Showing titles in Instruction & Technique

Despite being unable to play an instrument, Susan Rogers became an extraordinarily successful record producer—and certainly one of the most successful women record producers in history—because of her ability to listen. (She was an engineer on Prince's "When Doves Cry", which inspired the title of the book.) This Is What It Sounds Like distils a lifetime's expertise as a producer and an award-winning professor with a PhD in cognitive neuroscience, to present a new theory of listening for everyday music fans. 

This is the memoir music fans have been waiting for. Half of one of the greatest creative partnerships in popular music, Bernie Taupin is the man who wrote the lyrics for Elton John, who conceived the ideas that spawned countless hits, and sold millions and millions of records. Together, they were a duo, a unit, an immovable object. Their extraordinary, half-century-and-counting creative relationship has been chronicled in biopics and memoirs, but Taupin, a famously private person, has kept his own account of their adventures close to his chest, until now.

The focus of this book is music practice, but these techniques and mindsets can be applied to any skill you want to improve. The Practice of Practice covers essential practice strategies and mindsets you won't find in any other book. You'll learn what research tells us about practice, but more importantly, you'll learn how great musicians in many genres of music think about practice, and you'll learn the strategies and techniques they use to improve.

Read by the authors, Ted Kessler and Hamish MacBain. 'Ted Kessler and Hamish MacBain are fantastic chaps. The Dudley Moore and Peter Cook of music journalism LG x' - Liam Gallagher 'Something special: a book of wit and verve about why Oasis matter' - The Telegraph The definitive audiobook about...

Beginning Singing will give you the essential knowledge and techniques to discover and develop your true voice. Easy-to-understand concepts and practical exercises will help remove vocal limitations and allow your voice to soar! Includes free bonus audio and video lessons. Whether you want a career in music or simply wish to dazzle family and friends at karaoke night, Beginning Singing is for you.

"'Boy, do I have a lot to learn!'" Anyone who's ever picked up a musical instrument of any kind - from the first caveman banging rocks to that little kid at the guitar shop - has thought that. I know I did. I'd been trying for years to break in to the music scene, to show everyone my chops, to make my mark. And I was good. But I wasn't great. I knew that there was something wrong. Then the teacher showed up...."

The authoritative portrait of one of Britain's greatest music icons: the late Freddie Mercury. 'Exactly the sort of tribute Mercury himself would have wanted' - SPECTATOR This is the definitive biography of Freddie Mercury. Written by an award-winning rock journalist, Lesley-Ann Jones toured...

Language and the way that people communicate has evolved over time, now you can learn how to effectively use your voice in the most effective way possible in order to get your message across. Every time we open our mouths, we have an effect on ourselves and the way others perceive us. The...

Brought to you by Penguin. Using musical examples from Bach to the Beatles, Levitin reveals the role of music in human evolution, shows how our musical preferences begin to form even before we are born and explains why music can offer such an emotional experience. Music is an obsession at the...

On the eve of his fortieth birthday, a professor of no discernible musical talent learns to play the guitar and investigates how anyone of any age might master a new skill. Just about every human being knows how to listen to music, but what does it take to make music? Is musicality something we...

Positively 4th Street is a mesmerizing account of how four young people (Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Mimi Baez Farina, and Richard Farina) gave rise to a modern-day bohemia and created the enduring sound and style of the 1960s.

There are few artistic acts more mysterious than writing a song. But what if a shift in perspective - and some practical guidance - could overcome that mystery? Anyone wanting to experience more creativity and mindfulness will be inspired to do just that after listening to How to Write One Song. Why one song? The difference between one song and many songs isn't a charming semantic trick - it's an important distinction that can simplify a notoriously confusing art form.

No Bull Music Theory for Guitarists is the groundbreaking guitar theory book for guitar players. Now, guitarists of all levels can understand most of the music theory they'll ever need, without the confusion. Easy-to-understand language, explanations, and practical examples mean you can understand in hours music theory concepts that can confuse guitar players for years. No music reading or theory knowledge required!

There may be an idea, a thought, a feeling, an emotion, or a sensation growing inside you like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. With the right tools, you can become the engineer of your own ideas, building them brick by brick, putting all the pieces together, until your song finally starts unfolding as your lyrics and tunes merge to make one coherent whole.

Practicing is an essential part of every musician's life, but we are rarely taught how to practice in the most effective and efficient way.

Suzuki teacher and author, Christine Goodner, explores what it takes to make music lessons work in our busy, modern lives in her first book, Beyond the Music Lesson: Habits of Successful Suzuki Families. Using exclusive interviews, current research, and Goodner’s own experience as a student, parent, and teacher, this book gives practical advice, specific ideas, and big-picture concepts sure to help every parent who listens to it.

If you are a singer, you are an athlete. And the athletic skills that make you a great vocalist come from one source: your brain. The Singing Athlete is the first book of its kind: a view on voice training through the lens of both the physical body and the nervous system. As one of the top teachers of professional Broadway performers, Andrew Byrne has developed a unique synthesis of athletics and neuroscience that will guide you to higher levels of performance.

Larry S. Sherman, a neuroscientist and lifelong musician, and Dennis Plies, a professional musician and teacher, collaborate to show how our brains and music work in harmony. They consider music in all the ways we encounter it—teaching, learning, practicing, listening, composing, improvising, and performing—in terms of neuroscience as well as music pedagogy, showing how the brain functions and even changes in the process. Every Brain Needs Music draws on leading behavioral, cellular, and molecular neuroscience research as well as surveys of more than a hundred musical people.

Whether you're a total beginner or a seasoned pro, Singing 101: Vocal Basics and Fundamental Singing Skills for All Styles and Abilities gives you the essential tools to build a strong, healthy voice. Learn how to sing with accurate pitch, lasting stamina, beautiful tone, and optimal technique, based on centuries of proven vocal wisdom and updated with the latest scientific insights on voice production.

Are you tired of waiting on inspiration to complete your songs? Are you not getting the response you hoped for from your songs? Is the songwriting process painful at times? Song Building will help you write songs faster and avoid getting stuck on second verses.