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The Music Lesson  By  cover art

The Music Lesson

By: Victor L. Wooten
Narrated by: Victor L. Wooten, Michael Kott, Chuck Rainey, Sam Hunter, Radmila Bowers, Regi Wooten, JD Blair, Steve Bailey, Dorothy Wooten, Kaila Wooten, Jonathan Chase
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Publisher's summary

"Boy, do I have a lot to learn!" Anyone who's ever picked up a musical instrument of any kind - from the first caveman banging rocks to that little kid at the guitar shop - has thought that. I know I did. I'd been trying for years to break in to the music scene, to show everyone my chops, to make my mark. And I was good. But I wasn't great. I knew that there was something wrong.

"Then the teacher showed up. I didn't ask for him. I didn't think I needed him. And all he said he could teach me was 'nothing'.

"What happened next, you may not believe...I sure didn't...but that didn't stop him."

The Music Lesson is the inspiring story of a young bass player and the lessons he learns about Life, Music, and the Life of Music. Throughout this audiobook is new, original music written by Victor Wooten and a bonus performance by the original supergroup Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.

©2006 Victor L. Wooten (P)2010 Tantor

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What listeners say about The Music Lesson

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Surprise like no other!

This buy was a shot in the dark. Never heard of Victor or this book. My expectations were very low. But I needed to motivate myself as I could not bring myself to practising my guitar. So I gave this one a try and Lord ... whata a find. I love how the words are backed by music in the background (although I find Mike's performance irritatingly overacted) and I can't get enough of the content. Music as mystery and invisible mighty force. No phony stuff and cheap superficial spiritualism (at least to my mind). That's what you will find there.

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42 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Zen Bass

Any additional comments?

This is similar to the books 'Zen Guitar' and 'Effortless Mastery', except it focuses on a bass player instead of a guitar player. Another differentiator is that this audio book is punctuated with great music. (Except for the musical subvocalizations when 'Music' is speaking, which are really distracting). The stories are fantastical on purpose - he is trying to illustrate and emphasize his points about music (and life). The strictly literal minded will probably not like this book. Ditto for people who think "notes" are the end-all and be-all of music. Ditto for the people who only like one style of music and hold all other forms of musical expression in disdain. I think this book should be nearly required listening for all musicians. I've listened to it 3 times now. It is great.

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

20 years too late

Truthfully, it's right on time. I think the book should have been called 'The Lesson'. Although Wooten presents this is a dialogue primarily about music between teacher and student, the concepts are equally transferable to any subject. Reminiscent of 'Zen and the Art of Archery'.

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

I wanted to like it....

but, in the end there is no way I could recommend it.

Unlike others who have been critical, I did listen to the very end. I'm sure Victor Wooten is a fine musician that really feels passionately about the importance of music, but this is poorly written new-age psycho-babble with music playing the part of mother earth.

I was hanging with it for about the first half, actually admiring most of the voices of the different characters, and the way music was interwoven in the background to reinforce points being made in the text. But in the end it just went too far. The story broke down into a new age cliches, bad math, and a comically bad voice/sounds for the personified music.

Basically, I would never encourage anyone I knew to read, listen to, or even borrow the book.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Deeply Profound

There is an old saying, "When the student is ready, the master will appear." That's how this book is setup, with the author's teacher showing up to teach a professional bass player how to play music, and that's how this book found its way to me. It was the right message at the right time, and there is simply not enough I can say about it that will sing its praises properly.

There are a great many self-help books out there, just as there are a great many musical instruction books and books on fundamental spirituality. This book is all three at once - a masterpiece in its own right - and so much more. Sometimes for a message that's always been with us to be heard properly is for it to be presented in a new way, providing that shift in focus that clicks everything into place. Being musically inclined, that's precisely what this audiobook did for me.

As a narrator, Wooten is superb. He tells the story in such a way that we are learning right along with him at the feet of a teacher who will show us "nothing." Indeed, that's the whole message of the story, that we already know everything we need to know. From another person, this message might seem unbelievable or completely trite, but Wooten's tale makes you believe it. If I have one regret about this book, it's that it sat in my wish list for far too long... but then, perhaps I wasn't ready for it until now.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A must for music lovers

A entertaining book that weaves perspective and philosophy into an engaging story.
The Music Lesson offer unique insights from one of the world's most talented musicians.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great creativity and inspiration for musicians

This audiobook is pure joy to listen to, and the production is totally amazing. It is addressed to musicians in particular, and it is of great inspiration and depth.
A full five stars.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Good, but Cheeky.

A very good book, at the start, but quickly became too cheeky and new age-y for my taste. Not in the sense that music is esoteric, but in that Wooten's ideas begin to spread into non-music. The adventure into mystical oneness gets tiring and made the book run on. Overall, though, a lot of good info on thinking about music differently than our instructors would teach. Although, his belief that we don't think about language when we speak and so we needn't think about music to play, seems a little false, since Victor is speaking beyond the element of a newbie to the instrument.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Uplifting and Inspiring

Would you consider the audio edition of The Music Lesson to be better than the print version?

Havent read the print version but hearing Victor Wooten read is great.

What did you like best about this story?

Hearing Victors songs in the background and during chapter transitions

Which scene was your favorite?

Listening to the lady with her crystal ball talk about the number 0

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When he talks about Music as an entity not just something produced by humans

Any additional comments?

A must read for aspiring musicians

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Even better than the book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I read the book and enjoyed it immensely. The thing that I liked about it is that it brought the dialogue to life. Having an ensemble cast really added to the content.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Music Lesson?

The first time that I heard him play and demonstrate the concept that the book was talking about. Great stuff.

Which character – as performed by Victor L. Wooten – was your favorite?

Michael

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

It was definitely entertaining. I'll listen to it again and again!

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8 people found this helpful