Classical Books - Page 4

Classical Music for Dummies

David Pogue, Scott Speck

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In a time when school music classes (if they exist at all) teach their students the finer points of the themes from The Twilight Zone and Jaws instead of real music; when classical radio stations are converted to Lite Rock or switched to a "top 100" classical jukebox format; and when even churches increasingly favor banal "Jesus Is My Boyfriend"-style slop instead of Bach, Mozart, and Vaughn Williams, classical music may legitimately be seen as an endangered cultural species. Enter Scott Speck and David Pogue, who take out the unnecessary mystery, and offer an easy-to-swallow quickie education, ranging from Gregorian chants to contemporary composers such as John Adams and John Corigliano. If you can't tell an oboe from a bassoon, there's also a dandy guide to the instruments of the orchestra, and once you're through that information you'll know the difference between a concerto and a sonata. Best of all is the introduction to music theory, which actually makes a daunting subject seem easy. It's all supported by a helpful enhanced compact disc (it works in your CD-ROM drive; it plays on your stereo's CD player) containing more than an hour of representative musical tidbits from good EMI recordings. Although the tone is unremittingly flippant and the jokes are, for the most part, pretty bad, Classical Music for Dummies is one of the better works in this series, and really does provide a useful reference for a subject too often seen as arcane.

John Denver Anthology for Easy Guitar

John Denver

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This superb collection of 42 great Denver songs made easy for guitar includes: Annie's Song · Leaving on a Jet Plane · Take Me Home, Country Roads · plus performance notes, a biography, and Denver's thoughts on the songs. Annie's SongAutographBack Home AgainBallad Of The St. Anne's ReelCalypsoDreamland ExpressEagles And Horses (I'm Flying Again)Farewell Andromeda (Welcome To My Morning)Fly AwayFollow MeFor Baby (For Bobbie)For YouGarden SongGoodbye AgainGrandma's Feather BedHow Can I Leave You AgainI Guess He'd Rather Be In ColoradoI Want To LiveI'd Rather Be A Cowboy (Lady's Chains)I'm SorryJoseph & JoeLeaving On A Jet PlaneLet Us Begin (What We Are Making Weapons For?)Like A Sad SongLooking For SpaceMatthewMy Sweet LadyNever A DoubtPerhaps LovePoems, Prayers And PromisesRhymes And ReasonsRocky Mountain HighSeasons Of The HeartShanghai BreezesSunshine On My ShouldersTake Me Home, Country RoadsThank God I'm A Country BoyThe Eagle And The HawkThe Flower That Shattered The StoneTo The Wild CountryWhispering JesseWild Montana Skies

The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection : The 350 Essential Works

Ted Libbey

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 40 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent attempt at the most difficult of tasks 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

It takes guts to write a book that attempts to identify the 350-or-so most important works and their best recordings out of the entire canon of classical music. On top of that, Libbey includes a countless number of interesting, informative, and entertaining commentaries of the pieces and their recordings as well as a number of lists to provide the reader with some ideas on how to start their classical music collection. Libbey does an excellent job of providing the information in a way that will neither intimidate the classical novice, nor insult the more experienced listener. As someone who considers himself somewhere in the middle between those two extremes, I appreciated Libbey's descriptions of the pieces as a guide to "what to listen for".

As a result of this book, I discovered a wide range of composers and compositions that I was not familiar with, and deepened my appreciation and understanding of the composers and works that I already knew. Some reviewers have criticized this book for spending too much time on X and leaving out Y, or for having a skimpy section of Z. While the comments are valid, one must recognize that they miss the forest for the trees. This book could be picked apart on the details, but that would miss the thoroughness and helpfulness of this book as a whole. I would give this book 4.5 stars if allowed, but given the difficult nature of the task before Libbey, I will round up and give him 5 stars. For the approximate price of one CD, this book contains an enormous wealth of information. My hat is off to Libbey's accomplishment!

One final note, while Amazon (and other sources) have the majority of the recordings listed in this book (if not all of them), don't forget that your local library often will have many of them as well. It does not hurt to sample some of the music first to see what suits your taste before spending money on the CD.

Editorial Review:

In his informed and indispensable guide, National Public Radio's Ted Libbey takes listeners by the hand through the classical repertory to build a music library. Now, five years after its original publication - with five years of new performances to consider, new releases to review. reissues to re-evaluate - Mr. Libbey has completely revised and updated the book. While sticking to the essential 300 works, there are now one-third new selections and reviews, and a 50% change in discography to keep all suggested CDs up-to-date. Berlioz. Vaughan Williams. Schubert and Schumann. Mozart after the Jupiter Symphony. Bach beyond the Brandenburg Concertos, opera after The Magic Flute - The NPR Guide will make every music lover's core collection complete.

The Last Five Years - Vocal Selections

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Wow! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Jason Robert Brown has been among my favorite composers in the business for quite a while. His books are among the most played music in my collection, and for good reason. They cover a tremendous emotional range, and this book is well worth the money.

A few caveats: I'm a music major, having played piano for 15 years and sung for most of my life, and I still think this music is HARD! Be aware if you're a less experienced musician that you may find most of his work frustratingly difficult. Also, if you own the vocal selections books from his individual shows (I own all but Parade), you will find considerable overlap in these books. From each of the shows so far that such books are available, this book includes 3 songs that you may already have and one new song. It also includes, however, many songs that are not available anywhere else, and is still very much worthwhile for what is left.

Editorial Review:

Jason Robert Brown, the creator of Parade and Songs for a New World, has written a distinctive new Off-Broadway musical. The Last Five Years tells the story of a failed marriage of 20-somethings: he a successful novelist, she a struggling actress. Her story is told in reverse, his conventionally moving forward. They meet in the middle at the point of their wedding. Brown's strong writing has found a solid following among musical theatre fans. Our songbook features piano/vocal arrangements of 12 songs: Goodbye Until Tomorrow/I Could Never Rescue You · I Can Do Better Than That · If I Didn't Believe in You · Moving Too Fast · The Next Ten Minutes · Nobody Needs to Know · A Part of That · The Schmuel Song · Shiksa Goddess · Still Hurting · A Summer in Ohio · When You Come Home to Me. Short, bittersweet and nearly perfect, Brown has come up with a winning combination of music and book. - Variety

Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs: Piano/Vocal Transcriptions

Ben Folds

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Ben Folds 5 out of 5 stars.
36 of 36 people found this review helpful.

Accurate transcription of piano music as played in Rockin the Suburbs CD. Keep in mind that this is not a transcription of a live performance, and so songs such as "Rockin the Suburbs" might be a little sparse on notes since little piano is used on the CD. Songs with less accompanyment by other instruments, such as "The Luckiest" sound more complete when played only with a piano.

Not quite as good as the other titles 4 out of 5 stars.
27 of 27 people found this review helpful.

Folks looking for the same full-instrument transcribed scores as the previous scores Hal Leonard released are going to be a little disappointed. When the previous reviewer says the piano parts get a little sparse, he means it, and unfortunately unlike in the previous books, you can't turn to the lines of other instruments for fill-inspiration. This also means it's a heck-of-a-lot easier to play than the other books (maybe this is a good thing for you?)

Still, it's Ben Folds, who pwnz all things piano and the piano ballads (Luckiest, Fred Jones Pt. 2) are sure to please.

Editorial Review:

Our matching folio to Ben Folds' first official solo release - which the All Music Guide deems only a half-star short of five-star perfection - features piano/vocal transcriptions for all 13 songs: Annie Waits * The Ascent of Stan * Carrying Cathy * Fired * Fred Jones Part 2 * Gone * Hiro's Song * Losing Lisa * The Luckiest * Not the Same * Rockin' the Suburbs * Still Fighting It * Zak and Sara.

Fifty Easy Classical Guitar Solos

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

disappointed 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Ehhh, I'm truly disappointed in this book. It is truly for the very beginner and the songs are sub par. Many of the songs are very similar and just wasn't what I was looking for. I was hoping for something with more skill/technical. I would pass on this book if you have prior guitar experience.

Fun, good tunes, easy, yet progressive 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I recently decided to take up classical guitar on my own after playing piano most of my life and diddling around with electric and acoustic guitars. While this book doesn't give any instruction, it is progressive, starting out with extremely simple pieces and working up to easy yet more complex works. Half way through, the pieces require special fingering, and the tablature and notation help show how it's done. I'd give the book five stars since it delivers what its title describes, but I think the book could have been prefaced with some intro to fingerings and other beginner techniques. Nevertheless, there are many books that cover that issue. The songs in this book have mostly a nice Spanish sound to them, and I have really enjoyed working on them. I'd recommend this book to any beginner, hobbiest, etc.

Editorial Review:

Selections from all periods of classical guitar literature for the beginning or intermediate player , in both standard notation and tablature. Includes a full-length CD of performances by the author to guide you through your studies.

First Lessons in Bach - Book 1: Piano Solo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Good for beginning adults 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

I played piano for my entire childhood and adolescence, but gave it up over ten years ago now. I am trying to teach myself how to play again, and this book has been a great re-introduction. The songs are simple and accessible, but not "mary had a little lamb" or "when the saints go marching in," which is what you'll find even in the alfred's adult beginner books...I'd even venture to say that some of the songs are quite beautiful. That said, the level is a bit more advanced than the Alfred's beginner books, so if it's your first go-round with piano, I might still start there.

I'm also trying to learn theory, and the simplicity of these songs makes them pretty easy to analyze - although the theory is not always that obvious for a beginner.

I'd also recommend "Twenty Easy and Progressive Studies for the Piano", which is for a similar level, but the theory is more obvious, so you can go through and see why certain songs use certain notes. The songs aren't as nice, but they're still enjoyable to play and you don't feel like *such* an idiot when the downstairs neighbors hear you practicing. :)

Editorial Review:

Contents: 8 Minuets * Polonaise * 3 Marches * 2 Musette * Bourree * Gavotte.

Pro Tools for Musicians and Songwriters

Gina Fant-Saez

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

You’ve got the power. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on recording-studio time anymore. Now, using Pro Tools—a digital-audio workstation—you can record demos at home on your own computer, edit tracks, add effects, and even output songs to a CD. But if you’re new to working with sound digitally, you face a daunting learning curve. Getting your music gear to work with your desktop computer or laptop—and producing results that you like—involves some unfamiliar tools and concepts.
At last, here’s a Pro Tools book written by a musician for other musicians! Author Gina Fant-Saez knows first-hand how frustrating it can be when you first make the move to using this complex, studio-quality audio application. Rather than overwhelm you with every detail of the program and complicated terminology or functions you’ll never use, Pro Tools for Musicians and Songwriters teaches only the essentials you need to record, enhance, and output your music.

With downloadable audio files from www.protoolsformusicians.com to help you get started, Pro Tools for Musicians and Songwriters will show you how to:
• Use a metronome (click track) or percussion loop to help you keep time when you record
• Record and combine multiple takes to create one seamless composition
• Edit your tracks with crossfades, panning, doubling, automation more[
• Add and manipulate plug-in effects, such as reverb
• Share your Pro Tools files with other musicians around the globe
• Output your finished composition to a CD

Acoustic Guitar Tab White Pages

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Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

This awesome collection features note-for-note transcriptions with tab for 150 acoustic favorites from yesterday and today! Songs include:(Can't Live Without Your) Love And Affection(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay3 AMAbout A GirlAcross The UniverseAdiaAll I WantAmerican TuneAmerican WomanAnd I Love HerAngieAnnie's SongAt SeventeenBack On The Chain GangBarely BreathingBe-Bop-A-LulaBehind Blue EyesBest Of My LoveBitchBlack StarBlackbirdBlowin' In The WindBlue Eyes Crying In The RainBrahms LullabyBreakfast In The FieldBreaking The GirlBuilding A MysteryCajon StompCan't You SeeChange The WorldChicagoClose My Eyes ForeverCome To My WindowCrazy Little Thing Called LoveCryingDark HollowDear PrudenceDo You Believe In MagicDon't Treat Me BadDriveDust In The WindFast CarFight The Good FightFor The Sake Of The CallFriends In Low PlacesGalileoGenesisGettin' BetterGirlGo Let It OutHave You Ever Really Loved A Woman?Help Me Make It Through The NightHelplessly HopingHere And NowHere Comes The SunHold My HandHold OnHomeward BoundHoneysuckle RoseHow's It Going To BeI Am A Man Of Constant SorrowIce Cream ManIf You Could Only SeeIrisJack And DianeJessicaJumperJust A Song Before I GoKind Hearted Woman BluesLandslideLast Night I Had The Strangest DreamLaylaLeader Of The BandLearning To FlyLeaving On A Jet PlaneLet Her CryLet's Live For Tod...

Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician

Christoph Wolff

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Learned Musician is an apt subtitle for this intellectual biography, which assesses the career of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) with the scholarly rigor one would expect from a Harvard professor. Opening with a 1737 attack by a critic who labeled Bach a pedant who spoiled the natural beauty of his creations with "an excess of art," Christoph Wolff cogently compares the German composer to English scientist Isaac Newton. Both men "brought about fundamental changes and established new principles" in their chosen fields, he argues; both sought to reveal God's harmonious ordering of their world. While Wolff conscientiously covers the basics of Bach's life, including his two marriages and the musical achievements of his gifted family, the author's primary focus is on his performing (Bach was an unrivaled organist) and composing. From the Goldberg Variations through the Brandenburg Concertos to Art of the Fugue, Wolff carefully analyzes Bach's innovations in harmony and counterpoint, placing them in the context of European musical and social history rendered in nicely atmospheric detail. Casual readers may find this dense tome a bit daunting, but serious music lovers will relish the deeper understanding it conveys of a genius who transformed Western music. --Wendy Smith