Best Music Business
“The industry bible” ( Los Angeles Times ), now updated, essential for anyone in the music business—musicians, songwriters, lawyers, agents, promoters, publishers, executives, and managers—trying to navigate the rapid transformation of the industry. Now if you’re reading this and trying to decide whether the music business will disappear and if you’d be better off putting the price of this book into your stamp collection, there actually is a beautiful weather forecast. As we’ll discuss, streaming has the potential to make the music business bigger than it’s ever been in history. People who never would have gone into a record store are listening to streams, and the numbers are growing fast. As these new ways to exploit music take hold, you might wonder how artists get paid. And at no extra charge (if you act RIGHT NOW), there’s an update of what’s happening with traditional music business deals—recording, songwriting, merchandising, touring, and so forth.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I'll definitely refer back to it as my journey continues, but no matter your "stage" or "status" in the industry, do yourself a favor and read this book!"
"You dont buy this book... YOU dont take your craft seriously."
"Amazing book."
"This has become my bible for working in the music industry and has allowed me to have a clear understanding of the industry for running my record label."
"Great book to learn the ropes, it should be a must have if your in the music world."
"Bought it for my godson and he loved it."
"Great book, well worth the reading, from novice to expert, you will get something of value out of this book."
"Probably THE BEST in its field."
"Ari is at the front of the front. Forget everything you think you know about the odds of “making it” in the music industry. Today, odds mean nothing and success is not about lucky breaks. I've read a hundred how-to-make-it-in-the-music-biz books, and this one is today's definitive, comprehensive manual.”. - Jack Conte, 150+ Million YouTube Views, Pomplamoose, CEO of Patreon. Anyone wanting to make music for a living should read this, period.”. - Peter Hollens, 150+ million YouTube views. “There are few careers more difficult than being a professional musician, but How to Make It in the New Music Business will absolutely increase your chances of success. Ari Herstand is a fresh, emerging authority on a music industry that is just taking shape, and a fearless tour guide in a brand-new jungle. Reading Ari’s book teaches you what the music industry actually is, not what others think it should be.”. - Jeff Price, Founder of Tunecore, Audiam. Covering things like proper etiquette when emailing promoters to getting your songs placed in film and TV, Ari expedites the sometimes tedious process of learning what it takes to be a professional musician.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Covering everything from recording, to seeking reputation, to touring, and even licensing, Ari meets us where we are and pushes our imagination (and action plan) past our own personal barricades."
"Any artist who reads both this book, and Passman's "all you need to know about the music business," will be ahead of the curve."
"However, I believe I have a fighting chance to license my music, and this book gave excellent advice on how to do this."
"This is the ultimate guide for how to smoothly start your music business and how to successfully bring others onto your team."
"This dude nailed it with this book."
"Awesome guide for any indie musician that already has their feet wet or is just getting started."
"Not knowing the new business models and shifting consumer paradigms, I've been missing out on a lot of good exposure."
"Ari has been there and done that, and now shares what he's learned to enable all of us to make it happen."
A pioneer in the South's quest for respect in the Hip Hop world and one of the most colorful characters to emerge from the music scene which ultimately topped rap charts at the turn of the century, Chad "Pimp C" Butler's controversial life - and suspicious death in 2007 - left behind many unanswered questions, a family divided, and scores of talented new artists inspired by his group UGK's music. That's what was so endearing and refreshing about him, and what made him such a special person ... [He] had a rough exterior but underneath it all he had a big heart and was really just a good person who was - as many artists are - just frustrated, [trying] to get his voice heard." "Pimp C helped lay the foundation that we stand on where Southern Hip-Hop music is concerned." Prince, CEO of Rap-A-Lot Records, Raw Report DVD. - Nancy Byron, Pimp C's publicist, The Source Magazine. "As we keep a lighter up for the Pimp, it's only right that we remember him not just for his often-under-rated musical contribution but also for his indomitable, smack-talking spirit."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"the author goes into details, sometimes warranted and expected - other times, its like, "Are you just trying to make a page quota here?""
"Furthermore, a portion of the proceeds from this book will DIRECTLY support Pimp C's children financially since Pimp C's hard earned money was taken by a few other people (his new albums DO NOT financially support his children)."
"Her meticulous research and attention to detail shone throughout this book."
"This book is the greatest example of what Pimp C's life was truly about."
"Really like the fact most of the info came from Mama Wes who seemed to have the closest relationship with her son, may he rest in paradise (I still bump his music loudly through neighborhoods and wherever I can)."
"i was introduced to UGK'S ridin dirty in the winter of 96 and have been a loyal UGK fan since i had a custom made airbrushed free pimp c shirt aswell as 2 different rip pimp c shirts at the end it became hard to read becuz u know we lost someone in hiphop that we needed that cud have helped rap but also the afroamerican community great read, very detailed, and more than worth the money."
"I bought this for a xmas gift and my cousin and he is now on some real pimp ish."
"This was a GREAT book."
Best Acoustic Engineering
Learn the subtle editing, arrangement, and monitoring tactics which give industry insiders their competitive edge, and master the psychological tricks which protect you from all the biggest rookie mistakes. Pick up tricks and tips from leading-edge engineers working on today's multi-platinum hits, including Michael Brauer, Serban Ghenea, the Lord-Alge brothers, Tony Maserati, Manny Marroquin, Dave "Hard Drive" Pensado, Jack Joseph Puig, Mark "Spike" Stent, Phil Tan, Andy Wallace, and many, many more . Amazon Exclusive: A Letter from Mike Senior on Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio , "The 'Why The Hell' Challenge". In all these cases I've started with real-world small-studio recordings and used widely available mass-market technology to remix it to a commercial level, all without ever setting foot inside a "real" studio. If you want that kind of transformation for your music, then you can find a detailed explanation of my method in Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio . The second reason you might want to take notice of these mixing techniques, though, is that they've been drawn not only from my own professional experience, but also from more than four million words of first-hand interviews with the highest-profile engineers and producers on the planet. Amongst many other things in Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio , I try to deliver a stout kicking to the following questionable (but surprisingly pervasive) pieces of received wisdom: Indeed, the two most celebrated mixing speakers of all time, the Yamaha NS10 and the Auratone 5C Super Sound Cube, both have extremely uneven frequency-response plots, but excellent time-domain performance. Those common experiences are just the tip of the iceberg, and it's only by learning to work around the fickleness of your own hearing that you can begin to get decent mix results reliably. Corrective processing can certainly produce unmusical results, but it's important to realize that it doesn't have to, even if you're just using the editing facilities built into your software DAW. Furthermore, almost every small-studio production I've worked on sounded more musical (and became a lot easier to mix) once careful timing and tuning correction had been applied. In that case, it's much better to start with those while your ears are fresh, and while you've still got lots of mix real estate and computer CPU power to play with. In fact, a lot of the established classic reverb units sound pretty unnatural (the AMS RMX16, say, or the EMT 140 plate), but that doesn't stop them from appearing all over the current charts. I call this the "silver bullet" myth--that comforting delusion that the only thing separating your mix from the ones you hear on the radio is some single esoteric process. The malaise can almost always be traced to a whole selection of minor misjudgments that have been made at various points in the arrangement, editing, and mixing process. It doesn't matter if you have to replace the drums with samples, stuff synth pads between the guitar layers, add new backing vocals, or remove certain instruments entirely--just as long as your final product sounds great enough to make the client a happy bunny.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Sure, you have to go and put in the hours and years of practice, but this book gives you a thorough rundown on how to avoid 90% of the sonic shortcomings that will stop you getting there."
"There are so many different ways that we can record and mix audio now; Computer/Analog, ProTools/Logic, Rock/Country. If you read this trying to understand the concept and idea rather than expecting him to tell you exactly what settings to use you can learn a lot. This is a great reference for people learning to mix as well as experienced people who just want to pick up a few new ideas."
"Too often I embark on new projects and buy all the gear only to find out that my interest and tenacity wains, leaving me with a lot of equipment that I end up selling cheaper that I purchased it for. You can get this knowledge free my trawling around the internet and joining forums, but it does mean you have to weed out the chaff from the grain as there is a lot of opinion out there."
"This book has everything you need to know, and nothing you don't. It is my go-to book if I'm having issues with a mix, and always seems to provide just the right advice."
Best Ethnomusicology
Music: An Appreciation remains the time-tested solution for welcoming non-majors to the art of listening to great music. Kamien taught for 2 years at Hunter College and for 20 years at Queens College, where he coordinated the music appreciation courses.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I rented this and the book is great quality."
"I don't really know how to write a book review."
"Great condition."
"Excellent book for studying music appreciation."
"My book came in great condition!"
"Good textbook to have for Music Majors."
Best Media & Communications Industry
“The industry bible” ( Los Angeles Times ), now updated, essential for anyone in the music business—musicians, songwriters, lawyers, agents, promoters, publishers, executives, and managers—trying to navigate the rapid transformation of the industry. Now if you’re reading this and trying to decide whether the music business will disappear and if you’d be better off putting the price of this book into your stamp collection, there actually is a beautiful weather forecast. As we’ll discuss, streaming has the potential to make the music business bigger than it’s ever been in history. People who never would have gone into a record store are listening to streams, and the numbers are growing fast. As these new ways to exploit music take hold, you might wonder how artists get paid. And at no extra charge (if you act RIGHT NOW), there’s an update of what’s happening with traditional music business deals—recording, songwriting, merchandising, touring, and so forth.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I'll definitely refer back to it as my journey continues, but no matter your "stage" or "status" in the industry, do yourself a favor and read this book!"
"You dont buy this book... YOU dont take your craft seriously."
"Amazing book."
"This has become my bible for working in the music industry and has allowed me to have a clear understanding of the industry for running my record label."
"Great book to learn the ropes, it should be a must have if your in the music world."
"Bought it for my godson and he loved it."
"Great book, well worth the reading, from novice to expert, you will get something of value out of this book."
"It's a very good book for those interested in hearing a bit of the nitty gritty that goes on in our wonderful but hectic world of music (behind the scenes)."
Best Performing Arts Industry
By 1934, four years before his first feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs would be released, Mickey Mouse had made him famous enough to have a recipe published in Better Homes & Gardens magazine. From humble beginnings to becoming one of the most famous men on the planet, Walt was more of an everyman than a pampered celebrity when it came to eating. In no particular order I like traveling the world, Broadway musicals, consorting with race horse persons, cooking for family and friends, reading, fitness, soul searching and wine. When I am not adventuring, I live in Sonoma County, which according to Luther Burbank is "...the chosen spot of all this earth as far as Nature is concerned."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My husband wanted this book."
"Great book!"
"I only just received my copy of this remarkable book a few hours ago and i'm already checking my list, ready to stock up for Chrismas presents! Just as we gather around our meals and share the goings-on of our day, this book allows us to do the same and draws us closer to being adopted into Walt's family. When you finish you may feel as I did, that I had been privy to some pretty special moments in the Disney history heretofore just touched on in other works."
"It's also a very aesthetically-pleasing physical volume: a good size, so that its many images are reproduced at a comfortable scale, and with handsome little borders around the pages that evoke the middle of the last century."
"My wife and I are huge Disneyland fans, and in part it’s because of the culture of food – from the nostalgic (Monte Cristo) to the delightful (Dole Whip) to the delicious (Corndog), we always enjoy our time eating in the park. Marcy takes us on a journey that not only demonstrates how integral food was to the idea of Disneyland from Day One, but showcases the insight Walt had about how people ate (and gives us a wonderful glimpse into his own eating habits)."
"Lots of history, and information, but very little in the way of park recipies."
"I can see the appeal that this book would have for the ultra-Disney enthusiast, but this is an absolute mish-mash of a book that left me confused and disappointed. Way at the back of the book there is a map of Disneyland which should have been way up front, because the general organizational structure of the book goes land by land through Disneyland and if you've never been there (I've been to Disneyworld many, many times but never Disneyland) many of the references about things like boundaries will not make much sense. The book also fails as a history."
Best Entertainment Industry
From one of the co-founders of Pixar Animation Studios—the Academy Award–winning studio behind Coco, Inside Out, and Toy Story —comes an incisive book about creativity in business and leadership for readers of Daniel Pink, Tom Peters, and Chip and Dan Heath. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Huffington Post • Financial Times • Success • Inc. • Library Journal “[ Creativity, Inc. ]. just might be the most thoughtful management book ever.”— Fast Company Creativity, Inc. is a book for managers who want to lead their employees to new heights, a manual for anyone who strives for originality, and the first-ever, all-access trip into the nerve center of Pixar Animation—into the meetings, postmortems, and “Braintrust” sessions where some of the most successful films in history are made. It is, at heart, a book about how to build a creative culture—but it is also, as Pixar co-founder and president Ed Catmull writes, “an expression of the ideas that I believe make the best in us possible.”. Praise for Creativity, Inc. “Over more than thirty years, Ed Catmull has developed methods to root out and destroy the barriers to creativity, to marry creativity to the pursuit of excellence, and, most impressive, to sustain a culture of disciplined creativity during setbacks and success.” —Jim Collins, co-author of Built to Last and author of Good to Great “Too often, we seek to keep the status quo working. Any reader of Creativity, Inc., Catmull’s new book on the art of running creative companies, will have to agree. Catmull, president of both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation, has written what just might be the most thoughtful management book ever.” — Fast Company “It’s one thing to be creative; it’s entirely another—and much more rare—to build a great and creative culture. Over more than thirty years, Ed Catmull has developed methods to root out and destroy the barriers to creativity, to marry creativity to the pursuit of excellence, and, most impressive, to sustain a culture of disciplined creativity during setbacks and success. Catmull’s book is quickly becoming the latest bible for the show business crowd.” —The New York Times “The most practical and deep book ever written by a practitioner on the topic of innovation.” —Prof. [Catmull] uses Pixar’s triumphs and near-disasters to outline a system for managing people in creative businesses—one in which candid criticism is delivered sensitively, while individuality and autonomy are not strangled by a robotic corporate culture.” — Financial Times “A wonderful new book . An immensely readable and rewarding book that will challenge and inspire readers to make their workplaces hotbeds of creativity.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Punctuated with surprising tales of how the company’s films were developed and the company’s financial struggles, Catmull shares insights about harnessing talent, creating teams, protecting the creative process, candid communications, organizational structures, alignment, and the importance of storytelling. [ Creativity, Inc. ] will delight and inspire creative individuals and their managers, as well as anyone who wants to work ‘in an environment that fosters creativity and problem solving.’” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) “For anyone managing anything, and particularly those trying to manage creative teams, Catmull is like a kind, smart godfather guiding us toward managing wisely, without losing our souls, and in a way that works toward greatness. What Ed Catmull shares instead is his astute experience that creativity isn’t strictly a well of ideas, but an alchemy of people. In Creativity, Inc. Ed reveals, with commonsense specificity and honesty, examples of how not to get in your own way and how to realize a creative coalescence of art, business, and innovation.” —George Lucas “This is the best book ever written on what it takes to build a creative organization.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Managers, as well as anyone who wants to better understand how companies work and what elements are necessary to make and keep them successful, will appreciate Catmull’s insight on leadership, nurturing creative environment, and protecting it from invisible threats. After reading the book, I constantly find myself quoting the concepts and examples described there when talking to my husband or friends about their jobs or my own and discussing what works, what doesn’t, and why."
"This book has radically altered all of my pre-existing views about what it means to be creative, to strive for quality, to lead a team, and to be passionate and persevere in the face of obstacles."
"Ed shared several amusing experiences creating these magnificent movies to illustrate management concepts."
"Mr. Catmull presents an impressive analysis of how corporate culture can negatively impact creativity, even when corporate leaders proclaim their support for creativity and truly believe they are doing everything they can to foster and support it."
"Whether you're just a Pixar fan, or you're looking for ways to improve your company, you can't go wrong with this book."
"It tells of how the company was formed and the various challenges and changes along the way as well as how the people in charge are constantly attempting to maintain Pixar as a separate entity from Disney after being purchased by the latter while fixing Disney's animation studios and making Disney a world class entity itself."
Best Musical Genres
1949), known for his work with the E Street Band, and his brand of poetic lyrics - Americana, working class, sometimes political sentiments centered on his native New Jersey - his distinctive voice, and his lengthy and energetic stage performances.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The motivations, the demons, the anxiety, the joys, the fears, the hopes, the dreams, all the elements that have constituted the Boss’s muse over these past 50 years are explained here. I do not want to reveal any of the revelations the reader will discover within the pages of this book, but I can say it was interesting to learn that Bruce possesses many of the same insecurities of us mere mortals. Bruce discloses, in great detail, particulars of his early years, his upbringing, the issues that influenced the way he thinks, his musically formative years, his wide held acclaim, his family, his doubts, his fears, and a treasure trove of personal details I have never heard before. Bruce has obviously spent much time in intense introspection, and he shares many of his insights and conclusions here. Now that the great James Brown has passed on, the moniker, “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business,” clearly belongs to Bruce. His unique gifts of lyric writing, musical composition, musicianship, and studio and on stage performance have rarely been seen in a single person. If you have ever wondered exactly what it is that makes one of the greatest of this or any other generation’s musical talents tick, it is all right here. Through a lifetime of events he details here, his skills developed and he has evolved into the national and world treasure affectionately referred to as "The Boss.""
"I read Bob Dylan's Chronicles a couple of years ago, and was struck by the artistic voice of the book."
"I love it so much. I didn't just learn about Bruce Springsteen's music, I learnt about some aspects of his life and some things about America. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading the whole book."
"Freehold, Asbury Park, New York City, San Francisco, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Memphis, and even Big Sur's Esalen make an appearance. The tension between the spontaneous nature of his live shows and the crafting of his music into recordings is palpable in the pages of "Born to Run"."
Best Music Reference
Every album and every song ever released by the Beatles - from "Please Please Me" (U.S. 1963) to "The Long and Winding Road" (U.S. 1970) - is dissected, discussed, and analyzed by two music historians in this lively, fully illustrated work. *Starred Review* This hefty gem of a book catalogs every recording released by the Beatles, in chronological order of album release. They know their stuff (Guesdon is a musician; Margotin, a music critic), and it shows—especially in the Production and Technical Details sections, where the type of equipment is named and described, recording speeds are discussed, and there is much talk of the number of takes each song required and why.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"book takes the "greatest bits of info" from the Lewisohn, Babiuk, Ryan/Kehew books, as well as previously published interviews by the Beatles and associates, recording anomalies (readily available on several internet sites) and puts them together under one cover (primary songwriter, instrument/vocal credit, dates/mixing/studio location and personnel, specific instruments used, the Anthology series audio material and additional background info). You will not see photos of the EMI recording boxes nor photos of every single instrument used, however there is certainly enough visual material to make the book a valuable tool covering the studio career of the Beatles."
"I would guess there are probably complex copyright issues with the lyrics and rather than the publisher dealing with tedious and expensive legal spelunking, they opted to omit. Or many Beatles album jackets have the lyrics (I have all the albums on original vinyl, so many have the lyrics - not sure about CDs and recent releases)."
"I received this great book for Christmas.....wow....exactly what I wanted."
"I was amazed how many instruments George Martin played on some later albums."
"Beatles 4 ever!"
"This is the book for it!"
"Also has info about history of how the albums were recording with a bit of band history and fun facts."
"Bought this as a Christmas present for my Dad and he’s obsessed!"
Best Musical Instruments
Titles: Alouette * Alpine Melody * Amazing Grace * Au Claire de la Lune * Aunt Rhody * Auld Lang Syne * Aura Lee * The Bandleader * Beautiful Brown Eyes * Blow the Man Down! * Largo (Dvorak) * Lavender's Blue * Lightly Row * Little Brown Jug * Liza Jane * London Bridge * Lone Star Waltz * Love Somebody * Lullaby * The Marine's Hymn * Mary Ann * Merrily We Roll Along * Mexican Hat Dance * Michael, Row the Boat Ashore * Money Can't Buy Everything * My Fifth * Ode to Joy * On Top of Old Smoky * O Sole Mio * Raisins and Almonds * Rock Along * Rockets * Rockin' Intervals * Rock It Away!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It took me about 1 1/2 months to work through the book and I rate it as excellent instruction for anyone wanting to learn or re-learn the piano."
"A little background before I get into the real review: My 14 y/o trumpet player daughter has been wanting to learn the piano for years. Her trumpet teacher disagreed and recommended she start with the Suzuki method as she has and incredibly good ear and quite a bit of natural musical talent. I bought this book to help rectify that, knowing that I'll be sitting in on her weekly lessons and absorbing a lot of information there. It's pretty exciting to go from not knowing where middle C is located to playing Jingle Bells with a bit of harmony in 2 days! I do plan on adding scales and such to my practice sessions, as these are truly the things that will help you progress and give you a more fundamental understanding of how music is put together. I feel like I'm able to grasp the concepts that are introduced and will be able to help my daughter along once her lessons start in a couple of weeks."
"No CD, but Youtube is better than the CD anyway."
"So far, helping me learn the piano."
"A little bit hard if you are teaching yourself."
"I love this book!!!"
"This is a wonderful book for adult learners and my instructor agrees with me."
"This is a really great book on beginning piano playing."
Best Music Recording & Sound
Learn the subtle editing, arrangement, and monitoring tactics which give industry insiders their competitive edge, and master the psychological tricks which protect you from all the biggest rookie mistakes. Pick up tricks and tips from leading-edge engineers working on today's multi-platinum hits, including Michael Brauer, Serban Ghenea, the Lord-Alge brothers, Tony Maserati, Manny Marroquin, Dave "Hard Drive" Pensado, Jack Joseph Puig, Mark "Spike" Stent, Phil Tan, Andy Wallace, and many, many more . Amazon Exclusive: A Letter from Mike Senior on Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio , "The 'Why The Hell' Challenge". In all these cases I've started with real-world small-studio recordings and used widely available mass-market technology to remix it to a commercial level, all without ever setting foot inside a "real" studio. If you want that kind of transformation for your music, then you can find a detailed explanation of my method in Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio . The second reason you might want to take notice of these mixing techniques, though, is that they've been drawn not only from my own professional experience, but also from more than four million words of first-hand interviews with the highest-profile engineers and producers on the planet. Amongst many other things in Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio , I try to deliver a stout kicking to the following questionable (but surprisingly pervasive) pieces of received wisdom: Indeed, the two most celebrated mixing speakers of all time, the Yamaha NS10 and the Auratone 5C Super Sound Cube, both have extremely uneven frequency-response plots, but excellent time-domain performance. Those common experiences are just the tip of the iceberg, and it's only by learning to work around the fickleness of your own hearing that you can begin to get decent mix results reliably. Corrective processing can certainly produce unmusical results, but it's important to realize that it doesn't have to, even if you're just using the editing facilities built into your software DAW. Furthermore, almost every small-studio production I've worked on sounded more musical (and became a lot easier to mix) once careful timing and tuning correction had been applied. In that case, it's much better to start with those while your ears are fresh, and while you've still got lots of mix real estate and computer CPU power to play with. In fact, a lot of the established classic reverb units sound pretty unnatural (the AMS RMX16, say, or the EMT 140 plate), but that doesn't stop them from appearing all over the current charts. I call this the "silver bullet" myth--that comforting delusion that the only thing separating your mix from the ones you hear on the radio is some single esoteric process. The malaise can almost always be traced to a whole selection of minor misjudgments that have been made at various points in the arrangement, editing, and mixing process. It doesn't matter if you have to replace the drums with samples, stuff synth pads between the guitar layers, add new backing vocals, or remove certain instruments entirely--just as long as your final product sounds great enough to make the client a happy bunny.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Even simple things like color coding tracks to quickly get around your mix can shoot the inexperienced in the foot, but here it is called out for you. We live in a world where programmers offer us a bewildering array of affordable equipment past engineers would have sold their house for and could only dream of. It might also be painful to realize some songs, no matter who the mixer, can't be fixed because the arrangement is boring, confusing, not musical or too busy. Rather than tinker at a problem until you lose your hair you can read this book which clearly spells out what you can do, what you probably can't and what you'd be a fool to undertake. I've read the handful of low ratings and I see the same pattern- readers with unrealistic expectations and not enough patience to mix. That said, I'm not sure how anyone could rate the book so low and expect commercial (or even slightly good) mixing results."
"I bought a mixer, and this book, and I'm already recording, and better yet, learning how to improve my recordings quite a bit."
"Too often I embark on new projects and buy all the gear only to find out that my interest and tenacity wains, leaving me with a lot of equipment that I end up selling cheaper that I purchased it for. You can get this knowledge free my trawling around the internet and joining forums, but it does mean you have to weed out the chaff from the grain as there is a lot of opinion out there."
"There are so many different ways that we can record and mix audio now; Computer/Analog, ProTools/Logic, Rock/Country. If you read this trying to understand the concept and idea rather than expecting him to tell you exactly what settings to use you can learn a lot. This is a great reference for people learning to mix as well as experienced people who just want to pick up a few new ideas."
Best Music History & Criticism
Here's what The Rap Year Book does: It takes readers from 1979, widely regarded as the moment rap became recognized as part of the cultural and musical landscape, and comes right up to the present, with Shea Serrano hilariously discussing, debating, and deconstructing the most important rap song year by year. Complete with infographics, lyric maps, uproarious and informative footnotes, portraits of the artists, and short essays by other prominent music writers, The Rap Year Book is both a narrative and illustrated guide to the most iconic and influential rap songs ever created. Shea Serrano is a no.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Don't trust a man who gives this less than 5 stars."
"Basically, I had to attend this dinner party with my girlfriend where I was about to meet a group of people I'd never met before. It was important to me to make a good first impression and not be this boring dude with nothing interesting to say. Big Moon Dog, Big Punisher, Pun... Pun was like "yeah yeah kid and a bunch of other dopey nicknames, forget about that stuff, we don't have much time. Most people never take that chance, either they're too scared, or they don't recognize it when it spits on their shoes. Then as he headed back towards my closet, he went over to my desk and picked up six rulers."
"Books about rap ranked: 1."
"Let it be known that ShaunPG can be counted on in a crisis."
"Great all-around book."
"A) If you don't buy this book, you can't be trusted in a crisis."
"Sure, I completely disagree with many choices, maybe even most selections, but that's kind of the point: It has sparked playful debate with my wife, daughter, and friends; and, in a way, because of its mere existence, it works as the perfect social centerpiece: everyone who peruses it wants to then talk about it."
"Simple choice to pick up for you or a friend with its low price point. Shea's writing style is an easy read and is an entertaining "controlled chaos" with the use of footnotes to bring laughs is right out of the Bill Simmons playbook."
Best Composer & Musician Biographies
He describes growing up Catholic in Freehold, New Jersey, amid the poetry, danger, and darkness that fueled his imagination, leading up to the moment he refers to as “The Big Bang”: seeing Elvis Presley’s debut on The Ed Sullivan Show . Like many of his songs (“Thunder Road,” “Badlands,” “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “The River,” “Born in the U.S.A,” “The Rising,” and “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” to name just a few), Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography is written with the lyricism of a singular songwriter and the wisdom of a man who has thought deeply about his experiences. Born to Run takes readers on a riveting ride through the everyman rock star’s deeply lived existence.” — Associated Press. His story is intimate and personal, but he has an interest in other people and a gift for sizing them up..” —Dwight Garner, The New York Times. He delivers the story of Bruce—in digestibly short chapters—via an informally steadfast Jersey plainspeak that’s worked and deftly detailed and intimate with its readers—cleareyed enough to say what it means when it has hard stories to tell, yet supple enough to rise to occasions requiring eloquence—sometimes rather pleasingly subsiding into the syntax and rhythms of a Bruce Springsteen song." “A virtuoso performance, the 508-page equivalent to one of Springsteen and the E Street Band's famous four-hour concerts: Nothing is left onstage, and diehard fans and first-timers alike depart for home sated and yet somehow already aching for more.” — NPR.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The motivations, the demons, the anxiety, the joys, the fears, the hopes, the dreams, all the elements that have constituted the Boss’s muse over these past 50 years are explained here. I do not want to reveal any of the revelations the reader will discover within the pages of this book, but I can say it was interesting to learn that Bruce possesses many of the same insecurities of us mere mortals. Bruce discloses, in great detail, particulars of his early years, his upbringing, the issues that influenced the way he thinks, his musically formative years, his wide held acclaim, his family, his doubts, his fears, and a treasure trove of personal details I have never heard before. Bruce has obviously spent much time in intense introspection, and he shares many of his insights and conclusions here. Now that the great James Brown has passed on, the moniker, “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business,” clearly belongs to Bruce. His unique gifts of lyric writing, musical composition, musicianship, and studio and on stage performance have rarely been seen in a single person. If you have ever wondered exactly what it is that makes one of the greatest of this or any other generation’s musical talents tick, it is all right here. Through a lifetime of events he details here, his skills developed and he has evolved into the national and world treasure affectionately referred to as "The Boss.""
"Bruce Springsteen's book follows the advice of "write it like you say it.""
"Not only great songs that many of us love and identify with, but now he’s given us this inspiring autobiography! Hopefully, those reading the book, who have never suffered from it, will understand how it never goes away, but can be managed (exercise, meds, and support from loved ones)."
"I especially enjoyed reading about some of his specific songs and what they really mean."
"Incredibly well-written, Mr. Springsteen can describe a scene in such a way that makes you feel like you are there -- smelling the smells, hearing the sounds, and feeling the feelings."
"I love Springsteen and the real story though I read another Bio a very good one by an Author named Carlin; but reading his own words about how it all came to be was fascinating and totally interesting and lesson in single minded deterimination to succeed!"
Best Music Theory, Composition & Performance
Titles: Alouette * Alpine Melody * Amazing Grace * Au Claire de la Lune * Aunt Rhody * Auld Lang Syne * Aura Lee * The Bandleader * Beautiful Brown Eyes * Blow the Man Down! * Largo (Dvorak) * Lavender's Blue * Lightly Row * Little Brown Jug * Liza Jane * London Bridge * Lone Star Waltz * Love Somebody * Lullaby * The Marine's Hymn * Mary Ann * Merrily We Roll Along * Mexican Hat Dance * Michael, Row the Boat Ashore * Money Can't Buy Everything * My Fifth * Ode to Joy * On Top of Old Smoky * O Sole Mio * Raisins and Almonds * Rock Along * Rockets * Rockin' Intervals * Rock It Away!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It took me about 1 1/2 months to work through the book and I rate it as excellent instruction for anyone wanting to learn or re-learn the piano."
"A little background before I get into the real review: My 14 y/o trumpet player daughter has been wanting to learn the piano for years. Her trumpet teacher disagreed and recommended she start with the Suzuki method as she has and incredibly good ear and quite a bit of natural musical talent. I bought this book to help rectify that, knowing that I'll be sitting in on her weekly lessons and absorbing a lot of information there. It's pretty exciting to go from not knowing where middle C is located to playing Jingle Bells with a bit of harmony in 2 days! I do plan on adding scales and such to my practice sessions, as these are truly the things that will help you progress and give you a more fundamental understanding of how music is put together. I feel like I'm able to grasp the concepts that are introduced and will be able to help my daughter along once her lessons start in a couple of weeks."
"No CD, but Youtube is better than the CD anyway."
"I would definitely recommend Alfred's series, but make sure to get some additional piano literature to go along with it."
"I have been glad that I going through it with a piano teacher however as there are definitely things she clarified better than the book did. That said, I think this would be a good book were someone to choose it to teach themselves and I often move ahead in it to teach myself a bit of what is coming next in the lessons."
"So I got this book."
Best Songbooks
Titles: Alouette * Alpine Melody * Amazing Grace * Au Claire de la Lune * Aunt Rhody * Auld Lang Syne * Aura Lee * The Bandleader * Beautiful Brown Eyes * Blow the Man Down! * Largo (Dvorak) * Lavender's Blue * Lightly Row * Little Brown Jug * Liza Jane * London Bridge * Lone Star Waltz * Love Somebody * Lullaby * The Marine's Hymn * Mary Ann * Merrily We Roll Along * Mexican Hat Dance * Michael, Row the Boat Ashore * Money Can't Buy Everything * My Fifth * Ode to Joy * On Top of Old Smoky * O Sole Mio * Raisins and Almonds * Rock Along * Rockets * Rockin' Intervals * Rock It Away!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It took me about 1 1/2 months to work through the book and I rate it as excellent instruction for anyone wanting to learn or re-learn the piano."
"A little background before I get into the real review: My 14 y/o trumpet player daughter has been wanting to learn the piano for years. Her trumpet teacher disagreed and recommended she start with the Suzuki method as she has and incredibly good ear and quite a bit of natural musical talent. I bought this book to help rectify that, knowing that I'll be sitting in on her weekly lessons and absorbing a lot of information there. It's pretty exciting to go from not knowing where middle C is located to playing Jingle Bells with a bit of harmony in 2 days! I do plan on adding scales and such to my practice sessions, as these are truly the things that will help you progress and give you a more fundamental understanding of how music is put together. I feel like I'm able to grasp the concepts that are introduced and will be able to help my daughter along once her lessons start in a couple of weeks."
"No CD, but Youtube is better than the CD anyway."
"I would definitely recommend Alfred's series, but make sure to get some additional piano literature to go along with it."
"I have been glad that I going through it with a piano teacher however as there are definitely things she clarified better than the book did. That said, I think this would be a good book were someone to choose it to teach themselves and I often move ahead in it to teach myself a bit of what is coming next in the lessons."
"So I got this book."