Music Books

This was a gift to my son who is a musician. He calls it the absolute best gift I could have given him.

As an avid fan of Charles Mingus, naturally this book is a must have. The compositions featured are very accurate and precise, it is always a treat to not only be able to see the music, but to know its origins. Even those who are not fortunate enough to be a musician can pick up this book and enjoy the commentarys and the other fun tidbits(i.e the Mingus Cat-alog and the comic stip). I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Mr.Charles Mingus. Anybody (musician or not) can enjoy this product.

This has transcriptions of Mingus's best and most popular songs. The transcriptions seem to be accurate, though the nature of Mingus' music means that sometimes the transcription is the average of two or three versions. Some of the songs have a paragraph of two written about them. Also interspersed throughout the book are various writings and blurbs from Mr. Mingus himself. All in all an excellent book for a musical Mingus fan, or someone intent on playing his music.

While the book is supposedly a fake book for musicians, it includes trio and quartet recordings by key members of the Mingus big band including Seamus Blake, the outstanding Thelonius Monk Award-winning saxophonist who doesn't yet have his own CD out. The two CDs is an excellent introduction to the music of Monk and holds up well on its own. Listen and enjoy and don't worry if you are NOT a musician.

I'm a big fan of Mingus and this book have a nice collection of transcriptions of his songs. But for we the bassplayers there's a lack of info about his bassplaying and his way of play each song...

This is wonderful soothing collection of lullabyes for new babies and I am sure older children as well. Our newborn is 2 months old and enjoys just listening for a period before going off to sleep.

All three of my children have listened to this every night as they went to sleep when they were little. It is by far the best lullabye music I have ever found.

I have frequently ordered the CD "A Child's Gift of Lullabyes" as a gift for new parents. It seems to be very well-received and is of the quality parents appreciate and children seem to like hearing often. It is one of several similar CD's well-worth exploring.

We bought this on tape when our first son was a baby. Now he's 19, and we still listen to it. It is so unusual in its simplicity. Everyone who has heard it loves it. I've used it to accompany a slide show presentation of our kids growing up. Brought tears to people's eyes. I've given it as a baby gift, and am still being thanked. Thank you J Aaron Brown.

I received this as a shower gift for my first son. For his first year we sang along and rocked each other to sleep to the music. I wore out the first one, now I am getting it again. He is 4, and still loves the gentle melodies.

Chris Rice has such a wonderful knack for arranging. You'll love this compilation of some old favorites with a fresh twist. Beautiful for playing in church, or in the home for your family. The level is Intermediate, or Intermediate +.

This a great buy for either the casual piano player who desires to play some great hymns or even for a church organist during communion. The arrangements are easy enough to produce on short notice yet still arranged in a beautiful and subtle manner. Definitely recommended.

My wife has this songbook and loves to play these songs they are such beautiful arrangement of classic hymns. I love to hear her play Saviour like a Shepherd. Great songbook for for the piano and the songs are appropriate to be played in church services as offeratories etc...

Chris Rice's beautiful arrangements of classic hymns are great for preludes and offetories. On the challenging side of moderate, these arrangements show off the technique and musicality of a moderatly advanced piano player.

This book has some of the best contemporary settings of church hymns I have ever heard. I was not an exceptional keyboard player, but listening to these hymns motivated me to sit down and play! Every piece is wonderful, I would recommend them to anyone - This is a great book and well worth the price!

This was without reserve the best Christmas music and movie review book I have ever read. The comments were both intelligent and funny. The whole book was both well researched and entertaining. The world is a better place because of this book.

Once you get this book, you may not want to have another Christmas without it.

In more than 280 pages, the authors discuss all things Christmas as they pick their "Top 10" in categories ranging from mistletoe to carols, from rangifer tarandus (reindeer) to animated cartoons. The choices are necessarily subjective, and much of the text is funny, filled with references to pop culture, music, TV and film. Pick your idea of the 10 worst Christmas songs on the radio, and see if your list compares with theirs.

The authors include scads of trivia and the inside scoop on holiday history and traditions you may never have heard of.

As you enjoy the nostalgia you'll also find useless but fascinating stuff like this: Somebody figured out that Santa has to visit 91.8 million homes in 31 hours, which means he has to make 822.6 visits per second and travel at 650 miles per second. Whew!

This would be the perfect book to have on hand for guests at Christmas, and it would make a great conversation-starter. It's fully indexed, and the bibliography includes quite a few Web sites for follow-up.

CHRISTMAS'S MOST WANTED is a reference book about Christmas customs, traditions, songs, films, evergreen trees, music, cards, foods, and a lot more.

Do you associate a certain film with Christmas? Well, this book gives detailed information in the chapter called Holiday Movie Classics. Some of the old movies mentioned are: Holiday Inn (1942), Christmas in Connecticut (1945), It's A Wonderful Life (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947), Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and White Christmas (1954). With each film, a brief summary of the storyline is given and all of the actors are named. I have to say that was my favorite chapter.

You can also learn about the tradition of mistletoe, sending cards, singing carols, how Santa's reindeer were named and questions you never even thought to ask!

The book answers a lot of questions and I thought it was well researched, but this is primarily a secular book so don't expect many religious topics. Most of the religious references are in the chapter called Nollaig Shona which is Merry Christmas in Irish. The two references that I found to the Magi (Wise Men or Three Kings) was in a paragraph about the song, "Twelve Days of Christmas." In the song, the Twelfth Day is the Epiphany, the day that the Three Kings brought gifts for the Baby Jesus. (That's the reason that many of us leave our Christmas trees up until, January 6, which is the twelfth day of Christmas). The other reference was about a piece that was done by Dave Brubeck.

The word Christmas comes from two words put together. They are Christ's Mass.

This book will definitely put you in the Christmas spirit as you learn everything you wanted to know about Christmas but are afraid to ask! I highly recommend this as a read for yourself and a stocking stuffer for others.

This book is a real treat. It's a lot of fun to read about all the different kinds of trivia in here. I love holiday music, and it talks about all the great ones, and some new ones I haven't heard of before! And the movies and cartoons, brings back a lot of childhood memories.

Tons of short, fun, interesting snippets of holiday information. Just perfect to pick and read for a few minutes. This book is the perfect holiday "bathroom" book, and I don't mean that in a bad way. There's something in here for everyone, and tons of short, fun, and interesting trivia about Christmas. As the other review said, you can read a chapter or two then come back to it later.

Leave it out for guests to read, too. It makes Christmas more fun!

I really enjoyed all of the tunes in this book. It helped that I could read music to begin. The process of reading music is explained briefly and not until after you've already played a few songs, but the CD would definitely help anyone who was learning to read the notes on the staff for the first time. I don't think this would be a stumbling block or a reason not to get it- just something to be aware of. One thing I really liked was that there are short histories and backgrounds on the style of music.

This book is fantastic for beginning whistle players. The basics of music are explained well and are easily understood. Also comes with a CD so that you can play along AND helps you play by ear.

I am just teaching myself how to read music and play the Tin Whistle. This is my second book purchased. I am finding this very user friendly. Even a novice like myself can learn , by listening and reading, then playing along. If I could, I would give this package 10 stars.

This is a good book for beginners to start with. comes with a CD rom. I'll be able to follow through. Hope I'll be able to master it soon.

If you want to learn how to play the tinwhistle, then this is the book. Starts you out with the very basics and works you up to the more advanced. Bill Ochs is by far one of the best whistle players out there. Make sure you buy the book with the cd; hearing how the tunes are played will help you to learn a lot better then the book alone. This is the best instruction book I have every seen. Clear, concise and never overwelming. You will not only love to play the whistle, but love learning to play.

wow at first i thought this book sucked but after i looked at the tabs and listened to some of the songs again i realized it caught alotta notes that i never even heard before. good tabs

Besides being a bargain price; this book, The Latter Day Of Led Zeppilin
and you basically have all of their best songs in a set. Being a collector of thousands of guitar tab books, I've learned the difference between professional quality and someone doing a quick job. If you're on a budget and can't buy each songbook indiviually this one save you money, by buying the 5 book set. It's like getting one free..and most importantly the tabs are accurate!

This is without a doubt the most complete, most accurate set of Zeppelin tab I have ever seen. Comes w/ bound books(not stapled), & a sturdy slip case, every bit worth the price. If you're a Zep fan & a guitarist, you're not yet a man (or woman) until you own this set!

WOW! This book is amazing. If you own a guitar, buy this collection right away. If you don't have the money then steal some. This collection has every guitar part, including those immortal solo's, in detail, for the first five Zeppelin albums. It contains all the correct turnings for the song's. It is broken up into five seperate books for easier use. The books give a brief synopsis on how the song's came about and some explainations to how Jimmy played them. This collection shows you what great guitar playing is really about. Don't delay, buy it now for your own good.

This set comes with 5 books with accurate transcriptions of the first 5 Led Zeppelin albums. All of the solos, fills, mandolin, alternate guitar tunings, and in some cases organ/synth parts are transcribed as well. From album III - V there are detailed notes on each song in the beginning of the books that give insight into how the band recorded the song and sometimes some pointers on how to play the song when there are guitar parts being played through several tracks at once. All of this collection comes in a sturdy box that holds the 5 books together nicely. This set should keep one challenged for years, and will provide great insight into one of the greatest bands ever. Highly recommended.

If it weren't for the fact that this is a step-by-step manual, the causual observer could be forgiven for mistaking this for a coffee-table book. It's almost too nice for a workbench! At the risk of sounding like an advertising blurb, the same passion and craftsmanship Bogdanovich displays in his guitars shows in nearly every page. He knows what he's doing, and it shows; the color photography is excellent, and the text is a pleasure to read - informative and concise without being dry at all.

The beauty of this book is it has something to offer to experienced and aspiring luthiers alike. While the text deals with building a classical guitar almost entirely from scratch, much of the information given is pertinent to those attempting to go the kit route.

This volume picks up where the classic Cumpiano/Natelson text leaves off, as far as the classical guitar is concerned. There are a few typos in the text that should have been caught by the editor, but they are obvious and not likely to cause trouble to anyone building a guitar from the book. All in all, Bogdanovich has kindly shared his skill and knowledge in a very timely, informative volume that I for one am proud to own!

This book is the ultimate guide to building your own guitar. The numerous color photos are of excellent quality. The book is well laid out and clearly written. A moderately skilled woodworker should be able to build a guitar from the information in this high quality book.

The author starts the budding luthier with the construction of molds and jigs. The order in which this is presented is excellent: by the time you get to the construction of the solera, you should be quite proficient at cutting the outline of the guitar in MDF (medium density fiberboard) with a 14" band saw. My solera turned out very well. A note on materials: John notes that the material for the molds will require two 4' x 8' sheets of 3/4" MDF and 1/2 of a 4' x 8' sheet of 1/2" MDF. 4' x 8' sheets of MDF are VERY HEAVY and impossible to work with in a small shop. I purchased 2' x 4' sheets instead and the results were great. Also, a 2' x 4' sheet 5/8" thick should be substituted for one of the 3/4" sheets, for the lining bender jig. This will save a bit of planing.

One should note the typo on page 51: under "Cutting the Pieces," "10 inches wide and 20 inches long" should be "10 inches wide and 24 inches long." On page 58 where John specifies "six pieces 24 1/2 inches x 10 1/2 inches," pieces only 24" x 10 1/2" will do very well. The plan for the caul on page 123 is missing. The author says it was accidentally cut out of the book, and he wrote, "The laminations are masonite thinned down to about .090 to make them easier to bend. I use about four of them. The outer one has sixteen pieces of 3/4 MDF glued from top to bottom along the length as shown on page 123. The pieces that go over rounded areas must be shaped to fit flat on their entire surface."

The author will offer printed plans for the guitar at some point in the future.

Overall a very nice book. I've just finished bending the sides according to John's instructions and I look forward to the next steps in this very interesting project.

This book is an example of passion with the guitar. It's well written, beautifully photographed covering all steps of classical guitar construction that follows a high grade standard. Even if you don't want to build a guitar, buy it just for the beauty of its pages. I have bought a lot of books about lutherie, but this is one is far the best.
It makes evident in every detail how Mr Bogdanovich loves what he do. Seems to me he had a very good time written it. Go deep!

Very well written and presented, although I agree that there's nothing truly 'modern' here; a formal presentation of lattice bracing or composite tops (10 year old technology) would be needed to earn the 'modern' moniker. But for traditional style building (with interesting personalized wrinkles) it's an excellent text. Highly recommended, and the first true competition for the Cumpaino.

I look forward to going home every night (and probably much to my neighbors' and roommate's dismay) to try to play and sing at the same time. The music is for the piano to accompany the rest of the band, so it doesn't always carry the melody. But it's awesome and not too bad. The abundance of sharps and flats may scare some, such as me, but in the end the chords are not too difficult; there is a lot of repetition. I am particularly fond of many of the songs. I hope this helps! Personally, I prefer Parachutes.

It feels great to order something and get exactly what you intended and had in mind, all at the same time it being in wonderful condition. It was a smart order.

This is a great set of tabs.. I never could have figured out the tunings or alot of the effects without many more years of experimenting.

Grab it while it is available. These punk rock music books suddenly go out of print.

The level is a high end of intermediate.

I have been playing the violin for 9 years and teaching myself the piano on the side, so this book was a little hard for me. I loved the fact that these are the actual parts to the songs, not some simplified score that doesn't sound anything like the original. "The Scientist" was the first song I learned and by far the easiest. I recommend this book to any musically inclined Coldplay fan because you'll end up loving their music more.

Absolutely beautiful color photos taken all over the world and used as cover art for the popular CTI jazz label in the 70's. Landscapes, nature, travel shots, creative concoctions and the occasional portrait, all manipulated with color, create a stunning photo album and art book.

This is a great book. A big book with clear pictures. I love the way Pete reviews his photos. He's a great artist!

For me just one minor point. Some pictures are printed over two pages. This brakes the picture in two and is a little distraction because the book doesn't fold open all the way.

But certainly value for the money, a recommendation!

I'm a professional jazz pianist, and a former pro photographer, and this book is just terrific. If you are a jazz fan, you already own some of these covers, and if you're interested in photography, you've probably been influenced by Turner's incredible color sense. This big collection, with his notes on the pictures and beautiful printing, is just a "must buy." I'm going to a dinner next week with a bunch of musicians, and I'm taking this book along to share. It will probably be more popular than the food.....

It's fascinating to me how the energy and freedom of jazz is reflected in Turner's approach to photography. Intensity, unusual color, surprising juxtapositions.....an inspiring blend. And he photographed the top players, the masters of jazz (with some pop in the mix, too).

This is great: all of the best Pete Turner jazz record covers in one place. Many of these covers I saw for the first time as new releases in record stores by some of the best jazz musicians around; Milt Jackson, Paul Desmond, Freddy Hubbard, Wes Montgomery and so many others. To have a compendium of them in one beautifully designed and superbly printed book is an event worth celebrating.

The covers, by the confirmed master of color photography, Pete Turner, were always certain to grab my eye - and not let go. I don't know what I enjoyed more: looking at the covers or listening to the records. Fortunately it wasn't a mutually exclusive choice.

It is these photographs that inspired me to choose a career as a photographer, the best career in existence. I have Pete Turner to thank for that.

In the sixties and seventies I bought some of the LPs featured in these pages and I can remember being mightily impressed with Pete Turner's stunning color work. I had seen some of this, during the sixties, in the Twen, the German magazine that specialized in powerful photography and graphics to illustrate features.

Turner reveals in the book that A&M's Art Director Bob Ciano decided to treat the LP cover like a magazine spread and run the graphics across the front and back and I think this is why some of Turner's photos have such impact: stunning, very graphic color images frequently presented twenty-four inches wide. Shown in this kind of format no wonder his work is difficult to forget.

I've looked through this book a lot and the work still impresses but I would query the connection to jazz. So many of these photos are surely interchangeable with many of the covers. On pages twenty-two and three there is the famous red giraffe as used on a Antonio Carlos Jobim LP, great photo which, when it was reissued four years later, ended up as a green giraffe because of a printers gaffe. Red or green it really doesn't matter and it could just have easily been on a cover for Wes Montgomery or Milt Jackson. I think Bill Claxton for Pacific and Contemporary records and especially Francis Wolff for Blue Note produced much stronger jazz cover photos.

Pete Turner will probably be remembered best for his almost abstract photos that appeared on lots of LP covers. The book is well printed in 175 screen with a very clean and elegant layout and it's a suitable celebration for a photographer with a unique color style.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

This book is great. It is filled with a variety of coloratura pieces (definitely not for the average soprano). These pieces help the singer to showcase her technique, range, capacity for languages, acting ability, and endurance. As some of the other reviewers have said: it is not for beginners. It is full of entertaining pieces. It does not have any repeats from the G. Schirmer Arias for Soprano, which is great (apparently the old version of that and this book do, however).

I needed this book for my voice lessons and it was a great price and in wonderful condition. Thank you!

This book is filled with arias that are well known and arias that are rarely sung. It's nice to have a little bit of both. Great for a serious opera singer looking to expand her song list or for auditions

The goal of the editors does not appear to have been to present the most difficult coloratura soprano pieces, but to set out a range of music that the student and instructor could use in order to develop flexibility in the voice. Well done!

This is a fantastic book for the genuine coloratura soprano, as well as offering a good selection for light lyrics who are looking to increase their agility and move into the coloratura repertoire. While offering a few easier selections, such as "Poor Wand'ring One," many of these arias are very challenging and should definitely not be undertaken by the beginning singer. It is great to have these blockbuster soprano arias all in one place!