Progressive Rock Keyboard: Hal Leonard Keyboard Style Series [Paperback] Review

I don't why anyone has'nt written a review for this book yet. Its perfect, and the accompanying CD is so helpful to help learn the rhythms of progressive rock keyboard. I would greatly recommend this book if you are sick of playing yankee doodle or any other book with boring sheet music. Contained in the book is an adequate description of the genre and presents perfect examples that you can learn. I found this book very satisfying and not too hard. I also have the rock keyboard and find that one great as well. So do buy these books.

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Product Description:
From the classic sounds of the '70s to modern progressive stylings, this book/CD provides you with the theory and technique to play and compose in a multitude of prog rock styles. You'll learn how soloing techniques, form, rhythmic and metrical devices, harmony, and counterpoint all come together to make this style of rock the unique and exciting genre it is. Also included is an introduction to classic and contemporary keyboard instruments and sounds, and how they can be used in different combinations to produce authentic-sounding keyboard parts. The accompanying CD features many of the examples covered in the book, as well as six complete progressive rock songs recorded by a real band.

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Teach Yourself Chords and Progressions at the Keyboard (Book & CD) [Paperback] Review

This is a wonderful book, if you're interested in learning how to put chords together to create music at the piano. It teaches you all the basic progressions and provides many beautiful samples of how to put them into action. I'm writing mostly to counterbalance the one other review that appears here. That person made a mistake on their order, thinking that they were buying a book that provided a list of all the chords. Undoubtedly, such a book could be a useful tool, perhaps especially in conjunction with this book. If you read the description of this book, you will clearly see what it offers. I recommend it.

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Teach Yourself Chords & Progressions at the Keyboardwill have you playing great chords and progressions right from the beginning. You will learn how to build and organize all the traditional jazz chords into progressions in every key. As you progress, you will learn how to comp, create new bass rhythms and improvise from chord symbols using blues and ii-V progressions. Also included are unique arrangements demonstrating how to play in the style of Meade Lux Lewis, Erroll Garner and Bill Evans.

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Pictures of an Exhibitionist: From the Nice to Emerson Lake and Palmer - The True Story of the Man Who Changed the Sound of Rock [Paperback] Review

Like the other reviewers here, I was and am a big ELP fan. As soon I heard Keith Emerson's playing, I was dumb-struck by his virtuosity and musical vision, one that, alas, did not play out too well over the years. I eagerly awaited this book, mainly because I wanted to hear what Keith Emerson had to say about his music.
There's a scene in "Spinal Tap" when David St. Hubbins is playing a beautiful piano piece and Rob Reiner asks him what the music is called . St. Hubbins replies "Lift my Love Pump." Well, I think that might sum up this book, and I can't say I wasn't warned by the title.
There are virtues here, however. Emerson has a breezy, conversational writing style that goes down easy, and he doesn't write a self-serving book in the least. The first part of the book, from his childhood to his breaking up the Nice is the best part, funny, and heartwarming. It struck me how much Emerson loved Lee Jackson and Brian Davidson, and the affection for his once and future bandmates mixed well with the stories. I often found myself laughing out loud.
The ELP and after sections are troubled. It's clear Emerson never liked Lake, and had a brotherly and patronizing attitude towards Palmer. But love between bandmates doesn't necessarily make great music, however, after reading this book and listening to the ELP oveure, I finally sensed the coldness that so many critics complained about.
The descent into drugs, the sadness of an abortion caused by miscommunication, the wrecking of Emerson's hand and the subsequent operations all make the second half of the book more than a bit sad. Emerson might have toned his words for this part of the book, but it continues in a breakneck and breezy manner, giving the impression (false I'm sure) that Emerson didn't care about these things.
My biggest complaint, however, is that he hardly discusses the music at all.I would have put up with hijinx and lines of coke with Bonzo better if he had talked about composing Tarkus more.
Still, for a proghead and synthfool like me, Pics of Ex is worth reading, even if the God of the Moog diminishes himself.

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GarageBand '09 Power! (Artistpro) [Paperback] Review

"The simplification of anything is always sensational," noted G.K. Chesterton. Apple has continually simplified everything: made it easier, not harder, smaller, not bigger, cleaner, not more cluttered, more, not less accessible. Snow Leopard, for instance, has half the footprint of the previous operating system version. Everything in iLife '09, including Garage Band, is sensationally simple.

So why do you need this book? Maybe you don't. I went to a free Garage Band seminar at the Apple Store. There were two of us. One of us was familiar with Logic Pro, and asked very technical questions. The other wasn't familiar at all, and asked how to plug in a keyboard. While it's not obvious, I was the second guy. It was all so amazingly simple, until I got home. And there's an on-screen tutorial. But I'm a book guy. Isn't there a book? I asked. There was. Not at the Apple Store. At Amazon. This is it.

You don't need this book if you want to just dive in and play with Garage Band. But this book, which starts very simply, also answers all the questions of the tech guy who knows Logic Pro. I asked a lot of questions at the Genius Bar at the Apple Store which are answered in this book. Like, can I upgrade my G4 Macs to run OS 10 Leopard, iLife '09 and iWork '09? The answer is yes, and I did. The only parts it won't run is part of Garage Band called "Learn to Play" and iMovie, which need the new Intel processor in a G5. The latter is a great loss, as Garage Band and iMovie on a G5 work seamlessly together, but it's amazing a G4 could even run Leopard by simply adding more memory (Snow Leopard is designed especially for the G5). New Macs (G5s) come with iLife '09 (which has Garage Band) already included.

This book is really a workbook, a big, 400 plus page, oversize paperback with large print and lots of graphics and screen shots. The author answered my questions about what kind of keyboard and mike to buy, the different sorts of hookups like USB and firewire, and the simplest way to get started playing (you don't need to plug anything in if you want to play all virtual instruments). The author shows how Apple has updated GB from the first version (which I had on my G4s), and their genius for simplifying things: when you click on a tab, instead of more options engulfing the screen, you only get a few, the optimum ones for your instrument or settings. If you want others, they're all really still there, merely hidden, which makes it easy, clean, and classy.

The author continually explains Apple terminology, which makes the book redundant, but that's what you want. It increases the chances of leafing through it and finding the parts you want. There's a great index in the back, and a list of everything included in the various, optional, royalty-free Garage Band jam packs. There's also a list of keyboard shortcuts, a feature I liked so much in the Dummy and Idiot books for PCs and Macs.

Beginners can learn to play guitar or piano on Garage Band. Guys like me can plug in and play, add virtual instruments, mix, morph, and mess with the whole thing. My friends Matt and Dave, who are audio geniuses, could record their bands, and make entire studio albums and podcasts. This book will help music lovers at any level to experience and enjoy the simplicity and power of Garage Band.

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Product Description:
Ready to explore music composition, recording, podcasting, audio/video blogging, remixing/mashing, and sound design for video editing or DVD creation with GarageBand? Great! This book will show you how. GarageBand is one of the most powerful and user-friendly tools available for capturing and manipulating sound, and the best part is, it comes free with your Mac! Although GarageBand has always been easy to use, it provides an amazing amount of power and sophistication to users who really want to dig in and get the most out of it. GarageBand ?09 Power! provides an easy-to-understand, detailed guide for how to make professional-sounding music, podcasts, soundtracks, mixes, mashups, and much more with the newest version of GarageBand. Through the use of screenshots, tutorials, creative jumping-off points, real-world examples, and a conversational, personal tone, this book will teach you how to use GarageBand to create music, record and publish podcasts, or even score your own movie. Whether you?re just starting out with audio creation, or you are already familiar with GarageBand and simply want to take your skills to the next level, GarageBand ?09 Power! is for you..

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Blues, Jazz and Rock Riffs for Keyboards (Instructional) [Paperback] Review

This is a good book for anyone who hasn't played much rock or blues.The book is full of riffs - however, I found that there were sometimes riffs that were almost identical.You might play 2 pages of riffs, but it really is 2-3 riffs with some variations.

I'm not saying that this is particularly bad - especially if you would benefit from working on and perfecting some good finger patterns.These are mainly usable riffs and if you got used to playing them, I think you'd find that you use them a lot.

One of my favorite parts of this book happens to be when Mr. Eveleth writes short compositions that use these riffs one right after the other.This really gives a feel as to how you might go about using these riffs in a practical setting.

Also, almost everything is in the key of C.There are some benefits to this - but if you're going to get your money from this book, better be ready to either write out transpostions, or better yet, learn to transpose in your head.If you get all these riffs down in C, F, G and perhaps Bb and Eb, you will be able to play them without problem in most of the songs you'll come across.

I didn't personally spend much time with this book.I read through it once at the keyboard - played around with the compositions a bit, played the riffs that I liked in a few keys and otherwise, I only get it out once in a while to find a new finger pattern or idea.

This is a pretty good book if you take into consideration a few of the limiations I've mentioned!I would recommend it!

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Product Description:
This book presents a practical approach to improvising through a system of patterns in a traditional blues style. Because so much of today's popular music has its roots in blues, the material included here is a vital component of jazz, rock, RandB, gospel, soul, and even pop. The author has compiled actual licks, riffs, turnaround phrases, embellishments, and basic patterns that define good piano blues and can be used as a basis for players to explore and create their own style.

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The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Piano Chords (Pocket Idiot's Guides) [Paperback] Review

I am one of those who used to play (classical) piano.I had lessons for 8 years in my youth, and continued to play for pleasure for about 15 years as I reared my children.Then.... the decades passed and I quit.Recently, at a friend's house, I discovered an old edition of Charles Cooke's "Playing the Piano for Pleasure."I read it on the train home and it has provided the motivation I needed in my retirement to bring piano pleasure back into my life.[That book, originally published in 1940 is still the best thing around for such as me who want to start practicing and playing again, building on what was learned previously.]

Soon after, I began browsing the music sections of bookstores, and found this little pocket gem.All my life (or at least my piano-playing life) I had wanted to be able to play the piano to accompany tunes at sing alongs but never knew how to do it.I (mistakenly) thought you had to be able to "play by ear", a gift I (mistakenly) thought was restricted to a few.

This little book takes the mystery out of how to accompany thousands of songs by knowing a few simple things about chords and how to pick and mix them. With not much practice and a good fake book, and following the advice in this little book, you will soon be able to switch back and forth from classical to pop. If you learned classical piano and want to be able to play along at family sing togethers, run don't walk and buy this little gem.

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Product Description:
Tired of playing Chopsticks?

The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Piano Chords takes the intimidation out of learning to play the piano with a quick and easy method for playing the songs everyone loves-without having to read complex musical notation. This non-classical method of piano playing will teach readers the basics of keyboard geography, chords, scales, pattern progressions, and reading lead sheets.

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Chords and Progressions For Jazz and Popular Keyboard - Baker (Music Sales America) [Paperback] Review

In this book, Kenneth shows you different kinds of chord progression, mostly leading to the Tonic ( I chord ).He explains the use of all kinds of chords, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, etc. and how these can be applied in yourchord progressions. Examples are given and there are just tons ofinformation on how to add 'color' to your progressions. An excellent book.

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Product Description:
The most complete set of chord charts ever published, covering 576 chords in every key. Fully explains the use of modern chord symbols and the use in modern harmony of chords. All left-hand fingerings given.

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