Product Description
A detailed look at how musicians, songwriters, publishers, and indie labels producing every kind of music can earn good money from placing their music into film and TV in the United States and beyond. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Not bad For A Start
I thought this book was ok for beginners but as someone who has been involved in the music licensing business for close to six years I thought it left out a lot of relevant information about the business and lacked a clear plan that musicians could take to get involved in the business.I write a free newsletter that outlines how musicians can start licensing their music in TV and Film here:[...]

Some good tips and cool advise...
This will help the clueless musician with absolutely no hookups or inside plugs in the film and Tv industry looking to get soundtrack or scoring work fast.

GETTING YOUR MUSIC IN FILM & TV WITH BREVITY
There are now many books on the marketplace that explain how to get your music into film and tv, but there are very few that can be read in a couple of hours (or on a plane ride). This book is literally a crash course in copyrights, performing rights agencies and there functions; the role of film directors; executive producers; music supervisors; clearance companies; agents; music publishers; and music brokers. His USPs (unique selling points) are simple lessons that can get musicians to think like marketers as he stresses that marketing is the most important thing in your career and he views getting your music into film and tv as means to that end. Good primer.

Excellent book for the savvy musician/composer
Ah, now here's a book that can really pay for itself many times over. RIchard Jay explains HOW HOW HOW to get your music placed in film, TV and similar outlets--instead of stringing a bunch of anecdotes about how successful he has been, like some books do. He's got websites to visit, organizations to join, tips galore in this small book. Price ranges for various uses are discussed, and this is essential for the novice. THe chapters on the basics (copyright 101, etc.) are short, so if you don't know anything at all about this business, you will want to start with something more extensive, perhaps. As for me, I've already placed a couple of cues on TV shows in the USA and Canada, but am searching for info on how to expand these sales, and how to market my music more effectively to these clients, and this book is definitely going to be helpful.

How To Get Your Muis In Filn & TV
This book is compact and direct. I joined one of the organizations suggested which is an excellent resource for leads. A good additional for anybody who is serious about placing music in film & tv. ... Read more

Product Description
Arsenio Rodriguez, composer and musical innovator, made an indelible impact on a broad range of musical styles from the Caribbean and Latin America to West and Central Africa. The son montuno style that he created and his innovative conjunto ensemble inspired other Cuban musicians and played a key role in the development of salsa, yet Arsenio achieved only intermittent commercial success. Drawing on the testimony of family, musicians, dancers, and other contemporaries, David Garcia traces Arsenio's early career in Cuba, his influence on Cuban and Latin popular music in the 1940s, his struggle for recognition at the height of mambo-mania in the 1950s, and his importance to Puerto Rican and Cuban communities in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Garcia shows how matters of race, class, and identity as well as the transnational Latin music industry shaped Arsenio's music and career. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Arsenio Rodríguez bio
The book all of us Arsenio-ologists have been waiting for, the discography and sidemen info are worth the double its sale price alone....

Great Resource and Interesting Read
What a treasure to have an English-language resource that shines light on this important figure, a man who was, and is, simultaneously revered and neglected.The source of many of salsa's most enduring innovations, Arsenio Rodriguez' contributions spanned the mambo era and found resonance when this music re-emerged later as "salsa."Garcia does a fine job of illuminating this for the reader.It should not surprise Americans, as Garcia points out, that these innovations were inspired by Arsenio's profound understanding of Cuba's African traditions.Most refreshing, however, is finding an author who also understands the importance of Arsenio's music as "music for dance."Garcia engages his reader on this point and drives home the critical relationship between Arsenio's music and the dancers, and the importance of this rapport in energizing and sustaining his innovations.Arsenio emerges in this biography as a critical voice in dispelling an entrenched notion that music for dancing cannot be serious music (I am reminded of Ned Sublette's "dancing is an intense listening state," from Cuba and its Music.)And Garcia makes this statement forcefully.

I also applaud Garcia's dissection of this musician/dancer connection--one that is enlivened by interviews with musicians and dancers.He missteps, however, in his definition of the son montuno "basic step."What he describes as the "basic step" is more likely a "variation"--one that reflects the inventive styling and footwork of dancers responding to the push and pull of Arsenio's "clave feel."Son montuno was indeed danced using timing that Cubans call "contratiempo."The timing presented in Garcia's analysis, however, is simply too idiosyncratic for partnered dancing.

Overall, this book is substantive.It presents English-language readers with another important resource in moving the discussion of Afro-Cuban music and dance (including salsa), and its West African roots, forward. ... Read more

Product Description
". . . Barbara Owen has succeeded admirably in distilling three centuries of organ registration practice into a volume less than three hundred pages long. . . . Anyone with an interest in the history of the organ and its music . . . will not want to ignore this book." --Sixteenth Century Journal

"It is rare to find a book that combines such careful scholarship with a practical focus that makes it accessible to performing musicians as well as research specialists."--Notes

"An excellent volume from historical, musical style and interpretive standpoints. Highly recommended for all large academic and professional music collections."-- Choice

Barbara Owen has prepared the first work to present in a single book the registrational practices of organists from c.1550 to 1800. The four parts of the book move from the Renaissance through the Early, High, and Late Baroque. Each part starts with a brief description of the political and religious climate of the period and the way such factors affected the compositions and the organ-building of the time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Practical Guide with Historical Background
Barbara Owen succeeds in condensing more than 200 years of registration practice in a working volume.The book is organized by time period and nationality, allowing the reader to assimilate the trends of each of the organ "schools."Each chapter is prefaced by a list of the relevant composers, as well as stop lists of representative organs.Perhaps Owen's signal accomplishment is a combination of historical awareness with the practical needs of the performance.For instance, after giving the background on the Italian voce umana stop, she suggests that one can replicate the sound on a mechanical action organ by coupling two 8' principals, with one detuned (half drawn).Overall, a practical reference for the performance of 16th, 17th, and 18th-century organ music. ... Read more

Product Description
Covers the Italian Baroque period (1600-1730). Borgir rejects the notion that the basso continuo line is doubled by bass instruments and shows how these have an independent musical function in ensemble music. He untangles their confusing terminology and also explores the unexpected uses of he large lutes. Italian continuo practice included elaborate training in improvisation described in detail here for the first time. ... Read more

Product Description
At the dawn of the twenty-first century, the Nor-tec phenomenon emerged from the border city of Tijuana and through the Internet, quickly conquered a global audience. Marketed as a kind of "ethnic" electronic dance music, Nor-tec samples sounds of traditional music from the north of Mexico, and transforms them through computer technology used in European and American techno music and electronica.

Tijuana has media links to both Mexico and the United States, with peoples, currencies, and cultural goods--perhaps especially music--from both sides circulating intensely within the city. Older residents and their more mobile, cosmopolitan-minded children thus engage in a constant struggle with identity and nationality, appropriation and authenticity. Nor-tec music in its very composition encapsulates this city's struggle, resonating with issues felt on the global level, while holding vastly different meanings to the variety of communities that embrace it.

With an impressive hybrid of musicology, ethnomusicology, cultural and performance studies, urbanism, and border studies, Nor-tec Rifa! offers compelling insights into the cultural production of Nor-tec as it stems from norteña, banda, and grupera traditions. The book is also among the first to offer detailed accounts of Nor-tec music's composition process. ... Read more

Product Description
The bestselling WORLDS OF MUSIC, now in its fifth edition, provides authoritative, accessible coverage of the world's music cultures. Based on the authors' fieldwork and expertise, this text presents in-depth explorations of several music cultures from around the world, with new chapters on China, Eastern Europe and the Arab world. The student-friendly, case-study approach and music-culture focus gives students a true sense of both the music and the culture that created it. Additionally, a high-quality 4-CD set (purchased separately) contains a variety of recordings from multiple sources, including the authors' own fieldwork, other ethnomusicologists' field research, and commercial releases. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Book gets the job done.
The book had a lot of tears but the content is all there and it gets the job done.I love that it came with the CD's.

Make sure to get the CD's in the deal
Bought the book new but didn't realize that the CD's are sold separate, look for a used book deal that has them included if you are going to need them!!

Exactly as I ordered
Book was fine but ws disappointed that it did not come with the cd's that were required for my daughters class. In reading the description again, I got exactly what I was promised. Had to go purchase the cd's seperarly bringing the price near what the school was charging for the set.

Excellent Service
Excellent service. Shipped very fast, and received well within the time stated. Product is in great condition, same as described.

A decent text
While the text book is informative and enlightening on many of the aspects of World Music, it is frustrating that he continually puts out newer editions that have minimal changes except for the CD.For the general information gathered from this text, anyone will be able to gain loads of interesting facts about the different cultures and their musical ceremonies/practices. ... Read more

Product Description
Rhythmic movement flows across landscapes and cultures, waking and dreaming without barriers. The language of dance is one. And when it comes to defining the world dance scene, Shamans Dream is an unparalleled innovator. With dance:dream:dance, global-groove artists Rara Avis, Amani Friend, Jason Hann, Craig Kohland, and Micheline Berry take you on a world ethnotronica odyssey that will sweep you up in a wave of trance dance and dreamtime ecstasy. Marked by the evocative indigenous sounds and deep visionary grooves that have become the signature of Shaman's Dream, dance:dream:dance offers a cross-pollination of musical dance cultures and ambient soundscapes blended with hot electronic dance beats. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Fast paced and enticing
I enjoy these tunes, each one submitting a sense and feel of other worldliness and intrigue.Hope you as well enjoy this music.It was faster paced than I thought it might be but I like it very much and will download into my ipod for running and sense it will give me much endurance with its beat and totality.

Dynamic Driving Techno Jazz With Diversity
This is a positively fantastic CD. It has a motivating, hard beat that works well for exercise i.e. dancing, spinning, walking, road biking etc,; driving (helping maintain alertness;) or background (for working). There's a real diversity of sounds with tracks hinting of Hindu, Middle Eastern, African, Latin, and Native American textures. Each of the 12 track blends into the next and lasts for a minimum of 4 minutes 59 seconds.This would make great music for modern or jazz dance choreography as well as floor ex gymnastics routines. The latter would need some editing.This is one of my favorite CDs.

dance dream dance
the title says it all!this has a driving beat most of the time, tribal beats and sounds with a great blend of electronic, this deserves five stars for sure what a great find! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This remains a very important text on this fabulous era of music.
This is a fine book on a wonderful period in music history.The Renaissance era produced a revolution in music and many of us feel that this era was a high point in liturgical music.The music of this period was the subject of a great deal of research and performance in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, but has fallen off somewhat in the past decade or two.That is a shame, because it is remarkably beautiful music.It is also music that can be played by informed amateurs.It requires an informed approach and great aesthetic sensibility, and the more skill the better.However, it doesn't require the kind of virtuosity that, say, Chopin or Brahms might demand.

That is where this book comes in.It is a large book, but it is full of wonderful information about the music of these centuries and covers the various developments throughout Europe.Reese divides the period into two large parts: development and then diffusion.Within these parts he looks at what happens by geography.This is important because there were very different traditions and developments that slowly made their way to other courts.

There are many musical examples that are translated into our musical notation (reading the old mensural notation is a specialized discipline of its own).Reese includes some illustrations, but not an abundance of them for a book of this size.

If you don't know the music of Dufay, Josquin, Ockeghem, Brumel, Obrecht, and Isaac to name just a very few, well, you owe yourself the wonderful experience of the art of these geniuses.I am a huge fan of Josquin des Prez and consider him one of the supreme geniuses of music, but I am willing to discuss this with anyone with a different view.

We used this book in music school as a text in music history courses on this period and I found it quite interesting and very helpful. It remains a very important text on this fabulous era in music history. ... Read more

Product Description
This concise dictionary has been updated. Based on the 20 volume "New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians", it is designed to meet the needs of a wide readership, from the musical novice requiring a quick and clear explanation of terminology to the musical expert in need of more detailed information. There are 10,000 entries, which include 4500 on composers, 2000 on terms, instruments and institutions, 1100 on performers and other key figures, 1000 titles of musical works and 150 worklists for major composers.;Other features of this dictionary include historical accounts of important topics, outlines of non-Western music systems, discussions of musical acoustics, music examples and illustrations.;Stanley Sadie was formerly a music critic for "The Times" and editor of "The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians". Among the other books he has written are studies of Mozart and Handel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Lost in the mail
The item did not arrive.Upon checking with the seller, it was determined it had gone missing in the mail; therefore, I cannot assume a rating on the product.They did give me a refund, but I had to order the item from another seller at a much higher cost.

Nearly pocket-size, essential for any musician or music lover
No matter the degree of knowledge of music, if you are interested in music as an art form, or if it is your career or simply your passion, you should invest in this book.It covers every imaginable subject on music, from terms to composers.I cannot tell you how many times I have referred to this book, whether to understand a concept better, to research the works of Benjamin Britten, or find out what a Gora is.This book has useful illustrations, but puts more emphasis on conservation of space in order to include a huge range of entries. ... Read more

Product Description
Music Research: A Handbook introduces music students to the major print and electronic research tools available to them. Ideal for graduate-level music bibliography and research courses, it can also be used in any undergraduate or graduate music course that requires students to engage in library research or to write a research paper. Concise and practical, this unique handbook does not aim to provide an exhaustive introduction to the subject; rather, it is highly selective and guides students to the most significant English-language research tools and resources, reference titles in major areas, and the principal sources in French, German, Italian, and Spanish. The book's first section (Chapters 1-14) is organized by type of research tool--for example, encyclopedias, periodical indexes, and discographies. Each chapter in this section includes an overview of the tool it covers; an annotated bibliography that describes the tool's purpose, scope, strengths, and weaknesses; and an evaluation checklist that encourages students to think critically about the tools and materials they discover as they do research. The second section (Chapters 15-16) discusses style manuals and various resources for writing about music and citing sources. Methods for evaluating reference and research tools are emphasized throughout the book.
Music Research: A Handbook is supplemented by a companion website, www.oup.com/us/musresearch, which includes supplemental links, updates to available bibliographies and readings by chapter, research tools listed by composer, and lists of core music journals and major professional music associations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

standardresearch guide
I purchased this for my Intro To Graduate Research in Music course. It's organized pretty well and has good browse-ability.

Good for graduate level music research/bibliography courses
After years of using Vincent Duckle's book, I found it was time for a change for my Intro to Grad Studies in Music class, I decided it was time for a change.

I find Sampsel's book to be quite good, and ideally suited to my needs.

She divides the content into 15 chapters, corresponding to the 15 weeks in a semester.

She identifies in each chapter the sources that every graduate student should be aware of with an asterisk.More specialized items have no asterisk, and can be divided up among the students in the class.

She has a number of suggestions about research and writing--something that my students desparately need.

She includes the electronic and web sources that are missing, for the most part, from Duckles.

I find the text to be a valuable tool for my students, and would recommend it as a class text for any graduate music program. ... Read more

Product Description
The brilliant album-matching folio to this quirky band's breakthrough multi-platinum release. Titles: One Week
* It's All Been Done
* Light Up My Room
* I'll Be That Girl
* Leave
* Alcohol
* Call and Answer
* In the Car
* Never Is Enough
* Who Needs Sleep?
* Told You So
* Some Fantastic
* When You Dream. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

ORDER NOW Barenaked Ladies: Public Stunts & Private Stories
Hi, Paul Myers here.Barenaked Ladies fans may have seen me on VH1's Behind The Music.I have been working for over two years on the forthcoming book, Barenaked Ladies: Public Stunts And Private Stories, published by Madrigal Press.Wehave been working, the band and I, at making this the definitive souvenir for any Barenaked Ladies fan and a useful resource for the recently converted or mildly curious.Its packed with pictures and juicy never before told stories of pain, heartbreak, cancer and depression. But that's not to say we can't see the humour of the situation. Think of it as The Barenaked Anthology.

Sheet Music - Piano/Vocal/Guitar
A book of sheet music for all songs on their Stunt album. As far sheet music goes, it could be better. It's your run of the mill take-a-song-and-condense-it-down-to-3-parts (Piano/Vocal/Guitar). The onlyguitar part is a single chord line - no tablature or lead parts.Thesame holds true for their 'The Best of the Barenaked Ladies' sheet musicbook (ISBN: 0769215793).

Sheet Music - Piano/Vocal/Guitar
A book of sheet music for all songs on their Stunt album. As far sheet music goes, it could be better. It's your run of the mill take-a-song-and-condense-it-down-to-3-parts (Piano/Vocal/Guitar). The onlyguitar part is a single chord line - no tablature or lead parts.Thesame holds true for their 'The Best of the Barenaked Ladies' sheet musicbook (ISBN: 0769215793). ... Read more

Product Description
Universite de Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Text was reprinted from The Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Volume 930, June 2001. Describes the amazing advances being made in understanding the complex relationship between music and the brain. Covers such topics as the origins of music, the neurons of music, and the musical mind. Softcover, hardcover available. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

the Cognitive Neuroscience of Music
This book was the first item I bought online and I must say I'm very pleased with it. It was intact and I got it sooner than I expected.

Very interesting overview of current research in the subject
The collection of articles in this book gives a fascinating overview of human musical cognition and how it is modeled computationally. It also addresses the effect of brain lesions or abnormalities on musical competence and abilities, and thus gives the reader a taste of the kind of research that is being done in current research circles in the cognitive neuroscience of music. It is readily apparent after reading the articles that much is known about musical cognition, but there are many questions yet to answer. Because of space constraints, only a few of the articles will be reviewed here.

When considering human musical ability and competence it is natural to ask whether it is the result of evolutionary adaptations or whether it is "accidental" or "evolutionary vestige." The article by David Huron discusses these questions in some detail, with emphasis on the ability of evolution to shape not only physiological attributes and functions, but also human attitudes, emotions, cognitive abilities, and so on. The author gives an overview of the `nonadaptive pleasure seeking' (NAPS) view of music, and also the view that music is indeed an evolutionary vestige. He concludes, interestingly, that the truth of NAPS would place music lovers at an evolutionary disadvantage. If music is an evolutionary vestige, it still is important to ask, says the author, what value it had in the past for human survival. He discusses various types of evidence for supporting an evolutionary origin for music, such as genetic, neurological, ethological, and archaeological. Noting that no genes have been discovered which are correlated with musical ability, the other types of evidence do add plausibility to his evolutionary hypothesis, he argues at length in the article. The ability of music to form social bonds he believes shows the greatest promise as a plausible evolutionary origin for music. Most interesting is his discussion of how music brings about social bonding, with the hormone oxytocin playing a major role in this regard.

The article by Stephen McAdams and Daniel Matzkin on the perception of musical similarity is interesting for its own sake but also from the standpoint of artificial intelligence. Measures of similarity and to what extent a given concept can be changed and still be judged or perceived to be in the same category are of great interest in artificial intelligence. The authors of this article argue that the empirical evidence in similarity perception limits the `transformation space' for given music material. In other words, one can only go so far in the transformation of the original musical material before it is judged as completely new. The authors discuss in detail the factors that contribute to these limitations. In this context, the authors discuss a very interesting experiment to test among other things whether professional musicians are able to hear similarity to a greater degree of transformation if the transformations respect certain syntactical rules. The authors conclude, and their conclusions adhere to what is expected based on listening experiences, that the space of possible variations of musical material that is perpetually similar to an original piece of music is very limited.

Neural networks naturally enter into any discussion on human cognition, and they do so here in the article by Barbara Tillman, Jamshed Bharucha, and Emmanuel Bigand, who use them to model music cognition. Simulation of mental processes is of immense importance in brain research and allows one to study the effect of various anatomical and physiological abnormalities on cognition. The authors mention these capabilities in their article, but their emphasis is on explaining how neural networks coupled with unsupervised learning, can be used to model music cognition. They also mention, but do not discuss in any detail, the use of self-organizing maps to simulate the neural plasticity that allows the capacity to extract regularities and to then become sensitive to musical structures and regularities.

The article by John Brust discusses the effect of neurological disorders on musical function. The author discusses `musicogenic seizures', which are triggered by the hearing of music. Interestingly, these seizures can be triggered in some people by merely listening to their own voice. In some individuals, sound can also produce the perception of colors. This is called `synesthesia' by the author, but he does not discuss it in any great length. Apparently synesthesia is poorly understood, but has been noted to happen very frequently in individuals using hallucinogenic drugs. Also discussed is `amusia" which is an acquired impairments of musical processing.

The next article by Isabelle Peretz continues the discussion on amusia, but the emphasis is on what it reveals about brain specialization for music. The author holds that music has neuroanatomical specialization, in that there is a collection of neural networks that are dedicated to the processing of music. The author discusses various patients who had accidents causing brain damage in certain areas of the brain but were still able to retain musical skill. This occurred even when the damage occurred in the part of the brain responsible for language abilities. Even more surprising is that the auditory recognition of music is supported by cognitive processes that are not used at all in speech recognition or in environmental sound recognition. The author also discusses musical savants and the phenomenon of tone deafness. In terms of neural networks, the author asserts that brain specialization for music involves the encoding of pitch along musical scales and the ability to impute a regular beat to incoming events. She believes though that further research is needed to show that neural networks that are domain specific for music are the result of evolutionary adaptation. ... Read more

Product Description

If you want to learn how to read and write music, this is the book you have been waiting for! Written in plain English and using a minimum of jargon, it’s supplemented by audio material and other extras all available at hybridpublications.com

This means that you get lots of examples of how things should sound plus many online bonuses, all clearly flagged on the relevant page in the book. Regular worksheets at the chapter ends make sure you have understood the key points before moving on, and again auxiliary material is available online.

Learning to read and write music is not some abstract theory, it is a practical skill that can be learnt. For the first time there is a book plus a website dedicated to teaching you how! If you’ve failed before, it’s probably because you never had a unique product like How to Read Music!

Product Description
What is music, what is its value, and what does it mean? In this stimulating volume, Roger Scruton offers a comprehensive account of the nature and significance of music from the perspective of modern philosophy. The study begins with the metaphysics of sound. Scruton distinguishes sound from tone; analyzes rhythm, melody, and harmony; and explores the various dimensions of musical organization and musical meaning. Taking on various fashionable theories in the philosophy and theory of music, he presents a compelling case for the moral significance of music, its place in our culture, and the need for taste and discrimination in performing and listening to it. Laying down principles for musical analysis and criticism, this bold work concludes with a theory of culture--and a devastating demolition of modern popular music.

"A provocative new study."--The Guardian ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

New ears for old music
Having read other Scruton titles I was initially rather discouraged when I realised that this was going to be a much tougher job of work than I had been looking for.I was hoping for a gentle introduction to aesthetics, a general survey or bluffer's guide, but instead I found it to be an earnest work of philosophy, including carefully developed arguments and theories of his own, in a field that would seem to have few, if any final answers.What I had also not anticipated was that Scruton's musical erudition would be on a par with his philosophical acuity, as the numerous examples and the penetrating analyses that accompany them, which he uses to illustrate his arguments attest.To be honest, I think I understood about 60% of the book, but have had my ears opened to new levels of musical understanding that have made the struggle eminently worthwhile.I have every intention of reading this book again one day, but want first to brush up on a bit more harmonic theory before I do, in order to get even more out of it the next time around.Mercifully, each chapter tends to examine a different aspect of the musical puzzle, so even when one chapter left me puzzled or confused, I could retain some hope of maybe better understanding the next.In fact, this is a rare example of a book that gets (a little bit) easier as it progresses.

Aside from pointing the way to a level of aesthetic apprehension I had not even glimpsed before, there are several aspects of music which Scruton has caused me to reconsider, there being two broad areas I can articulate with relative ease.Firstly, at the basic metaphysical level, my respect for the ineffability of our experience of music has been refreshed. That our cognitive faculties endow us with the capacity to find such depths of meaning and communicative intent in patterns of sound turns out to be one of those human intangibles that, like language or consciousness, becomes more mysterious the more closely we examine it.

Secondly, in more 'practical' aesthetic terms, I have been obliged to radically reappraise my concepts regarding tonality and atonality.I have a renewed understanding of what they are, what they each bring to the table, and what is lacking in the latter that must be made up for in 'less musical' ways, like extreme dynamics or timbre, if it is to be able to project form and structure. I had always held what I see now as a naive view, that tonality was there to be transcended. That one could train oneself through `sufficient' listening to 'comprehend' ever more extreme departures from the world of tonality. I'm still considering Scruton's arguments, but their implication is that atonality can only ever really be a style or fashion, and that where it works best, or even at all, it has to rely on ways of hearing that were initially acquired by our common experiences of tonality.This has had a direct impact on my listening in that I have a new respect and admiration for composers of the late romantic era, particularly Brahms and Tchaikovsky, that I have always ignored until now, in favour of more modernistic composers.It has also helped me to put my finger on the growing suspicion that, while I have always had a bit more of a taste for dissonance than is typical, I only really enjoy dissonance when it is rooted, even if to a minimal degree, in some kind of tonality.I have accepted at last that pure atonality does nothing for me.It turns out I'm not quite as modern as I thought, but then I'm OK with that.

This is a demanding but profoundly rewarding book if you have the musical background required to engage with it.

Reader Beware
I agree with the other negative review of this book.Scruton's scholarship here is so tilted towards classical music and against popular music (not to mention ignorant of non-Western musics in general) that in my opinion, the book should not be considered a "philosophy" of music at all.It is, rather, an opinionated study concerned with the aesthetics of only one, geographically limited tradition (Western classical music).If he called the book "The Aesthetics of Western Classical Music" that would be fine, but unfortunately, Scruton thinks the questions and answers that emerge from his study of this tradition can be extended to explain all the musics of the world.The worst aspect of this book by far is Scruton's treatment of popular music: he not only misunderstands it, but he is condescending, dismissive, and quite frankly, insulting and ill-informed.Basically, anyone with ANY experience outside classical music - even anyone who ever enjoyed a pop tune, let alone played any genre of popular music - will find much in this volume that is glaringly incorrect, even childish, and insulting (the charges of racism against popular musicians, e.g. black performers, presented by the other reviewer here should be taken seriously).This is a book that is appreciated by philosophers who are not musicologists, and by conservative musicologists who have a training only in Western classical music.However, I can tell you that many scholars working outside the Western classical tradition thoroughly dislike this book, and think it is a shame it is so esteemed within the philosophy of music.For the philosophy of music to truly matter to musicologists, the field must move beyond the narrow, outdated focus that Scruton presents here, to a perspective that is more "global" in nature and more aware of the world's diversity of musical perspectives and practices.

Tin ear
Scruton is weakest when attempting to dismiss huge swathes of contemporary music by judging it according to the very different norms of very different music, sealed off from the difficulties of encountering pluralistic societies, of the past. It's hard not to conclude that Scruton is simply not very perceptive about music generally if he can get popular music so very wrong, or worse, is racist in his dismissal of ways of being musical that derive from non-white cultures.

Dated, illogical arguments
Scruton comes off as something of a learned amateur; I have no idea if music is his "field," but if it is, he hasn't been exposed to an idea that emerged since the '50s.Virtually all of the ideas in this longish book have been stated before, by people with greater knowledge and experience than he and with more excuses for being wrong.I mean, Adorno could be forgiven his false conclusions (somewhat) because of when he lived and the environment in which he was raised.Scruton, living today, has none of these excuses for his dated arguments and almost primitive knowledge of music outside of Western Classical.The best aspects of this book are the first few chapters, which are basically a regurgitation of the usual music philosophy from a Western Art Music bent.You can get this information elsewhere, but Scruton does do a decent job of summarizing it in a readable, well-organized fashion.The book falls apart after that, though, and for a good laugh check out the chapter in which Scruton (weakly) takes swipes at jazz and rock, revealing his virtual ignorance of the nuances of either style.

Formidable, engrossing
That some readers (and reviewers) will object to Scruton's cultural critique is to be expected; after all, he doesn't shrink from the cultural, political, idealogical and moral implications of his carefully-argued aesthetic. Though you don't have to agree, you'll find his arguments engrossing and his knowledge of music formidable. The journey through his encyclopedic knowledge alone is worth the read. The basic idea that music powerfully both reflects and influences the soul and thus society is certainly not new (it's part of ancient wisdom). Scruton's contribution is to look at the processes, reasons and effects in the light of modern philosophy. Mercifully, he writes in an accessible prose. Though not essential to following his argument, a basic knowledge of music theory and ability to parse musical notation will add considerably to the enjoyment of this important book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a book of and about the classical music of North India, among the oldest continual musical traditions of the world. Presented here is a small part of the musical legacy of one of the foremost families which has preserved and collected this ancient music and developed it to the highest standards: the Baba Allauddin Gharana of the Seni tradition. This volume introduces the great richness and variety of the different styles of music as taught by one of the century's greatest musicians, Ali Akbar Khan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A must-have
This is a must-have, not just for reference on your library shelf, but as a practical workbook - which simulates the first year's study at the famous Ali Akbar Khan college of music in California (as the title declares).
What most appeals is the clarity of the editing by George Ruckert - himself a formidable performer, teacher and academic on the subject. Peppered with enjoyable photos and quotes from Khan-sahib himself, this book makes the learning experience as close as it can to being with a master, and would be a valuable aid even if you do have the real "guru" experience.

great for when you don't have access to a teacher
i use this book pretty much every day
has history, theory, tons of exercises and plenty of compositions to help you begin to learn some of the basics of hindustani classical music
i've had other books before, but often they just list ascending and descending scales and sometimes a chalan which doesn't really help you grasp the real sound or core of a rag - of course, a book can't come close to actually studying with a master, but this can definitely help during the times where we must study without a teacher ... Read more

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See the paperback edition, ISBN 9781576471005. ... Read more

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For the next generation of players and downloaders, a provocative scenario from a music industry think tank.



From the Music Research Institute at Berklee College of Music comes a manifesto for the ongoing music revolution. Today, th

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Customer Reviews (36)

Good textbook for beginners
Got this book as it was included in many of the Berkelee School of Music music business courses. All in all a decent read, however, I wouldnt recommend this to anyone with a decent grasp on current music technology. Consider this more a primer for people interested on learning about the Music Business and the technology involved rather than for those who have experience in the field.

I suppose paired with a course on the subject and open discussion this book would be more appropriate. Would be interesting to sit in on a course in which this book is being used as text to see how much specific knowledge I actually gained in reading it.

Excellent perspective on the future of music
This should be recommended reading for all those in the industry or want to be in the music industry, especially the record labels as they drag their feet in the sand kicking and screaming to keep things like it used to be. Music is evolving and if you want to know where it is headed this book gives many interesting perspectives.

The Future of Music--A Must Read
"The Future of Music: Manifesto for the Digital Music Revolution" gives the reader a perspective worth thinking about and acting upon. With the digital revolution, the music industry has been turned upside down.This book is a must read for anyone involved in the industry.

Outdated
This book was released in 2005, meaning that it was probably written in '04.Due to the rapidly changing nature of the current music industry, this book was already out of date when I read it in the spring of '08.Now that it is over 5 years old, there is no reason anyone should purchase and read this book.Additionally, I wouldn't recommend anything else by this author as the majority of his conclusions in this book couldn't have been any farther off base.

Disappointing book on a great subject: no how tos.
As a music business consultant, I was pleased when the publisher sent me a copy of The Future of Music to review for my website, and looked forward to reading it for possible recommendation.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the book's lack of practical how-to information--especially for a book published by Berklee Press, the publishing arm of the well-respected Berklee College of Music. For this reason, I chose not to recommend it to readers nor to even use it as a giveaway.

As another reviewer stated, The Future of Music: Manifesto for the Digital Music Revolution is basically an essay, drawn out (some might say droned out) to stretch into book form via the use of repetitive text written several different ways to make the same point.

Sure, it's a manifesto. In fact the one positive thing I can say about this book is that it's aptly named...for alas, like many "manifesto"s, it's all talk and no action.

Where's the stuff indie musicians and aspiring music industry professionals are looking for? Where's the practical how to information on how to position and market your (digital)music? Where's the information on how to make the most of digital distribution? Where's the information on how to book a tour without a record deal? Where's the information on what talent buyers are looking for?

In other words, where is the information that actually tells an indie artist HOW TO BE A PART OF what the author keeps stating is so much more inclusive than the previous recording industry?

Answer: it's not there! Sadly for the indie artist who really wants to learn about the new music business, the author is too busy complaining about the old business model and going on about the virtues of the new one to notice the reader.

Disgruntled music fans and angry musicians who are fed up with the music industry will probably love this book, as it basically alternates between whining and anger about the recording industry, yadda yadda yadda...(yawn).

But unfortunately, there's really nothing in this book that will HELP an indie musician. For the action-oriented musician who's looking for a book that actually helps out via How tos, I recommend Bob Baker's books instead. ... Read more

Product Description
During the last few decades, most cultural critics have come to agree that the division between "high" and "low" art is an artificial one, that Beethoven's Ninth and "Blue Suede Shoes" are equally valuable as cultural texts. In Who Needs Classical Music?, Julian Johnson challenges these assumptions about the relativism of cultural judgements. The author maintains that music is more than just "a matter of taste": while some music provides entertainment, or serves as background noise, other music claims to function as art. This book considers the value of classical music in contemporary society, arguing that it remains distinctive because it works in quite different ways to most of the other music that surrounds us. This intellectually sophisticated yet accessible book offers a new and balanced defense of the specific values of classical music in contemporary culture. Who Needs Classical Music? will stimulate readers to reflect on their own investment (or lack of it) in music and art of all kinds. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Taruskin got it right
Why do classical musicians, the worst offender being Adorno, think it's ok to be almost completely ignorant of popular music when they take it upon themselves to condemn, wholesale, a vast field of contemporary music? This book would fail if submitted as an essay in any of my undergraduate courses, as it commits major fallacies throughout. The most glaring is the threadbare false dichotomy that should be well-and-truly dead by 2010.

Thankfully, there are defenders of classical music who don't need to resort to straw man arguments against other genres. I'd recommend Andrew Ford's "In Defense of Classical Music". A good sign - this is a man who also writes books on Van Morrison.

Rather repetitive and dry
I awaited this book with much anticipation,but I have been somewhat disappointed by its contents and style.-I found it repetitive, as well as very dry, condescending and pseudo-highbrow.-It certainly has its interesting points,but these are far in between and repeated over and over again.-

Good, though rather short and incomplete
As someone who stands out for having no interest in popular music and a love of classical music, I was overjoyed to discover this book. Finally, someone out there who finds current trends in music as depressing as I do, someone who is willing to defend classical music from the myriad of charges against it (and there are certainly many).

I was surprised by Johnson's approach. I was expecting something comparing the complexity of classical music to popular music when I first heard about it. Nonetheless, I was surprised and pleased to see that Johnson followed a more philosophical approach, focusing on the purpose of classical as compared to pop. Specifically, Johnson argues that classical music is important because it represents art rather than mere entertainment.

Although I found it to be a very good book, I withheld a star because it does have some shortcomings. It is a very short read and I think it would have been better if it went into more depth on issues it only touched on. Johnson notes that rock music is quite rhythmically impoverished and that popular music relies on decidedly archaic harmonic language, for example. These are very good points, but he does not elaborate on them as much as I hoped he would.

I would have also liked to see his take on the various forms of jazz and progressive rock that I often see cited by those arguing in favor of popular music. Many seriously argue that they constitute art on the same level as classical music. Given that, it seems unlikely that a staunch fan would find this case for classical music particularly convincing. Though Johnson makes a good case that there is more than taste at work, I fear that alone will do little to save classical music.

Thoughts of an age 25 white male
First off, this is not a an academic or musicological book. But it is a very thoughtful one. It felt like a grouping of essays from which one could base discussions.

During this last paragraph of this book I was reminded of Wynton Marsalis' comment in the Ken Burns Jazz documentary that, Beethoven does not come to you, you have to come to him. Johnson seems to be expressing that classical music requires determined effort to truly appreciate.

I personally came to classical music from the standpoint that a good deal of effort is put into creating it and much of it require virtuosity, so surely a good deal of insight can be gained from it, as long as one puts forth the patience and can maintain some modesty towards it. At the very least, it should be respected. Classical music requires that you don't use it as mood music, but that you earnestly devote your attention and immediate focus to it.

In the final chapter, Johnson goes on a bit more of a modern society rant. e.g. Television being the antithesis of classical music in that only the most minimal involvement is required to absorb its full meaning.

Although he makes some decent arguments for setting classical music apart as mindful art music, there are errors in his logic/proofs. Surely some Satie, Chopin, Schubert lieder, and works of Bach are no different from our songs (lieder) of today of a similar ABA structure. Though he used Beethoven's Fifth as a example of the discursive quality of classical... it would be hard to lose the argument if all classical music were as potent!

Self-referrentiality, also, was a component of his argument for classical, yet Jazz and Hip Hop are loaded with it. Jazz has its references to bop, dixieland, cool jazz, free jazz, etc. I think it is hard to see some Hip Hop being respected 50 years on when every other line makes a soon-to-be-outdated pop culture reference. (But then Beethoven and Mozart used Janissary music references - pop culture in their time, yes?)

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great morsels in here, like his reference to the popularity of the fade-out as the "solution" to the lack of denouement in pop songs. I also appreciated his reference of the polarity of modern life: think hard at work so you can come home and turn off your brain via TV or the Spice Girls. Rarely do we budget our meager free time towards leisure activities requring mental effort.

While his overall argument has its foibles, myriad directions are delightfully taken that would otherwise be ignored in a less thorough and less entertaining survey.

A compelling argument for classical music
Julian Johnson confronts the complex issue of the value to society of art music -- and the differences between art music and popular music. Although densely written (this is not a book for skimming, nor for light reading), I found the book compelling and cogently argued. Johnson tries to define the relationship between art music and our human qualities -- and argues convincingly that there are real differences between popular and serious culture, and that those differences should not be minimized in the name of political correctness.It is not easy to summarize the book, because of the complexity of its subject and the depth of his argument. But anyone with an interest in the place of classical music in our society today should read this. ... Read more

Product Description
This combination text- and work- book is designed for the beginning music education major or non-music major.It explains the various aspects of musical notation in relation to the principles of mathematics and language.Each concept is illustrated with practical examples that expose students to a variety of forms and styles - classical, pop, musical theater, film music, hymns, spirituals, folksongs, children's songs, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Wonderful
Was in excellent conditions, like new! Well worth the money and will definitely be buying from this user if I need to again.

poor review
not only was shipping was extremely slow it was the wrong book. I don't know who's fult it was but it was advertised under the second ecition but I recieve the first and then when I contacted the shipper they said it was the fault of amazon.com. Regardless I ended up with no book for my class!

Music Major
When I enrolled in my first music theory class I was very nervous. Singingand rythem is one thing, but knowing all the theory is another. This bookstarted at a level that was very easy and advanced to more challengingwork. This book was REQUIRED for the Music 10 theory class at SierraCollege in Rocklin. I advise to get the book early in advance because itsells out of book stores very fast! It is an easy to understand way ofteaching Music, language and it's fundamentals. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Caveat emptor
While it is good to have translations of these essays, the lack of editorial ambition in comparison to Leppert's Adorno: Essays on Music is disappointing, the translator Wieland Hoban's disclaimer notwithstanding. With the exception of the Introduction, all we are given is the date of composition/revision at the end of each essay. Granted the intention was not to produce a scholarly edition, but I suspect that the reader of this collection is unlikely to be satisfied by the unvarnished text and the basic information found in the Introduction. The 1928 essay 'Schubert', found in an earlier translation (by Rodney Livingstone) in the collection 'Can One Live After Auschwitz' as Hoban notes, has also been rendered into English by Jonathan Dunsby and Beate Perrey in the journal 19th-Century Music (Vol. 29/1, 2005, p. 3-14). Their accompanying discussion (short but stimulating) of the difficulties of translating the essay surely warrants a footnote here for the benefit of curious readers.

Whatever one may think of Adorno (and, I have to confess, I have yet to be convinced), it certainly does not help to publish what seems to be a well-designed book with a pagination error: pages 353-368 occur in the order 357, 354-5, 360, 353, 358-9, 356, 365, 362-3, 368, 361, 366-7, 364. I was tempted to return it, but, short of a reprint, another copy is unlikely to be any better. And speaking of footnotes, is it too much to ask that they appear on the same page as the reference? ... Read more