APRIL 2012 - AudioFile
The author turns the artist-as-martyr stereotype on its ear. A psychologist, he taught himself to play guitar at age 40. As Marcus learned to play, he unraveled the mysteries of musicianship; here he articulates them in purely scientific terms, calls into question, if not debunks, some of the assumptions and notions people have about musicianship. Music purists will hate this book, but it does give music an interesting perspective that is outside the framework of aesthetics. As narrator, Marcus sounds self-congratulatory yet earnest. One can’t help but get the notion that his earnestness is a form of martyrdom in itself—as self-aggrandizing as the strutting of any guitar god. J.S.H. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
"Guitar Zero is a refreshing alternation between the nitty-gritty details of learning rock-guitar licks and Mr. Marcus's survey of the relevant scientific literature on learning and the brain. For those who look forward, in 'retirement,' to honoring the lifelong yearnings they have neglected, Guitar Zero is good news."
Wall Street Journal
"[Guitar Zero] looks far more deeply into the ways our brains rewire themselves and find ways to compensate for certain gaps or deficits in our abilities. In the process of demonstrating these, Marcus sounds an encouraging note (pun intended) for older readers who have always wanted to do something but have never had time."
Los Angeles Times
"This enjoyable blend of music appreciation, science and personal exploration commands a new respect for how the brain and body responds to the promise, and shock, of the new."
Kirkus Reviews
"Jimi Hendrix meets Oliver Sacks in this great new science book."
Very Short List
"A delightfully inspiring, charming, and detailed musical journey that explodes myths of human limitation, while revealing that the fountain of youth very well may be made of wood and played on six strings."
Richard Barone, musician, author of Frontman Richard Barone, musician, author of Frontman
"Gary Marcus, one of the deepest thinkers in cognitive science, has given us an entertaining and enlightening memoir, filled with insight about music, learning, and the human mind."
Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature
Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature
"Captivating and filled with insight, GUITAR-ZERO is a look at the challenge of personal reinvention by Gary Marcus, one of our leading psychologists. Whether you are a music lover or not, if you care about reaching your own potential, you should read this book."
Dr. Drew Pinsky, host, Dr. Drew, Lifechangers, and Loveline Dr. Drew Pinsky, host, Dr. Drew, Lifechangers, and Loveline
"Marcus is one of the smartest psychologists around, a deep thinker and an eloquent writer, and the story he tells is informed by the best science of perception and learning and evolution, talent and effort, genius and frustration and success. If you have ever dreamed of becoming a musician, you simply must read GUITAR-ZERO."
Paul Bloom, author of How Pleasure Works Paul Bloom, author of How Pleasure Works
"I enjoyed GUITAR-ZERO immensely. Marcus has not only intensified the process itself but simplified the definition of one's dedication to it. His elaborate illustration will certainly cause many of us to better appreciate the gifts we've been blessed with."
Pat Martino, four-time Grammy nominee - Pat Martino, four-time Grammy nominee
APRIL 2012 - AudioFile
The author turns the artist-as-martyr stereotype on its ear. A psychologist, he taught himself to play guitar at age 40. As Marcus learned to play, he unraveled the mysteries of musicianship; here he articulates them in purely scientific terms, calls into question, if not debunks, some of the assumptions and notions people have about musicianship. Music purists will hate this book, but it does give music an interesting perspective that is outside the framework of aesthetics. As narrator, Marcus sounds self-congratulatory yet earnest. One can’t help but get the notion that his earnestness is a form of martyrdom in itself—as self-aggrandizing as the strutting of any guitar god. J.S.H. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
To paraphrase Bruce Springsteen, can a 38-year-old tone-deaf professor of cognitive psychology get a guitar and learn how to make it talk? That's the question Marcus (Psychology/New York Univ.; Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind, 2008, etc.) asked himself a few years ago, and this intelligent, educational and exuberant book is his answer. Marcus approached his lifelong dream from both a personal and professional level; he wanted to play, but he also wanted to challenge the "critical periods" theory of learning, which suggests that you should learn music early or not at all. The author threw himself into mastering his ax, pushing the limits to see just how far a new trick could take an old dog. In the process, he explores how the senses reorganize to adapt to new information and investigates where music comes from, what evolutionary function (if any) it serves and why some people have rhythm and others don't. Marcus asks eternal questions on which the jury is still out: Where does talent come from? How far will sheer hard work take you? Why are there countless obsessive, 24/7 guitarists, but there's only been one Jimi Hendrix? Why do the most dedicated composers of rock and pop songs fall far short of what Bob Dylan or the Beatles accomplished in their 20s? Is it genetic? Nature or nurture? The author sought opinions and advice from people across the music world--e.g., jazz impresario Pat Metheny and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine--and even attended rock-band camp, humbling himself to audition for a band of 11-year-olds who needed someone on bass. Whether or not readers (aging or otherwise) will profit by the author's example, this enjoyable blend of music appreciation, science and personal exploration commands a new respect for how the brain and body responds to the promise, and shock, of the new.
