Music Books

One of the best fake books that I have seen. Would definitely recommend for those that want a easy melody to follow.

I play piano by ear. My music-reading skills are very limited. Throw a couple of sharps or flats into the music and I'm completely lost.

The EASY FAKE BOOK has its music written in the key of "C". No sharps. No flats. There are also no base notes, only the upper hand. Instead, this book provides the base chords. If you're an "ear-player" like me, you simply follow the notes with your right hand, and follow the base chords with your left.

Piano playing has never been easier than this.

There are 204 great songs in this book.

The Easy Fake Book, is an easy to follow for people from all ages. It has a great selection of melodies for piano students, as well as profesional piano players.

The Easy Fake Book and Your First Fake Book both have very good song selections in them. I would recomend however first buying How To Play From A Fake Book (which I purchased later) because it explains more about how to use these books. They are all very exellent books and I will be back for more. Thank You.

I am enjoying playing popular tunes using The Easy Fake book. A great way to learn some music fundamentals and piano technique.

I bought this book when it was first published because I had worked with the author. I expected to find insights but I didn't expect that it would change my life, after all an expert MUST be from at least 50 miles away and I knew the author. Now years after it was published I have realized I need to read it again. Things the book taught me have stuck with me during my changing life and my relationships with my family, and how I view myself as a wife, mother, daughter, co-worker and friend. Since I gave my copy away to someone I knew needed the book, I am coming back home so to speak to read it again and examine myself and love in my Christian life and the love that surrounds us. I am going to recharge my batteries.

This book has totally changed my life. Jim is a great guy with an evident passion for God and the things He is about. Jim speaks straight to the heart though this book. It is a great, fast read but also carries a ton of depth. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. But fair warning...don't be surprised if Embracing the Love of God completely changes your life!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone struggling to understand and receive God's love and forgiveness. This book is written especially for believers who are honest enough to admit they have a problem in this area. James Bryan Smith writes in a way that is simplistic and yet profound based on truths from the Word of God. He shares about his own struggles and how he came to a place of acceptance of God's grace and love for him. If you have a desire to be transformed by the love of God, take the time to read this book.

This book was sooo good...Please don't hesitate to get it! Take your time, and drink in the love of God that comes through the pages...
Nothing can separate us from the LOVE of GOD! That is what James Smith explains so well in this book. I just finished it, and know I will read it again. This book encouraged me and lifted me up. He definitely has a gift from God...to teach, help, and encourage...with references throughout, to the Word of God. I look forward to reading more of his books. As another reader said, this book will probably become a classic.

Embracing the Love of God is thought provoking and is,in my opinion, a potential "spiritual classic". Mr. Smith's extended essay is organized around three topics: Knowing God's Acceptance, Receiving God's Forgiveness and Experiencing God's Care. Read it, and keep it to re-read, when you need encouragement. Embracing the Love of God was a blessing to me, and I recommend you buy it.

I always been a fan of Kashif both as a singer and producer. I highly recommend this book to gain greater insights in the Music business or any business. It was a great buy along with a couple of manuals I purchased from Musicbrains.net entitled the Indie label Kit on amazon. You can also check kashif out at Brooklynboy.com

Included in this package are over 100 music contract templates that will aid you in filling out every king of music contract imaginable, from the deals you set with music producers, to the deals with promoters, to the deals you have to make with agents. The contracts all have explanatory notes and underlining information explaining each the purpose of every line in the contract. As good as this set is, it doesn't compare to "101 Music Business Contracts - Updated Edition - Preprinted Binder / CD-ROM set containing over 100 contracts and agreements for recording artist, musicians, ... industry. Entertainment law at it's best!" By Ty Cohen, a more complete set with easier explanation and a more intelligent structure

A real life look at the music industry. This is a must have for all involved in writing and publishing.

From Mark John Sternal
Author of "GUITAR: Total Scales Techniques and Applications"
"GUITAR: Probable Chords"
"Complete Guitar By Ear"
and, "The Twelve Notes Of Music"

I'm blessed I purchased this book earlier this month and tells me right here how I need to know and learn all about the music and record industry. This is a Extradordinary, more good-reading, more instructional Must for all Music lovers, listeners, musicians, singers, singer-songwriters, composers, producers, artists, and/or any1 that's real interested of trying out in the music biz. I recommend Donald Passman's book "All You Need to Know About the Music Business" 2 include along and recommendarily Quincy Jones' memoir along w/ others.

I 'preciate the help of what R&B and Music legend, artist, and producer Kashif tryin' 2 say. 'Preciate everything u talked 'bout this book. Enjoy it. It's very interesting stuff and u can't turn your back from it.

This is a great book. I first purchased Donald Passmans book "Everything You Need To Know About The Music Buiness' - a must have book for any interestd, but as a complete newbie also a bit overwhelming. This book is easier to read, gives a good introduction and overview of the topic and helps to simplify some of the things Passman talks about. I highly recommend them both if you're serious about this subject.

Who could say anything bad about Jim Beloff? He is the modern crusader of the ukulele. There are not many decent uke instruction books out there but this is worth having. It's also one of the rare places you will find scales for the uke.
I've played uke for many years and there is a lot for me to learn from this book. I think it can be useful to any level player.

This is a good book for someone willing to put in the time. Lots of info

I would consider myself an advanced beginner at this point, having messed 'round a bit with the guitar and mandolin over the years. My dad bought me an ukulele when we were in Hawaii, and I have found it much easier to play than the guitar. I already have a pretty good understanding of music theory, having played the piano for about 40 years, and this book is very helpful translating the building blocks of "how music is made" into techniques of "making music." As with any skill, there are patterns of playing and the proverbial tricks of the trade to the ukulele, and the book describes them very nicely and understandably. The included CD is a big help, letting you hear what it's supposed to sound like so you know if you're doing it right. It's also been kind of fun learning some songs that I've heard before but never saw the music. The book has been a big help so far, and I look forward to getting more and more adept at the instrument.

I thought that I had seen all that there was to see in respect of Ukulele "How to play books" and have a veritable library of them in my study. Today I can just about struggle through the accompaniment chords to "Way down upon the Swannee River"
However, recently in my Amazon "Suggested items that might interest you" space, appeared the Hal Leonard publication 'UKULELE FRETBOARD ROAD MAPS'. (give that man a raise!) because it is the very best I have seen and if I
am not able to learn from this book, I shall donate my ukes to Oxfam and take up the trombone. At least it isn't possible to play chords on the old slush pump.

Many thanks , Peter Durham.

My experience with beginning ukulele books has been pretty uniformly
disappointing. They all promise to include everything you could
possibly need to know, when in in my experience they have all been
thin, padded with useless filler, and lacking a coherent path to get
from "here" to "there".

This book is a __VERY__ welcome change, and at a sweet price to boot.
To be sure, it is not a beginner's book. The very first song (Sloop
John B.) has a tricky rhythm (e.g., three quarter notes in two beats)
and a shuffle strum with some down strokes missing; as a result,
only about half of the words actually coincide with a strum. This is
not a criticism of the book, just pointing out the level of difficulty
you'll hit in the first few pages. Fortunately for me (an arhythmic
klutz) the focus of the book is on learning the fretboard !

I must say that the CD is a huge help. My beginner's books either had
no CD at all, or the recordings were so dorky that I felt impatient to
move ahead and get to some "real" music. The teacher on this CD,
however, has a very inviting style, and you get the feeling that he
would be a fun person to jam with or watch in performance. A big plus
if your skills require you to listen to the same track over and over
and over...

This book is not about music theory per se, but but rather a practical
framework for learning how to physically hit the right notes; i.e.,
it doesn't attempt to describe *why* you would use a D7b5 chord, but
it helps you develop the skill so that when you have to play one you
know what your various options are and you can get your fingers in the
right place without thinking too much.

I have only completed about half of the book so far. I've learned the
basic movable chord patterns (3 each of major, minor, 7th), and am
starting to practice with them. The songs in this part of the book
take one chord (G major, say) and move it up and down the fretboard
for several measures before changing to a new chord. This kind of
practice is necessary to internalize what you've learned, but the
authors do a nice job of making the practice interesting and fun,
pointing out how to spice up your music rather than just saying
"memorize this" and jumping to a new, disconnected topic.


I look forward to working my way through this book, and I definitely
intend to revisit it again and again. As my title says, it's a
keeper !

I am a bass player, and learned advanced music theory in the class room and on the bass. This book really helped me apply my knowledge from the bass to the guitar. I also teach, and this is a great guide to teaching music theory. However, it is not for beginners. Like other reviews said, this is not a casual read. Be prepared to play the examples, write out the exercises and play through them. But after all is said and done, this book contains a ton of useful, practical information, and is a great addition to any teachers books.

I bought this for my husband and he says it's wonderful. The cheat sheets are extremely helpful and the layout is very user friendly.

This 54 page (including covers) booklet contains more information that other books many times its size. This is not a casual read book, and could be somewhat overwhelming for someone just starting out. However, it's a treasure trove of useful information for someone willing to study it. The Cheat Sheets are loaded with information. Spend some time with them. The more I study them, the more I see. Helpful for learning the fretboard, scales and chords.

Guitar players seem to fall into two categories. Those who can read notation and those who can't. So why is learning to play music such a killer?

For the biginning guitarist reading notation is like learning geometry. For the advanced player its learning Einstein's "Theory of Relativity.

But, it doesn't have to be that way. As mentioned in previous reviews this book takes the reader visually into the world of note theory without the usual dragged out chapters written in "Latin Text" which is associated with most books written about music theory.

For beginning guitar players this book helps to bridge the communication gap sometimes left at the end of a lesson between student and teacher. To quote an old adage "Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words".

For the advanced and re-entry level player this book is filled with instant visual information showing scale definitions, transposing, cord spelling, intervals, cycle of 5th diagrams, arpeggios, voice patterns and fingerboard layout relationships that are essential to becoming a better guitar player.

The bottom line is this book will open up a new world to your musical abilities. But, you will still need to devote time and effort to reach your full potential as a guitarist.

I am an avid reader and since I got back into music last year, I have purchased at least a hundred books on guitar playing. Since I underline everything, I wanted to go back and take notes from my reading so I could have all the important information in one place. Thanks to Robert Frazier and his Guitar Oriented Condensed Music Theory book - I don't need to bother. He has taken literally every critical highlight out there and put it all together for me. He's also added a few pieces that I didn't find elsewhere and/or made sense of things I'd seen before. In my opinion, you could spend a whole day just unpacking a single page from this material (it's that loaded). I recently took a trip to Croatia with my guitar in hand and had very limited luggage space to spare - this was one of three books that I brought with me. It's not packaged in a fancy way, it's just full of great content. I highly recommend it.

I purchased this book from Amazon, upon the suggestion of the author, after lamenting that I had not seen it available in local bookstores.

This book offers food for the soul - as it blends the technical with the experiential in its lucid exposition of the universal art of music.

Here, analogy and humor balance with science to evoke a deeper cognizance of the varied facets of this multi-cultural form of human experience.

Here too, the universal power of the 'Divine Art' of Music is well-expressed, so that it may be passed on - in the tradition of the 'bards' of every age.

Any musical novice, journeyman, or master would benefit from the experience that this book offers. Many thanks to Maestro Mathieu.

Mathiew really helps you get into your bones what all the tuning systems are about and, in process, I really got some deep insights into a variety of scales.

Mathieu's Harmonic Experience is a delight to read and look at and ponder over. Incredibly, one day I ordered some CDs of his piano compositions, mentioning that they would provide nice listening while I make my way through the book. The next thing I knew, I got an email, "Hello. Allaudin Mathieu here. I'm glad you are reading "Harmonic Experience" and evidently getting something from it. I'm glad you bought some of my records. I have a wee request. Please don't even THINK about using my music as a background for reading my book. It will do both of us more good if you really listen to music when you listen to it, and really read my book (and do the practices best you can)when that's what you're doing."

And this is still my problem, I am reading but not practicing, and I am still missing the real point of this book, which is EXPERIENCE, not just technical mastery of his elegant method of fathoming harmony. Perhaps this admission will prompt me to finally take the bold step of actually playing the drones and singing the intervals and really gathering the experience. Meanwhile, I love and treasure the book; it's beautifully written, profound, complicated but within our grasp, and fun. It's time to take a swim beneath the surface - I think I'll start right now.

This book has changed the way I hear music. I hear things I never heard before, but were always there. I am much more sensitive to tuning now. And I'm only at the beginning of the book! Wonderful

Mathieu generously, and eloquently, teaches and inspires the reader to explore the harmonic Deep Structure of the mystery we call Music. Using music theory, philosophy, mathematics, poetry, botany, and his own rich world view, he unearths the underlying relationship between harmony, scale, and rhythm. Starting with the acoustical given of the overtone series, Mathieu builds a coherent system with which the Music student can frame and further delve into the patterned world of Musical phenomena.

"Heavenly Skies and Lullabies" by Dr. Kathy Reilly Fallon and Frank Pellegrino is a magical experience that one will never forget; not only in its eclectic choice of enchanting songs for our children, but for all the adults who have often wished for their carefree childhoods to reappear. Dr. Reilly Fallon and Frank Pellegrino are singers of stories and weavers of words. For those fleeting moments, you will drift back, relish the security and safety of childhood, and in your retrospect, be lulled and warmed by childlike memories, and the beauty of being sheltered from the realities that have befallen us.
This special tribute brilliantly directed by Executive Producer James Fallon, transforms us to revel in the child that lies dormant within. This is for our children, but we are all children at heart, and these wondrous lullabies, with pastoral pictures, ilustrated so beautifully by Becky Kelly, radiate a profound perfection. It reaches outward to our minds, then inward to our souls. It sould be required reading...and listening.
Beyond its unique quality, it is unselfishly dedicated to "Children Throughout The World" and 100% of all net proceeds is donated to World Vision, specifically for the Children affected by Hurricane Katrina. This compassionate gift to others less fortunate should be a reminder. So look out from your childlike heart, and support this noble effort. You shall feel the benefits.

Heavenly Skies & Lullabies Book is a thoroughly beautiful book. It is charmingly illustrated and the accompanying CD is lovely. A great book, beautiful to look at and listen to.

Heavenly Lullabies is right. Every parent will enjoy watching as their child fall asleep to this amazing book & CD. Dr. Kathy Fallon provides the vocals for the beautifully sung songs which will soothe and comfort the little ones as the day fades away. The parents will most likely be hypnotized by the lyrics as well. Heavenly Skies and Lullabies utilizes the charming and emotion provoking illustrations by the great artist Becky Kelly. Not only will your ears be entertained but your eyes as well. The prayers interlaced throughout the pages are a great addition and will surly give those who read them a warm and fuzzy feeling. This book is definitely a great gift that will see many years of use. The best part is that all the proceeds of this book will go directly towards helping the children affected by Hurricane Katrina. So buying this book will not only be a gift for one child, but many. Do yourself a favor and buy this great package of a book and CD combo. You won't be sorry that you did.

What a beautiful book - accompanied by the most heavenly music! Lovlingly and thoughtfully put together - sweet illustrations! This book will delight your little ones and charm you. The music will transport you, guaranteed! And it is for a worthy cause.

A lovely and beautiful book and CD that all young children and adults can appreciate. The illustrations are outstanding. Highly recommend this as a Birthday or Holiday gift. A++

I've always wondered about the day-to-day lives of musicians, especially about those who are not regular members of a band. I now know that these musicians are called "sidemen." Fred Wesley is an extraordinary trombone player and a candid writer. I didn't know James Brown was such a jerk to work for. You can listen to (and watch) some of the performances Fred talks about on utube.

I am a 57 year old Washington, DC trombonist with many years of "chittlin circuit" experience. Reading Fred Wesley's account of his life as a sideman really hit home with me. So far, I have purchased (at last count) twelve copies of this fascinating book and distributed them to fellow musician friends who I know would also appreciate it. This really feels good and also therapeutic that our story is being told and documented. Older musicians always used to talk about paying dues. Well it seems that we never stop paying them, and Fred really spells it out in a clear, brutally honest, and what I find to be a very humorous and entertaining fashion. I would highly recommend this book to musicians young and old and to anyone else interested in learning what it is really like for the majority of us in this bizarre and crazy business.

Lincoln Ross
[...]

Fred wesley's book takes you on a Journey of the Music industry that you seldom every get on the whole un-cut real. this Man is responsible for some of the Baddest Jams known to the Human Ear Drum. He is a Multi Talented Instrumentalist, Producer&Arranger. He Grew up Down south&dealt with so much,but that was just the start upon entering the Army, then His Exposure to the Music Business under the Controls of Ike Turner. back when Ike&Tina Turner were together. then Fred going over to James Brown's camp which alone makes this Book a Must have. He doesn't pull no punches about JB's Camp&How He ran&did things. then fast forward to George Clinton and the Whole P-Funk Mob&operation. you move on to Count Basie. this Book deals with Inflated Ego, Sex,Drugs,Music, Race, Politics of the Industry&so many other details that you just can't even imagine sometimes that go on behind the curtains. very detailed&a Must read.

"Hit Me, Fred" by Fred Wesley is one of the most honest and engaging autobiographies I have read. Honest in that Fred gives us uncolored insight into to the world of the music industry with all of the inflated egos, false hype, drug abuse, and intense politicizing. Also honest in his love and appreciation for his mentors, his unabiding affection for his fellow sidemen through out his career and his sense of awe when the James Brown band or Parliment or the Count Basie band were playing at their best. "Hit Me Fred" is engaging for all of the reasons above with the addition of Fred being a gifted story teller in general. This book is a must read for funk enthusiasts and aspiring musicians.

Fred Wesley is "THE MAN". Here is a musical funk legend who has really paid his dues. He was the glue that kept the Funk going strong despite of James's legendary self-righteous super-ego and his harsh tyranny ways that interferred with the creative freedom and progressive potential of the most talented musicians that God has ever put on earth. James invented Funk which I will give him the credit he rightfully and respectfully deserves, but he definitely didn't do it on his own (thanks to the talented musicians of Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Alfred 'Pee Wee" Ellis, St Clair Pinckney, Waymon Reed, Richard 'Kush' Griffin, Jimmy Nolen, Al 'Country' Kellum, Clyde Stubblefield, John 'Jabo' Starks, Melvin Parker, Fillyau Clayton, Bootsy and Phelp Collins, Bernard Odum, Sweet Charles Sherrell, Johnny Griggs; the talented singers of Marva Whitney, Vicki Anderson, and the late great Lyn Collins; last but definitely not the least, I can't forget Bobby Byrd because if not for him, James life would have taking a bleaker turn since Byrd and his family not only helped James get out of prison and on parole, but got James into his gospel group which James would later become the frontman of and, with his ambition and talent, would take the group further than they had ever imagine. There are other James Brown musicians names that I can't remember but had a major influential impact on builting the structural foundation on the sound we now know as 'Funk'. This book honestly puts everything on the table with his experiences as a professional musician as well as how shady the music industry really is.

Nadine calls it like it is in this excellent guide to making your way in the music business. Fantastic reference for musicians with mainstream ambitions and those representing them.

This amazing book will show you the darker sides of music producing and recording, things you will not see in other book, in living colors and with dozens of photography and along the good side, it presents the failures in music industry and details the motives for the fall. Real life cases are presented and the evolution is followed from the first demo tapes up to stardom, the process and steps that the musician must take to become noticed, almost all of these steps taking years to complete .

It's not often you come across anything related to the music industry that is practical and insightful at the same time. "Hot Hits, Cheap Demos" is a must read for musicians at any stage in the game. Nadine's an insider who shares stories of how successful bands broke through from the inside perspective and in doing so offers opportunities to compare your own progress to the biggies. But what I found most helpful was the "band timeline" that explicitly maps out your career from garage to arena with amazing accuracy! Highly recommended.

Justin
Smith Point
[...]

This book is simply amazing! It is not a boring hard to understand piece of literature. The author Nadine Condon, has many years of experience and has helped the come up of some of our favorite artists ( third eye blind, stroke 9 , mellisa ethridge etc). She breaks down the buisness and how to take it by the horns step by step in a fun and educational process. she provides excellent features like band timelines, How to book a gig - PROPERLY! and how to send press kits. This book is very very usefull, it explains lawyers managers booking agents producers engineers just about everything you ever wanted to know about the buisness she explains in a very user-friendly way! i highly recomned this book to everyone musicians producers engineers a&r reps anyone. if you want any form of future in the music buisness , once you read this , youll wonder how you would of made it with out!

I, too, have read a handful of music industry books. Nadine's has something more than most, though. There are first-person anecdotes chronicaling Nadine's experiences with artists we've all heard of. There are checklists of tangible goals. There is a wealth of constructive advice for artists looking to get out of the "Local Band Ghetto". There is an honest spirit to the book--you can feel that the author is just as passionnate about music today as she was when she first started in the industry.

Nadine's book serves both as inspirational literature and a road map to career goals, no matter what they may be. Seriously, this is the book you need.

My granddaughter's favorite book; she especially loves the pictures! I've ordered more for friends' babies as well. Highly recommended!!!

My daughter loved this book when younger than two years old, as I would sing it to her. Now that she is almost three years old, she can understand the humor of some of the illustrations. I expect that as she gets older, she will further understand and appreciate the story that is independently told in the pictures. A sturdy, lovely, enjoyable book.

This is a marvelous bedtime book! The minimalistic verse (that we all know!) matches the lovely and detailed drawings. Perfect for reading aloud and for poring over slowly as well.

Hush, Little Baby is an excellent children's boardbook. The illustrations are wonderful and detailed enough so even reading it many, (many, many!) times to my child, we find interesting new things to look at. Thank you Marla Frazee!

What will hush the baby?

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word" is a folk song that all of us as parents are familiar with. The author has taken this familiar and well-loved folk song and made it into a picture book sure to charm children, parents, and grandparents.

The illustrations start with the parents, their little girl, and a sleeping baby walk past a peddler's wagon. Mom puts the baby to bed, then when she isn't looking the big sister walks over and tips the cradle over. While the parents frantically try everything to soothe the frightened child, the sister suggests they visit the peddler's cart for something. And thus Daddy returns with a mockingbird... and so the story goes.

Both my two-year and five-year-old absolutely loved Hush, Little Baby when I read it to them. My five-year-old looked at the pictures several times and wanted me to sing it to her. Then the book made the round of the family while they looked at the excellent illustrations and commented on them. Some of them even made them laugh.

Hush, Little Baby is a book that won't be read once and forgotten. If you sing nursery rhymes, lullabies, or folk songs to your children and can't quite remember the words to Hush, Little Baby, this is an excellent resource. Not only that but it is made out of sturdy cardboard so it will hold up to everything except possibly a teething baby. I'm keeping my copy to enjoy for my children, and later, my grandchildren.

Armchair Interviews says: You won't be disappointed in Hush, Little Baby.