21st Century Guitar Method 1 (Warner Bros. Publications 21st Century Guitar Course) [Paperback] Review

I really grooved on this book and the CD that came along with it.The lessons were easy to understand even for a total beginner like I was.Lots of practice and going over the lessons again and again will teach the beginner a TON and help improve the skills of an existing player.

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Product Description:
This innovative, best-selling guitar method by Aaron Stang contains all styles of music including rock, pop, folk and classical. Tablature is used as an aid in learning new material, and suggested accompaniment parts enable the teacher and student to play together. The unique Rock Workshop sections teach rock rhythm and lead guitar styles and are correlated to the Guitar Rock Shop books. Available with or without a play-along recording. Book 1 includes reading music in first position, all basic chords, strumming, eighth note rhythms, power chords, the blues form, basic rock rhythm, guitar techniques, and pop songs such as: Surfin' Safari * Old Time Rock and Roll * and more! Method available in three levels, as is the Theory, Song Trax, Rock Shop, and Guitar Ensemble books. Teacher's editions also available. Level One of the Method, Rock Shop, and theory books are available in English and Spanish. Video available for Method and Rock Shop.

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Creative Reading Studies for Saxophone (Woodwind Method) [Paperback] Review

I have found myself picking this book up time and time again. The exercises presented are challenging; however, the feeling of accomplishment I have experienced upon mastering a particular technique is extremely rewarding. In particular, my rhythmic accuracy has increased a considerable amount, as well as my phrasing. I highly recommend this book to players who are looking to master their technique and take their skills to a more mature level.

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Product Description:
This Berklee Workshop provides the intermediate to advanced saxophone player with material that is both technically challenging and musically compelling. Preparatory exercises and reading studies combine to make this workshop an excellent method for improving technique, phrasing and rhythmic accuracy. Includes exercises to take reading and playing skills from novice to expert levels!

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String Quartets, Opp. 20 and 33, Complete [Paperback] Review

As a musicology student on a budget, I've acquired quite a few Dover scores over the last years. They may be old, but there's simply no one who can match their prices.

Dover's concept seems especially suited to string quartets (and other chamber music). While the standardized set up for orchestral scores have changed vastly over the years, string quartets have basically remained unchanged since the conception of the form. The only "challenge", from a modern point of view, is reading the violas alto clef, which anyone interested in string quartets should be acquainted with in any case.

The edition appears to be an enlarged miniature score, making it very comfortable to follow, and leaves plenty of space for writing notes/analyzes etc. It was originally made by Eulenburg, a company known for quality. The print leaves a bit to be desired, however. Some spots on every dozen or so page, the print is light to non-existing. This isn't REALLY that much of a problem, you can still see what is going in all cases, but I think it's fair to reduce a star for this. I've used this book in a class, and it appears that while such flaws were present in every students edition, they seem to appear at random places. Also, being heavy-handed with a rubber can rub off the print, which obviously is a disadvantage if you are planning to use the scores for analytical purposes. These aren't huge deals, but I think it's fair that they subtract one star, especially since these problems were not present in my version of op. 74, 76 and 77.

I would recommend this edition to the people who would want this book are people interested in following along with recording or performances, or people who intend to use it for analytical purposes. Naturally, I wouldn't recommend it for performance. The notes are large enough to be viewed at a distance, but it would require way more page turns than required, and the somewhat haphazard print quality is naturally a much larger problem for a performer than a spectator. I imagine that, apart from previously mentioned trouble spots, it would work well with PhotoScore or similar software, so you could probably make single-instrument scores out of it with relative ease. Everything taken into consideration it is a great product well worth the money, but I can't give a full score on this one; unfortunately this is for reasons that Dover could correct with ease. You did it right with the Op. 74/76/77 score!

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Product Description:
Full scores of Op. 20, Nos. 1-6, and Op. 33 (the "Russian" quartets), Nos. 1-6, in the reliable Eulenburg edition. 12 masterful quartets by the composer who helped define the form include such favorites as the "Joke" and the "Bird" from Op. 33.

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The Craft of Musical Composition: Book 2 (Stap/067) [Paperback] Review

This book is the practical application of the principles Hindemith discusses in his theoretical volume of the "Craft of Musical Composition".There fifty-six exercises, two hundred and fifty-one musical examples and sixty-two rules for composition in this small volume.It is meant to be used by students with a skilled teacher who is also an able composer.The approach is intensely practical and is meant to build skill in actually writing music rather than empty exercises to demonstrate this or that rule.

Again, the methodology here is based on Hindemith's ideas of composition and theory.Do not expect to be writing exercises in the style of Palestrina, Bach, or Mozart.There are charts and explanations here that will be opaque without having a grounding in the theoretical volume of his "Craft of Musical Composition".You could do much worse than studying these two volumes, but you do have to make a judgment about whether the juice is worth the squeeze.

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Product Description:
Originally published in the 1940s, Paul Hindemith's remakable textbooks are still the outstanding works of their kind. In contrast to many musical textbooks written by academic musicians, these were produced by a man who could play every instrument of the orchestra, could compose a satisfying piece for almost every kind of ensemble, and who was one of the most stimulating teachers of his day. It is therefore not surprising that nearly forty years later these books should remain essential reading for the student and the professional musician. Preface * Construction of the Simplest One-Voice Melodic Patterns * Beginning of Two-Voice Setting * Elaborated Melody (Auxiliary or Teturning Tones, Passing Tones) * Elaborated Melody (Continuation) * Principles of Melodic Construction * Elaborated Melody (Conclusion) * Tonal Higher-Units * Tonality of the Melodies * Elaboration of the Melody Model * Free Two-Voice Setting I and II

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Best of Billy Joel (Big Note Personality) [Paperback] Review

If you are an early intermediate or better pianist who likes Billy Joel's music this may be a great book for you.It contains complete arrangements of the following songs:
And So It Goes, Baby Grand, Honesty, An Innocent Man, Just The Way You Are, Movin' Out (Anthony's Song), My Life, New York State Of Mind, Piano Man, The River Of Dreams, Shameless, She's Always A Woman, She's Got A Way, This Is The Time, Uptown Girl, We Didn't Start The Fire
The songs are arranged as piano solos with no lyrics. So if you are a singer, get something like "Billy Joel - Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & 2" which has many of the same songs.
This is not a transcription book. The emphasis here is on an acceptable solo piano arrangement.While not copying Joel licks etc. they do approximate his style and spirit for each piece as best can be done while supporting the melody and chords in an intermediate arrangement. They are intermediate, but on the easier side. They sound fine played as is. The ones I've played are in the same key as the recording.So what's nice is they provide a good foundation for further embellishment, arranging and/or improvising or even some play along.It would have been handy if chord symbols were included.
I enjoyed what I've played so far, however, if you are really looking to play like Billy get his "Billy Joel - The Keyboard Book".It has actual transcriptions."The Keyboard Book" is a great book but harder to play as piano solo, which the book reviewed here does a good job of.
There are 2 versions of this book one for easy piano, one for intermediate.This review is for the intermediate version.

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Product Description:
19 songs that beginners can play, including:All About Soul * And So It Goes * Just The Way You Are * My Life * Piano Man * The River Of Dreams * We Didn't Start The Fire * and more.

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Advanced Concepts (Manhattan Music Publications) [Paperback] Review

This great book by the co-chair of New York's Drummers' Collective, Kim Plainfield, is a well-organized excursion into more advanced drumming concepts.With sections on incorporating rudiments into fills, building limb independence through linear grooves and world rhythms, and numerous suggestions for using basic "source rhythms" as launching pads for soloing or grooving ideas, Plainfield's book will likely broaden your drumming horizons, as it has mine.The book comes with two CDs in which Plainfield demonstrates the various techniques and exercises, and at the same time displays his remarkable drumming skills.

The book is intended for serious players who yearn for greater skill--so, while intermediate players will likely find more immediate applications of the book's contents, relative beginners who are willing to think should find the book helpful in generating ideas beyond commonplace Rock figures, while more advanced players may discover some new perspectives on various techniques and feels.Advanced Concepts ably points the way to more intelligent, smoother, eye-opening drumming, and will aid any drummer in becoming a much better musician.

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Product Description:
A comprehensive method for developing technique, contemporary styles and rhythmical concepts. This is the first book that deals with the necessary drum techniques and practices for today's music. With this 93-page book and 90-minute recording comes an eight-page pull-out chart of additional exercises. An outstanding value!

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Obscene, Indecent, Immoral and Offensive: 100+ Years of Censored, Banned, and Controversial Films (Limelight) [Paperback] Review

Verdict: Tropiano tackles a century of film censorship, providing solid information, intriguing anecdotes, and fine analytical commentary. Film and popular culture enthusiasts will find this a valuable asset in academic and circulating libraries.

Background: Tropiano (Rebels & Chicks: A History of the Hollywood Teen Movie) explores major censorship targets--language, violence, sex, nudity, politics, and religion--and cites diverse examples of controversial films to demonstrate the impact of regulatory guidelines during various eras and to outline the breadth of questions and compromises that factored into ratings and related decisions. This study is not a recitation of rules and cases but rather a thoughtfully researched and presented analysis of a major facet of film culture.--Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ

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Product Description:
This entertaining and insightful book is the first devoted exclusively to films that push the cinematic envelope with explicit language, nudity, sex, violence, or "adult" themes. Stephen Tropiano offers astute and accessible analysis of such films as The Birth of a Nation, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Baby Doll, Blackboard Jungle, Bonnie and Clyde, A Clockwork Orange, Natural Born Killers, Rosemary's Baby, Life of Brian, and The Passion of the Christ.

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John Patitucci (Transcribed) [Paperback] Review

Nice to have a transcription book of a contemporary artist that isn't just a paint-by-numbers tab compendium.The artist analysis that leads off the book is terrific, and the transcriptions are comprehensive.The book is definitely aimed at the musician who can read and has a fairly advanced grasp of theory--which is to say that there are two things a more intermediate player can do with this book: work hard and learn, or pass it over and find a tab compendium.

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Product Description:
Artist Transcriptions Known for his recording and touring with Chick Corea as well as his own solo works and performing, John has made quite a name for himself in jazz bass guitar. This collection, transcribed by former student Troy Millard, includes 15 songs with solos from his solo albums. Also included is a foreword which gives an in-depth view of JohnÕs approach to his music and to his instrument. Features the songs: Growing ¥ Backwoods ¥ BerthaÕs Bop ¥ On The Corner ¥ and more.

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