territory broadly. A good overview of the Music business for beginners.

I found this book very helpful. It broke down the material step by step and gave great examples. I think anybody entering into any aspect of the music industry should read this book!

Really easy to read, gives a fantastic broad view over the music industry. The author writes it like it is and he gives us information straight and clear, gives practical advice and the book is FUN to read. Buy it or regret it forever!!

A very important work for musicians written by someone who hates to see people get screwed. This book reads easy and is comprehensive.

Well, I read this book cover to cover. It's a definite must read for the serious musician who wants to learn about the music business and how it works. The music business is pretty confusing but this book is written in a way that is completely understandable. It has a lot of information such as music publishing, legal topics, and agreements. It also has Q&A sections from Henry Rollins, Fred Croshal (Maverick Records) and Neil Gillis (VP of A&R at Warner/Chappel Music). Bobby Borg was my instructor and I know he knows his stuff. The music industry is an arcane language, but this book makes everything easy to understand. Everyone in our class was happy to be able to study of off such a book. Buy it! it's worth it.

I was so impressed by this book when I checked it out from the library I realized I had to have a copy of my own for those times when problems crop up that drive me toward the deep end. This book does what it claims. Though it won't answer all of your problems (what book would), it's easy to understand and can provide simple solutions to what seem like complex problems. It also gives the reader various references and free helpful programs on-line. I highly recommend it.

OK for the nontechnical XP users. Most of these hints have been published elsewhere but it is a nice collection.

I love the format Steve Bass uses while writing
about computer annoyances. Many of the tips and solutions
can save you frustrations that are always there even in
a minor way because you may not know how to fix them.

This is not the usual boring computer book. Just the opposite.
I'm reading it the second time with a felt tip marker. After reading a chapter I go to my computer, explore, and make changes. I've learned more reading this book than any other computer book I've purchased. And it's written so the average computer user like me can understand.

After slogging through books on W2KPro/XPPro that are painful to read and no help unless your running 100+ PC's this book was a welcome relief in it's smarts,humor,and direct approach to fixing many of the challenges presented by the above mentioned OS's. Having one of my usual sleepless nights I started tallying up all the money I spent trying to keep MS software running,protected from hackers,bots,spyware,virii worms and it's own predisposition to fail and I realize that with an entire industry built around sloppy software as the norm and a gov't asleep at the antitrust wheel we're not likely to see a real improvement any time soon. When you hear words like regulation stifles innovation reach down and make sure you still have your wallet because it's about to be plundered. It's always about the money. If I had to spend another $25 to have this book included in the box that MS/OS came in then I would've saved hundreds on books that did'nt meet my needs and priceless amounts of lost time.

I bought this book last september. And I still read it.
It made me cry that someone so cold could take someone who is loved by everyone. It made me think to. darrell was so loved by millions of people whether they were fans friends or family. He will be truly missed by me and my family and I cant wait to get my dimebag tattoo.

we miss you dime keep on rockin w/ hendrix and joplin.

A great book about the events leading up to Dimebag's demise. Good detail and well written. A definate read for any hard core dimebag fan out there. Getcha Pull!!

I HAVE NOT READ A BOOK IN A LONG TIME THAT I LITERALLY COULD NOT PUT DOWN. I HAVE NOT READ A BOOK IN A LONG TIME THAT MADE ME CRY THAT HARD. YOU FEEL LIKE YOU KNOW EVERYONE THAT DIED THAT NIGHT....(GOD BLESS THEIR FAMILIES) AS WELL AS DIMEBAG. MY 15 YEAR OLD IS AN AVID GUITAR PLAYER AND THIS IS HIS HERO. I HAD TO READ IT BECAUSE THAT IS ALL WE EVER HEARD/AND STILL HEAR ABOUT IS DIMEBAG. WOW IS ALL I CAN SAY. I AM SO SADDENED THAT I CAN NEVER SEND MY SON TO ONE OF HIS CONCERTS. I BELIEVE HIS SPIRIT LIVES ON IN MY SON THOUGH BECAUSE HE PLAYS LIKE DIME VERY MUCH. HE OWNS 6 ELECTICS AND OF COURSE HAD TO GET A DEAN!!!!! THE ONE WE GOT HIM FOR XMAS WAS DIMEBAGS TRIBUTE GUITAR. AN AWESOME BOOK IS ALL I CAN SAY AND YOU JUST HAVE TO READ IT!!!!

This book was read in like 6 hours, it is not a big book but i got to say that i was hooked from the 1st page to the last one !! Im a big metal fan, so for sure im a fan of Pantera & Dimebag and im happy to say i saw them live at least 5 times in the 90's. I will always remember that day when my friend called me at 6ham to give me the bad news, this book tells you everything about that day and more. Get it now !

The book has a dual thesis; one being the victim's lives and the second the nightclub rampage and police shooting. What I did not realize while reading the book is that the author did a splendid job of weaving Thompson's, Bray's, Halk's and Abbott's seemingly unintersecting lives into the tragic end. I felt this book was in-depth and gripping.

There is no shortage of research done by the author. He has credited numerous people for contributions of photos, interviews and documents. Given the subject matter, it may have been easy to invoke a morbid fascination from the reader for the sake of selling books but, he tastefully used hundreds of crime scene photos. He obviously established a repor with CPD Officer J. Neggemeyer as well as other investigators. He did a fine job of delving into the lives of the victims and articulated what good people they really were, which made the occurrence that much more disturbing and tragic.

I thought the book was accurate for the most part, save for a few mistakes in municipalities. The only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars was I felt that referring to Nathan Gale as "the beast" was childish. Although he slowly changed into a beast given his mental illness, changing the moniker does not change the fact that Gale was single-handedly responsible for immeasurable pain and damage.

This is a very uplifting read on a gloomy topic. Hopefully you know Robert Schimmel from his Stand-up comedy act. I've seen Robert's comedy show 5 or 6 times, and consider myself to be one who recruits new fans to his shows whenever he comes to St. Louis.
I bought this book after one of Robert's appearances on the Howard Stern show. I thought this would be a good book to read on vacation on the beach.
So, here I am sitting on the beach, nice breeze, cocktail ready....I started to tear up after reading the first few paragraphs. What am I doing reading something sad on the beach???? I kept going and am glad I did. I couldn't put the book down. I couldn't wait to read the next word.
It was almost as if Robert was on stage telling us this whole story.

I would assume everybody has experienced a loss due to cancer or some other disease. I certainly have. This book walks you through the routine, highs/lows, emotions of that those afflicted go through.....Robert speaks almost as your relative, co-worker, or friend you may have lost.

Thanks Robert! I can't wait to see you!

I am not your typical book reader ,but after finding a book about your favorite comedian I could not resist.This was litterally the first book I read in over 20 years.I loved the book and was well entertained.I now have a more insight on how Robert's last decade really was.

It's always encouraging when someone beats cancer. And non-Hodgkins lymphoma is especially tough to overcome. Robert Schimmel had the advantage of age, good health, and caring support in his battle. And no doubt his determined sense of humor helped a lot too, besides bringing a welcome uplift to his fellow chemo patients. His book demonstrates that humor grows out of even the direst situation and that horniness survives all assaults.

There are no profound lessons in this volume beyond illustrating that mental attitude can make a bad time a little better. And whether attitude influences healing or not, it usually just feels better to be positive than negative.

I started reading after lunch today, and couldn't put it down. The writing is compelling and real, and inspiring in so many ways.
I am grateful that Mr. Schimmel lived through it all, and even more grateful that his book enriches our lives by reminding us about what really matters. As a survivor myself, and having lost many relatives to cancer, the book had my emotions all over the place...but through it all, the humor prevails. I can't remember ever reading a book that had me laughing and crying at the same time.

This book is in my collection after seeing him on Conan, and it's going to get a lot more readings from here on out. It's a keeper.

In many ways, Robert Schimmel is the Lenny Bruce of our times. After experiencing his performance at the Denver Comedy Works this past weekend, I read this memoir chronicling his deeply-personal, life-and-death battle with Stage III non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Bob is a stand-up comedian best known for his controversial sexual material and self-deprecating sense of humor, his HBO performances, and his appearances on The Howard Stern Show. His edgy style has gotten him into plenty of trouble. The networks are afraid of him, he confessed during his show. He joked about getting banned from Late Night with Conan O'Brien almost getting banned from The Hollywood Squares for making sexual jokes about Louie Anderson.

Cancer on $5 a Day tells the story of Schimmel's treatment and recovery following his cancer diagnoses in June, 2000. Bob was no stranger to cancer. He lost his son, Derek, to brain cancer at age 11. At the time of his diagnosis, Bob had just received the Stand-Up of the Year Award, and he was about to commence work on a new sitcom. His memoir reveals how Schimmel never lost his edgy sense of humor through this dark period of his life. He continued to laugh, even in the face of death, while receiving treatment at Mayo Clinic infusion center in Scottsdale. Even as his hair was falling out, Bob bantered with wig salesmen, inquiring about the possibility of a wig for his pubic area. The ultimate point of Schimmel's memoir is that, without a strong sense of humor during the tough times in life, you're pretty much f***ed (as he would say).

After his recent performance, Bob told me his battle with cancer changed his perspective on material possessions and the LA lifestyle. Although his doctors told him he would never have children again, Bob married his wife Melissa, and they have since had two children. Schimmel's inspirational survival story will make readers laugh and cry at the same time. Only a comic genius like Bob Schimmel could find so much humor in a possible death sentence. Recommended.

G. Merritt

I purchase this item recently and just love it for the quirkiness of it all! I've had friends and family look through it when they visit and it is just a great little coffee table conversation piece. It really is well planned out and the 'Pop-up' side of things does make you feel like a child again. There is a few little surprises that I didn't expect when I ordered it but I don't want to ruin it for anyone interested! I found the story to be enjoyable and it's something different. Thumbs up to the creators of this book because it has bought a little smile to everyone who I have shown even if they aren't into Elvis at all- something which I can't understand really.

This is an excellent book. The quality of the pop up pictures are wonderful. It is a real collector piece. Definitely worth buying if you are anyway interested in Elvis

My friend and I purchased this for our "Elvis fan" for Christmas. This book is is so much fun. It has great pop up pages that are interactive, such as a little photo album with pictures, or the kitchen page you can open the kitchen and cabinet doors. It was much more than just a regular pop up book. Our friend loved it! I recommend buying it for those true fans.

I'm not a big Elvis fan at all, but my MIL is, so I bought it for her. As soon as it was opened, I sat and read it cover to cover! I loved the details and the stories that went with each page and feel like I don't need to go and take the tour, now! (I once drove by Graceland, but didn't take the tour.) Fantastic, interesting, well-made book. I agree with another reviewer that some pages have to be turned carefully to prevent pop-up parts from bending, but that was a rare thing and only applied to the smaller pieces, like a corner of a table and a candlestick in the livingroom.

Cool book! Worth every cent...

GRACELAND: AN INTERACTIVE POP-UP TOUR is a must-have for any Elvis fan. I bought one for a friend, and it was such a hit that several of her friends have purchased them also. The pop-ups are well done, and the book gives a lot of information about Elvis and Graceland. It makes a great birthday present and will be the hit of the party.

When reading about George, it is worth remembering that after a certain period, his life was sincerely oriented toward spiritual life. Rather than retiring entirely from the world, he kindly shared this dedication through many if not all of his creative works. George also had a wonderful sense of humor, to go along with his realization of the ephemeral, illusory nature of the material world. It is his, and our, great fortune that George remembered God in His most playful and attractive form as Krishna, and never forgot Him. Hare Krishna!

This is a beautiful and lovingly produced book of George Harrison's life in pictures with comprehensive articles and tributes written about George and heaps of great photographs and more. George's wife, Olivia Harrison wrote a moving personal Foreword that brings tears to the eye and touches chords of hearts. No George Harrison fans could miss this much sought-after item. However, whether or not you are a George Harrison or Beatles fan, this is a great book to read and a wonderful gift to give.

Geroge is consider one of the quiet one in the band "i think" but not on the music, his talent surpass any
other musician and is really sad not to have him anymore . In this book you'll find a great deal of pics since
the Beginning and from his solo career , a must have book to put in your collection

For the recent Birthday of Georgie Boy, I can review this item as the best way of remembering one of the best humans that have ever walked this earth.

Having been a "LLOG" (Lifetime Lover of George)I have read plenty about him. In general, his music is the best way to get to know George: it is unique, multi-textured, honest, witty, loving and spiritual. However, for reasons I certainly can't fathom, generally his post-Beatles work (with about two exceptions) got no respect!
Of course I loved the photos, but in my opinion the written tributes from his wife, Olivia, and his friends/fellow musicians are what sets this book apart. Paul Simon's is particularly descriptive: I felt as though I was visiting Friar Park (the Harrison's home in England) right along with him; walking through George's beloved gardens, sitting in front of the fire, listening to an impromptu ukelele concert, receiving a thoughtful surprise upon returning home to the U.S. "He wasn't particularly quiet, he just didn't DEMAND to be heard." Beautifully put. (Note to Paul Simon: you just might have a second career there; I would buy your first novel!)
This is also a great book for aspiring guitarists, as it gives mini-descriptions of particularly noteworthy ("Essential") Harrison performances, illustrating the subtleties and unusual but brilliant choices George made (at times even innovative or ground breaking) musically. People who previously believed that Lennon and McCartney were the ONLY geniuses in the Beatles will re-think that belief after reading this section particularly: they might even listen for certain passages in certain songs and think, "YEAH, WOW! That IS amazing!" They might give George's solo work (besides "All Things Must Pass") a listen and be pleasantly surprised. But we "LLOGs" have heard and appreciated the subtle brilliance of George Harrison all along.
This book is a must-have for any George Harrison or Beatles fan, or any guitar or rock history aficionado.