How Music Works
The Science and Psychology of Beautiful Sounds, from Beethoven to the Beatles and Beyond
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How Music Works
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Narrated by:
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Walter Dixon
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By:
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John Powell
About this listen
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.
©2010 John Powell (P)2010 Gildan Media CorpCritic Reviews
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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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- J
- 26-02-2023
Very good book for beginners
I'm a total noob in music. When my parents brought me to a music school when I was 6, the music teacher after the first audition took my parents aside and suggested sending me to a football school. That's how my love story with music ended. Though I always was curious was I missed if I stayed in music. And that booked answered most of my question. Another brilliant feature of this book is extra bits from the author where he provides examples of what he wrote about in the chapter. You just can't get it in a paper book. The only reason why I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is that the audio book misses all pictures for the paper book. And they do help a lot to beginners to understand what's going on there.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tom S
- 09-03-2023
Entertaining and informative
As someone just starting out with music, all the information was easily understood and just what I'm looking for. I appreciate the light-hearted way the author writes and taking full advantage of the audiobook medium to play examples of the described sounds. The narrator was very enjoyable to listen to!
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