Tag Archives: books

Exploring Classical Mandolin

Exploring Classical Mandolin Technique and Repertoire

Exploring Classical MandolinExploring Classical Mandolin will give you an introduction to mandolin, including techniques from around the world, common practices, and essential repertoire. Not only will you discover gems from classical mandolin literature, and familiar classical melodies, but you will also gain insights to help you arrange your own musical ideas for solo mandolin. The book includes access to online audio and video tracks for download and streaming.

Exploring Classical Mandolin Technique and Repertoire, by August Watters, Berklee Press, www.berkleepress.com

Rise Again Songbook

Rise Again Songbook

Rise Again SongbookAn essential resource for anyone who loves music and group singing, Rise Again is the second songbook from Local 1000 (Nongeographic) members Peter Blood and Anne Patterson. It provides lyrics and chords for 1,200 songs covering blues, country, jazz, Motown, folk, traditional ballads, gospel, and rounds. The tunes are organized by genre or subject matter, and listed in the handy title index, as well as at the end of each thematic chapter.

Rise Again Songbook, by Peter Blood and Annie Patterson, Hal Leonard Corporation, www.halleonard.com or www.riseupandsing.org.

Berklee Jazz Keyboard Harmony

Berklee Jazz Keyboard Harmony: Using Upper-Structure Triads

Berklee Jazz Keyboard HarmonyThis workbook will enrich your playing through advanced jazz harmonies. Practical exercises and concise descriptions will help you develop sight-comping and create full and colorful voicings for all chord types. The accompanying web-based audio lets you hear and practice the techniques with a jazz quartet. You will learn to use tension substitutions common in contemporary jazz; organize advanced harmonies using upper-structure triads; build facility in applying jazz harmonies in a way that best supports your expressive goals; and apply tension substitutions to all jazz chord types.

Berklee Jazz Keyboard Harmony: Using Upper-Structure Triads,
by Suzanna Sifter, Berklee Press, www.berkleepress.com

The Savvy Music Teacher

The Savvy Music Teacher: Blueprint for Maximizing Income & Impact

The Savvy Music TeacherThis book is a blueprint for earning a steady income as a music teacher. A comprehensive resource for music students, aspiring studio owners, career instructors, and more, The Savvy Music Teacher covers topics like: how to build a thriving studio with a transformative curriculum; multiple income/impact streams; innovation strategies for every aspect of business and art; powerhouse marketing; time management skills; as well as financial literacy and independence.

The Savvy Music Teacher: Blueprint for Maximizing Income & Impact, by David Cutler, Oxford University Press, www.oup.com.

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys: A Memoir

book-clothes-clothes-clothes-music-music-vivalbertineViv Albertine, lead guitarist of The Slits, offers a rare look back at the 1970s punk scene through a female perspective, capturing the historical importance of punk in a way few books have done. Told in her unabashedly honest and irreverent voice, Clothes … Music … Boys doesn’t shy away from tales of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, as she reflects on defining punk fashion, struggling to find her place among the boys, and her romance with Mick Jones. She also includes an honest account of her post-punk life.

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys: A Memoir, by Viv Albertine, Thomas Dunne Books, A Division of St. Martin’s

New Jazz Standards

New Jazz Standards

New Jazz StandardsCarl Saunders of Locals 47 (Los Angeles, CA) and 369 (Las Vegas, NV) has spent his life playing trumpet with some of the most well-known and exciting bands in the US, including hitting the road at 18 with Stan Kenton’s band. “This is my book of original tunes,” says Saunders. “I thought that a fake book of originals would be something different for jazz students or professionals, so I went through the songs that I have written through the years and compiled this book.” The book contains more than 300 tunes—ballads, bossa novas, sambas, and straight-ahead tunes. It is available in four different keys.

New Jazz Standards, by Carl Saunders, Carl Saunders Music, www.carlsaunders.com.

The Christmas Family Songbook

The Christmas Family Songbook

The Christmas Family SongbookWhether your plans are to gather friends around your piano at home or to entertain at a company party, nothing brings people closer than singing songs together. This collection of more than 100 popular Christmas songs are arranged to be easily playable. The included multimedia disc demonstrates the piano parts and includes easy-to-print lyric sheets for all of the tunes. Also included are six intermediate to advanced solo and duet piano pieces in pdf format. Alfred Music’s included TNT 2 learning software lets you slow down audio, loop sections, and change keys for practice.

The Christmas Family Songbook: Over 100 Favorites for Piano and Sing-Along, Alfred Music, www.alfred.com.

The Musician Says

The Musician Says: Quotes, Quips, and Words of Wisdom

The Musician SaysThis collection of quotes from an eclectic group of revered musicians spanning centuries, genres, and continents, reminds us that the creative process bridges time and place, and that music is a universal language. Covering everything from the songwriting process to the excitement of a live performance, each pair of pages shows similar (or differing) opinions on various musical subjects. For example, Ani DiFranco of Local 1000 (Nongeographic) says, “You’ve got to ignore the facts to tell the truth,” while Paul Simon of Local 802 (New York City) says, “It’s very helpful to start with something that’s true. If you start with something false, you’re always covering your tracks.”

The Musician Says: Quote, Quips, and Words of Wisdom, compiled and edited by Benedetta LoBalbo, Princeton Architectural Press, www.papress.com

Crash Course in Scales

Crash Course in Scales

Crash Course in ScalesAn indispensable theory workbook for intermediate-level students, Crash Course in Scales will show you all you need to know about scales. It covers major scales; natural, harmonic, and melodic minor scales; pentatonic scales; Gregorian modes, scales common to jazz and popular music; and synthetic scales (chromatic, whole tone, etc.). Concepts are explained in easy-to-understand language and performance excerpts. Written exercises and answer keys test your knowledge.

Crash Course in Scales, by Brent Edstrom, Hal Leonard Corporation, www.halleonard.com.

Polka Heartland

Polka Heartland: Why the Midwest Loves to Polka

Polka HeartlandPolka radio host and music historian Richard March unveils the fascinating history of polka in mid-America, from polka’s origins as a European fad to the modern polka scene, he explores the heart of Midwestern polka culture. The book’s descriptions and photos take you into Wisconsin wedding receptions, crowded festival dance tents, and off-the-grid Mexican dances. You will learn about the music, instruments, and musicians who have been pivotal to the genre’s popularity.

Polka Heartland: Why the Midwest Loves to Polka, by Dick Blau, Wisconsin Historical Society, www.wisconsinhistory.org.