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DustinPorter
Posted September 27, 2010
A great read for anyone wanting to appreciate music more.
Dustin Mel Porter What to Listen for in Music What to Listen for in Music written by Aaron Copland is a great informational non-fiction book that attempts to teach the reader how to enjoy music more while listening to it. The major point of the book is to make the common-music listener think more like a composer. When you hear music, you will have much more appreciation knowing what it took to make what you are listening to. You should have the ability to pick out every instrument and every note individually in a song, and be able to be sensitive to each track that makes up the song to enjoy the sound to its fullest. This book is geared towards anyone who would like to enjoy music. Whether the reader is someone who is experienced in the art of music (such as a composer), or someone who doesn't even know what an octave is, any reader can get a better understanding of the music they're listening to. The book even has suggested recordings to search and listen to for each chapter in the case that the reader would like to pick up more background information. Although this book was designed for the common music novice, it was also originally written in 1955, where both music, and the way we listen to it, has evolved greatly. As time passes, it becomes harder and harder to relate to the book, as has little to no mention of electronic recording, modern tools for listening to music (such as headphones, stereo system, with a subwoofer, etc.), and does not take into account today's vast variety of musical genres that were not around in the 50's. Despite these negative features of the book, I would still suggest this book to anyone who has a vast love of music. After reading this, you will appreciate all of the aspects of music that you previously didn't understand. You will appreciate the time, effort, and detail that each song needed to become a finished product. This book will make the novice sympathize the expert for having to deal with the complications of creating art. Overall, I would rate this book an 8 out of 10. I am not quite the music novice that this book is written towards, but I still found it enjoyable. There are vast amount of positives in this book, but that doesn't cancel out the few negatives. Although this book has already been re-written to try to help the modern music listener relate better, I personally feel like it should be re-written again to make all music listeners of all music genres know what they are reading.
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Anonymous
Posted January 16, 2010
Amazing Read, Fast Service!
Not only is this book great for anyone who listens to music, but the service by Barnes and Noble is extraordinary! I suggest this book to anyone that loves music!
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Anonymous
Posted November 15, 2000
Copland's Book Still Shines on His Birthday
Aaron Copland's What to Listen for in Music is perhaps the best book of its kind, both for the professional and the amateur. This new edition, edited and expanded by Alan Rich, is even more valuable, since it contains many excellent recommendations of recordings, along with an interesting chapter on contemporary music.
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