music

Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells

Everyone knows the hits -- "Mony Mony," "I Think We're Alone Now," "Crimson and Clover," "Crystal Blue Persuasion." They are nuggets of rock and pop history. However, few know the unlikely story of how these hits came to be. Tommy James had been performing locally, in Michigan, in rock bands since the age of 12. Prompted to record a few songs by a local DJ in 1964, Tommy chose an obscurity titled "Hanky Panky," which became a minor local hit that came and went.

Then, in 1966, the record was re-discovered by a Pittsburgh DJ who started playing it on heavy rotation, prompting a tremendous response. Soon, every record mogul in New York was pursuing Tommy and the band. And then an even odder thing happened: every offer but one disappeared, and James found himself in the office of Morris Levy at Roulette Records, where he was handed a pen and ominously promised "one helluva ride." Morris Levy, the legendary "godfather" of the music business, needed a hit and "Hanky Panky" would be his. The song went to #1; James went on to do much more; and Levy continued to reign.

Me, the Mob, and the Music tells the intimate story of the complex and sometimes terrifying relationship between the bright-eyed, sweet-faced blonde musician from the heartland and the big, bombastic, brutal bully from the Bronx, who hustled, cheated, and swindled his way to the top of the music industry. It is also the story of this swaggering, wildly creative era of rock n' roll when the hits kept coming and payola and the strong arm tactics of the mob were the norm, and what it was like, for better or worse, to be in the middle of it.

Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage

With his characteristic warmth and humor, Dr. Kevin Leman offers a practical guide to sex according to God's plan. This frank and practical book is a perfect resource for married and engaged couple

Music Theory for Guitarists: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask (Guitar Method)

Guitarists of all levels will find a wealth of practical music knowledge in this special book and CD package. Veteran guitarist and author Tom Kolb dispels the mysteries of music theory using plain and simple terms and diagrams. The accompanying CD provides 94 tracks of music examples, scales, modes, chords, ear training, and much more!

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession

In this groundbreaking union of art and science, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin explores the connection between music—its performance, its composition, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it—and the human brain. Drawing on the latest research and on musical examples ranging from Mozart to Duke Ellington to Van Halen, Levitin reveals:
• How composers produce some of the most pleasurable effects of listening to music by exploiting the way our brains make sense of the world
• Why we are so emotionally attached to the music we listened to as teenagers, whether it was Fleetwood Mac, U2, or Dr. Dre
• That practice, rather than talent, is the driving force behind musical expertise
• How those insidious little jingles (called earworms) get stuck in our heads

And, taking on prominent thinkers who argue that music is nothing more than an evolutionary accident, Levitin argues that music is fundamental to our species, perhaps even more so than language. This Is Your Brain on Music is an unprecedented, eye-opening investigation into an obsession at the heart of human nature.

All You Need to Know About the Music Business: Seventh Edition

Since the advent of file-sharing technology in the late 1990s, the music industry has been challenged to reinvent itself. What has it done? How have the record labels repositioned themselves to cope with these massive changes? How does all this affect creative artists?

No one understands the music industry -- from the technology, to the legalities, to the new industry practices -- better than veteran music lawyer Donald Passman. In this completely revised and updated seventh edition of All You Need to Know About the Music Business, which the Los Angeles Times called "the industry bible" and which has sold hundreds of thousands of copies over the last eighteen years, Passman offers executives and artists, experts and novices alike the essential information they need not only to survive in these volatile and exciting times, but also to thrive.

Drawing on his unique, up-to-the-minute experience as one of the most trusted advisors in the industry, Passman offers new information on:

- The new 360 model of record deals, wherein record companies share in nonrecord revenue

- The Copyright Royalty Board's latest decisions regarding online transmissions

- The developing customs on new technologies such as streaming on demand, ringtones, and digital downloads

- Updates on recording and publishing deals, as well as film music

He also gives guidance on fundamental issues, such as how to:

- Select and hire a winning team of advisors -- personal and business managers, agents, and attorneys -- and structure their commissions, percentages, and fees in a way that will protect you and maximize these relationships

- Master the big picture and the finer points of record deals

- Navigate the ins and outs of songwriting, music publishing, and copyrights

- Maximize concert, touring, and merchandising deals

Everyone in the business -- musicians, songwriters, entertainment lawyers, agents, promoters, publishers, managers, record company executives -- is scrambling to figure out what's going to happen in the future, and Passman is in the thick of these changes. Anyone interested in a music career will need this comprehensive and crucial guide to making it in one of the world's most dynamic industries.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory, 2nd Edition

A music theory book that hits the high note …

This updated and expanded edition of The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Music Theory breaks down a difficult subject in a simple way—even for those who think they have no rhythm or consider themselves tone deaf. With clear, concise language, it explains everything from bass-clef basics to confusing codas. This new edition includes:

-A brand-new CD
-A comprehensive ear-training section
-Musical examples of intervals, scales, chords, and rhythms
-Aural exercises so readers can test their ear training and transcription skills

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, Revised and Expanded Edition

Amazon Best of the Month, December 2007: Legendary R&B icon Ray Charles claimed that he was "born with music inside me," and neurologist Oliver Sacks believes Ray may have been right. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain examines the extreme effects of music on the human brain and how lives can be utterly transformed by the simplest of harmonies. With clinical studies covering the tragic (individuals afflicted by an inability to connect with any melody) and triumphant (Alzheimer's patients who find order and comfort through music), Sacks provides an erudite look at the notion that humans are truly a "musical species." --Dave Callanan

Revised and Expanded

With the same trademark compassion and erudition he brought to The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Oliver Sacks explores the place music occupies in the brain and how it affects the human condition. In Musicophilia, he shows us a variety of what he calls “musical misalignments.” Among them: a man struck by lightning who suddenly desires to become a pianist at the age of forty-two; an entire group of children with Williams syndrome, who are hypermusical from birth; people with “amusia,” to whom a symphony sounds like the clattering of pots and pans; and a man whose memory spans only seven seconds-for everything but music.

Illuminating, inspiring, and utterly unforgettable, Musicophilia is Oliver Sacks' latest masterpiece.

Music: An Appreciation, 6th Brief Edition

Whether from a concert stage or at the front of a classroom, Roger Kamien knows how to reach an audience--blending intelligence and passion to lift music from the page and bring it to life. His unique combination of artistic and teaching skills makes Music: An Appreciation, Brief Edition an invaluable tool for students wanting to learn more about music.

This best-selling textbook introduces students to perceptive listening and provides an engaging introduction to musical elements, forms, and stylistic periods. It is organized chronologically, but individual sections can be addressed in any order, for a variety of teaching approaches. Musical notation is included but is not required to understand the popular listening guides featured in the text, which focus students’ attention on musical events as they unfold.

The Online Learning Center for this text provides open access for all students to many activities and video instrument demonstrations in addition to quiz and study materials for each chapter..

The Complete Book of Scales, Chords, Arpeggios and Cadences: Includes All the Major, Minor (Natural, Harmonic, Melodic) & Chromatic Scales - Plus Additional Instructions on Music Fundamentals

Piano Music. Includes all the major, minor (natural, harmonic, melodic)&chromatic scales -- plus additional instrucitons on music fundamentals.

Barron's AP Music Theory with Audio Compact Discs

This brand-new addition to Barron’s series of Advanced Placement test prep manuals presents a comprehensive review of music theory, followed by two full-length practice tests with all questions answered and explained. These practice tests include both aural and non-aural sections. The four audio CDs enclosed with the manual provide aural skill development prompts for both practice tests’ aural sections, as well as material that complements exercises and examples in the subject review chapters. Topics covered in the review chapters include music fundamentals, harmonic organization, harmonic progression, melodic composition and dictation, relationship of key centers, harmonic dictation and composition, visual score analysis, contextual listening, strategies for harmonizing and sight-singing, and much more. Multiple-choice questions with strategies for test-taking success appear at the end of many chapters.