No comments about Mel Bays Harmonica Song Book.

5 comments about "The Complete Irish Tin Whistle Tutor".

1. Irish tinwhistle music, as it is played, is very different from how it is written on the page. It has a beautiful, lilting sound that you can't get by simply reading the notes and playing them. I've played tinwhistle for almost thirty years, but I've always been a slave to written music, and bought this book because it seemed to show how a good Irish whistle player takes a basic tune and gives it that sound.
   
   McCullough's first full example of an Irish tune, in the chapter "Putting It All Together," is a great example of why this book doesn't do that. The goal of the chapter is to start with a simple, unornamented tune and embellish it, step by step, with grace notes and other ornaments. However, his version of the unornamented tune on the CD is nothing like its written version. It already has that great, lilting Irish sound. I can't even come close to copying what he is doing in an example that he presents as dead simple. He does things involving phrasing and rhythm that he hasn't tried to teach. This is really the essence of the music, and anyone who hasn't grown up listening to Irish music everyday will have a hard time picking it up without some instruction.



2. The book itself is very helpful and has many different type of songs to learn from. However if you don't know how to read music it can by difficult to follow because it doesn't go over in detail how to read music. The Cd is also very helpful, it lets you hear what you need to play.



3. Arrived far too slow. Not what I expected. Almost imposible to read. Not for beginners at all and CD is a bore. The only thing that stoped me from returning this was the fact that it'd be too much of a hassle and too many things could go wrong so I just donated it. It was a complete waste of money.



4. this book looks like its supposed to have a whistle and it doesnt. it was a let down



5. This book is an excellent reference book for learning to play the tin whistle. It covers all the techniques used in playing the tin whistle and provides a wealth of tunes to learn. The CD that accompanies provides a chance to hear what you see on the written page, which is helpful. The tunes, even from the first one, are challenging. Even the un-ornamented versions are played up to tempo and are quite fast. This is probably not the best book for the rank beginner to use, but if you have been playing for awhile and want to take your playing to the next level, this is a good book to have.
   
   Also, there is no tin whistle sent with the book. It's just the book and the CD.

2 comments about Woodwind Instruments and Their History.

1. This is one of the best books that I have ever seen written on this subject. It was this book that got me really hooked on the possibilities that exist within the woodwind section. I particularly enjoy some of the time spent on the more obscure members (e.g. sarrusophone). The only thing that one may say it lacks is a more comprehensive section on the saxophone which is grouped as an exotic form of the clarinet. All in all this is a great book and a must have for all musicians.



2. "Woodwind Instruments And Their History" was chosen to be recorded for the blind and dyslexic by RFB&D. The book was written in the 1950s but apart from some British usages which may be strange to American readers, the book remains fresh and informative. The author's "voice" is often quite funny, deliberately so for the most part which is a refreshing change in what is essentially a textbook. As recommended by another reviewer, it is an excellent book for musicians. At the same time, anyone interested in the history of music can enjoy and learn from what is written. I am not musical, but I was delighted to learn while helping to record it.

2 comments about Solos for Flute: 36 Repertoire Pieces with Piano Accompaniment (All-Time Favorites) (All-Time Favorites).

1. My 12 year old daughter is in her 2nd year (7th grade) of flute playing -- she is in the school band but does take private lessons from a classical music flute artist, once a week. My daughter is really enjoying this book. However, she could NOT work with these pieces of music with out her private teacher. I recommend this book for students who study privately aside from the school band.



2. I have been using this book for about 2-3 weeks in my private lesson studies at VanderCook College of Music, while studying to be a music educator. I have played only 2 selections from the book prior to buying it. I'm using this to expand my repertoire and work on various techniques that each piece demands. I think it is great for repertoire, working with accompanament (since it comes with the piano book), and just expanding horizons on what you would like to play and what you can play. I highly reccommend it for anyone looking for some new music. As far as playing ability I suggest the flutist already be comfortable with fingerings into the third octave, be able to read fairly fluently, be able to articulate notes (this will help practicing/learning more articulation types as the pieces demand, always better with a private teacher), and be able to consciously count during each piece. But then again these are things I hope for in every intermediate-advanced musician. Great pieces!

5 comments about Blues & Rock Harmonica Made Easy (Harmonica).

1. I've been tooting simple melodies on a harmonica for years, and decided to actually learn jazz/blues harmonica for fun. Tried another book first and became frustrated at the teaching technique. Picked up THIS book and was able to play decent sounding chords & licks within minutes! His instructional style is excellent, building on popular chord combinations and licks that we've all heard in popular music. Once I was able to create some self-satisfying "joyfull noise", it was easy to keep going to refine the noise into something better. Another great thing is that his chord combinations match those on my Suzuki Q-Chrd, so I now have some auto-accompanyment. I HIGHLY recommend this book to ANYONE who ever thought about playing a harmonica. I also bought his Music Theory book several years ago and highly recommend that as well. Harp is an excellent teacher!



2. ... Man, if you want to learn how to play harmonica in no time, just get this book. Play along with it on every page as you read through it. Just do what David Harp says, and you will be playing blues and rock on your harp quickly - and you will feel good about what you're doing. This is a REAL EASY book to understand and follow. It's like David is right there talking to you!

   ... As he says on page 10: "Don't get discouraged, ever. If you're a total beginner and feel a bit clumsy and boggled, just relax, and keep the harmonica in your mouth as you read. You'll get it! If you're a more experienced non-blues or rock player who feels "stuck," just remember that all players get into ruts, and a little instruction is a fine way to climb back out."

   ... Trust me, you don't need to know ANYTHING about music or harmonicas to be able to benefit from reading this book. It is EXCELLENT! It is so easy and simple! It's a shame more people do not teach what they know the way David does. I wish I had a person like David teaching me MATH in this same way when I was a kid. I would have been an astrophysicist by now! ... YOWZA! - The Aeolian Kid




3. The author has definitely mastered the art - of the SCAM, that is. This book, and I'm assuming his other opuses on harmonica operation as well, has so little actual usable information in it as to make it a TOTAL WASTE OF PAPER. Unless you're stranded in a Forest Service outhouse and the roll is empty. Not only does he blather on for pages and pages saying absolutely NOTHING, but he introduces his inane "system" and constantly plugs his other publications. And by the way - I'll bet his real last name isn't "Harp." It's probably Shylock. Or Gump.



4. The one thing I would say about the author is that I like the method of how he teaches: his method of tablature, etc. It is very easy to follow and so forth. However, what he teaches is a different story. As another reviewer noted, there is a LOT of 'filler' and stuff that don't much apply to learning the harp, and you learn so-callled 'popular' riffs that don't sound like anything. I honestly don't feel like I've learned much at all from this particlar book.



5. I don't understand what the previous two reviewers are complaining about. I do not play any instrument. I wanted to learn how to play harmonica with my 9-year old daughter. We picked up this book, looked at the pictures, and started to play. Then we did what the book said ("read the boxes first, come back later for the rest...") and learned how to play more. Within 30 minutes, we were eeking out "when the saints come marching in". Awesome!
   
   Seriously folks, if you know how to read music, or have some background in music, this may be too basic. But for seven bucks, less than the cost of a movie ticket, my daughter and I are learning how to play harmonica. WoooHooo!
   
   P.S. you need a 10 hole harmonica to use this book. This is the most common kind of harmonica. If you would prefer, the same author sells some kits that have a harmonica, book and CD all in one. Red, White, And the Blues Harmonica is one example for about thirteen bucks.

No comments about The United States In LITERATURE America Reads (CLASSIC EDITION) Student Textbook (Three Long Stories Edition).

No comments about Amazing Phrasing - Tenor Saxophone: 50 Ways to Improve Your Improvisational Skills (Amazing Phrasing).

5 comments about Still life with Woodpecker.

1. I recieved this book on my seventeenth birthday from my girlfriend at the time. It was the first Robbins book I ever read and it got me hooked on him, his quirks, style, and insight. For the next two years I was on a Robbins kick. There were some I didn't like along the way, but there'll always be a spot in my heart for this book.
   
   A King's ticking heart, the Queen's idiolect, a Pricess' growth from niave youth... plus fun recipes for bombs (ingredients include playing cards and Fruit Loops cereal) which may or may not work... I've not yet played around. Its a strange book with strange characters and a stranger inner-conversation about the sublimenal designs of a cigarette package. There's also the metatextual critique of a typewriter... and how it would be better if it were red.
   
   You'd have to read it to understand.



2. What a crazy-amazing book. Robbins is a force to be reckoned with. I enjoyed his genius views on the moon, love, birth control, dynamite, redheads, pyramids, etc. You just have to read him, he can not be summed up.



3. Certainly a far cry from Tom Robbins' better works, this book is greatly disappointing for multiple reasons. First of all, while part of the book tries to function as a critique of dogma, Robbins' makes an attempt through his own personal narrative voice or through the voice of the archetypal characters to indoctrinate his readers into his own personal values. These not-too-well-thought-out values consist of the common to mainstream backlash against feminism, to mind-boggling statements that African Americans are responsible for their own suffering in present-day society.
   
   If that is not enough, he writes a main character, Princess Leigh-Cheri who epitomizes the common mistakes that occur when a misogynist writes a female character. Not only does she embody objecthood in the way she is described and characterized, but she is also easily persuaded by the male protagonist. A common trope of the novel that occurs over and over involves her expressing a belief, the male protagonist refutes it with his own beliefs, and then she giggles and kisses him for his great ideas. It leaves the reader feeling as though something in the text is missing - and that is convincing dialog as well as a convincing female protagonist.
   
   In short, if you are looking for another Tom Robins book to read, or are looking to start reading one, try Jitterbug Perfume, which has a much more interesting plot, better characters, and less poorly argued political backlash.



4. It seems like every tom robbins book i pick up is perfect for the mind frame i'm in. I read this one in the summer of 2007 and still think about it often. A short of a love story, brillant.



5. item arrived well packaged and in perfect condition, i was very pleased with this purchase.

No comments about Beginner's Book for the Flute: Part Two.

No comments about Advanced Algebra (Integrated Mathematics) (The University of Chicago School Mathematics Project, Part 1 Chapters 1-6).