Books to start reading

ohnecael · Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2018 12:28 pm Post subject: Books to start reading

I'm 16 and I've come to the decision that I want to so something music in some capacity. I want to learn as much as I can from music literature and would appreciate any recommendations!

Turkle · Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2018 12:42 pm Post subject:

When I feel like I need inspiration, I like reading the autobiographies and biographies of the greats. Louis, Miles, Dizzy, and Clark Terry wrote great autobiographies that should be must-reads for all trumpet players.

Art Taylor's collection of interviews, "Notes and Tones," is an indispensable jazz document that I think all musicians should read.

I am very much looking forward to digging into Scotty Barnhart's "The World of Jazz Trumpet," as well as Terry Teachout's "Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington," both of which are on my "to-read" bookshelf.

Good luck!
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kehaulani · Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2018 1:44 pm Post subject:

It depends on your taste in music.

One of the most compelling jazz bios I've read is "Straight Life" by Art Pepper.
Not in the same league, but Harry James' biography, "Trumpet Blues" is revealing.
"Finding Bix".
"So What, the life of Miles Davis".
"Chet Baker, His Life and Music" by de Valk.

"Stravinsky" by Vera Stravinsky and Robert Craft. (If you're brave enough.)
Leonard Bernstein: His Life" by Humphry Burton.
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aaron · Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 3:50 pm Post subject:

Honestly if you want to learn about music at this stage, you'll get a lot more out of listening to recordings and going to as many concerts as you can. Listen to absolutely everything you can get your hands on.

If you hear something you like, listen to more things like that. So, if you hear a Mahler symphony and love it, listen to more music by Mahler, then check out Strauss or Wagner. If you like Miles Davis, listen to as much Miles as you can, and branch out by finding albums by his sidemen. It's fun to get lost down a rabbit hole.

There are obviously countless great books about music - a great "instructional" one is The Practice Revolution. If you just want to learn about the world of music and get some more listening ideas, check out The Rest Is Noise.

dstdenis · Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 5:09 pm Post subject:

Sound in Motion: A Performer's Guide to Greater Musical Expression, by David McGill. Great insights into musicianship and phrasing. Draws heavily on the teaching of Marcel Tabuteau, and McGill takes it further. Great read, and something you can pull out and refer back to as a refresher every now and then.
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JoseLindE4 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 18 Apr 2003 Posts: 791

Sound In Motion is fantastic. The combination of studying this book and wrapping my mind around Tommy Steven's Schlossberg Rules (video is available for rent or purchase on Amazon) has been transformative for my musicianship (both teaching and playing) over the past year or so. I feel like I have new ears.

More brass focused, I think Teaching Brass by Kristian Steenstrup is the best book on brass playing and pedagogy ever written.

Bruce Adolphe's The Mind's Ear is a really good set of practical exercises for developing your musical imagination.

Turkle · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2018 5:23 am Post subject:

Jim19043 · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2020 10:41 am Post subject:

Scotty Barnhart's book is outstanding. I agree with aaron that you should listen to everything you can, and attend concerts too. Broaden your horizons and experience by keeping an open mind and open ears and open eyes.
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Gregory Gilmore · Veteran Member Joined: 20 Oct 2005 Posts: 128

"The Composers Advocate" by Eric Leinsdorf

JayKosta · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2020 1:47 pm Post subject: Re: Books to start reading

Frank Bronte · Regular Member Joined: 13 Oct 2020 Posts: 12

Read Scotty Barnhart's The World of the Jazz Trumpet. I am sure you will enjoy this book. But I would also like to recommend a book of a different genre. I am currently reading Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Crimson Letter. The novel is set in the Puritan colony of Massachusetts Bay between 1642 and 1649. This book is ambiguous, so I also read articles https://studydriver.com/the-scarlet-letter-the-puritan-society/ For example, Chapter 23 contains many symbols, such as the Reverend Dimmesdale's confession, that could be misinterpreted.

davenacy · Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 7:57 pm Post subject: Consider an audio book approach

The “The Other Side of The Bell” Bob Reeves collection of podcasts are an invaluable reference packed with a wide range of music industry professionals.

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