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How Music Works
- The Science and Psychology of Beautiful Sounds, from Beethoven to the Beatles and Beyond
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
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Publisher's summary
An enthralling investigation into the mysteries of music. Have you ever wondered how off-key you are while singing in the shower? Or if your Bob Dylan albums really sound better on vinyl? Or why certain songs make you cry?
Now, scientist and musician John Powell invites you on an entertaining journey through the world of music. Discover what distinguishes music from plain old noise, how scales help you memorize songs, what the humble recorder teaches you about timbre (assuming your suffering listeners don’t break it first), why anyone can learn to play a musical instrument, what the absurdly complicated names of classical music pieces actually mean, how musical notes came to be (hint: you can thank a group of stodgy men in 1939 London for that one), how to make an oboe from a drinking straw, and much more.
With wit and charm, and in the simplest terms, Powell explains the science and psychology of music. Clever, informative, and deeply engaging, How Music Works takes the secrets of music away from the world of badly dressed academics and gives every one of us—whether we love to sing or play air guitar—the means to enhance our listening pleasure.
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By: Jonathan Harnum
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The Musician's Mind
- Teaching, Learning, and Performance in the Age of Brain Science
- By: Lynn Helding
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Where does learning begin and how is it sustained and stored in the brain? For musicians, these questions are at the very core of their creative lives. Cognitive and neuroscience have flung wide the doors of our understanding, but bridging the gap between research data and music-making requires a unique immersion in both worlds. Lynn Helding presents a symphony of discoveries that illuminate how musicians can optimize their mental well-being and cognitive abilities.
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Useful and fascinating
- By Bradley Berg on 10-27-22
By: Lynn Helding
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Why You Love Music
- From Mozart to Metallica - the Emotional Power of Beautiful Sounds
- By: John Powell
- Narrated by: Phil Fox
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Music plays a hugely important role in our emotional, intellectual, and even physical lives. It impacts the ways we work, relax, behave, and feel. It can make us smile or cry, it helps us bond with the people around us, and it even has the power to alleviate a range of medical conditions. The songs you love (and hate, and even the ones you feel pretty neutral about) don't just make up the soundtrack to your life - they actually help to shape it.
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Does not answer why we love music
- By Martin Scharff on 01-27-18
By: John Powell
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Anatomy of a Song
- The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop
- By: Marc Myers
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Mick Jagger, Jimmy Cliff, Roger Waters, Jimmy Page, Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt, and many other leading artists reveal for the first time the emotions, inspirations, and techniques behind their influential works. Covering the history of rock, R&B, country, disco, soul, reggae, and pop, Anatomy of a Song is a love letter to the songs that have defined generations of listeners.
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Why Listen when you can read?
- By Shipshape on 02-02-17
By: Marc Myers
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America’s Musical Heritage
- By: Anthony Seeger, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Anthony Seeger
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Original Recording
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Professor Seeger reveals the origins of the American music industry; the impact of instruments like the piano and the banjo; and the myriad ways music has shaped American wars, dances, elections, and public demonstrations. You’ll learn the secret histories of songs, including “The President’s March”, “Amazing Grace”, and “We Shall Overcome”, You’ll also hear informative interviews and eclectic performances from scholar-musicians, and sample original recordings that reflect the incredible richness of the American musical experience.
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Too much talking - too little music
- By Roberto on 08-09-20
By: Anthony Seeger, and others
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Piano + Music Theory
- Start Playing the Piano, Songwriting & Reading Music Theory Right Away. Lessons for Beginners or Refreshing the Advanced Via This Book + Diagrams, Charts & Bonus Videos
- By: Tommy Swindali
- Narrated by: Joseph Turner, Brian Cohen
- Length: 4 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Traditionally, piano lessons can be boring and require a fixed time. And most books are either too complex or boring. This often leaves people frustrated and feeling like giving up. Instead, this book explains the essentials in an easy to understand way. The lessons build on skills one by one, plus bonus videos to really guarantee you learn everything you need to play the piano. It’s like having a teacher in the room with you! By the end of this book, you will be able to understand the core concepts of playing piano and reading and composing music.
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Good music foundation
- By Sholom Proudlove on 01-27-21
By: Tommy Swindali
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The Spirit of Music
- The Lesson Continues
- By: Victor L. Wooten
- Narrated by: Victor L. Wooten, full cast
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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We may not realize it as we listen to the soundtrack of our lives through tiny earbuds, but music and all that it encompasses is disappearing all around us. In this fable-like story, three musicians from around the world are mysteriously summoned to Nashville, the Music City, to join together with Victor to do battle against the "Phasers", whose blinking "music-cancelling" headphones silence and destroy all musical sound. Only by coming together, connecting, and making the joyful sounds of immediate, "live" music can the world be restored to the power and spirit of music.
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A rich exploration of our relationship to music
- By Dave on 02-24-21
By: Victor L. Wooten
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Delta Blues
- The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music
- By: Ted Gioia
- Narrated by: Chris Abernathy
- Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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The blues grew out of the plantations and prisons, the swampy marshes and fertile cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta. With original research and keen insights, Ted Gioia - the author of a landmark study of West Coast jazz and the critically acclaimed The History of Jazz - brings to life the stirring music of the Delta, evoking the legendary figures who shaped its sound and ethos: Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, B. B. King, and others.
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A well-researched history of the blues
- By Joselo on 08-19-21
By: Ted Gioia
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Johann Sebastian Bach
- The Learned Musician
- By: Christoph Wolff
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 21 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Although we have heard the music of J. S. Bach in countless performances and recordings, the composer himself still comes across only as an enigmatic figure in a single familiar portrait. As we mark the 250th anniversary of Bach's death, author Christoph Wolff presents a new picture that brings to life this towering figure of the Baroque era. This engaging new biography portrays Bach as the living, breathing, and sometimes imperfect human being that he was, while bringing to bear all the advances of the last half-century of Bach scholarship.
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Has all the boring details...
- By L. Jensen on 05-14-19
By: Christoph Wolff
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The World in Six Songs
- How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature
- By: Daniel J. Levitin
- Narrated by: Daniel J. Levitin
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Daniel J. Levitin's astounding debut best seller, This Is Your Brain on Music, enthralled and delighted audiences as it transformed our understanding of how music gets in our heads and stays there. Now in his second New York Times best seller, his genius for combining science and art reveals how music shaped humanity across cultures and throughout history.
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Interesting concept for a book
- By Shannon on 06-23-24
What listeners say about How Music Works
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Shields Family
- 08-22-19
Interesting read but can be dry at times.
A very fun book that was worth the read. I actually kind of preferred the voice of the author to the narrator in the few post chapter commentary but I can see why he chose to have someone else do it. Great review and contains plenty of fun moments when things get dry.
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- Charles Caldwell
- 10-13-16
A very fun and friendly intro to music science.
The easy and simplistic aproach to music science seasoned with a witty sense of humor made this an enjoyment from start to finish. recommended no matter what your musical knowledge level.
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- ez
- 12-05-13
excellent material - so so narrator
If you could sum up How Music Works in three words, what would they be?
Interesting explanation of many musical concepts. Music was a "magical talent" to me until I listened to this book.
First I didn't get the humor, but quickly got used to the British humor and started enjoying the book.
I thought the narrator was annoying and that, unfortunately, didn't change much till the end of the book.
What did you like best about this story?
the material is excellent
What aspect of Walter Dixon’s performance would you have changed?
Wrong narrator. Pauses too often without a need. The most unnecessary pauses are often between "the" and what comes after it. Why do you need to say "the pitch"???
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- Jonathan
- 02-25-13
A simple way to gain depth and breadth in music
Would you listen to How Music Works again? Why?
I'd listen to it again because there were many fascinating bits I'd like to hear again, and to reinforce the learning.
The author is quite a funny guy, reminds me of Ricky Gervais a bit, which is refreshing and keeps you listening for the next funny bit.
The information is presented so well, and I learnt so much about how and why music works, and how and why it makes one feel the way it does, I can't say enough good things about this book.
If you're interested in the science of music, or are starting out with an instrument you'll find this book has a breadth and depth of knowledge that explains so much more than any other single source.
Also, I would say that since having listened to this material, my appreciation of all music has been enhanced. I appreciate the skill in making great sounds so much more.
Any additional comments?
This book has a ton of information, which may or may not be interesting or useful to you. If you don't like learning for the pleasure of it, or are not really interested in how music works, you probably won't enjoy this book. But if you do, then you'll love it.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Chad Garber
- 01-21-12
I recommend this to anyone who is in to music!
Would you listen to How Music Works again? Why?
I would listen to this again so that I could brush up on some of the very helpful points this book makes.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Joiee
- 07-30-12
Great starter read for music theory
Where does How Music Works rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Top 5%. The way it explains the theory is exceptionally understandable.
What did you like best about this story?
The way the author incorporates music pieces into the audio book
Which scene was your favorite?
The chapter for how to bring out emotion.
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- Knut
- 01-21-13
Gives you the understanding and the connections
Would you consider the audio edition of How Music Works to be better than the print version?
I have only been through the audible version
What was one of the most memorable moments of How Music Works?
The explanation of connection between the various frequences
What about Walter Dixon’s performance did you like?
Everything was ok, very clear reading
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No
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- J. C.
- 02-19-14
Very good
Actually I liked it read by an American with intermittent blurbs read by the British author. It was really neat. I learned a lot and had fun listening. Highly recommended! The narration is wonderful. Add a little multi media with some music thrown in, and you have a winner! Loved it.
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- Binary Lady
- 07-22-21
Best book on music theory
This book tied threads together for me in a way no other text could. As a music theory book it is far better than the book with the same name by David Byrne (sorry David). Powell reduces everything complex and daunting about music theory to algebraic fundamentals. I think there is something here for every level.
The narrator is great and I love the author popping in at intervals with his wonderful accent to demonstrate a concept.
Please write more books, Powell! Perhaps one about the process of creating music?
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- G. White
- 12-20-22
I tremendously enjoyed this book
It was great - I’ve been looking for a book like this for years. Very easy to follow.
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