Theory, Composition & Performance Books - Page 5

A Charlie Brown Christmas(TM)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A faithful transcription 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

I got this book as a present one year and was absolutely amazed. I've always loved the Charlie Brown Christmas Special and came to appreciate the music more and more as I grew up. Reading through the book, I discovered that the authors had done a painstaking job of transcribing Vince Garauldi's performance nearly note-for-note. When you first start playing "The Christmas Song" for example, you hear those flat-9 chords Vince loved to play and think to yourself, "Yeah, that's the real deal." Even the improvised solos are transcribed wonderfully.

This is NOT a book for the faint of heart. If you are unfamiliar with playing jazz piano, you may quickly get overwhelmed. However, what better way to learn some advanced chord voicings than to play it exactly the way the arranger did? The songs are beautiful and incredibly fun to play, but without at least an intermediate piano skill level, you may get frustrated.

Editorial Review:

This deluxe collection features arrangements of all ten Vince Guaraldi arrangements from this annually anticipated holiday classic: Christmas Is Coming * The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) * Christmas Time Is Here * Fur Elise * Hark, The Herald Angels Sing * Linus and Lucy * My Little Drum * O Tannenbaum * Skating * What Child Is This. It also includes a stunning color section featuring Peanuts(TM) illustrations!

My First Book of Classical Music: 29 Themes by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and Other Great Composers in Easy Piano Arrangements

Bergerac

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Bringing Classics Into My Home 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Even the right hand only player, can enjoy classics from these simple arrangements. The left hand is coming along with practice. This book makes learning the classics less intimidating. I would pay more for a spiral bound version.

A bit difficult for me 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

These arrangements are good, but a bit advanced. I am just not quite ready for this book. It is not self-explanatory. You need to be adept at reading both clefs, time signatures and the fingering is a bit tricky. I will have to slowly work up to it and these pieces definitely require a lot of slow, repetitive practice. Not as easy as Alfred's Basic Piano Course Book 1.

Editorial Review:

Fun-to-play, pedagogically sound piano arrangements include themes from Beethoven's "Pathétique" Sonata and Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony, along with such favorites as Schumann's Träumerei, Brahms's Lullaby, Chopin's Prelude, Tchaikovsky's Marche Slave, Moussorgsky's Promenade (from Pictures at an Exhibition), and many more. Includes 20 piano arrangements.

If You're Happy and You Know It (Baby Board Books)

Annie Kubler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great Book for Babies 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My daughter who is 10 months has loved to have all the books by Annie Kubler read to her since she was 5 months old. These books by Annie Kubler are great starter books for a child's library!

Great baby book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Was looking for the right books for the very little ones in the family, for Christmas. Saw this (and others in the series) and felt I had found just what I was looking for. Lively, colorful illustrations, activities for parents and little ones to do together. I wound up ordering even more, after my original shipment. The hardest part was which ones to choose!!!

Very Cute Book :o) 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a pretty cute book! I believe it has most of the "If you're happy.." lyrics in it - I've been trying to teach him to clap his hands. It is pretty short - only a few pages, but he seems to appreciate it.

Great for little ones! 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a great & very durable book for little ones in the 1 year to 2 year range & who are just learning songs.

Good baby book 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

What's most important is that parents can act out the song verses to amuse and entertain their little one. The book is very average.

Editorial Review:

The words to a familiar nursery song encourage babies and their parents to have fun together.

The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music

Victor L. Wooten

Amazon Price: $10.20 List Price: $15.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Berkley Trade Amazon Marketplace: 48 new & used starting at $6.95

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Warmed Over New Age Cliche' 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I will state first that my spiritual beliefs are liberal, so I am not giving this book a poor review because it goes against any "dogma" I may have. I agreed with everyone's review who mentioned how great a bass player Victor is.
So why one star? Because this is rehashed, 101, 1960 new age type philosophy (I hate to use the term as this is so elemental a book on music and spiritually). What we need is a complex discussion of the two, and there are examples do a google or Amazon search, of books, thesis and Research studies in the fields of Anthropology, Ethnomusicology, and even in books which discuss practicing an instrument.
I brought this book without really looking at it, since I assumethat Victor's writing would be as interesting and informative as his playing. Wrong.

My recommendation: Read someone else on this topic.

Editorial Review:

From Grammy-winning musical icon and legendary bassist Victor L. Wooten comes The Music Lesson, the story of a struggling young musician who wanted music to be his life, and who wanted his life to be great. Then, from nowhere it seemed, a teacher arrived. Part musical genius, part philosopher, part eccentric wise man, the teacher would guide the young musician on a spiritual journey, and teach him that the gifts we get from music mirror those from life, and every movement, phrase, and chord has its own meaning...All you have to do is find the song inside.

Blues by the Bar: Cool Riffs That Sound Great over Each Portion of the Blues Progression

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Amazing!!! Exactly what I needed!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

First, I would like to say there are many good books and DVDs out there; however, the problem that I found were in the particulars that were being taught when it comes to soloing. Chord progressions can be learned in just about any blues book you pick up but soloing is what most of us want to learn. Blues solos are tricky as they tell a story; they breath; they make you feel. All the books I have do not help you with this; they give you scales and a couple licks but somehow you are supposed to ear train yourself into learning HOW and WHEN to use these licks. What leaves the sour taste in your mouth is that so many teach you very hokey, uninteresting kind of licks; Licks and riffs you would never use when playing with friends or would want to listen to in your own liesure time. IF YOU WANT TO SOLO LIKE A BLUES HERO (B.B. KING, BUDDY GUY, CLAPTON, SRV, ETC) THAN BUY THIS BOOK. This book teaches where to fit amazing licks/riffs over the progression. This is not just a book of scales or just a book of riffs but HOW and WHEN to use them. HOW and WHEN is the key when learning how to solo the blues. With all the riffs in this book, the possibilites are endless. This book is AMAZING!!! Exactly what I needed (and if you are reading the reviews, maybe this is what you are looking for and what you need too)!!!

Editorial Review:

If you're a guitarist who's learned the pentatonic scale up and down the neck but still asks, "During a solo, how do I know what to play and when to play it?", then this book is for you. Its goal is to give you a variety of great blues licks that you can put together bar by bar to create a complete blues solo. Covers: the 12-bar blues progression, cool riffs, complete solos and more. The CD features "Music Minus Me" tracks that let you play along as the featured soloist.

The Long Hard Road Out of Hell

Marilyn Manson, Neil Strauss

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 435 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the world's most controversial rock star comes his shocking, confessional and revealing life story. In The Long Hard Road Out of Hell, Marilyn Manson candidly and vividly recounts his metamorphosis from a frightened Christian schoolboy into the most feared and revered celebrity in America.

A cross-dressing grandfather, a sexually abusive neighbor, a brainwashing faith healer and a schoolteacher searching for satanic messages in rock songs are only a few of the characters who populate his bizarre childhood.

From backstage to jail cells, from recording studios to emergency rooms, from the pit of despair to the top of the charts, The Long Hard Road Out of Hell chronicles Manson's rise to fame at the price of his humanity and his descent through the circles of Dante's Inferno: Lust, Violence and Treachery.

His story is illustrated with dozens of previously unpublished photographs, and it features a behind-the-scenes account of his headline-grabbing Dead to the World Tour -- vilified, banned and protested by politicans, preachers and parents alike.

In his 29 years, Manson has experienced more than most people have -- or would want to -- in a lifetime.

The Jazz Piano Book

Mark Levine

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

"The" book for playing jazz on piano 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This is not an easy book to get a handle on. Beginner's may be overwhelmed. Intermediate students will need help in structuring the topics and lessons. Advanced students will probably find plenty of nuggets of jazz wisdom to make the purchase of this book worthwhile. As a long time musician relatively new to jazz, I find this book extremely valuable for learning about jazz, but it isn't terribly helpful in improving my piano chops. I still give it five stars because I didn't buy it to learn the piano so much as to learn jazz, and obviously, jazz piano. That may sound crazy, but it makes sense when you realize there aren't many specific "drills" to learn the various aspects that Levine teaches about jazz and specifically, jazz piano. Yeah, he may say something like, "Be sure you can do this in all twelve keys", but you're not going to stop reading the book, rush to the piano and practice for four weeks before you continuing reading. The kind of stuff he "teaches" takes a lifetime of experience and playing to learn. So I appreciate being told about it, and I like having some perspective added to such a very deep field of music, but after you buy this book, you're still going to need to do some drills, (try Jazz Chord Hanon: 70 Exercises for the Beginning to Professional Pianist, Jazz Hanon (Private Lessons), Post-Bop Jazz Piano - The Complete Guide with CD!: Hal Leonard Keyboard Style Series (Hal Leonard Keyboard Style), and even Piano Essentials: Scales, Chords, Arpeggios, and Cadences for the Contemporary Pianist (Book & CD)), learn some songs (use The Real Book: Sixth Edition), and get some instruction (try your local community college or music store). In short, Levine's book is a wonderful map and a readable, useful guide for just about anyone with interest in playing jazz on the piano.

Editorial Review:

Endorsed by Kenny Barron, Jamey Aebersold, Richie Beirach, and more, this book presents all the information a student of jazz piano needs in an easy-to-understand, yet thorough, manner. For intermediate to advanced pianists, written by one of the acknowledged masters of jazz piano playing.

John Thompson's Modern Course for the Piano - First Grade (Book/GM Disk): First Grade - Book/GM Disk

John Thompson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An interesting book, the pieces are fun, the CD recordings are horrible 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I purchased this book as well as "The Piano Handbook". I don't feel this book is technically "bad" (It's actually pretty decent on what is played), the book - and CD seem to try a little too hard to sell itself as being "fun" at the expense of information and accuracy.

To highlight the main problem I had with this book - the CD. I listened to the CD and the piano parts were not alone but also included bells, a metronome, and a few other sounds as well - outside just the piano. I purchased the book to learn the piano, by hearing the piano piece only being played so I could study it. What did I get? Sounded more like a small band playing the music to keep kids interested. Maybe the book is just aimed for kids more than adults.

Outside the lousy CD, the songs seem to drop the person into the middle-end of the pool right off the bat. How so? Playing with two hands at the same time. I'm pretty sure this is the beginning of the series, and if I'm wrong then I apologize, but I don't think I am.

The songs felt a little too difficult at first, with almost no instruction about how to properly play. This diminishes how well it'd work for learning on one's own.

Do I feel it's an OK buy? Quite honestly, yes I do under a few circumstances:
1. Buy another book too. Personally I got "The Piano Handbook" ([...]) which I find much more helpful for the beginning stuff.
2. Try to find a teacher - especially if #1 isn't met.
3. Be prepared to work through with little use of the CD to gauge your progress. I wish I could say more positive on the CD.

I'm a beginning piano player, only playing for a very short time. If you have some knowledge already, this book may be OK for you then.

Editorial Review:

The Modern Course series provides a clear and complete foundation in the study of the piano that enables the student to think and feel musically. It may be preceded by the Teaching Little Fingers to Play series.

Rise Up Singing: The Group Singing Songbook

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 67 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Best songbook ever! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I've had this book since I was a kid in the early 90s who wished she'd been around for the sixties. I found it in the library and checked it out over and over til I finally had to special order a copy from the Waldenbooks in the mall. ('Member back in the day when we ordered stuff from Waldenbooks?)

I am far from an accomplished musician! But I got the hang of their system pretty quickly. You have to really know the song to make any sense of the chords, since it's just lyrics and chord names, but it tells you the chords for each line and if you do know the song you'll have a sense of exactly when to switch chords. It also tells you what albums have the song on them so you can find it if you don't know it but like the looks of it. ('Member back in the day when we bought albums?)

Anyway, this book is fantastic, I love it to death, and you should buy the spiral bound version so it stays open while you play and sing. ('Member back in the day when we played and sang? Oh yeah, we still do that. That will never go out of style!)

Editorial Review:

Lyrics and guitar chords for nearly 1,200 songs are arranged in a compact, easy-to-use format in this comprehensive collection. Folk revival favorites; Broadway show tunes; Beatles songs; hymns, spirituals, and gospel standards; songs about peace, freedom, labor, and the environment; and chanteys are among the songs included. This revised and retypeset version of the enormously popular group singing songbook makes this essential resource easier to read and use than ever before.

Hal Leonard Bass Method - Complete Edition: Books 1, 2 and 3 Bound Together in One Easy-to-Use Volume!

Ed Friedland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Bass-ically speaking 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is the best I have seen for someone wanting to learn the Bass. With this book anyone can teach themselves to play and read music. The knowledge contained within the pages AND the CD's you'll be playing in no time at all, GREAT BOOK.

Outstanding Value 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book includes 143 jam-packed pages and two CD's into a great package for the self-taught and beginning-to-intermediate players taking lessons. The book takes a well-rounded approach to bass playing, giving attention to essential scales, triads, ergonomic issues, and several styles. The book also touches on specialized techniques such as hammer ons and pop-and-snap.

Using this method at a slow and studied pace will equip the muscially-inclined bass player to hold their own in most pop-music settings. If you want to be the next Jaco Pastorius, however, the journey only begins here.

Editorial Review:

The critically acclaimed Hal Leonard Electric Bass Method - Second Edition in a handy composite edition! Contains 3 books and 3 CDs for Levels 1, 2 and 3.