1 comments about Elements of Music (2nd Edition).

1. Elements of Music by Joseph Straus is arguably the best textbook currently available for the course it is designed for (i.e. Music Fundamentals for music majors as a pre-theory review course, as well as for non-music majors). It covers topics in a comprehensive progressive manner - pitch recognition, rhythm and meter, scales, intervals, triads and 7th chords, introduction to 4-part harmony and music organizations - and at the same time leaves the instructor and students a great degree of flexibility. The 2nd edition varies little from the 1st, but the improvements are noticeable and welcomed: larger font sizes, rearranged music examples in certain exercises (in accordance with the level of difficulty), and the addition of a self test at the end of each chapter.

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 Workbook Music in Theory and Practice Vol 1 plus Finale software.

1. Very fast service, but faulty product. The workbook had missing pages, and this was not described anywhere in the product description. This caused me to earn a grade of zero for my first two assignments, as the workbook pages weren't in my book. Sure, the seller offered me my money back, but what good does that do me now?



2. The book had a lot of writing in it and it was said be "be like new." It was nothing like new, the pages were very beat up and much of the comb bounding was broken or broke soon after getting it. The book was in horrible condition to be like new.



3. The exercises in this book are extremely helpful for reinforcing the text. Highly recommended for self-students, and commonly used as a college Music Theory text book.



4. Considering that my Materials of Theory I course has been a bomb with out professor this year, I'm pretty happy to have this book as a guide post. I would really be lost in the class without it. The writing is concise, to the point, and there are plenty of clear examples of the concepts that are being outlined. I would definitely reccommend it if you are looking at taking music theory course.



5. The book arrived a day earlier than predicted. However, some bindings were loose, the book was bent, and the box was partially opened.

3 comments about Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste (33 1/3).

1. When I took Introduction to Aesthetics in college, I wish we had a text as smart, accessible, funny, and just plain awesome as this little book on Celine Dion to introduce us to the material. What Wilson has done here with his approach to the subject of taste and tackiness is nothing less than stunning. It is a must read for people who write about music and those that love to read about it.
   
   Nota bene: You need not be a fan of Celine Dion to love this book.



2. I've read all of the 33 1/3s, and most of them are great books, each in their own way. So when I say Let's Talk About Love is my new favorite, you should trust me, b/c I know what I'm talking about. And I don't care one whit for Celine Dion... can't stand her. But Carl Wilson is an amazing writer. Maybe the best music critic we've got (visit his blog, Zolius!) and this book is truly a brilliant piece of work that waaaaay exceeds the parameters of its subject.
   
   Check it out - you'll be glad you did, I swear.



3. What would you do if you were a multi-platinum selling artist with millions of adoring fans world wide; yet still, for some reason completely inexplicable to yourself, you were all-too-often vilified by non-fans and 'snobby' music critics? How about pay a music critic to write a book about why people shouldn't hate you, targeted to that very audience?
   
   Enter Carl Wilson. Let me be clear. I liked this book. It is well-written and thought-provoking, and my little conspiracy theory doesn't imply readers have nothing to learn from his experiment. I agree, that we should put less energy into actively hating anything so banal; and certainly a good thing to keep in mind the humanness of Celine fans. So they like to cry; they're still the same species as I am, no? OK, granted.
   
   The tip-off came (I'll forgive the author mistakenly referring to John Cage's silent piece as 3'33", perhaps a 'radio-edit' for Celine fans) when Mr. Wilson went to Vegas and got so sad he locked himself in his hotel with a pint of bourbon. Feeling alienated in that big bad pinnacle of American Capitalism (for better or worse) opened him up for a true Celine experience: A New Day, Dion's Vegas show. I went to Vegas and had fun. It wasn't about feeling like I was about to cry, though thinking of Wilson locked in his hotel with no one to talk to but Jack Daniels was mildly depressing. So maybe this predilection to feeling sad and sentimental even at a time you could be out having a great time is a main difference between me and Celine fans (not that every Celine fan locks themselves in their hotels rooms when they go to Vegas, or can't have a good time; but something about enjoying a good cry...often.) "It's OK to feel sentimental sometimes", Wilson wants us to appreciate. Grandmothers die, relationships come and go, and it's all so very very sad. Even when it's happy it's somehow sad: eg, "My Heart Will Go On". Art doesn't always have to make you think, it can just resonate with all these emotions swimming around. But that is just the point. Who goes to Vegas and locks themselves in a hotel room? Someone who is lame. OK, OK, I don't hate that person. I'm even sorry they feel so alienated and sad, but I just don't get it. Open the door and go have some fun. He's so bent on figuring out how to appreciate Celine, he can't even appreciate Vegas for what it is. It seems almost inconsistent.
   
   The second tip-off came when the author gained a teary-eyed appreciation for "My Heart Will Go On" because it was featured on one of his favorite shows: The Gilmore Girls...uh, OK, maybe not the best writer to tackle the tediousness of over-sentimentality.
   
   In another way, it may be the most postmodern piece of writing I've ever read. So postmodern are we that we can learn to like anything now. So relative is 'taste', that once we recognize the subjectivity of our own likes and dislikes, we can learn to appreciate others' tastes and gain a deeper understanding of them. True, Wilson puts it better. He's a better writer, and this and other points make this an interesting self-exploration to witness. But I prefer to think of the postmodern condition as one we need to temper, not embrace and jump in head first. Maybe we can actually take a step back and not let it define everything we do or like. Maybe this relativism can be restricted somehow, not expanded. I still want to be able to passionately dislike something, even if I can explain it away as my own subjective tastes.
   
   And what about Celine? I could rattle off plenty of sentimental music I like, even "schmaltzy" music. There's nothing inherent about those qualities that repulses me. It can be done effectively, tastefully. So why do I so abhor Celine? Her religious devotion to her own voice, for which she is the God-appointed guardian; the watered-down lovey-dovey lyrics that are so purposefully inoffensive to anyone on planet Earth; a look that suggests enough hairspray and plastic surgery can make anyone into a glamorous diva; a stage presence that makes Barry Manilow look like Prince; and that God-awful contrived mouth resonance that transforms her tone into a ring modulator and makes every "S" sound like an "SH". Not much about that in the book.
   
   I'll give the author the fact that we can no longer define aesthetic taste in Kantian terms. But it's not so much that I think Celine is in bad taste, as I think she is tasteless and lukewarm. Her fan-base is for the most part not made up of people who research out tasteful music. They don't want to, it's too time-consuming. I can allow for people to listen to her without having to admit that it is now good music. And could we reverse the author's appeal for democracy in taste back to Celine fans? Could we, say, talk them in to appreciating death metal, experimental jazz, or acid house? I think, generally speaking, no. And further, if someone said they hated black metal, and talked to me all about how it's so consumed in nonstop negativity, monotonous in sound, and you can't hear the lyrics anyway...that's OK. I would laugh. They are so totally right and I like it anyway. It's OK with me if somebody doesn't like it. Why should it be so important for Celine and her fans for me to like her? Everyone has stuff they don't like. Are we all just feeding our egos by thinking we're better than the other? No.
   
   So, sure, Celine is a human being with real feelings; so are her fans. And we all have subjective tastes. I can still think it's tasteless drivel that takes up more than its fair share of our airwaves.

No comments about The Musician's Guide to Theory and Analysis: Anthology.

No comments about Piano Adventures: Theory Book Level 1 (Piano Adventures Library).

4 comments about Classic Tunes & Tales: Ready-To-Use Music Listening Lessons & Activities for Grades K-8.

1. This practical resource gives music teachers a unique collecton of lessons and activities to build interest in classical music, while developing knowledge of form, mood, melody, harmony, tempo and rhythm. For easy use, the 50 tunes and 50 tales are organized into 5 sections with suggested grade levels and REPRODUCIBLE activity pages, spiral bound for convenient photocopying. Sprial bound, 340 pages



2. This book is an excellent book with a problem! I found this book to lack an accompanying Music C.D. which should consist of all Music/Song selections found in this book. As a Music Educator, I feel that Music teachers have a better handle on classroom control when one can immediately select the music/song to be heard in class from an accompanying Musical C.D. Playing the music directly from this book should be the choice of the Teacher (not all Music Teachers are trained pianists!)enabling extensive student-centered lessons and easier teaching methods.



3. We used this book as a spine for our group music history unit studies. It was one of our favorites! The catchy musical excerpts made each lesson memorable. The kids loved singing them. We supplemented with short bios of the composers and pages to color while we listened. Maps helped us see where the composers traveled. We added videos when available and attended live events. It was a very rich study! Young children can really acquire a love for classical music.
   
   We have such wonderful memories of this study that I'm having a hard time selling our copy.



4. I used this to teach a class of 5-7 yr. olds in our homeschool co-op. Although at times I had to add a little more review and material of my own, I was able to use this to teach entire 45 min. sessions. The kids love it and it is easy to prepare. I'm sure I will be able to use it much more in the future because it covers such a wide age range. Definitely money well-spent!

2 comments about Understanding Music.

1. This book does not come with the CD's that most college students will need. I returned the book because it did not have the disks with it and was able to find a book locally thru my college book store that came with the 3CD student disk set for less money than I paid for it with out the disks thru Amazon.com



2. no CD's with this!!!!!!!! cd's are necessary for college course, and virtually unobtainable by themselves. item description needs to notate that cd's are NOT included. overpriced for incomplete item.

1 comments about Piano Theory Workbook Book 1: Hal Leonard Student Piano Library.

1. I have taught piano to young children for many years. This book works best for me. It starts out with the student being able to make music immediately with just a few notes. It makes it a lot of fun and they tend to continue on longer than with any other series.

3 comments about Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music.

1. complex, yet easy to understand. informative, yet exciting. i recommend this boook to anyone who feels an intense love for music and the history of sound and noise.



2. This is a very comprehensive guide on the different sides of "audio culture". Many of the authors and readings you'll find here are among the most influential on the subject...From Luigi Russolo's futurist musical manifesto to Brian Eno's ambient music, coming across Stockhausen, Steve Reich, Cage, Kim Cascone, etc. Very thought-provoking, it gives an interesting macro view of the world of audio as well as the different currents and inflexion points that have changed the way we perceive music and its context...
   
   I definitely recommend it, but beware: you'll want more!



3. My son is into "Modern Music" and said this was good, so I got it for him for Christmas.