Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within [Paperback] Review

I am only about 3/4s through this book, and I couldn't be more enthusiastic. I happen to love Kenny Werner's piano playing--always heard him and thought "Well, I'll never sound like THAT!"-- only toread his book and have him address this very attitude with unbelievableaccuracy.I've already changed the way that I practice my instruments, andI just put some of his approach to work in a 3 day recording session withsome players that I admire very much. While I had couple of briefself-doubt meltdowns, the whole experience was so much easier than I hadeven hoped for, and yes, even "effortless" at times. I know thatchanging my perspective, and my expectations made a huge difference in myability to enjoy the moment, and as a result, the music that came forth. Iam recommending this book for anyone who has ever played a musicalinstrument--at ANY level--and stopped, even if it was a long time ago. Thisbook explains what might have gotten in your way of the music-makingexperience. I also want to recommend it to those of us who playprofessionally but are either frustrated with our own progress or just notenjoying it as much as we did when we were young. There's no reason musiccan't be that fun again.

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Product Description:
Paperback book and CD set. Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within is a book for any musician who finds themselves having reached a plateau in their development. Werner, a masterful jazz pianist in his own right, uses his own life story and experiences to explore the barriers to creativity and mastery of music, and in the process reveals that "Mastery is available to everyone," providing practical, detailed ways to move towards greater confidence and proficiency in any endeavor. While Werner is a musician, the concepts presented are for every profession or life-style where there is a need for free-flowing, effortless thinking. Book also includes an audio CD of meditations narrated by Kenny to help the musician reach a place of relaxed focus.

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Drummin' Men: The Heartbeat of Jazz The Bebop Years [Paperback] Review

A book about bebop drummers needs to explain 1) what bebop drumming consists of and 2) how the styles of the various drummers profiled diverge. This book does not do either. Instead we are told that drummer after drummer after drummer has "a great feel" and "great time"; we learn nothing.

If it were just that I'd give the book another star for its sketchy and scattered biographical information, but considering how badly written the book is, I can't justify it.

I suggest instead that you buy a copy of "The Grove Dictionary of Jazz" and look up the entry for each famous drummer you want to know about. You'll learn a lot more and have a much better time doing it.

For transcriptions consult Modern Drummer magazine.

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