Product Description

Practical Instruction on the Art and Science of Acoustic Design and Architecture

Build your own acoustic environments such as recording studios, control rooms, and home listening rooms with expert insights from two engineering professionals. Fully expanded to cover the latest methods and software tools, Master Handbook of Acoustics, Fifth Edition presents clear explanations of acoustic phenomena and provides a hands-on approach to room design. Learn how to perform acoustic measurements, choose room dimensions, assign speaker placement, analyze response curves, and design and install sound absorbers and diffusers. You will also find details on how to fine-tune room reverberation, minimize external noise, and apply psychoacoustic concepts.

Master Handbook of Acoustics, Fifth Edition explains how to:

• Determine how sound propagates in open and enclosed spaces
• Measure sound-pressure levels and work with decibels
• Analyze the characteristics of room modal resonances
• Treat rooms for optimal early reflections, reverberation, and diffusion
• Minimize acoustic distortion, comb-filter effects, and HVAC interference
• Construct high-quality stereo and surround-sound listening rooms
• Design personal and professional recording studios and control rooms
• Understand the acoustics of auditoriums and concert halls
• Optimize room designs using measurement, modeling, and auralization software

Customer Reviews (33)

A gem-filled treasure
This is the best technical book I've ever read. Virtually every page has useful information that has furthered my understanding of acoustics. I've never read a technical book from cover to cover before, but that is what I'm doing with the Handbook. There are plenty of graphs, pictures and diagrams to support the text. The equations provided are all algebraic; no math degree is required to read it.

Only the last two chapters seem out of place. They outline the design of some acoustical software and would mostly be of interest to people writing such software. Still, don't let this dissuade you; the rest of the book is well worth the price.

Highest recommendation!

Great for newbies and the accomplished
This is a great book to fill in some of the technical nuances of sound/acoustics. If you are recording, then you are recording sound whether the source is digital or analog. This book gives details on the nature of sound, how the acoustics of the recording space effect the perception and actuality of the sound, and many other topics which are typically glossed over in other recording engineering books. Definitely a must have for anyone serious about doing their own recording, especially if it is done in your own space.

Its what I asked for
The book came within the time it said it will and is as new as any new book

Useful information but spotty on fundamentals
As an example of the former, they explain that inexpensive semirigid fiberglas board actually performs better than the far more-expensive Sonex.

As an example of the latter, the following non-sequiturical sentence is used to explain sound transmission class (STC): "After comparing the measured graph with the standard
contour, the STC of the panel is the TL value of the standard contour at 500 Hz."

Should be on every studio operator's bookshelf
The title is a little misleading. If you're looking for a general textbook on acoustics, this isn't it. If you're looking for a book on architectural acoustics, this isn't it. If you're looking for a highly technical reference on the physics of sound, this isn't really that, either.

But if you have a recording studio, even if it's a converted basement, garage or bedroom, this book is packed with information you can use. The math is easy enough that it won't intimidate anyone, and the text is easy to read.

If you're struggling to get your mixes to translate, acoustic treatment is your salvation, and after reading this book you'll know what needs to be done. Furthermore, you'll be armed with information that will help you defend yourself from acoustic treatment vendors hawking ineffective, overpriced acoustic products.

... Read more

Product Description

A complete collection of all three Acoustic Guitar Method books and CDs in one volume! Learn how to play guitar with the only beginning method based on traditional American music that teaches you authentic techniques and songs. Beginning with a few basic chords and strums, you'll start right in learning real music drawn from blues, folk, country and bluegrass traditions. You'll learn how to find notes on the fingerboard, expand your collection of chords by learning songs in various keys, and learn different kinds of picking patterns. When you're done with this method series, you'll know dozens of the tunes that form the backbone of American music, using a variety of flatpicking and fingerpicking techniques.

Customer Reviews (13)

Very Well Done!
David Hamburger has put together a wonderful beginning course for those that want to learn to play the acoustic guitar. I have the book and the DVD set. Each, on their own, is a VERY good resource. Together they are fantastic. Everything positive that is said about this course in the other reviews is absolutely true. Whether you read the book or watch the video, Hamburger comes off as someone who has thought about the best way to communicate to a new learner. The extras on essential listening and other information just make this superb instructional material that much better.

If you are thinking about buying this material don't hesitate. Get it today. You'll be glad that you did.

The Right Stuff for beginning guitarists...
This book is excellent for beginning to intermediate acoustic guitarists 10 yrs. old and up.It's not the be-all and end-all, but does the job quite nicely.I've been using it to teach 3rd to 10th grade students privately for about 2 years now. It is a little light on teaching how to read the treble clef, but the tab explanations are clear.It has very good examples on the CD's also, which should definitely be part of the learning process.

Not bad
Not bad.Starts simple and builds as you go along.Overall, if you're looking for a teach-yourself book, this one is not a bad place to start.

awesome book!
i went into this book knowing most of the things he talks about but i still learned a lot from his method. he teaches you to play and sing along, which drastically improves your playing ability. although the concepts discussed are simple, there is a lot of basic stuff covered that you need to know as a guitar player, such as chord progressions.
the biggest advantage to this book is the play and learn method. if you're just after theory, "try play guitar in ten easy lessons".

The next best thing to lessons
I've strummed my acoustic guitar since the heyday of the Kingston Trio, briefly taking lessons, and plowing through Lord knows how many "easy guitar method" books.
But only after I stumbled onto Hamburger's book did I really begin to play. His common sense explanations, practice exercises and recorded examples--played a tempo and then slow--have given me confidence. While his lessons are basic, the text is rooted in serious musicianship and musical theory, and does not insult my intelligence as an experienced choral singer.
I've learned more from Hamburger's book in a a few weeks than I had in
40 years. ... Read more

Product Description
With the advances in digital technology, musicians can now produce their own music at home. Over the years the gear has gotten much better, and musicians have learned a great deal about recording. So why do so many musicians and engineers have difficulty getting truly professional-sounding results? One reason? Acoustics. If the room you're working in has poor acoustics, it will be extremely difficult -- if not impossible -- to produce excellent results. You can't capture a true sound if the microphones don't hear the instruments and vocals correctly. You have to be able to hear what's truly going on with your tracks to make the proper decisions about editing, equalizing, processing, and mixing them. Acoustics can be a complex, math-laden science, but treating a room to make it sound great and function optimally as a recording studio needn't be difficult nor require hours in front of a calculator or computer screen. Improving a studio's acoustics can be simple and inexpensive -- all you need is some guidance. Acoustic Design for the Home Studio focuses on creating a greatsounding home or project studio in an existing room. It teaches the basic principles of acoustics that affect you in your home or project studio and how to solve any acoustical problems you may have without laying out much (or any) money. Whether you're converting abedroom, a garage, a basement, or a corner of the living room, this book will help you improve the sound of the environment in which you're making music.The principles are easy to understand and the materials used for treating a room are readily available. Diagrams and photos of actual rooms created with the designs are included to illustrate concepts. Whether you want to pursue a no-cost solution, use "off -the-shelf" acoustic materials, or even splurgewith an unlimited budget, you'll learn how to put your room together easily and effectively. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Easy reading and essential for a home studio
Easy, quick read that sort of gives you what you need to know in order to build you own home recording space.I would have preferred a bit heavier on the technical side, but it does give you what you really need to know with plenty of practical examples.

Great book with the answers you need for in-home studios
I found this to be the only book that specifically deals with how to best treat an in-house studio without having to completely overall the construction and materials of the space.It had all the answers I was looking for and was a very easy and to the point read.

The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is the discussion and explanation on sound physics is fairly brief and could have been used further into the book, but that also could be overkill for some.Definitely recommended!

top notch book very informative
this is great book but you'll need money, time and space to build
the rooms to have proper acoustics. I also recommend calling John Hile at the Soundproofing Company to get a great deal on Green Glue and sound isolation clips

Excellent instructional and reference book
This book demonstrates very simple and cost effective ways to improve any space in your home for critical listening.Highly recommended.

Great book
This is a really good book.I am in the process of acoustically treating my home studio right now and this book was like my Bible haha!If you are wanting to learn about acoustic treatment and/or are needing to know what to do with your home studio I highly recommend this book!It's really easy to understand and a good read! ... Read more

Product Description
Landmark book by leading expert, hailed for its astonishingly clear, delightfully readable explication of everything acoustical important to music-making. "Comprehensive...rigorous...well-organized ...will surely be the text of choice."—American Scientist. "Recommended for music lovers and audiophiles"—Stereo Review. Over 300 illustrations. Examples, experiments and questions conclude each chapter.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Toots his horn too much
I was looking for a book to enrich my knowledge of acoustics and musical instruments. Having a BS in mechanical engineering, I am not a stranger to differential equations, but I don't particularly want to spend my leisure time solving them. This book is not for someone like me. This book is for someone who wants to read a novel about musical acoustics. Physical descriptions are not concise, but rife with draw out analogies. The ideas are miles apart. After having read a good deal of technical material I have come to expect a certain cold precision in descriptions of physical phenomena. This book doesn't deliver what I wanted. Now I get to decide if it is really worth the effort of extracting whatever knowledge I can.

Excellent for Musician's
I found this book to be fascinating and fairly easy to read. It comes in handy for me because I'm a musicianwho also makes instruments. It has a lot of examples to solidly explain the idea's.

A useful book for musicians
This is a great book for musicians (or soundpersons) who are not afraid of some high school level physics. Benade, a musician himself, gives details about individual instruments, their playing quirks, and imperfections in intonation. If you like to tinker with instruments, this book is for you. There is an amazing amount of detail. Your respect for instrument designers will grow as you learn about the compromises they must deal with.

Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics
An excellent text for a sound course for both physics majors and other majors.(speech and hearing and music, for example).

Great for instrument makers
A Benade's Fundamentals of musical acoustics is a great book for any musician or instrument maker. Is absolutely affordable for general people, no maths knowledge needed except a very basic. The author has a great writting style that transforms hard concepts into available things

Angel Sampedro del Río, Asociación Argentina de Luthiers ... Read more

Product Description
Every guitarist dreams of owning a handmade instrument, but for most, the cost is likely to be prohibitive. The alternative - building your own fine guitar - is not as difficult as you might imagine, given some skill, patience, and the expert guidance of a master luthier. Every step of construction is fully covered, from choice, selection, and preparation of woods, to consideration of size, bracing, and tonal qualities. Each step of the building sequence is clearly photographed in color, with variations to the standard design shown to enable you to personalize your instrument as you make it. Briston, England-based Jonathan Kinkead has been building guitars for nearly 30 years. His craft is born out of experience and intuition rather than a strict following of technical detail. The resulting beauty of form and distinctive tone have earned him his reputation as one of the world's most respected independent luthiers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

guitarmaking
Excellent - met my expectations - you REALLY can make a guitar by following the instructions

Bill

Very Good Book for Experienced Amateurs
I am a professional guitar maker who learned the craft primarily with the wonderful Cumpiano/Natleson text.I own nearly every modern book on the subject.

This book is nicely produced.It makes great use of clear, well lit color photographs.It touches on every subject from wood selection to alternate finish methods with concise and accurate information.

What appeals to me about this book as an experienced luthier is that it offers several "new" (to me) methods to accomplish various tasks.I have found some of these to be quite useful.You see, I live in a rural area and have little contact (at least not regular contact) with other luthiers so my career has been filled with lots of trial and error.

For example, I like to install pearl inlay on my guitar necks and headstocks.It is usually in dark wood (ebony, rosewood).It is very difficult to trace the pattern on this wood in such a way that it is clearly visible when excavating the cavity to accept the pearl.Kinkead showed me a clear and simple (aren't all the tough problems solved by simple solutions?) solution.Mask the area with WHITE masking tape and then trace with a pencil.Cut the pattern out with an x-acto knife and viola!You have a crystal clear pattern that is easy to see when routing the cavity.

There are many similar examples.I find this book to be my new go-to book after the Cumpiano text.As far as how effective it would be for a newbie, I can't say for sure as I haven't built a instrument from beginning to end following this text.However, based on the quality of illustration, information and my familiarity with the subject, I see no reason why a new student could not successfully build an instrument following this text alone.

Congratulations to Mr. Kinkead.There are many books on this subject but few that are worth the price.His method is economical, practical and clearly expressed.I recommend this book highly to those interested in the craft be they experienced or new to lutherie.

Very good guide with many, many photos
Great resource for aspiring guitar builder. Although the author doesn't go as deep as I would like into some parts (Pretty much minor stuff that can be easily looked up on the internet), the book is well written and it reads great. Enclosed are plans for a guitar (I think it was drednaught model). The book is full of photos of many guitars and one of them is documented while built (Maybe it was more than one guitar, but nevertheless he didn't skip any part. The book includes many tips for (e.g. how to substitute certain tools that you may have not access to). On the other side that is the only problem as well. While the author assumes that you may not have for example thickness sander and presents a way to plane the wood by hand with few tips how not to chip or otherwise damage the wood while doing so, on some other page he assumes that you have access to something called Go-bar press, which I assume is not that hard to make, but as he himself claims you will probably not build one until you have built few guitars as it is not worth it, but he won't present any substitute anyway. Well, it's not that hard to think of something yourself.

Maybe one other issue, he sticks to only one guitar design in the whole book. He discusses few other woods and claims that for example Hawaian Koa cannot be thickness sanded due to it's oily, figured nature, that it is hard to do by hand and things like that, but he doesn't discuss how to deal with these kinds of wood anyway. That was something I would love to know, I was thinking of building a Koa instrument as my first acoustic project. Well I guess I will not risk that now as the wood is too expensive to destroy on first attempt and he says it's not that easy to work with.

Anyway, overall great value (for a beginner anyway, I can imagine there are some books discussing the subject deeper for intermediate luthiers), catching book and I think great gift for any acoustic player as I cannot imagine any who wouldn't want to learn about how that piece of wood he plays was made.

By the way, I didn't really mind the "advertising" of Kinkade guitars. His guitars are nice and I can imagine sound great. After all it was Jonathan Kinkade who wrote this book, so why wouldn't he promote his stuff? Also, his own guitars are probably the best source for photography due to copyright issues and similar things.

Inspiring, nearly perfect -for me
I loved this book!But as the author says, this book is "the way that works for me". Having taught adults and children myself, I know very well that the first difficulty is always finding the right level of detail so that the teacher neither bores or loses the student.For me, Kinkead was right on the mark.So much so, that I could hardly put the book down, and as I finished it, I almost felt as though I already made my first guitar!This book would be frustrating for someone without much woodworking experience or for someone who had already built a couple of guitars.I loved it because I am about to build my first guitar and I have some background.I am a mostly self-taught lifelong woodworking hobbyist with a mechanical engineering degree.I have been a math teacher, a machinist, and a manufacturing manager, and for the last 12 years have been working as a computer consultant. I have recently done some guitar repair work (a bit of a hack job, but it worked!) and I am about to build my first guitar.

Before I read Kinkead's book, I read Roger Siminoff's "Luthier's Handbook".This was a fantastic book that taught me first to appreciate how acoustic stringed instruments work.I was astounded by how little I knew, but delighted to learn.I found thisbook an excellent place to start.

My second book was Cumpiano and Natelson's "Guitarmaking Tradition and Technology". This book is useful, but not at all inspiring.I expect to use it as a reference, and for it's ideas on alternate construction techniques, but I found that it did not have the right level of detail for me - it often described steps in agonizing detail sprinkled with undefined specialized terms and without much clarity of where each set of steps was taking me. I couldn't bring myself to read it cover to cover, but I'm not going to give it away either.

Kinkead's was my third and most delightful book on building a guitar. I can't wait to get started.

FD Guitars
Very usefull with nice explanations and lot of clean pictures.
All segments are covered step by step and you'll get full scale plan too.
Highly reccomended for the beginers and experienced luthiers. ... Read more

Product Description
The new 12th Edition of the Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars is now available! This book is completely reformatted, revised, and updated including a bound-in CD-ROM that includes thousands of color images! Pricing for vintage and new guitars is completely revised, and nearly all 2009 makes and models are listed. The information contained in this book is simply not available anywhere else for any price. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Fast mailing.
This seller got the book right out to me.It wasin good shape, and I have added it to my library.

Nice copy of older edition
This book arrived in new condition and contains a large amount of detailed information on numerous guitars.There have been 2 more editions printed since this one, so it is slightly dated info, however the book was as described on the website.

Disappointed
I don't believe anything in the description addressed how out of date the book was.

acoustic guitar blue book review
Since I frequently buy guitars, bought this book to see whether the value matched the price I was bidding (on ebay) or the dealer's price.The book is very detailed and also gives some insight into the manufacturer and the instruments history.Good value.

Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars
There's a lot of info in this book but there's a lot that is missing or incomplete.I feel for the price this volume should be more complete.Save your money and think about the Vintage Guitar Value Guide.It is a a handier guide if you have to carry it with youto a show or out treasure hunting. ... Read more

Product Description
Authored by David Egan, one of the foremost authorities in the field of architectural acoustics, this architecture classic presents in a highly illustrated format the principles of design for good hearing and freedom from noise in and around buildings. The more than 540 illustrations are not merely supplements to the text but serve as the core of the basic principles of sound and hearing, sound absorption and noise reduction, sound isolation and criteria for noise, control of HVAC systems noise and vibrations, auditorium acoustics design, and electronic sound systems. Architectural Acoustics is a must have for architects, interior designers, engineers, consultants, students and all others concerned with the design and construction of buildings.An unabridged J. Ross Publishing republication of the edition published by McGraw-Hill, New York, 1988, 448pp.Key Features- Offers more than 540 illustrations to visually explain basic acoustic engineering principles with complete clarity and tables of engineering data that further enhance understanding and the usefulness of the text- Contains many valuable checklists of design aids, data tables of sound absorption and sound isolation properties for a wide variety of building materials- Presents case study examples of common problems and step-by-step practical solutions - Provides handy access to useful formulas, a metric system conversion table, a summary of common building acoustics terms, and extensive references ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Architectural Acoustics--Egan
Over the years I have bought two text books on this difficult subject, and never could get past more than two chapters.In contrast, this book is both readable and extremely well organized with a summary of the main points at the end of each chapter.For any formulas used in the text, he defines the symbols along with the formula.No looking back to early chapters.

Highly recommended.

best introduction to architectural acoustics
Even after having collected and read quite a few of the modern textbooks on architectural acoustics, Egan's Architectural Acoustics (1988 hardback edition in my case) still stands as the most accessible first foray into the subject.I frequently use this book in my consulting practice when I need to illustrate a fundamental concept, such as sound isolation, auditorium shaping, or the basic acoustical conditions necessary to support various styles of music. Even though the binding has mechanically failed, I have not yet been able to bring myself to part with the book long enough to have it rebound.Perhaps the new softcover binding will actually hold up better to repeated reading, as this book will surely receive and deserve!

Use This Book!
Since first encountering Egan's text a little more than 20 years ago, I've continued to return to it for solid information. Complex material is presented in a way that allows me to apply it to unique conditions at hand.Some of the world-class acoustics consultants with which we've had the privilege to work rely on Egan to help communicate complex ideas.Without compromising too much real technical nuance, the ideas are so clearly communicated that I was able to offer the book to members of a church in eastern Europe working to improve the condition of their worship space.

Excellent book for architects
I am an acoustical consultant... I have read a lot of books onarchitectural acoustics. I found this book unique of its kind. The concepts are introduced by plenty of figures and illustrations with informative text that make the discussed subject easy to read and comprehend especially by the architects. Writing on the figures and using checklists added a lot of understandibility. Also the text itself is informative and directly address the subject. In other words, the book is excellent and comprehensive.

Must have
I'm a architecture student and I think this book is like a bible of acoustics in architecture. It brings detailed info for designing places with good acoustic performance whit various technics and for the mostdifferent type of places like a simple residential to auditoriums andconcert rooms. I have other acoustics books (like William Cavanaugh's) andthey always make mention to David Egan's book. If you're in search on booksabout architectural acoustics, I think that must be the first one to buy.It's a must have in any architect biblioteque. ... Read more

Product Description
Learn the trademark acoustic guitar elements of rock's most influential band! This book/CD pack by guitar dean Wolf Marshall provides in-depth analysis of 21 songs, including: Across the Universe * And I Love Her * Blackbird * Girl * Here Comes the Sun * Hey Jude * I Will * I've Just Seen a Face * Julia * Norwegian Wood * Rocky Raccoon * Til There Was You * Yesterday * You've Got to Hide Your Love Away * and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Play it like the beatles!
When I was a kid - 14 years old in 1963 - the Beatles came along. This was not long after some pretty depressing times... The Cuban Missle crisis,
the assassination of President Kennedy, the Racial unrest and conflicts in US cities. This was not a very happy time in the States. Those of us just
starting our teen years didn't have an awful lot of optimism for the future. We had a lot of fears, insecurities and doubts about the world in general.

Enter the Beatles. A lot of people would question how a 'pop group with a new sound' could possibly have the charisma to change lives, bring hope,
present possibilities, ignite imaginations. They redefined the concept of 'coming together' and showed a generation that 'there's nothing you can
do that can't be done.' And that is what I, and millions of others, began to believe. What a ride it was. It wasn't perfect, it wasn't always successful,
but it was a new way. I believe the Beatles music actually contributed to world peace. They bridged differences and united a generation; actually several
generations...They managed to unite countries, religions, thinking. No small achievement by a few young guys who could use the language of music in their
effort to find a common love in the most unlikely places.

So this is me - a 61 year old, still strumming and humming along. I bought this particular Beatles music book, and it came with a CD of some of the guitar
licks and phrases that make their songs unique. It makes me smile to know that the stumbling along I did on my $25 guitar back in 1963 (with no talent or knowledge of how to play a guitar) turned out ok. I learned to play them by ear, by trial and error. And it was all exactly right.

Was it worth it - the whole 4+ decades? Yes, it was. Thanks especially to Paul and Ringo, and John and George.

PS - I highly recommend this simple book, and especially this seller, who was super nice and very professional.

Also does not provide complete scores
Maybe everyone else got the full version, but from my reading this book provides intricate details about the listed songs but they are not the complete song.They are only half of the score or so for each entry, which I guess is what they feel enough to give you the gist of what the song is about.Whatever...I need more than that.

Hits the right notes
Good book with extra information for playing and tips and insights as to how the song was recorded.

Good, but could be better.
I agree with the reviewer who mentioned the fact that "Norwegian Wood" is oddly tabbed in the key of E instead of D.Must have been transcribed by a piano player.A guitarist would never do that.It just needlessly confuses the issue.That being said, I like the book and find it to be useful in learning the tunes.I don't care to learn some of the songs in the book and wish it had others more to my liking but still worth the money.

Capo PLease!!
Ok, Wolf Marshall put a lot into this book. However, The Beatles Acoustic Guitar(recorded series) also from Hal Leonard(and Wolf Marshall?) is nearly identical and contains complete transcriptions. In the "Best of" book, we get rhythmic figures that we must link up with the recordings. It is very helpful to have the cd that comes with this book to do slowed down as well as actual tempo play alongs. But, my main criticism of this book, and this is not specific to this book, is the refusal to acknowledge the function of the capo in musical notation and the tab.
For those of you who hate the capo and don't use it, tough luck. The Beatles used it and it is essential to getting the right sound out of their instruments. My point is this: On a song such as "Norwegian Wood", it is more useful, I believe, to show the tab and music in the actual GUITAR key that it is played in, rather than actual music notation. The capo is used primarily as a way of preserving the open position sound(i.e. percussive) of the guitar so that it can be matched to the best key for the singer. In "Norwegian Wood", the guitar part is played out of a "D" position. Yet the resultant tab and musical notation is written as if you we're actually playing in "E". The actual key but not the guitar key. That's because the capo is placed on the second fret so that the singer can execute a guitar part invented in the key of "D"but better sung in the key of E".
When you use a capo, you are essentially shortening the neck to create a new open position., thus the the notation and tab would be clearer if it reflected the actual chord formations you would use. For example. The song "Norwegian Wood" starts out on a "D" chord, there fore the tab should show this as 0(5) 0(4) 2(3) 3(2) 2(1): thus showing what the open strings are(5 & 4) and allowing the player to see what the actual chord formation is. Then just say, capo on the second fret. I stongly believe this would be clearer and I encourage Hal Leonard and all music publishers to consider changing their notation and tab formats to embrace the actual "played key" of a song rather than the "pitch"key of the song. To emphasize what I'm talking about,"Julia" is done exactly the way I'm talking about, as is "Here Comes The Sun". For "Julia",the tab and music are shown in the key of C, which is how it is played, but, you must capo on the 2nd fret to get the same sound('actual key of D major) as John Lennon does when you try and play along. For "Here Comes The Sun", the transcription is in D, where it is played, but capoed on the 7th fret to get the same sound as when George plays it. Why do it for these and not the others? Other than this, it is a great book. ... Read more

Product Description
Get complete guidance on both traditional orchestration and modern production techniques with this unique book. With effective explanations and clear illustrations, you will learn how to integrate the traditional approach to orchestration with the modern sequencing techniques and tools available. You will discover how to bridge the two approaches in order to enhance your final production.

The accompanying CD includes a comprehensive and wide selection of examples, templates and sounds to allow you to hear the techniques within the book.

By covering both approaches, this book provides a comprehensive and solid learning experience that will develop your skills and prove extremely competitive in the music production business.

* Complete orchestration manual covering both traditional and modern techniques
* Versatile, non-software specific, perfect choice for professionals and colleges
* Accompanying DVD with examples, templates and sounds brings techniques to life ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Decent book but not enough depth.
I ordered this book in great anticipation to find lots of technical details as to MIDI composition. However, the book appears to be mainly intended for students who are at their beginning trials (or little beyond) of computer composition. Though good at that level, and containing lots of very useful information and tips, the book does not go into the techniques, and their illustration, far enough. Many of the suggestions remain just that, without showing specific work. Ditto withtechniques. "Use CCx for situation y" but, although sometimes graphically shown, many times the narative is not developed into thorough presentation. In other words, I would have desired (much) more analysis and examples.

Then, there's too much introduction to traditional instruments, occupying quite a hefty chunk of the book. When creating a book of this nature, one would expect that the reader be beyond elementary stages. After all, orchestration is a capstone discipline. Evidently, one must know the ins and outs of traditional orchestration in order to procede to the next level. The authors mention this, so I won't dwell on it. In my experience, the composer who uses a computer to realise his/her musical ideas, struggles mostly with less than perfect samples, which behave differently when in combination with other samples than when are sounded only by themselves. For example, no matter how good a violin section sample may be, when put together with viola section samples it will behave differently. I know, books that fully render MIDI composition experience can be of interminable dimentions. However, more extensive books are very much needed, and I am sure that readers would copiously benefit from the present book's authors' vast experience. I also realise that such books will be more expensive than this one. Oh well, the cost of acquiring skills has never been an inexpensive endeavor.

Thanks for reading, John.

The Kindle Edition is missing the audio examples
This is a good book, easy to digest yet surprisingly thorough.

However, be warned.The otherwise awesome kindle edition is lacking the critical audio examples that you get when buying the printed version.

Why?I don't know.The kindle can handle audio files.Or the publisher could make the examples available on their web site.

But neither option is available.Which ruins an otherwise great read, since you'll be zooming along learning about this or that intonation -- and then the author will say "check out this sample track on the CD" -- but, woops, no audio samples are available on the kindle.I'll bet all the examples would take less than 2 or 3 MB of space as MP3 files, which would be fine.I hope Amazon or the publisher corrects this error.

Very informative, useful material.
Thanks to Andrea Perjolo and Richard DeRosa. This book is extremely helpful to the computer musician/producer who wants to learn how to make his MIDI productions shine.

The chapters are separated by orchestral sections, and detailed guidelines are provided for each, in terms of sequencing, arranging, applying effects, etc., with many examples provided so you can see and hear what is being discussed.

The book is very comprehensive, as I would expect from professors from Juliard and Berklee.

I was not prepared, when I first read this book, however.

After I finished it the first time, I had to go back and completely review everything I couldabout the MIDI features/capabilities/procedures of my MIDI interface, and of my DAW.

What I mean is that I could understand the MIDI concepts and functions that the authors were outlining and I could follow along adequately, but I had to do a significant amount of review to get to the point where I was able to implement these very useful guidelines and recommendations on my specific MIDI controller/DAW.

I also learned about what features to look for in sample libraries, samplers, and synthesizers.

On my second pass throough the book, I was actually prepared to work through the exercises.

5 stars it deserves
This is definitely a book that deserves 5 stars.The information present is great, and the book does not need any editing.There are some other books that might on music composition that were published before MIDI was even a standard, and some authors have written books both on orchestration and arranging both before and after the adoption of MIDI.Some of these books are also very good, but like most people, and probably even more so, musicians are limited by their financial resources, so if you want to invest in only one book of this nature, this would be a very good one to choose.

fantastic over view and deep for those with back ground
This book is great, I'm not through it yet, I don't think that it is completely approperiate for the complete novice, but if you already have background in orchestration and some midi knowledge, you will find it really helpful.
... Read more

Product Description

The latest supplement to the pianist's must-have reference The Piano Book, this comprehensive guide provides list prices for more than 4,000 currently manufactured acoustic and digital piano brands and models, as well as advice on how to estimate actual street prices to help negotiate the lowest possible price. Summarizing the essentials of The Piano Book, this new resource goes beyond the basics to offer extensive details on digital pianos and reveal all the information necessary to differentiate between a good deal and a great deal when buying a piano. Anyone in the market for a new or used piano—including teachers, technicians, students, and aficionados—can make a more informed purchase using this definitive guide. Updated twice a year with the most accurate information, the manual fully covers piano manufacturers, instrument models, prices, and current trends and conditions in the piano market.

Customer Reviews (7)

Great guide to piano
Purchased this for information about piano's and the piano purchasing process. Very informative in this and other areas pertaining to piano's. A great guide for both the piano enthusiast and new purchasers. A "must read" if you are new to piano's and the buying process.

Long awaited, and just as indispensable, update of the classic Piano Book
People who don't have a piano would probably be surprised to learn that buying a piano is as treacherous and intimidating an undertaking as buying a car--with many of the same perils: the expectation that negotiating a final purchase price is routine; a lack of clear data on the "real" wholesale or retail prices of pianos; and sales tactics that would make a used car salesman blush. For years, the major purchasing guide for consumers was Larry Fine's "Piano Book." But while annual price guide supplements for that volume were published yearly, the main text had not revised in many years.

The "Acoustic and Digital Piano Buyer" is thus a long-awaited and much needed update. The content of the book has been radically revised, and in my opinion, for the better. Much of the original Piano Book was devoted to rather dense and technical discussion of piano construction, understandable given Fine's background as a piano technician, but often more confusing or irrelevant than helpful. The Piano Buyer gives just the right amount of detail so that readers can understand the difference between the actions of an upright and a grand piano, say, or understand what a salesperson is saying to them about laminated vs. solid wood soundboards, but not so much detail that it is overwhelming.

Other changes to the Piano Buyer that are highly welcome include a chapter on considerations of how to situate your piano in your room for the best acoustic qualities, and a greatly enlarged section on digital pianos and computer models of piano sounds.This emphasis is much needed, as sales for digital pianos have increased greatly over the past few years, whereas acoustic piano sales have declined sharply. The Piano Buyer retains, however, many of the still-relevant sections of the Piano Book; for example, the chapters on dealing with salespeak and buying a used piano. And, of course, the Piano Buyer still includes the absolutely essential pricing guide for all new pianos sold in the U.S. at this time. Having this guide by your side while you are negotiating to purchase a piano will save you many times over the purchase price of this book.

Which raises a relevant question: As pointed out in other reviews, the Piano Buyer is available online. Why, then, should anybody buy this book?I can think of a couple of compelling reasons. First, and maybe it's just me, but I find navigating online books to be quite cumbersome. Flipping through pages and finding what you want takes a lot longer with an online version than a hard copy, and it's MUCH harder to simply leaf through pages to pick out interesting tidbits. Second, unless you want to be hauling a laptop with you to various piano stores, and/or you want to be able to stare at a larger reading space than what you get with a Blackberry, the hard copy version will be infinitely easier to cart around with you while you're piano shopping, and--trust me on this--you *will* want to have this with you while you're shopping.

People shopping for a piano for the first time often voice the shell-shocked sentiment that they had no idea that it would be so difficult to sort through the various sales pitches and hard-sell pressure they encounter to find the right piano for them at the right price. The "Piano Buyer" is one of the best resources out there to help you make an educated decision and arrive at a fair price.

Simply the best
The Piano Buyer is the new name for Larry Fine's annual Supplement to the Piano Book which has been published for around the last 20 years. The Piano Buyer includes many new topics not previously covered in the older supplements. Among these are a lengthy section on digital pianos and hybrid pianos (which I did not read since I'm not interested in them) and many separate articles of great interest to pianophiles that will change each time the Piano Buyer is published. This edition included articles on room acoustics, differences in tonal quality among top tier pianos, thoughts of a master rebuilder, increasing quality of Chinese pianos, among others.

For many people, I think the most important sections of the book are the price lists, rankings, and specific manufacturer news. Fine calculates an SMP(suggested maximum price) based on a uniform markup from the dealer wholesale cost. This is much more useful than the MSRP, which is determined by the manufacturer and is essentially meaningless. And I think they are the only up to date (revised every 6 months) lists of their kind anywhere.

The rankings by tiers are always controversial (pianists tend to defend their own choices with their lives) but IMHO they are the fairest, most evenly balanced and thoughtful rankings anywhere. They are not based only on Fine's opinions but include opinions of many techs, pianists, and other industry people. Whether you're looking to spend 2K or 200K, you'll find useful advice. Fine is particularly careful to explain his methodology and terminology.

Simply the best book of its kind by far.

A MUST HAVE!
If you're in the market for a piano then this book is a must have.

Several years ago I purchased my first piano. But I didn't have the benefit of the advice of this book or its predecessor, The Piano Book. Big mistake. I ended up buying a piano with some big problems and before I got rid of it and got a decent piano in its place I ended up spending a couple thousand more than I should have - all because I was an uneducated consumer.

Since then, I've read The Piano Book and this new publication. Now I have the benefit of knowing what to look for and an idea of what various pianos, both new and used, should sell for.

A welcome addition is the guide to digitals. I am a digital piano and organ tech and I can tell you that there is a difference in quality and support between the various brands out there, so even if you're considering a digital you need to know what is contained in this book.

such a wonderful resource for the piano shopper
When making a large purchase, one wants to be informed.Here is a book for for all those who may shop for pianos, as well as those who are interested or obsessed with those glorious instruments.... the pianophiles as they say.

This book is money well spent when making a huge purchase such as a piano.Every brand imaginable is described. i find it absolutely fascinating as well.


..definitely 5 stars! ... Read more

Product Description
The Complete Idiots Guide songbooks are designed to get novice guitarists playing immediately, and playing the songs that inspired them to pick up a guitar in the first place.

Each song in The Complete Idiots Guide books is preceded by a lesson that focuses on the most important technical and musical features.Fingerings, patterns, and techniques are discussed and broken down to help make learning smooth and simple.Most guitar songs are relatively easy to play, and the arrangements in these books are simplified just enough to show those core, natural guitar parts without being overcomplicated, just the way a friend might show another how to play a song one-on-one.Learning is made even simpler with each song written in standard music notation plus TAB and guitar chord diagrams.

Learn top hits within a matter of hours!The Complete Idiots Guide to Acoustic Guitar Songs features 30 songs total from artists such as Eric Clapton
* Eagles
* Fleetwood Mac
* Jimmy Buffett
* Joni Mitchell
* and many more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not for absolute beginners
If you are really a beginner, don't let the title of this book fool you, it is not for you.I bought this book about 3-4 months after I started learning the guitar, but couldn't get much out of it at all.The "lessons" at the beginning of each song should not be called lessons at all. More like a couple of pointers that dolittle to help a beginner figure out how to play the song.The chords are there, but there is nothing to help a beginner figure out the rhythm and the strumming patterns.I'm only now just starting to get some use out of it, now that I have almost a year of playing under my belt, but many of the songs are still a struggle.

Useful guide for middle-aged folks like me.
The guitar was not my first instrument and I had been reading music for over 40 years when I picked it up, so that explains the difference between the first rater's comments and my own.

After two weeks of playing the guitar, I was wanting more than I was learning by ear and from random acquaintances, and this book (along with iplaymusic's how-to guitar lessons with CD) filled my need.The music is, however, more from my era (born in mid-1950's), and younger musicians would do better to download some chords and tabs from any of the free music sites on-line.

This book is more useful than just chords in that it offers fingering advice, rhythmic specifics (the hardest advice to find, in my experience, in learning the guitar), and all in standard musical notations.

I've two years of university music theory/comp, and from that knowledge base, I applaud the music theory sections.I believe that they would help a novice, picking up guitar as the first instrument, to understand what is going on with harmonic progressions in pop songs.

Some of these songs are beyond my ability, still (the acoustical Layla, for instance, or some of the more complex fingerpicked songs), but at least one, Horse with No Name, should be playable within hours of getting the book.

Ideally, you'd have a CD or MP3 files of these songs, as recorded by the original artists, to begin to link staff and TAB notation to the sorts of sounds we're familiar with.

The introductions concerning musicianship and the recording artists themselves are really quite interesting.

Guitar Book
As someone who is new to playing the guitar I found most of the songs to advanced for me to play, I have been taking lessons for 7 months. ... Read more

Product Description
Each book in the Acoustic Solo Series contains complete transcriptions from the artists themselves in full standard notation and tablature. Performance notes are also included. The full original recording of each song is featured on the included CD.

Twelve spectacular solo guitar arrangements, all in standard tuning (with a few simple variations), from David Cullen, Mike Dowling, Laurence Juber, Al Petteway, Doug Smith, and Kenny Sultan. The 12 songs provide an amazing overview of styles and techniques for solo guitar. From swing and blues to contemporary instrumental guitar styles, each piece will make a terrific addition to any solo guitarist's concert repertoire. Titles: The 5:55
* Bahama Beach
* Blue Counterpoint
* Crest of the Revolution
* Go Ahead and Play
* Groove Etude
* Indigo Blue
* Midari
* Nitpickin'
* Slippin' and Drippin'
* Sunday Sonata
* The Tempest. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

THE Christmas Guitar Book
I believe I may be the less-than-proud owner of every Christmas guitar book (tab, sheet, and "other") available on Amazon and most of them made great Yule-tide kindling. This book (Contemporary Christmas Guitar), however, stands well above and beyond the rest in both content and quality of performance in the accompanying CD. If you were going to purchase one fingerstyle guitar book for holiday music, this is it. Even if you do not play guitar, the CD alone is worth the purhcase price. The only complaint I have is I only get to play it one season a year.

The book is designed for an intermediate fingerstyle player and will most likely still require ample dedicated practice time before songs are ready to perform for the holidays (read - buy this in the summer or early fall so you have time to learn the music). The songs are meticulously tabbed to the music on the CD and there are no songs on the CD that are not in the book.

The songs have the varied styles of the three greats that play them. David Cullen transforms songs into fluid and syncopated winter wonder, Doug Smith picks past dexterity and pushes beyond what six strings should allow, and Laurence Juber does, as always, an unparallel conversion of a basic song and melody into a music miracle of technically apt fingerings and lyrical beauty.

Happy Pickin'

Cool stuff here
The arrangements are very nice and not too complicated for the common fingerstylist altough playing the right tempo is challenging. There is a pretty big downside - the CD does not include the music itself but general explanations which i don't find much logic in (not only for this book, for many other book+CD folios). But in general - excellent book with a lot of pieces to work on and enjoy.

Great Book
Awsome arrangements.I wish there were some p i m a suggestions, that's the only thing. Overall, this book is the best thing I've ever seen.

Shop For This Elsewhere!
I ordered this book when Amazon showed they had two in stock at the time (end of December). Then I was informed by email that they could not get it and cut it from my order. What does "in stock" mean then? They're next to impossible to contact and remedy the problem. I emailed Doug, but no reply as well. Doug Smith has a very fine book and CD to add to your sheet music library, but if you really want it you will need to shop elsewhere. ... Read more

Product Description
Steve James presents a treasure trove of traditional American guitar styles in this unique book/CD pack. Guitarists will learn fingerpicking and slide techniques not through dry exercises but by playing 25 songs from James' own repertoire and from such masters as Furry Lewis, Blind Willie McTell, Sam McGee, and Mance Lipscomb. Drawing on his extensive research and first-hand experience with these guitar pioneers, James tells the stories behind the songs, too. Features authentic arrangements in notes and TAB, vocal melodies and lyrics, historic photos, and more. Songs: Take Me Back * Sugar Babe * Milwaukee Blues * Sebastopol* John Henry * more! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great for Building Pre-War Style Blues Repertoire
I will first echo the previous reviews by saying, "You got that right!"Steve is an amazing player and a great teacher.He is the director of the Roots & Blues Workshop at the Kerrville Folk Festival.In one of his sessions this year he walked a group of us through the Sam McGee finger buster "Railroad Blues."Some in that workshop were experienced and some were new to finger picking but all left the 3-hour session able to play the toughest parts of Railroad Blues to some degree.Steve added to the class by sharing the details of his first meeting with Sam McGee.Imagine being introduced to one of your heroes with "Steve's a big fan of yours" only to hear the reply, "I don't know if I'm a big fan of his - I haven't heard him pick yet" and be handed a guitar.How's that for pressure?Steve's playing, his songwriting, and his stories are the real thing because Steve is the real thing.

This book isn't for beginners, i.e., those that have never played fingerstyle before.If that's you it isn't impossible to start with this book but it might save you a lot of frustration to start with a more basic introduction to Blues fingerpicking.If you are beyond the basics (i.e., can hold a conversation while your thumb plays an alternating bass line through chord changes) this book will help you advance IF you practice.Steve builds with each tune and can show you how but you'll still have to do heavy lifting.But if you are willing to work through this book and practice frequently you will end up a much better Blues player.

Steve's previous book (Fingerstyle Blues Songbook) is great but it is more of a repertoire builder than a tutorial.Roots and Blues Fingerstyle Guitar Book is a tutorial in which each song builds on the previous work.As you progress Steve adds embellishments that help polish your playing.All songs on the accompanying CD are played twice, once slowly and once up to tempo.(Steve does this at his workshops too - it really helps to see him play it slowly first.)This book includes tunes like Milwaukee Blues, Amos Johnson Rag, Stack Lee's Blues, and Guitar Rag.

If getting the visual helps you might also consider Steve's Blues/Roots Guitar DVD.The book and DVD compliment each other with little overlap.And attend his Roots & Blues Workshop at the next Kerrville Folk Festival if at all possible.It is three days of small group instruction from Steve and friends in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.The workshop is held the week after Memorial Day but be sure to be there on Memorial Day for the afternoon Blues Project.It's worth the trip.

The real thing
Steve is the real thing. A blues guitarist, writer, teacher who literally lived with some of the legends of roots blues and they taught him their licks. He teaches a week-long class at the Kerrville Folk Festival that is well worth the price. Go if you can. Hell, go even if you can't afford it--you can't afford not to.

Real country blues, as taught by a master player
Like a lot of people, I want to play guitar, especially acoustic blues a la John Hurt, Gary Davis, Blind Boy Fuller, etc., etc.Like a lot of people, I own a number of "How to play ..." books.But one thing I'm finally beginning to learn is that NO BOOK will teach you to play if you don't practice regularly.

Having said that, this book covers a range of traditional songs - Sugar Babe, Crow Jane, etc. - and some James' originals, which will increase your mastery of the instrument - IF you practice regularly.He starts with simple alternating bass, and progresses from there.At (what seems to me) appropriate times, he introduces hammer-ons and pull offs, and string dampening. If I can ever progress enough to the last few pieces, I'm pretty sure I'll sound pretty good.Heck, I already sound a LOT better than when I bought the book. (Although that's not really very much of a recommendation.)Certainly, I've had lots of fun trying to master each piece.

This isn't really a "first guitar book," but it IS a well considered introduction to acoustic blues guitar.I find the CD useful - it lets me hear where I want to go - and intimidating: I'll never sound THAT good.Also, it'd be nice to hear more than little snippets of the pieces - typically each piece rates a single verse.

I got this largely because I was so impressed with James' earlier book, Inside Blues Guitar - which doesn't teach you (or at least, me) about how to play as much as provides insight into the culture of blues guitar.Kind of a "Zen Mind, Beginners Mind" for the blues guitarist (or even us blues guitarist wannabes)."Roots and Blues Fingerstyle" IS a how-to and it does work.I can't say it's the best book of its type, or even that it's better than so-and-so's.I CAN say that if you're a beginner or somewhat above beginner guitarist, if you've got some self-discipline, and if you like country blues, you can have a lot of fun, improve your playing, and pick up some nice standards for your repetiore. ... Read more

Product Description
The classic acoustics reference! This widely-used book offers a clear treatment of the fundamental principles underlying the generation, transmission, and reception of acoustic waves and their application to numerous fields. The authors analyze the various types of vibration of solid bodies and the propagation of sound waves through fluid media. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Good book on the mathematics of acoustics for engineers
This book is aimed squarely at engineering students who want to learn the mathematics of acoustics. There is very little in the realm of standing back and asking "So what does this all mean?". From the very first chapter the author dives into deriving equations that use calculus, Laplace transforms, the Fourier series and transform, circuit analysis, digital filters, and the Z- transform as well as some differential equations. There are few examples in the book, but there are problem sets that expect you to understand the theory and math well enough to apply it numerically with more intuitive knowledge than is presented. It can be done, but you'll have to read carefully when doing the exercises to figure out how to get from A to B. If you are interested in acoustics this is probably an essential reference pertaining to the mathematical aspects of the science, but you'll need other books to get the big picture. I'd recommend the old Schaum's Outline of Acoustics by Seto as a companion to this book since it has lots of examples. Unfortunately, it is out of print and you'll probably have to hunt for it.

An excellent textbook
This is a classic engineering text on acoustics for upper division college students.It first appeared in 1950.And now it is back fifty years later in a fourth edition.In the meantime, the original two authors have passed away.However, Coppens and Sanders have done a fine job in keeping the book up-to-date.

Plenty of exercises have been added, and answers to many odd-numbered problems are in the back of the book.I think it is an excellent introduction to the field (yes, I expect you to have studied calculus and differential equations as an underclassman).It's my favorite of the classic engineering acoustics textbooks.

Two new chapters have been added in this edition, one on nonlinear acoustics and the other on shock waves.That's a very good idea.If I were teaching an acoustics class with an earlier edition of the book, I'd refer students to Landau Volume 6 (Fluid Mechanics) to get some of this missing information.

Actually, I wish the authors had added a couple more chapters, one on ultrasonics and another on instruments of music.That still would not cover all of acoustics, but I feel these topics are fairly important.

Anyway, I really like the book, and I'd be happy to teach a class using it.

Not an introductory text
This text in not an introductory work, it is geared toward upper division college or graduate level engineering work.By this I am referring to the math level in the book.If you are not willing to work with partial differential equations, integrals, dot products, cross products and dell operators stay away from this book, it is intended for engineering students and not for audio, broadcast, or film students looking for a greater understanding of sound/acoustics.

Here is a list of the chapters:
Fundamentals of vibration; Transverse motion - the vibrating string; Vibrations of bars; The two-dimensional wave equation: vibrations of memberanes and plates; The acoustic wave equation and simple solutions; Transmission phenomena; Absorption and attenuation of sound waves in fluids; Radiation and reception of acoustic waves; Pipes, cavities, and waveguides; resonators, ducts, and filters; Noise, signal, detection, hearing, and speech; Environmental acoustics; Architectural acoustics; Transduction; Underwater acoustics.

OK, but better texts available
Personally, I was disappointed by the fourth edition of this venerable text, for it has become increasingly mathematical and problem oriented.If you like sitting down and whiling away your afternoon with a problem set -- this is the text for you.But if instead you wish to study acoustics through a pedagogical method that is more verbal and graphical in nature -- better texts are available.

Indeed, in my opinion, prior editions (1950, 1962, 1981) of this same text are superior, particularly the second edition.Although these too have their share of integral calculus and complex algebra, the quantity is more appropriate for a discipline that is mostly science and engineering but with aspects of art to it as well.

Bear in mind that aside from a few specialized areas -- like ultrasonics and its use in non-destructive testing, or the use of digital processing in sound generation and analysis-- little new has come about in the field of acoustics since World War II. Thus unlike with most fields of science, there is no necessity to have the most modern texts to gather a wholly modern understanding of the field.

Indeed, I recently examined almost every text relating to acoustics contained in the circumferential stacks of the Barker Engineering Library under the Great Dome of M.I.T. (and sadly, there aren't as many texts as one might hope).I was surprised both at the age of most volumes in the collection -- and the fact that most had not been checked out of the library in years.

Indeed, from the "Date Due" slips in the back, you could see the field was very popular in the 1960's and 1970's, but popularity seemed to wain in the early 1980's -- approximately contemporaneously, curiously, with the introduction of the digital CD format of audio recording.

By the mid-1990's, at M.I.T., at least, interest in acoustics among faculty and students seem to have declined precipitiously, if the popularity of library texts and the quantity of student theses published in the field is any indication.

Of all the general texts on acoustics that I examined -- to me, one clearly stood out above the others.It was published in 1957 by the lead acoustical scientist at the RCA Research Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey, Harry F. Olsen, Ph.D. It is entitled, "Acoustical Engineering", although it contains all the fundamental science as well.This text was reprinted in 1991 and is currently available.

Olsen's work is surely a magnum opus, comprising 736 pages and 567 illustrations. It has its fair share of math, but the concepts are often additionally explained through well-crafted line drawings, showing, for example, wave forms drawn in progressive fashion in serial graphs, some of which are designed so that one can even mentally rotate the graphics to gather a three-dimensional perspective.Furthermore, the graphs are often supplemented by equivalent mechanical and electrical analogs, to further assist in understanding.

Best of all, Olsen explains virtually everything acoustical you would ever want to know, from theories of acoustical wave propagation, to an enormous variety of loudspeaker designs, to the mathematical reasoning behind Johann Sebastian Bach's tempered tuning of musical instruments, an artistic practice that is almost universal today.

Thus if it is a text for a problem-oriented course in acoustics that one seeks -- the fourth edition of the "Fundamentals of Acoustics" is a fine text.However, if one wishes to have a ready reference that is extraordinarily comprehensive, or a pedagogical work that doesn't focus on mathematical derivations, better choices can surely be made.

OK, but better texts available
Personally, I was disappointed by the fourth edition of this venerable text, for it has become increasingly mathematical and problem oriented. If you like sitting down and whiling away your afternoon with a problem set -- this is the text for you. But if instead you wish to study acoustics through a pedagogical method that is more verbal and graphical in nature -- better texts are available.

Indeed, in my opinion, prior editions (1950, 1962, 1981) of this same text are superior, particularly the second edition. Although these too have their share of integral calculus and complex algebra, the quantity is more appropriate for a discipline that is mostly science and engineering but with aspects of art to it as well.

Bear in mind that aside from a few specialized areas -- like ultrasonics and its use in medical imaging and non-destructive testing, or the use of digital processing in sound generation and vibration analysis -- little new has come about in the field of acoustics since World War II. Thus unlike with most fields of science, there is no necessity to have the most modern texts to gather a wholly modern understanding of the field (with a few minor exceptions).

Indeed, I recently examined almost every text relating to acoustics contained in the circumferential stacks of the Barker Engineering Library under the Great Dome of M.I.T. (and sadly, there aren't as many texts as one might hope). I was surprised both at the age of most volumes in the collection -- and the fact that most had not been checked out of the library in years.

Indeed, from the "Date Due" slips in the back, you could see the field was very popular in the 1960's and 1970's, but popularity seemed to wane in the early 1980's -- approximately contemporaneously, curiously, with the introduction of the digital CD format of audio recording.

By the mid-1990's, at M.I.T., at least, interest in acoustics among faculty and students seem to have declined precipitiously, if the popularity of library texts and the quantity of student theses published in the field is any indication.

Of all the general texts on acoustics that I examined -- to me, one clearly stood out above the others. It was published in 1957 by Harry F. Olsen, Ph.D., the lead acoustical scientist at the RCA Research Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey. It is entitled, "Acoustical Engineering", although the text contains all the fundamental science as well. This volume was reprinted in 1991 and is currently available.

Olsen's work is surely a magnum opus, comprising 736 pages and 567 illustrations. It has its fair share of math, but the concepts are often additionally explained through well-crafted line drawings, showing, for example, wave forms drawn in progressive fashion in serial graphs, some of which are designed so that one can even mentally rotate the graphics to gather a three-dimensional perspective. Furthermore, the graphs are often supplemented by art showing equivalent mechanical and electrical analogs, to further assist in understanding.

Best of all, Olsen explains virtually everything acoustical you would ever want to know, from theories of acoustical wave propagation, to an enormous variety of loudspeaker designs, to the mathematical reasoning behind Johann Sebastian Bach's tempered tuning of musical instruments, an artistic practice that is almost universal today.

Thus if it is a text for a problem-oriented course in acoustics that one seeks -- the fourth edition of the "Fundamentals of Acoustics" is a fine text. However, if one wishes to have a ready reference that is extraordinarily comprehensive, or a pedagogical work that doesn't focus on mathematical derivations, better choices can surely be made. ... Read more

Product Description
Get the leading guide to acoustics for architects, engineers, and interior designers.

A widely recognized, comprehensive reference to acoustic principles for all concerned with the built environment, Architectural Acoustics, Second Edition provides design professionals with up-to-date information on basic concepts, acoustical materials, and technologies for controlling wanted or unwanted sound within and around buildings.

Written by a team of internationally recognized experts and experienced consultants, this Second Edition covers fundamental acoustic principles, design criteria, acoustical materials, control strategies, and methods for a wide variety of building types, including educational, healthcare, recreational, residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation facilities. Particular attention is given to places for listening and performance such as theaters, churches, concert and recital halls, outdoor arenas, classrooms, multiuse auditoria, libraries, music practice and rehearsal rooms, recording and broadcast studios, sports venues, home theaters, and other spaces that people meet to communicate and enjoy performance.

Updated throughout, this edition features:

• New information on acoustical standards and guidelines for sustainable building design.
• Additional, richly detailed case studies demonstrating real-world applications, including the acclaimed Walt Disney Concert Hall and many other building types.
• Nearly 200 photos and illustrations that further elucidate specific principles, applications, and techniques.
• New developments in sound reinforcement and audio visual systems and their integration in room design.
• Progress in research and future directions in acoustical modeling.

With fundamental conceptual understanding of basic acoustical principles provided by Architectural Acoustics, Second Edition, building designers can confidently create aesthetically and aurally pleasing spaces, while avoiding problems that could be very costly, if not impossible, to solve later. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Masters Student textbook
This book was so advanced and technical that it was almost entirely useless to me.It is clearly for an advanced sound technician, someone who is going to be building concert halls and what not.I was looking for something with information on building a sound studio for a client.Too technical, too advanced.If your teacher doesn't require it, why the hell would you buy it.I gave it a 2 because someone will make use out of it somehow, someday, somewhere...i guess.

Good reference with case studies
Hi! I have this book and think that it is a very very good book and very atualized about architetural acoustics because it brings not only the principles of acoustics but a lot of case studies of some famous placeswith ilustrations, wich are a good reference of the aplication of thedesign for a acoustical place. And brings too a section about the recentinnovations in acoustical design and research. This book and David Egan'sArchitectural Acoustics makes a perfect couple for architects and otherpeople who wants a good knowledge about acoustics in architecture. I reallyrecommend. ... Read more

Product Description
The Hal Leonard Acoustic Guitar Method uses real songs to teach you the basics of acoustic guitar in the styles of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, John Mellencamp, Jim Croce, Indigo Girls, Robert Johnson, and many others. Lessons include: strumming; fingerpicking; using a Capo; open tunings; folk, country and bluegrass styles; acoustic blues; acoustic rock; and much more. Songs include: Angie * Barely Breathing * Behind Blue Eyes * Building a Mystery * Change the World * Dust in the Wind * Fast Car * Here Comes the Sun * Jack and Diane * Landslide * Leaving on a Jet Plane * Maggie May * More Than Words * Name * You've Got a Friend * Yesterday * and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Introduces new techniques to allow a guitarist to improve and expand their knowledge
"The Hal Leonard Acoustic Guitar Method" is a really good book for guitarist who want to learn different techniques to improve their playing.It covers basic strumming styles, finger picking, flatpicking, Blues slides, alternative tuning, and explains capo use.

The book includes many very helpful exercises with each section, and ends each chapter with a tabs and sheet music for popular songs.Riffs and intros for other songs are also included.

NOTE:This book is for people who already know the basic of how to play, and I believe it's intended for the intermediate/advanced level.Not a good choice for newbies.

I was disappointed that the CD didn't include more of the riffs from the book, but still think it's a nice learning tool.

Buy it with the CDs
Buy it with the CDs.It is fun, you can play along with the CD and the book is at a pace for beginners.You will be playing songs you know in no time at all. Simple, straight forward and fun.

Recommend A Little Later
i tried this book out as my first lesson book. i agree with most that you should check out true beginner books before this one. i feel that it is a very good book, just for the advanced beginner. go with the hal leonard guitar method course first and then use this as a supplement. best of luck

not up to standard
Hal Leonard has some great books on learning to play guitar but this is not one of them.

Build Your Song Base and Learn Valuable Techniques for the Acoustic Guitar
Been playing guitar for years but never used any books directly addressing acoustic guitar technique. A student of mine had purchased the book based on my referral from using other Hal Leonard Method's so I didn't have any first hand knowledge on the book. When I saw my student's book I knew I needed to purchase a copy because though I have played for years the techniques and resources are valuable to have in my music library.

Hal Leonard has done it again. ... Read more

Product Description
An acclaimed acoustician presents a proven methodology for designing successful venues for concert performance in a variety of building types.

Of all the problems posed by the art and science of acoustics, the design of concert halls is the most mysterious. Listeners, from music lovers to musicians, hear performances in halls of comparable dimensions and find differences in the quality of their listening experiences. Why do so many concert halls fail to live up to expectations?

In The Acoustics of Performance Halls J. Christopher Jaffe, an acclaimed acoustician known for his innovative design concepts, describes the common misconceptions about what makes a successful classical concert space, explains that sound reflections rather than geometry are the key to developing an outstanding hall, and shows how a series of simple principles related to how humans perceive musical quality can provide the ideal environment for classical music performances.Jaffe presents a proven methodology for designing successful venues for symphonic performance in a variety of building types, including concert halls, music pavilions, multiuse theaters, and amphitheaters, using a fact-based approach that relies on matching subjective values to quantitative measurements, an awareness of a community’s musical memory, and extensive practical experience working with orchestras. Case studies illustrate the acoustic design of facilities designed for the presentation of symphonic music as well as those that were designed for other activities but through necessity or innovation are used for this purpose.An invaluable resource as a large-scale troubleshooting manual, this book should be required reading not only for acousticians but also for concert administrators, concert division directors, and operations managers, as well as theater consultants, architectural firms, and construction companies.

Product Description
This book is great for acoustic guitarists who have learned the basics and are ready to take the next step.Beginning with a brief review of reading standard music notation and TAB, this book takes you further into three major areas of study: sounds, grooves and special techniques; theory and improvisation; and alternate tunings.You'll be introduced to a variety of styles including acoustic funk, New Orleans, gypsy swing, Celtic, bluegrass, Cajun and more.Master the upper positions of the guitar fingerboard as you learn major scales, triads and pentatonic scales.Greg Horne makes learning fascinating concepts easy and fun as he introduces modes and several alternate tunings. The CD offers play-along opportunities and demonstrates the examples. ... Read more

Product Description

A handy collection of 80 acoustic favorites, including: About a Girl • Across the Universe • Angie • Blackbird • Blowin' in the Wind • Bridge over Troubled Water • Drive • Dust in the Wind • Fast Car • Here Com

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great collection
I think this is a great collection of songs in a great format.I disagree with the previous reviewer who preferred the larger format, standard sheet music sized books.I think the 6x9 inch size (which is even stated in the item's title) is great for throwing in a gig bag and carrying around.Granted, the glued binding makes it harder to keep open than some other formats, but with a little bending, it stays open just fine.

After years of transcribing songs myself, or getting inaccurate versions off of the internet and carrying around a big binder full of printouts, I found that this collection of Hal Leonard chord songbooks in small format is perfect for me.

If you like having the lyrics and accurate chord transcriptions (this is not note-for-note transcription, but chords only) in a portable format to bring to gigs or parties, then this book and the others in this series are for you. ... Read more

Product Description

Absorbers and diffusers are two of the main design tools for altering the acoustic conditions of rooms, semi-enclosed spaces and the outdoor environment. Their correct use is important for delivering high quality acoustics.

Unique and authoritative, this book decribes how to effectively measure, model, design and apply diffusers and absorbers. It is a resource for new and experienced acousticians, seeking an understanding of the evolution, characteristics and application of modern diffusers. Absorption is a more established technology and so the book blends traditional designs with modern developments. The book covers practical and theoretical aspects of absorbers and diffusers and is well illustrated with examples of installations and case studies.

This new edition brings Acoustic Absorbers and Diffusers up-to-date with current research, practice and standards. New developments in measurement, materials, theory and practice since the first edition (published in 2004) are included. The sections on absorbers are extended to include more about noise control.

Customer Reviews (2)

1st Edition is good; 2nd Edition is even better
In my review on the 1st edition (Dec 2005), "This book is more concentrated on diffusers than absorbers, with extensive care on Schroeder diffusers... To illustrate my point: you cannot find the term "anechoic chamber" in the index."

But now, you can find the term here, and much more.

Also, I have noticed that after the 1st edition is published, many wooden and plastic Schroeder Diffusers from many manufacturers are suddenly available in the market: for audiophile, monitoring studio, pro-audio applications, etc. Obviously it is highly influenced by the book, as a solid theorotical background is now here. Before that, very few commercial available products; you may need to DIY, or chicken egg cartons if want one...

BTW, the great scientist Prof. Manfred Schroeder has passed away in Dec 2009. A big loss for all of us...

Awesome book; good service!
The book arrived well packaged and pretty fast, considering it was coming from out of the country.Plus, I received great service from the distributor. ... Read more