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May 25, 2011

Stuart rated it:

This is very much a fun book by a geeky professor type who isn't afraid to be silly to get his points across. I have a background in both music and physics, and if I were to write a book on this topic, I'd be hard pressed to be as engaging as Dr. Powell. I even learned a few things myself while reading this thing even though it's primarily designed for those not technically inclined.

How Music Works reads very much like a semester long course in the physics of music for non-scientis More...

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Feb 20, 2011

William rated it:

It's been a LONG time since I studied music theory, or history, or even played "one of the most difficult instruments to learn" (according to this author). By way of disclosure, I'm not a "trained musician" but I was pretty good: first chair in every band/orchestra I played in. And I'm one of those (probably rare) types that likes to follow a conductor's score while I listen to "classical" music. So it was with interest that I grabbed onto this book, thinking I woul More...

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Jan 18, 2011

Natalie rated it:

Every so often I come across a book that I can imagine giving as a gift to at least half the people I know. The last one was Yellowrocket, the one before that was Earth. My 2010/2011 choice is: How Music Works

Not just for music geeks:

Is How Music Works about music or physics?
Is it for readers who want to better understand music as they are listening?
Is this book for percussionists? for those who play wind instruments? For those who play guitar? Piano?
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Nov 07, 2010

Mary (BookHounds) rated it:

This book is so appealing on so many different levels. A lot of times, any book that deals with technical subjects become dry and boring. How Music Works is easy to read and very enjoyable. There is so much wonderful snarky, English humor that you don't even realize you are learning something. Even if you are a casual fan of music, you will find some eye opening facts in here, such as why you hear those discordant sounds at the beginning of an orchestral concert. They are tuning all of the More...

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Mar 20, 2011

Nina rated it:

Many people don't fancy the idea of reading a non-fiction book. They are under the impression that all factual books must be like text books- unentertaining and pedantic. But John Powell proves them all wrong in his fascinating book: How Music Works. How Music Works lends insight into almost all fields of music and song. John Powell presents us with information in a way that thoroughly explains the concept to those who have never studied music while not seeming condescending and still moving qui More...

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Dec 19, 2010

Linda rated it:

Started out loving this book, and ended loving it more. I play a couple of instruments (played is more accurate) and my father made his living at it for most of my childhood, so all of us took up an instrument. I'm not going to tell my brothers they played some of the hardest instruments to learn. I kept at it and thus was exposed to music theory, music appreciation and the lexicon of the infrastructure and guts of musicology, but until "How Music Works" the workings were jumbled bits More...

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Jul 15, 2011

Ryan rated it:

This book looks at several questions about music that any curious person has probably thought to himself, and does it in a way that requires no special background in music or science. Unfortunately as someone with a background in both, I found this book a little long winded. Powell likes to make cute jokes about everything, but mostly self-deprecating jokes about scientists. They aren't bad, but literally happen almost every page, and so tend to feel like they are dragging the book out.

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Jan 05, 2012

Keith rated it:

Excellent buy - I knew a decent amount of music theory but very little about the physics of acoustics, and I found this book very easy to follow. The author has a great writing style that reminds me of Mick Goodricks "The Advancing Guitarist" - even when he says something that's a little more challenging to grasp, he wraps it up w a little comic relief and it really helps these big ideas stick in your memory. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found the information very valuable - id e More...

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Jul 06, 2011

Brian rated it:

How Music Works is an accurate description of some of the physics and arithmetic behind the beauty of music, mainly Western music. It covers the physical processes behind sound generation better than most anything have read, though very much at a layman's level. Then it talks about frequencies, scales, keys and temperament. In the latter case, I have to say I enjoyed the more thorough coverage in Isacoff's Temperament much more.
While I would have preferred something a lot more technical More...

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Sep 25, 2011

Sher rated it:

This book is so entertaining! It is funny and clever and very enlightening. I enjoyed almost all of it. It is written for non-musicians in an effort to help them understand what music is all about. The author does a great job of hitting so many aspects of music, but for me, a professional musician, it was a little elementary. With that said, I did learn a few things that I can use in my classroom, and that made it all worth it. I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions. I can re More...

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Apr 29, 2011

Bennet rated it:

A fun book and helpful to myself, a nonmusician who deeply appreciates music. It puts some basics in perspective, such as: "It is movement that infuses a song with life. It's the movement from key to key which provides a change in mood. The keys themselves don't have moods of their own." And a good ear for such shifts can be helpful on many levels, as well as enhancing one's listening experience. Made me think more fully about music as integral to life, and in a variety of contexts.
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Feb 08, 2011

Connie rated it:

Some really interesting stuff in here, such as why we have octaves and why they have 12 keys and why some tones sound good together and others awful. My two knocks against this book are 1) I wasn't overly fond of the interspersed jokes - I'm all for lightening up the material, but perhaps my complaint is that the jokes weren't that good! and 2) some of the info about scales and keys in the latter half of the book was just too basic and repetative. But it's a unique book that has interesting t More...

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Oct 10, 2011

Philip added it

Introductory classes are some of the most difficult of any college course. The reason being that they teach very little about a lot. Most college professors/teachers/instructors will be pretty honest about that. Part of what makes those classes so difficult is the textbooks. They can be extremely difficult to undertand when each chapter focuses on so little, without giving the big picture by the book's end. That's the major downfall to John Powell's 'How Music Works'.

'How Music More...

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Mar 06, 2011

Maura rated it:

as someone who's played and sung a lot of music over the years, but who hasn't studied either the physics of music or music theory, this was a great book for organizing the bits and pieces I've picked up over the years and adding in a few things I didn't know for good measure. His explanations are really clear -- and I think that someone who didn't have much a musical background beyond listening to the radio would still be able to follow everything. The CD that comes with the book is short but More...

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Feb 14, 2011

Urs rated it:

I have studied music through performance (from piano, to voice, to saxophone, to Javanese gamelan...), music theory, music history, Sociology of Music, and even Physics of Music from elementary school to graduate school. As a result, I have read many and varied books about music. This book was by far one of the more enjoyable, engaging, and informative reads compared to others that I have read. Even I learned a few things in this book.

The book is written in everyday language so that t More...

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Dec 11, 2010

Katie rated it:

Often, books that that have alot of details and technical information puts me to sleep. However, How Music Works was right on! It was interesting, easy to read, and it is actually very funny! In this book you can find out information nobody has really ever explained and/or talked about . I particularly liked the part where John explains how Punk Rock and Opera have things in common! They actually have things in common? I know! That's what I was thinking when I started reading about it!
I l More...

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Nov 16, 2010

Katie rated it:

Often, books that that have alot of details and information puts me to sleep. However, How Music Works was right on! It was interesting, easy to read, and it is actually very funny! In this book you can find out information nobody has really ever explained and/or talked about . I particularly liked the part where John explains how Punk Rock and Opera have things in common! They actually have things in common? I know! That's what I was thinking when I started reading about it!

I loved

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May 02, 2011

Garrett rated it:

He's a scientist, a musician, and a funny guy. This makes John Powell the perfect guy to explain things like why 10 violins aren't 10 times louder than 1 violin, why certain notes sound good together, and how microphones work. For musically inclined, you'll get a nice little dose of science to explain all those eardrum waggling vibrations. For those who cannot read music, you'll learn how (and why) key signatures work. It is fun and interesting with a few illustrations along the way.

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May 02, 2011

Donna Jo rated it:

Powell has written about about the basics of music--from notes to scales to harmonics--in a very light (and at times annoyingly cute) manner. I was entertained and educated by the book. Some of the information had been drilled in my head by my school music teachers (Thanks Miss Hoskins, Mr. Van Dyke, Mr. Pipho, and Mr. Cook) but some of it obviously didn't take at the time.

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Dec 22, 2010

Bridget rated it:

I have been obsessed with music for as long as I can remember. I've always wondered how music works and John's books really opened my eyes to the complexity of music. I learned so much and because of that, I have an even greater appreciation for the music making process. How Music Works would make the perfect holiday gift for the music lover in your life.

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Feb 10, 2012

Deborah rated it:

The author, John Powell, is a very funny guy. In addition to learning a lot about the science of music, I enjoyed the quips in this book (e.g., Pythagoras, as you no doubt know, was a mathematician with an unhealthy interest in triangles, who spent a lot of his life trying the develop the perfect shape for Toblerone).

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Apr 06, 2011

James rated it:

An excellent job - the author presents quite a bit of information, well organized, clearly and with a minimum of jargon. Beyond that, he does it in a way that had me laughing aloud often enough for my wife to be curious about what I was reading. I'll be looking for anything else he's written.

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Jan 15, 2011

jen8998 rated it:

An interesting survey of how music appeals to us. Admittedly, I skimmed some of the technical bits but overall the author's amusing style makes music theory accessible. There's an included CD along with the book but I don't think it added much to the explanations.

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Jan 21, 2011

Bobby rated it:

Very engaged in the beginning, seriously slumped in the middle, but picked back up at the end. I learned quite a bit about music that I didn't know before so not a total loss. Still I was hoping for better. And the "humorous" tone got old very quickly even though I'm a fan of the dry British wit. This was not that. It felt more like your dad trying to tell jokes to your high school friends that were awkward and forced.

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Mar 26, 2011

Roy rated it:

The first book I found that describes the physics of music and music theory in an understandable way. I especially liked the parts on the pentatonic scale, the just scale, and equal temperament.

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Dec 08, 2010

Angelica rated it:

It was really good, I got to discover how music really works and I got the deeper meaning of what music really is :P I love that it has a bonus c.d too :D

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Aug 08, 2011

Dillon rated it:

This is an interesting explanation of the physics behind music in layman's terms. Powell combines this with affair share of humor.

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Feb 15, 2012

Brian rated it:

Could have been so much better if tested by a wider readership before final publication.

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Jan 15, 2012

Cherice rated it:

Pretty technical, but interesting. Reminded me of my music physics class at BYU.

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Nov 20, 2011

Peter rated it:

Finally I figured out equal temperament, scales and keys!!! And about time too.

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