Music Books

The backbone of Duke Ellimgtons music was his association with Billy Strayhorn. Where such genius came from emanates from poverty and rather ordinary family roots. This is a fascinating and beautifully documented story that completes any previous knowledge of the beauty that is Ellingtons music. Strayhorn was obviously an unrecognized genius deserving of notoriety and equal prominence.

This was an excellent read and it was great to see that somebody finally came out with a biography on Billy Strayhorn. So why the 3 star rating? Well, the author actually attempts to overemphasize Staryhorn's importance to the Ellington band (hard as that is to do).

The author unfortunately tries to paint a picture of Ellington as somebody that didn't appreciate Strayhorn's talent and put his name on Stayhorn's songs and basically didn't do much at all after the arrival of Strayhorn. This, of course, is a complete crock. Ellington wrote the vast majority of his most well known songs before Strayhorn even came into the picture ("Mood Indigo", "Sophisticated Lady", "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing", "Rockin' In Rhythm", In A Sentimental Mood", and "Solitude" just to name a few). Are we really supposed to believe that all of a sudden Strayhorn comes and Ellington's compositional skills go down the drain and he relies on Strayhorn for everything thereafter? That's a little too much (actually way too much) to believe.

Also, if Strayhorn was truly all the brains behind the post-1940 Ellington band, then how come Ellington was still writing great works after Strayhorn's death (New Orleans Suite anyone?)? It just doesn't add up.

Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn were one of the greatest song writing teams of all time. Both were equally important players to the other's success after they joined together and each made his significant contributions. The author is probably a big Strayhorn fan and to make up for the lack of recognition that Strayhorn has received the author actually does a disservice to Strayhorn by overstating his importance to the Ellington band. Strayhorn accomplished so much it's just not necessary to do so.

That being said, the book is still a great source for learning about the life of Billy Strayhorn and who he was and it's great that somebody finally wrote a book on his life.

i find myself always enjoying Books on People&this is no exception.very well detailed Book on a Important Composer&His Many Demons&Surroundings.I heard a few years back that Will Smith was considering doing the Bio Movie on Billy Strayhorn.it would be really interesting to see how things would come out on the Big screen.this book reflects on Music Talent&whole Life.very well done book.

one of the most interesting biographies I've ever read. When Billy Strayhorn was growing up in Pittsburgh he met Duke Ellington in the back of the theatre after a concert Duke performed at. He blew Duke away when Billy played the piano for him. Years later Duke would remember him and asked Billy to come out to NYC to see him. When Billy asked for directions Duke would write on a piece of paper, take the A train. While on the A train to Upper Manhattan to see Duke, Billy wrote the music for 'Take the A Train". So it goes the great collaboration between Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn would begin. Always in the background and never given the proper credit for all the music he wrote Billy Strayhorn would live a lush life. Travelling the world and meeting the kings and queens of the jazz world, he could be the life of the party but the applause for Duke Ellington's music would bypass him. Being black and gay back in those days was not acceptable behavior so Billy stayed in the background and Duke kept him. Billy wrote the music and Duke played it, his own personal muse. Billy loved the 3 am hour the best, it was the happiest hour of the day when you're too exhausted to care anymore and numb to everything else. A wonderful book.

This book has a lot going for it. Do you like music, swing and jazz? Do you like intersting people? Did you live through the 30's, 40's and 50's? Do you enjoy reading about that era? Do you enjoy reading a well written biogratphy? If the answer to any of these is yes, you'll like this book, it the answer is yes to several of these questions then you'll LOVE this book. David Hajdu has done an exemplary job of documenting the life of Billy Strayhorn. I really felt like I knew the man after reading this. He has done his research and he also writes with a very smooth style that keeps you intersted. I love music and I've read bios of Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, BB King, Chuck Berry, Led Zepplin, Allman Bros. on and on. This is one of the best if not the best music bio I've read.

This is an outstading biography of one of the great musicians of the 20th Century. Tabuteau influenced more musicians than oboists. Laila Storch's biography covers some of his most students who became renowned in their own right. It is a very interesting, but also easy book to read.

I wish it were being better publicized. I am thinking of taking it backstage after a concert of the San Franciso Symphony and talking it up with some of the musicians whom I know fairly well. I may even suggest that Ms. Storch come to San Francisco and give a talk to the wind sectiion of the San Francisco Symphony.

Samira Baroody
San Francisco

This book is a "must have" for any oboist. It is such a well written account of the man who had more influence on the oboe world than probably any other person in history. I am not quite all the way through the book, but I am so enjoying it and I don't want to miss anything. The book itself is of such excellent quality. Only the finest materials were used in making this book. Thank you so much Ms. Storch for your excellent work!

Marcel Tabuteau: How Do You Expect to Play the Oboe If You Can't Peel a Mushroom?

A superb glimpse into Classical music in the 1950's. Interesting autobiographical notes and an intimate look at that icon of American oboe playing, Marcel Tabuteau, by a long time student, colleague and friend.

While I'm not through reading this book, I'm amazed at it in many ways. Tabuteau was perhaps the most important orchestral musician of the 20th century in that he taught and found employment for many oboe and other woodwind players. This book covers many details of his life in a readable fashion by the great Laila Storch, a student and worker of his. As a woman, she was not readily accepted by the orchestral community, but she persevered and became an outstanding oboist and musician as a result of his teaching. His methods are not readily understood by many players and I admit to some confusion at times, perhaps because of his choice of words.

Included in the book is a CD of lessons with a Danish student after he had retired. I'm eagerly looking forward to listening to it and, perhaps, learning more.

This book is a must for oboists. It is a great bargain!

Marcel Tabuteau is a name any wind player of my age (60+) has been familiar with for many years. As a teenager, I purchased the "First Chair" album with Tabuteau and other pricipal players of the Philadelphia Symphony soloing. This is a very well written and thorough book on his life that any musician, and certainly any wind player, should read.

I am a young "Anglo-American" (white) girl living in a Texas/Mexican border town with a 98% hispanic community, and am on my way to learning the language fluently. I read this book in my Spanish class, and nearly died from the beauty of this book! It has helped me along with recognizing and comprehending Spanish along with leaving me a satisfied reader. Someday when I speak fluent Spanish, I will read this to my daughter and am sure it will be her favorite bed-time story. :-)

Seeing as though I couldn't get the real Marianela quickly, this one suited quite well, perhaps even better. I had to write a paper on it and the simplified language made mush easier to understand.

Pablo, a rich blind boy is madly in love with poor Marianela. Things go smooth until renowned Doctor Teodoro Golfín offers to cure up Pablo's eyes. Marianela, who thinks she is ugly is afraid that when he starts seeing, he'll see how ugly(on the surface) she really is. Her fears are confirmed when he falls for his beautiful cousin Florentina, who doesn't treat Marianela too well. She is so attached to Pablo that if she doesn't look beautiful for him, she won't be any use to him. A very destructive point of view which she sticks to. It's a tragic ending but it's common in most Spanish-language stories.

What is the actual implication of this fictitious work? Isn't there a serious, profound and truthful lessons in this love story so down-to-earth but yet so complex?

Marianela, a love story published in 1878 portrays a relationship between a blind man and his guide-- not beautiful a woman, whom he imagines attractive. Loving him she worries that once the man recovers his eyesight realizes she is not as pretty as he thinks her to be.

The author wisely crafts an interesting symbolism between the capacity to see, which is always spiritual and emotional, and on the other hand the human eyesight which can be inadequate, restrictive and misleading.

The implication that runs through the whole story is that adversity is a blessing in disguise, since blindness forces him to be humble enough to perceive the beauty she and others manifest. Once he recovers his eyesight and sees her for the first time with his human eyes, he rejects her.

Wasn't he in possession of real sight while blind than when he was able to recover his sight and to humanly see? Isn't Perez Galdos message, that the capacity to see and understand is mental, emotional and not necessarily physical?

Finally I can say this classic must be understood as a lesson on the spiritual superiority over the evidence presented by the human senses. This emotionally complex story has a symbolism, it will teach a lesson to whoever is receptive enough to its deeper meaning.

I must admit that this book didn't pick my interest when I started reading it in My Spanish AP class in high school. Now after reading it I have to say that this book is wonderfully written and very educational.
Marianela is a girl who lives in The Mines of Socartes, she is the guide of a rich boy who suffers fom blindness Pablo. I loved Marianela's character since the first pages, she is so full of life, so innocent. All her life she lived out of the pity of others but it didn't matter to her. Pablo "said" he loved her and she lived in this illusion where she thought that she would finally be loved and not criticized by her looks.
Then, everything changed when Teodoro Golfin, a miracle doctor gave Pablo his sight. That's when everything changed. When Pablo saw what Marianela really looked like, he just started treating her horribly. Where did all his love go? I have to say that by the end of the book I hated Pablo with a passion. How can someone be so cynical as to tell a person how beautiful she is without really seeing the exterior appearance and then being disgusted by what he sees when he looks at how that person really looks? Sadly that's what happens with Pablo and it would have been better if he had stay blind.
This book bring some things that are really important. True beauty is on the inside, never judge someone by their exterior appearace because you might be surprised. True beauty is not something that you can see or touch, beauty has to be felt.
I highly recomend this book, it will touch your heart I promise

A great introduction to musical terms and different species of frog. Fun, musical, magical.

Berkes masterfully integrates music and nature in this entertaining story. Thoroughly educational on all types of amphibians, as well as musical terminology. Berkes's excellent word choices and rhythmic language engrosses the reader while the outstanding watercolor illustrations captivate the mind. Although the reading level states K - 3rd grade, this high content book can be enlightening to all ages. As a high school educator, I have recommended this book to environmental science and music teachers. Considering the ending, I eagerly anticipate a sequel to this book.

It is evening time in the marsh and the rain has stopped. During the night the marsh comes alive in a symphony of singing frogs! Maestro frog jumps to the stage and the peepers and pig frogs, the leopard and wood frogs fill the night with song!
Children not only learn about frogs and nature but music theory as well!
In this delightful, rhyming book children thrill to the nightime orchestra Berkes creates so magically. It has a wonderful glossary in the back and Noreika's illustrastions are stunning.
A surefire hit for K through 3rd graders!

M.Murray, Librarian, Florida A wonderfully lyrical and educational learning tool!! For lovers of frogs and/or music everywhere!!

"The rain has stopped./Night is coming./The pond awakes with/quiet humming. // Maestro frog hops to the mound/As night begins to fill with sound./Peepers peep pe-ep, peep, peep./They have had a good day's sleep..." Lit by fireflies and stars "...twinkling to the tune/As they dance around the moon..." the concert begins. Frogs of all shapes and sizes join together to make music in the marsh. These are the beautiful, wondrous sounds that begin quietly and slowly at dusk, and build, louder and faster, as the night stretches on towards dawn..... Marianne Berkes' inspiring, lyrical text is rich in imagery and magic and is filled with energy, rhythm, rhyme, and marvelous sound effects. Robert Noreika's evocative watercolor illustrations dazzle, and together word and art bring the marsh and its inhabitants to life. Part nature book, part music book, Marsh Music includes a glossary of musical terms and informative descriptions of the eleven types of frogs we meet in the "orchestra". This is a lovely and engaging picture book, perfect for bedtime reading, that youngsters 4-8 definitely shouldn't miss. "But now it's dawn./The stars are gone./Maestro puts down his baton. // That's all my friends./It's time to go./Tonight there'll be/another show."

This is a great book. It walks you step by step through learning to play lead. I am doing thing I never thought I would be able to do on a guitar.

I bought this for my 14yo, along with Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar. They must be good because he leaves them all over the house after he's used them. They keep moving around, so he must be using them.

Great book to become an intermediate lead guitar player. It starts from the very beginning and covers scales (Minor pentatonic, blues, minor natural and dorian), speed exercises, intermediate techniques (natural harmonics, vibrato bar, tapping), timing up to sixteenth note triplets, basic theory and introduction to improvisation. It has good explanations, 171 exercises and 6 songs with full backing band to solo over that make you enjoy as you learn. Exercises and songs are demonstrated on the included CD.
It uses TAB with standard rhythm notation to make learning easier.
This book will be hard for absolute beginners because, although basic techniques (hammer-on & pull-off, bending, finger vibrato, palm muting, artificial harmonics) are explained clearly, the book includes only a few exercises for every basic technique and focuses on more advanced matters. They'd better start with a basic book as Metal Lead Guitar Primer to learn the basics.
Remember Troy Stetina is acclaimed as one of the best instructors world wide.

I have no idea about playing guitar. I bought this book as a gift for my nephew. He wanted me to order especially this (well known) book and said that it is very useful. Now he is very happy and he uses it a lot.

The Troy Stetina series is definitely the best instruction books series you can find today. It is well-explained, you get great exercises and songs to play and you gradually feel your skills increasing. Highly recommended.

Great book for the beginning guitarist. Like the above reviews say, within minutes you'll be playing metal. The explanations are good, the exercises better, and the play-along songs awesome. highly recommend for people starting to play guitar with an interest in hard rock and/or metal.

I worked my way through Troy's Metal Rhythm Guitar I & also his Metal Lead Guitar I before buying this book and I'm here to tell you that guitar instruction books don't get any better than this... the theory, presentation and examples are top-notch! You will LOVE the riffs he gives you to learn each technique and style of Metal Rhythm - it's SO FUN to learn when the stuff you play sounds SO COOL! Troy Stetina knows his stuff & can he ever PLAY! When you hear the examples he recorded to accompany the book you'll realize you're learning from a MASTER! To top it off, the theory is easy to understand as Troy explains it & the musical notation in the book uses TAB, but WITH the timing (half notes, quarter notes, etc.) BUY THE ENTIRE SERIES!!

I am a music teacher. I was looking for a book that will teach young adults a method of playing heavy metal music. This is the book I would recommend. My students are enjoying the simple exercises and the play along cd.

I have played guitar for over 12 years. I have recently begun teaching private lessons. I try to teach such that the information I give relates personally to each student. Everyone learns differently and has different tastes.

I recently purchased Troy Stetina's book, Metal Rhythm Guitar Vol. 1, for a few of my students who are interested in studying heavy metal. I have to say, this book is excellent. It starts from the very beginning, teaching how to play powerchords. Troy's notation is excellent, incorporating counting techniques into his TAB.

I find as a teacher that it is essential to get your students playing something cool from the beginning. Otherwise, they lose interest. This book has been a great resource to help my heavy metal students start rocking almost from the first lesson.

Excellent job Troy, keep it up.

-Craig Nybo, author of Total Human: The Complete Strength Training System

Of the 30 or so guitar method books I own, the Troy Stetina collection is by far the most useful. His method is somewhat similar to the musicians institute series of instruction, except that his series tends to focus on a particular style of music rather than just general learning. This particular book is great as it is progressive. Start at the beginning of the book and work your way through at your own pace. That's it -- easy schmeezy lemon squeezy. Also, buy a metronome and you'll get even more out of it.

If you are learning to play drums (or play drums already) and are a big metallica fan, then you should play like Lars himself. And this is a great way for you to learn his drumming. And as many Metallica fans know this is one there best CDs so learn to play your favorite songs and have fun. I really recommend this book to any Metallica fan who wants to play the drums like Lars.

Again, like the Master of Puppets and Kill'em All folios, the notations are fairly accurate and there aren't any noticeably major errors in this book. Note position choice is sometimes a little odd, but the notes are correct. This is an excellent book to learn a lot of the early Metallica guitar techniques, as long as you down-pick most of the rhythm parts (Creeping Death won't sound the same without it).

I got this because I really wanted to learn the songs on Ride the Lightning that I couldn't figure out myself and the solos as well; I was surprised by how accurate the tab was for the main body of each song and on Kirk's main parts. However, there are a few problems with this book. First, for a lot of the solos you are expected to play up on the 20th fret even if you're not on one of the top two strings; this is a problem for me because I only have an acoustic guitar, I can play it fine on my friend's electric. Also, the fingerings are harder than they ought to be in places of "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Fade to Black", and a few other songs. Last, this book is not for the average guitar player. It takes a lot of skill and speed-picking to nail those solos, all of which I haven't gotten quite yet. However, overall I definetely recommend this tab book because Metallica kicks ass!

If you love Metallica this is one of the best books you can get. Unless you're simply amazing you're going to need this to learn all the solos.

The Ride tab book is definitely a must-buy for not only the avid Metallica muso-fan, but for those wishing to upskill themselves in various guitar techniques.

The solos are an absolute note-by-note transcription and each riff is intricately tabbed to include even the most subtle of variations.

Includes a very well-written introduction, outlining some very important and helpful tips to assist you in your mastery of one of Metllica's finest albums.

In a one-line verdict: A definite must-have, even as a collector's item!

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.

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.

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

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! ..

This book is packed with everything you need to know as a working musician in the digital age!!! Step by step instructions of how to build your fan base and how to create an internet presence!!! This is a must have book! I've worked as a touring musician for years, had a website since 1997 and this book opened my eyes to so many things I had missed and quite frankly, did not know existed on the net!!! You will not be sorry, you'll be busy instead!!!

I am continually amazed at the content that NYC Cyber PR expert Ariel Hyatt provides. With this book Ariel has created a roadmap for what you need to do to be successful as an independent artist in today's music world. She stresses the importance of believing in yourself first, having goals and a vision of where you want to go so as not to stumble along confounded as to why nothing works.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be successful marketing anything really. The principles applied really apply to any kind of marketing plan. Ariel understands the musician and where many of our mindsets lie and effectively shows how to take progressive steps toward success.

So buy this book, join her Mastermind program for even more great tips and to join onto a community of musicians helping each other at http://cyberprmastermind.ning.com/

Thank you for such a wonderful product Ariel!

-Andrew Hand
http://andrewhand.com
http://songsforoprah.com

Ariel's nine-week plan will truly bring you to a new level of success with your music. It is laid out in an easy to follow format that takes you week by week through the steps. After completing the plan, my band has seen a noticeable and measurable increase in the attendance at our shows, our music is reaching a larger audience, and promoters and club owners are showing greater interest. We will absolutely continue to work, and re-work, Ariel's plan!

Ariel's "Music success in 9 weeks" is one of the best products I have ever purchased. The reason I say that is because she tells you step by step how to get your music career on point in this time of change. There is so much going on with the internet and marketing has changed so much that it is necessary for us to get informed. She teaches you about branding yourself, following through with newsletters and email list building.
There is so much information, I could not begin to share it here. Then she followed up with building a Mastermind group for people who have the book. This is one of the necessary things that Napoleon Hill talks about in his hugely successful book 'Think and Grow Rich'. Ariel really knows what she is doing and I am proud to support her. I have never seen such a perserverant, knowledgeable, fire-starting music promoter.

I've read so many books that tell you exactly how to negotiate with your superstar manager and major record label as you're signing on the dotted line, assured of millions. I think if I ever find myself in that position, I don't think I would be consulting a book. But with all the social networking sites out there, how do I know which ones really matter? What can I do on my own to pump up my upcoming show? How can I fully take advantage of the new wave of internet technology hitting the scene BEFORE everyone else figures it out? Ariel's book will answer all of these questions and MANY more. It's a real world book full or real world advice for an independent musician living and working in the real world.

We've all spent time asking "What can I do to promote my band?". This book not only gave me a plethora of resources and instruction, it lit a fire under my a** and got me out there promoting like a mad man. If you're looking for a healthy heaping of advice, instruction, and motivation, this is the book for you. BUY IT. It's a little pricy for a paperback, but it's much cheaper than hiring someone to explain this all to you. I would equally recommend "The Indie Band Survival Guide" that Ariel's expertise is quoted in.