1 comments about Creative Piano Teaching.

1. I found this book to be of great help, both as an educational guide to teaching and preparing for a career in piano pedagogy. In addition, what makes this book so valuable to me is it's additional resourcefulness as a bibliographical guide to further materials relating to this topic. Anyone serious about piano pedagogy and looking to further their knowledge and depth of preparation for this career aught to consider having this as part of their personal library.

5 comments about Computer Music: Synthesis, Composition, and Performance.

1. i've been making computer music with supercollider and before that
   with a commercial graphical patch up package for several years now,
   and i wish that this had been the first book i had read.
   the first book i did in fact read was roads' 'computer music tutorial',
   which is a great book which i also highly recommend, but is more of
   a reference than a tutorial, both in its layout and style. the dodge/jerse book
   is so clearly and pedagogically written, that even though i already knew
   a great deal of the material, it solidified quite a lot of it into place for me.

   the thing i liked best about it is that the authors invariably direct you
   to compositions made using the methods just described. in other words
   the methods are not just described in a vacuum.

   expect to learn from this book the basics of acoustics and psychoacoustics,
   digital audio and sampling theory, and a slew of sound synthesis techniques,
   as well as about composition.

   who should buy this:

   the serious computer music student, who does not necessarily have any
   experience yet in computer music, but who is not afraid of some hard study.

   the computer musician using either a graphical patch up system ( max/msp, reaktor, pd etc... )
   or using some Music-N derived language (supercollider, csound) would both benefit tremendously
   from a thorough study of the contents of this book.

   the mathematics level required for this book is not high. your algebra should be strong
   with a solid understanding of exponents and logarithms, and some basic trig wouldn't
   hurt either.

   a note about the C++ source code. first off if you don't program, there is nothing to be scared
   of, the source only appears in the chapter on composition, and if you do program in C but not C++,
   then you should know that you will be fine, because the code snippets are effectively written in C.
   aparantly the first edition included fortran code for ugens and was quite a different book. if you want a book on ugen internals, you won't find it in this second edition, but Moore's is terrific, 'Elements of Computer Music'.




2. If you're looking to get a good fundemental understanding of sound this book is the way to go. It's the book you read after spending hours randomly turning knobs on a synthisizer and realizing that you have no clue how to describe or control the knob-to-sound beaviors that you hear. There's a heavy price to pay -- both in money and in hours of trying to wrap your brain around mathematical descriptions of sound waves -- but it's worth the gains.



3. The principle credit I could give to the authors are to stay away from one particular program, however, after reading up to FM synthesis so far, there isn't anything spectacular that I'd say about it.
   The math support is spotty. It gives the spectral distribution of a white noise generator, but I couldn't find the basic FM synth equation. Although I could derive the equation from the diagrams of a simple FM, but I would assume that this equation is important enough for a square-inch of space.
   Another noticibly annoying thing was that I was trying to generate triangular waves. The book said that you need odd harmonics, and their contribution is the inverse of the square of the harnomic, ie k = 2i+1, i>=0, contribution would be 1/(k^2). However, they neglected to say that to really get the triangular wave, you alternate the sign, ie k=2i+1,i>=0, triangular wave = sum i=0 -> infinity, (-1)^i*1/(k^2)*sinusoid is the correct way to generate such a wave.
   Also, it assumes the reader has a strong music background, and certain chapters, namely chapter 2, would be hard to follow. The music jargon was not explained well, and make it hard to understand. Mind you I did have classical piano training up to Grade 9, and still it was hard to follow in that chapter.
   Perhaps this book is good for people who want to compose digital music, but it is, in my opinion, insufficient for those who wants to know how it works.



4. This is a great first book on computer music for anyone who already has some training in music theory and computers. By "music theory" I simply mean that you should be able to read and write music and understand its terminology. By having knowledge of computers, if you have had any college course equivalent of "Introduction to Computer Technology" or equivalent work experience, then you qualify. I discuss the contents of this book in the context of its table of contents:
   
   Chapter one is a broad overview and introduction to computer music and its components - operating systems, block diagrams, software, and the use of a computer in computer music.
   
   Chapter two is a very basic introduction to acoustics and psychoacoustics in music. It presents the basic measurements of acoustics, describes the transducer mechanism of the human ear, and then discusses the psychoacoustic response of pitch, loudness, duration, and timbre.
   
   Chapter three, "Fundamentals of Digital Audio", discusses the process of converting a signal between its analog and digital forms. This includes the restrictions, errors, and limitations imposed by the numerical representation of an audio signal. Finally, the chapter addresses the issues raised by the speed at which digital audio can be synthesized or processed. This last issue is a moving target and has changed considerably since this book was published.
   
   Chapter four, "Synthesis Fundamentals", begins with the fundamentals of signal generation and presents techniques of additive synthesis, modulation, and noise generation. Several example computer instrument designs are shown along with examples of composition. This chapter is very important because it introduces the building blocks of synthesis - the oscillator, unit generator, etc.
   
   Chapter five, " Synthesis Using Distortion Techniques", concentrates on frequency modulation and nonlinear waveshaping. The chapter concludes with three examples of synthesis methods that explicitly use discrete summation formulas.
   
   Chapter six, "Subtractive Synthesis", is about creating musical tones out of complex sources by sculpting away selected portions of the spectrum of the source. Filtering is discussed at length, and musical examples are provided to show the design considerations for computer instruments with noise and periodic sources. Several examples from musical literature are given. The chapter ends with a technical description of digital filtering and some filter recipes.
   
   Chapter seven, "Analysis-Based Synthesis Techniques", discusses techniques such as the short-term Fourier transform and wavelet methods and also discusses limitations. The operation and application of the phase vocoder is presented.
   
   Chapter eight, "Granular Synthesis", is a very brief discussion of a complex synthesis technique whose name was coined by Xenakis, who detailed an extensive theory of grain selection in his writings. If you want to implement this technique you should read Xenakis' work on the subject plus there are some applicable articles in "The Computer Music Tutorial".
   
   Chapter nine, "Physical Modeling", is also a very slim chapter on a very complex subject. It talks in very high level terms about approaches, excitation for physical models, waveguide filters, the physical model of the vocal tract at a block diagram level, and the use of mechanical models. The authors rightly refer the reader who wants details to "The Physics of Musical Instruments" by Fletcher and Rossing. Another and more recent work on the subject published after this book is Perry Cook's "Real Sound Synthesis for Interactive Applications".
   
   Chapter 10, "Reverberation, Auditory Localization, and Other Sound-Processing Techniques", talks about various techniques that have to do with sound reflection, sound placement, and sound motion. This book has more implementation details than the previous two chapters had.
   
   Chapter 11, "Composition with Computers", examines the techniques of using the computer for both random and deterministic operations to produce a composition. There are examples of actual compositions shown to help the reader develop a sense of the possibilities that are achievable with computer-aided composition. This is a chapter where musical literacy is necessary. There is also some C-code present, but it is well commented and should be somewhat legible even to the layman.
   
   Chapter 12, "Real-Time Performance of Computer Music", presents various modes of computer music performance and some of the many devices that can be used to change the actions of a performer into musical information. Methods of transmitting information between pieces of computer equipment are discussed as well as the use of a computer to respond musically to the sound from a live performer. There is a discussion of MIDI in this chapter that may be inadequate to some readers. I suggest the latest edition of "MIDI Power" for those readers. Also, there is some discussion here about the speed of computer equipment that is no longer relevant given the date of publication.
   
   In spite of the fact that it is nine years old, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in computer music. With the exception of a few paragraphs on computer technology, the entire book is still relevant, and it introduces all of the terminology that anybody interested in this subject must know. Also it is a well written and well illustrated book that reads easily.



5. Music synthesis is understood by a number of people just as manipulating a keyboard or just a work done by frequency equalizer. This book can remove such a misunderstandings and can give the readers the basics and advanced idea of building sound waveforms from zero to one. The readers are expected to have some knowledges of Fourier transform and analogue electronic circuits. All the engineers who are engaged in noise and vibration control should read this book.

No comments about Master Text I Keyboard strategies (Chapters I-XI): A piano series for group or private instruction.

No comments about Electronic and experimental Music 3rd edition.

5 comments about Dan Coates Complete / Advanced Piano Solos.

1. Intricate, Detailed Renditions...Difficult Segmants for the Advanced Pianist.
   
   I'm 20 yrs. old and I have been a pianist for 16 yrs. I have also taught piano for 6 yrs. I HIGHLY recommend this item because these pieces are not simple versions of the origional composed pieces. I'm always put out as I receive an ordered book that is too simple or does not contain a single key-change. Dan Coates is a professional composer who finds new ways to present the enlightening pieces her arranges. Don't try to pass me up by simplifying the music, I want the real piece! He never fails to start the piece establishing the main melody and then gradually building until he finishes with a finale worth presenting to the President. I could not rate higher...well done Mr. Coates!



2. This book is excellent. Even though it is advanced, it has a variety of songs, some of which are much easier than others. With this book, you can awe your friends by playing popular songs made into beautiful piano solos.



3. As a professional pianist, I appreciate the fine arrangements by Dan Coates in his Dan Coates Complete/Advanced Piano Solos. These arrangements are very good and I can use them in any venue. His arrangements sure save time for me -- I can simply perform any of his work as written and don't have to rearrange anything. This is an excellent book.



4. I bought this for my wife who studied the piano up to a pretty advanced level, but stopped playing regularly about 6 years ago. Other reviews made me think that it would be a challenging book for her...in fact, she is enjoying the variety and smoothness of it. I guess that is both an advantage and disadvantage...depends on your expectations. One thing is for sure...she is loving it.



5. I play for numerous weddings where the bride chooses piano for the service music. These arrangements are a wonderful resource for these events. They are absolutely gorgeous, and they are a great source with a mix of classical, sacred, and modern songs. The arrangement of "Prayer" is worth the price for the whole volume. It is one of the best values I've encountered in many years.

2 comments about High School Musical 2 (Piano/Vocal/Guitar).

1. My 13 year old daughter is at an intermediate piano level (level 3-4) and wanted to play something more contemporary than the piano methods, or classical scores, or the NYSMA selections. She liked the songs from High School Musical 2 better than the first, and asked me for the music. This songbook sounds authentic. The transcriptions play nicely and sound like that used in the movie. My daughter is pleased that she can now play songs that her schoolmates recognize and can sing along with.



2. I bought this for my 14 year old son, who is taking piano lesson's, and loved the movie's. He was very pleased with and is playing from this song book.

5 comments about Introduction to the Creation of Electroacoustic Music.

1. this book has some very good aspects and some not-so-good ones; mainly, the chapters on computer music and MIDI production are swiftly going out of date, and there is no way to keep it updated without yearly appendices to the text itself. the book covers analog tape recording and splicing in good detail, especially for someone trying to do it on his/her own with no official teaching of it. pellman's listening guides are excellent as well.



2. It's good that Sam has written down so many of his ideas, becuase he could never remember them if he didn't. I found this book was good. for reading.



3. This book covers everything you need to know about Music and new technologies field. From physics of sound to complex MIDI network technology and it ends with perfect chapter of Audience in Electroacoustical Music. There are also etudes (excercises) which makes you practise what you have learned.
   The only chapter I don't like was the "Composing Electroacoustic Music", which is really not enough for people who really intend to compose serious music. First he starts with the basics of music and on the next page you see 12-tone row and advanced 20th century compositional techniques. There are no Beethoven, Debussy etc. that made a lot for Schoenberg's 12-tone system. But there are other books that will teach you that.
   Even if most of the text is out of date, it's one of Introductional books to this field of music.
   I believe it is a School Book in the university in US where mr. Pellman teaches.
   At the end... even my 50 years old father understood the text in the book. It's very well written and understandable for the most uneducated newcomers.



4. With the Electroacoustic Music (EAM) field continuing to take hold in the popular sectors of consumerist American society, it is not surprising to see a growth of instructional manuals, DIY tomes, and textbooks surfacing. For most purposes, Pellman's reduced text stands out as being rather accessible, if not downright cogent, as a primer for the EAM genre in terms of explicating digital sound basics, acoustical properties basics, and elementary compositional methods.
   
   The section of the book speaking about MIDI is outstanding. Pellman's accurate reproduction of the MIDI 1.0 Specifications through a rudimentary lens is the best portion of this text as he guides readers through the ins and outs of operational messages, control and data functions, and practical applications. Also, the chapters on MIDI are well-appointed with diagrams and photographs aplenty, leaving little doubt in the mind of the reader about which his generally clear text speaks.
   
   Not all of this book is as eye-pleasing, easy-to-follow, or even up-to-date as it should be, however. While historically important to do so, Pellman spends far too much time on working with magnetic tape. There are very few institutions still working with magnetic tape, and for the casual or amateur music maker, an Otari 4-channel reel-to-reel is conspicuously absent from his or her studio, making home or casual usage of these chapters worthless. Pellman should keep the historical aspects here and make a cursory overview of how tape was manipulated, but leave well-enough alone after a small hat-tip.
   
   From a pedagogical standpoint, there are two rather serious issues that surface. Primarily, Pellman attempts to instruct compositional approaches to EAM through using serial (dodecaphonic) rows. This is a nasty snafu on the author's part largely because this will subconsciously say to students that "everything you do in this field has pitch." Not so at all. Also, for those people who use this text and cannot read music (or could care less about Schoenberg), these lessons (along with the quick and painful "here's a grand staff, now read music" page) will be largely lost. In terms of continuity and placement, should Pellman want to retain these lessons, they should come much later in the work - after all: the book's implicit intentions are to introduce the fundamentals and concepts, not necessarily compositional approaches. The second issue is the seeming confusion (from my students, that is) that arises during discussions of modular synthesis. Here, Pellman speaks loudly about VCOs, VCAs, VCFs, et. al., and peppers the discussion with topics and terms that should also be used in tandem with discussing modes of digital synthesis and reproduction but never mentions them again outside of the chapter dealing with analog synthesis. Frankly, the chapter on analog synthesis and modular synthesis is far too long without discussing much of their applications to digital machines and media.
   
   From a purely aesthetic point of view, many of the photographs and illustrations are a bit too dark or poorly contrasted (all internal images are in black and white), making it difficult, in some cases, to stare an inharmonic spectrum down the barrel without squinting. For as much as the publisher is asking people to pay for this book, they could include at least a few token color images (especially when dealing with things like waveforms viewed in an editor or pictures of spectrographs and sonographs).
   
   Anymore, most of the basics of digital music and EAM can be found online or in other texts. There are certainly more cost-effective solutions to satisfy the aural appetite, as well. But, for absolute beginners who want a solid grounding in MIDI, get confused by serial composition and fuzzy images, and are willing to pay nearly one hundred dollars for something worth perhaps half that amount, this book is right up their alley.



5. Excellent work about EA Music... we need this kind of books with a lot of useful information...

4 comments about FastTrack Music Instruction - Keyboard, Book 1 (Fasttrack Series).

1. If your looking for an excellent book to help you on your quest to learning how to play your keyboard and read music. Then this is the book for you. It really makes learning a fun part of the proccess. I liked the cd and the way this book was written. I will defintaly buy more fasttrack books in the future.



2. I have to say, given all the choices for keyboard instruction available, I got really lucky in choosing this one! After just 5-6 weeks, I am halfway thru book 1 and they've got me playing loads of songs with 2 hands(something I thought I wouldn't be able to do for awhile!). This book takes a very 'hands-on' approach(this is key!), and includes a CD for you jam along to. The keyboard parts you are intended to play are panned to the right, so that you can hear what they're supposed to sound like, and later pan to the left in case you no longer wish to hear them. I also like the book's laid-back 'take it easy on yourself' attitude, while teaching the reader music theory one piece at a time. Granted, you do start out playing some songs you've probably heard too many times already("skip to my lou", for example), but they are good teaching exercises, and later on the book has you playing material that is more rock, blues, and classical-oriented. I can't wait to start book 2!



3. very easy to understand and follow and encourages a keen interest to learn quickly and accurately



4. I have enjoyed the book very much. For a beginner it is very helpful.

5 comments about The Great Pianists: From Mozart to the Present.

1. If you want to know about the great pianists in history, this book will provide with a knowledgable and entertaining summary of the subject. Mr. Schonberg usually confronts several sources so one gets a very objective picture of many important and some not so important pianists.
   One can see that Mr. Schonberg is not a pianist when he critics some people's views on such topics as technique, and one does not have to agree with his opinions about some pianists, but nevertheless this is a great book worth having as a reference.



2. An indispensable book for tracing the great teaching lineages from the past to the present.



3. This book basically traces pianists of note, starting from CPE Bach and continuing through to Horowitz and Rubinstein (late 80s). It is very informative and interesting, not at all dry.
   
   It is not a biographical work. Only small excerpts of the lives of the pianists are presented and most of the book is dedicated to outlining the style of playing of each. Although, the usual amusing and amazing musical anicdotes are recounted to make for a good read. An important feature is that the information is all set into the context of the day and Schonberg goes to some length to lay out the broad features of each musical era and how this era affected the playing of the particular pianists, and how the pianist may have shaped the era.
   
   It gives only a brief outline of most pianists, with a chapter devoted to the giants such as Mozart, Liszt and Hofmann. Some players, such as Bartok, are not given the attention they deserve I think, but this is not often. It is a informal and inspiring overview of the greatest pianists, and is well worth a read.



4. As an accomplished pianist, teacher, adjudicator and author I am somewhat disappointed in this book!. I was so looking forward to Schonberg offering new and informative material on the numerous super-virtuosos that have earned their position to perform in the greatest concert halls around the world. The book only uses valuable pages on the same material and pianists that are in the previous books. I can not believe that Schonberg only feels that Kissin, for example, a young, serious pianist with a track record that boggles the mind, an established virtuoso with a huge ongoing career ahead deserves only FOUR!!!!!!!!!!! lines of honorable mention. And for the others like Kissin very little information of value is provided. We indeed want to know about the legendary composers and pianists who made major contributions to the 18th, 19th and 20th century, but why do we not see and read multiple pages about those pianists who are still continuing to amaze us and attain new magnificent accomplishments, as well as those artists who are new but already gaining significant pianistic stature?
   There is still considerable pianistic insight within these pages but its overall content is in need of considerable recent investigation of present day artists.
   Having said this, the book does offer an informative overview for students and those wishing to read about how the greatest pianists made their way to attaining a concert career; siting teachers and pianists they studied with, schools of study, performance traditions during a particular era, heralded concerts never to be forgotten and even occasions of humor!
   It is easy to wish for even more from this book, but I must admit that Harold Schonberg, who we recently lost, was a great man in his own right and gave the world of the performing arts a legacy to be remembered and cherished by all! His words are indeed filled with wisdom forethought and intellectual stimulation.
   
   Author: Raymond Vacchino M.Mus.(MT) A.Mus. L.R.S.M. Licentiate(honorary)



5. This book in my opinion is probably one of the best dealing with, not only the players/composers covered, but also the times in which they lived and worked, albeit somewhat briefly. It is not expensive considering the amount of research carried out by the author. For those who wish to investigate individual pianists further, then this is a first class start. It is good to still be able to obtain it. The paperback version I purchased would be ideal for students in view of its low cost.

5 comments about Piano Chords & Progressions:: The Secret Backdoor to Exciting Piano Playing!.

1. This book is definitely not what I expected. There are many short chapters on how to form chords, followed by a few chapters on chord progressions. I found many labeling mistakes in the chord examples (I don't know if this was his fault, or the fault of the book printer). This book really didn't provide any new chord progressions or tell me anything I didn't already know. It is basic music theory. No secret - - I wish I had saved my money!



2. This is a wonderful piano chord music book with one exception, which I consider very important, it doesn't give you any music that goes with the chords. Just learning chords is boring! If it had some music to go with it, even simple songs, it would be more palatable!
   Because of this I was very disappointed with the book and am looking for one that has music that goes with the chords.



3. This book has a fancy title, but the material is nothing, new, repetitive and boring. Whoever wrote a review raving "man, what a great book!" is either a liar or an idiot. This book is somewhere between poor and very poor!



4. The book is presented in a very succinct and comprehensive manner, yet it is very easy to understand. If a person is willing to invest the time following Mr. Shinn's suggestions, he/she will be able to learn chords and the progressions which could cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars in private lessons. I have played keyboards for many years and taken private lessons from several teachers. Yet I never learned to play well by ear or how to play jazz and the blues--which I've always wanted to do. With the Piano Chords and Progressions book I have finally learned the secrets to be able to do this. I learned positioning of hands to easily play complicated chords along with many other "secrets". I highly recommend the book and know that discovering the world of chords will bring many hours of enjoyment.



5. This little book is packed with valuable chord and chord progression information. I highly recommend it for begginers and as a nice referrence book for accomplished musicians. Anyone wanting to learn how to play keyboard looking for instant gratification should buy this book!