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| Books & Music |

Looking for sheet music, music history, theory and reference books? This page contains a list of useful books which are available directly from Amazon. Once you find a book you're interested in, click on the text link or appropriate book cover image for more details or to purchase your copy. You can also click on a link to view similar books. The list is in no way complete (we could be here for years!) and will be added to in time...
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| Piano | Harp | Violin | Theory | Music Technology | History & Reference |

| Piano |

Currently still compiling a list of piano sheet music - but in the meantime, here are some piano technique books. Unfortunately I haven't found the following Dohnanyi book online yet, but keep an eye out for it : "Dohnanyi - Essential Finger Exercises - for obtaining a sure piano technique". One of the best technique/study books I've used!
The Virtuoso Pianist by  C. Hanon is also highly recommended - and an excellent companion to the Dohnanyi book.
You may also like try the following Czerny book : Favourite Piano Studies Op.299 (this is an advanced book and is not suitable for the beginner pianist)

Improve Your Piano Playing  John Meffen
Piano Technique  Walter Gieseking, Karl Leimer

Look out for the Improve Your Sight Reading series by Paul Harris (also his Perfect Your Sight Reading) - brilliant books!

A good scale book is a wise purchase - I have included a link to just a few of the graded ABRSM scale and exam books, if you're looking for other grades, simply follow one of the links for more choices :
Piano Exam: Grade 2: Scales and Arpeggios  ABRSM
Piano Scales: Grade 8  ABRSM
Jazz Piano Scales, Grades 1-5  ABRSM
Jazz Piano Aural Tests, Grades 1-3  ABRSM

Selected Piano Exam Pieces 2003-2004: Grade 1 Associated Board of the Royal School of Music

Those interested in the keyboard and pop styles may find the following book useful :
Christopher Norton's Essential Guide to Pop Styles: For Keyboard  Christopher Norton
[Christopher Norton also does an excellent MicroJazz series for a range of instruments!]


Jazz Piano from Scratch
Charles Beale ABRSM

On the Right Track: Original Jazz Piano Pieces: Level One with CD (Audio) Mike Cornick
On the Right Track: Original Jazz Piano Pieces: Level Two with CD (Audio) Mike Cornick


A small selection of piano course books for beginners: [Click on the titles for other level books from the same and similar courses]
Adult Piano Course Book 1
Aaron
John W. Schaum Pre-A Solo Book: For Piano
John W. Schaum - the first book in the Schaum piano course.
John Thompson's Easiest Piano Course
John Thompson
John Thompsons Modern Course for Piano
John Thompson
How to Play Piano: A New Easy-to-understand Way to Learn to Play the Piano (How to Play)
Roger Evans

A selection of compilation books and piano collections :

Tunes You've Always Wanted to Play  Carol Barratt (Editor) All-time Piano Classics in Easy-to-play Arrangements : nearly 300 piano melodies in easy-to-play arrangements, from Beethoven to Sullivan, and from Elgar to Sousa...
The Gershwin Collection  
George Gershwin
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter Cole Porter
Twentieth-Century Piano Classics  Igor Stravinsky :
Eight Works by Stravinsky, Schoenbert and Hindemith
The Celtic Collection: Piano Solo (The Phillip Keveren Series)  
Phillip Keveren (Editor)
Piano Music of Bela Bartok: Second in the Archive Edition Incorporating Composer's Corrections - Bela Bartok
Complete Ballades, Impromptus and Sonatas : The Paderewski Edition : Frederic Chopin
Nocturnes and Polonaises : The Paderewski Edition : Frederic Chopin
Ludwig Van Beethoven Complete Piano Sonatas Volume 1 (Nos. 1-15) Beethoven : accompanied by extensive critical notes.
Complete Piano Rags Scott Joplin
Czech Piano Music: 42 Works by Dussek, Smetana, Dvorak, Janacek and Martinu Rudolf Firkusny (Editor)
Album for the Young: Twenty-Four Pieces for Piano Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Complete Piano Player Collection  P Zietlin, David Goldberger
Charlie Brown's Greatest Hits  Charles M. Schulz : From Vince Guaraldi's theme music for the Peanuts tv series - includes the 'charlie brown theme' and many others, but in simpler arrangements than the originals... "fun, light-hearted tunes... "
The Celtic Collection: Piano Solo (The Phillip Keveren Series)  Phillip Keveren (Editor)
Really Easy Jazzin' about: Fun Pieces for Piano/Keyboard Pamela Wedgwood
The Library of Piano Classics Amy Appleby : around 50 pieces of varying styles by over 40 composers, including several duet arrangements...
Ancient Irish Airs and Dances: 201 Classic Tunes Arranged for Piano George Petrie

Want to know more about the piano as an instrument - its history and development? how it works? Check out the following book :
The Piano: Evolution and Design  David Crombie
: Featuring more than 150 specially commissioned photographs, a survey of the development of the piano from the 1700s to the present day, with information on the workings of the piano, an A-Z of makers, a discography and details of composers, musicians and personalities connected with the piano...

Piano Notes: The Hidden World of the Pianist Charles Rosen : In Piano Notes, Rosen writes for a broad audience about every aspect of the piano. Drawing upon a lifetime of wisdom and the accumulated lore of many great performers of the past, Rosen shows why the instrument demands such a stark combination of mental and physical prowess. "Rosen's explanation of the piano's physical pleasures, demands and discontents will delight and instruct anyone who has ever sat at a keyboard, as well as everyone who loves to listen to the instrument."   

Great Contemporary Pianists Speak for Themselves Elyse Mach

Piano Servicing, Tuning, and Rebuilding for the Professional, the Student, and the Hobbyist Arthur A. Reblitz

Search results for Piano Exam Music
Search results for Jazz Piano Music

| Harp |

There seems to be a lack of good harp books available on the net (not that harp music was ever the easiest to get hold of). There are some real gems I'd like to recommend, including 'Old Tunes for New Harpists, by Mildred Dilling', possibly the best book for beginners and up, and a couple of folk books by Sylvia Woods '52 Scottish Songs' and '50 Irish Melodies for all harps'. Sylvia Wood provides two arrangements for each piece, a simple arrangment, and a more advanced version - as soon as I find them online, I'll post them up here! But in the meantime, here's a few books that are available which may be of interest :
The Harp Key  Alison Kinnaird : a collection of 24 harp tunes arranged by Alison Kinnaird which reflect the living tradition of Scottish music...

The Small Harp: A Step-by-step Tutor  Alison Kinnaird :Harp For the student who wishes to learn the Clarsarch, but may not be able to find a local teacher! Containing a range of pieces from elementary to advanced, plus accompanying CD, this book includes advice on buying and maintaining a clarsach, a basic guide to musical notation, lessons and exercises for two, three and four fingers, and advice on arranging music.

Sain y Werin: Collection of Welsh Folk Songs and Harp Melodies Arranged for Harp and Flute or Violin with Study Notes and Text on the Twenty Pieces  Meinir Heulyn

Irish Harp and Song Book  Sean O'Neill (Illustrator)

| Violin |

Easy Violin Tunes (Easy Tunebooks) Sue Mayes : From the series which "combines carefully graded tunes with technical explanations and information on musical styles, composers and the history of the instrument". This book contains over 50 pieces....

What Else Can I Play?: Violin: Grade Two Fun pieces of a grade 2 level.

Violin Extra (Instrumental Music) Book 1  Peter Davey : 49 tunes for the learner
Violin Extra (Instrumental Music) Book 2  Peter Davey : 44 tunes for the learner

violin classicsViolin Classics With Piano Book (from the Library of Classics series) Amsco Publications : A compendium of classic solos for the violin - composers include Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Bizet, Chopin, Debussy, Listz, Mozart, Paganini,
Rimsky-Korsakov, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, and many more... The piano book is also most usefully spiral bound (definately a bonus! why aren't more music books spiral bound?). An excellent book with a wide selection of styles to choose from (over 65 favourites). If you're looking for a selection of classics, presented in a well laid out book, with traditional arrangements then look no further!

The Scots Fiddle: Tunes, Tales and Traditions of the North-East and Central Highlands
  J. Murray Neil : collection of traditional fiddle music (over 160 tunes) including slow airs, pastorals, strathspeys, reels, jigs, hornpipes and marches, tunes from the 18th, 19th & 20th centuries. Not only the music, but background history on the music, composers, legends associated with the pieces, and helpful technical pointers and instructions....

Folksongs and Ballads Popular in Ireland
  John Loesberg (Editor)

The Scottish Ceilidh Collection for Fiddlers: Volumes 1 and 2 Christine Martin (Compiler), Anne Hughes (Compiler)

Jazz, Blues & Ragtime: Violin and Piano - Complete
  Edward Huws Jones (Editor)

Improvising Violin  Liberman : A guide to the art and science of string improvisation! Includes jazz, blues, swing, folk, rock, and New Age styles...

Violin Owner's Manual  Strings Magazine : a guide to selecting, understanding, preserving and protect any violin "from a modest fiddle to a priceless Stradivari"

Ceilidh Band Pack: Everything You Need to Know to Start a Ceilidh Band (Folkpack S.) Robin Dunn, Peter Fryer (Illustrator)

 

| Theory |

First Steps in Music Theory Eric Taylor - Associated Board of the Royal School of Music : highly recommended, this handy little reference book splits up the theory material into graded chapters (grades 1-5). Simple explanation makes this an essential theory reference for the first grades.
AB vol1If you need a more indepth explanation look no further than the AB Guide to Music Theory - available in 2 volumes : The AB Guide to Music Theory Vol 1 covers grades 1-5 and The AB Guide to Music Theory Vol 2 covers grades 6-8. Crammed full of everything you need to know in order to take on those theory grades - and essential for every practising musician!!

The following range of theory workbooks (Associated Board of the Royal School of Music
) are very useful and highly recommended for all students. Grades 1 to 5 are written by Eric Taylor and Grades 6 & 7 by Peter Aston, & Julian Webb :
Music Theory in Practice Grade 1
Music Theory in Practice Grade 2 
Music Theory in Practice Grade 3
Music Theory in Practice Grade 4
Music Theory in Practice Grade 5
Music Theory in Practice Grade 6

Music Theory in Practice Grade 7

Search results for Music Theory Exam Papers/Books

Search results for Music Theory Reference Books

| Music Technology |

I personally recommend pretty much anything by Paul White : in particular, his basic series range of pocket books cover a wide range of topics, including MIDI, mixing, microphones, mastering, digital recording, home studio design, live sound, and effects and processors. But don't be fooled by the 'basic' - these little gems are perfect for all levels - from bedroom recording artist to college student, amatuer to professional - these jargon-free, easily accesible books are superbly written, making them an essential addition to your studio, and small enough to fit in your gigging bag! handy and refreshingly useful!! So what are you waiting for?
Basic Microphones (Basic Series) Paul White
Basic Mastering (Sound on Sound)
Paul White
Basic Mixing Techniques Paul White
Basic Effects & Processors (Basic Series)
Paul White
Basic Home Studio Design (Sound on Sound)
Paul White
Basic Digital Recording (Basic Series)
Paul White
Basic Multitracking (Basic Series)
Paul White
Basic Live Sound
Paul White
Basic MIDI (Basic Series)
Paul White : Never be confused or intimitated by MIDI again!
Basic Surround Sound
Paul White : Issues and techniques of working with surround sound

coverLive Sound for The Performing Musicians Paul White : a practical guide to equipment and sound for small to medium-sized gigs. Every performing musician should read this book!



Browse through more music technology recommendations at the Hybrid Studios Music Tech BookShop

| Music History & Reference |

A History of Western Music  Donald Jay Grout, Claude Palisca : Covers the History of Western Music from the Ancient Greeks through to the 21st Century. (Required reading for many university and college music courses)

The Concise Oxford History of Music (Oxford Paperback Reference) Gerald Abraham : covers the history of music from its first recorded emergence in early civilization to the death of Stravinsky...

Opera Andras Batta : OPERA is a fascinating book alphabetically ordered by composers (124 of them at that! from Adams to Zimmermann) and containing synopsis' and information on 338 operas : stage designs, photos and illustrations, extracts of music, details of performances and the actors who featured in them...so much information and all beautifully presented.
You have to see this book to believe it - even if you hate most opera you will be rivited by the stories behind the operas, and stunned by the stage designs and costumes. An essential book for music students - definately not a 'stuffy' text book, but a well written and enjoyable account of the major operas and many many more... and all at a very reasonable price too!


Fundamentals of Musical Composition  Arnold Schoenberg, Gerald Strang (Editor), Leonard Stein (Editor)
Structural Functions of Harmony  Arnold Schoenberg, Leonard Stein (Translator)
The Study of Counterpoint  J.J. Fux
The Study of Fugue  Alfred Mann

The Oxford Book of English Madrigals Philip Ledger (Editor)
Madrigals and Partsongs (Oxford Choral Classics)  Clifford Bartlett
European Sacred Music (Oxford Choral Classics) John Rutter
An Introduction to Gregorian Chant (Includes CD) Richard L. Crocker : an eloquent introduction to the history and meaning of the Gregorian chant...

The Music of Bela Bartok: A Study of Tonality and Progression in Twentieth-Century Music  Elliott Antokoletz - considering that Bartok is one of my all time favourite composers, I couldn't really have a recommended reading list without including at least one book about the great Hungarian composer! and 'oops' here's another one : The Life and Music of Bela Bartok  Halsey Stevens, Malcolm Gillies (Editor)
If you're a pianist interested in Bartok and Hungarian music, I highly recommend Bartoks Mikrokosmos series - a set of 153 pieces - (the Bulgarian rhythms at the back of book 6 are stunning, both for the performer and the audience!). Keep an eye out for his 'For Children' books too. Bartok enthusiasts, students and teachers will find the following book very interesting :
Bartok's "Mikrokosmos": Genesis, Pedagogy and Style  Benjamin Suchoff : an in-depth study which investigates Bartok's Mikrokosmos from three main viewpoints: the genesis of the pieces, their pedagogical value and their stylistic qualities. "The book is intended for piano teachers, students, and performers as well as anyone interested in Bartok's life and work as pianist, educator, and composer."

Bela Bartok: Studies in Ethnomusicology Bela Bartok, Benjamin Suchoff (Editor)

Olivier Messiaen, the Musical Mediator: A Study of the Influence of Liszt, Debussy and Bartok Madeleine Hsu

The Beethoven Compendium: A Guide to Beethoven's Life and Music Barry Cooper (Editor) : A reference book containing information about Beethoven's life and times.
Beethoven on Beethoven: Playing His Piano Music His Way  William S. Newman : A study which aims to get as close as possible to the way in which Beethoven himself would have played his piano music in both the solo and the ensemble works...
A Companion to Beethoven's Pianoforte Sonatas D.F. Tovey
Beethoven's Piano Sonatas: A Short Companion Charles Rosen


Books which may be of further interest :
The Use of the Self  F. Matthias Alexander, Wilfred Barlow (Introduction) : "The world famous classic by the originator of the Alexander Technique"
Indirect Procedures: A Musician's Guide to the Alexander Technique (Clarendon Paperbacks)  Pedro de Alcantara



The Inner Game of Music  Barry Green : Many musicians face an inner battle against nervousness, self-doubt and fear of failure. To combat this, this title explains the principles of "natural learning". Features include ensemble playing, improvisation, listening skills and exercises that help intonation, artistic phrasing and technique.


Thinking in Jazz: The Infinite Art of Improvisation (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology) Paul F. Berliner : aiming to illuminate the distinctive creative processes that comprise improvisation. "Chronicling leading musicians from their first encounters with jazz to the development of a unique improvisatory voice, Paul Berliner demonstrates that a lifetime of preparation lies behind the skilled improviser's every note".

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank T.E. Carhart
: piano shop"At first glance, The Piano Shop on the Left Bank is simply an autobiography covering the author's blissful years in Paris. This is actually something much rarer and more original: an extended love letter to the piano. One day, Carhart was walking through the back streets of Paris in the early morning--a place and a time he evokes beautifully, the street sweepers out cleaning the hidden alleys, and
...the smell from la boulangerie du coin. And then he noticed a small truck, unloading a piano ... It turned out to be delivering to the atelier of Monsieur Luc Desforges, a piano repairer of the old school. 'Desforges Pianos: outillage, fournitures.' On the small, red felt-covered shelf in the window are displayed the tools and instruments of piano repair: tightening wrenches, tuning pins, piano wire ... the entire facade has a sleepy, 19th-century charm about it.
One could say the same of Carhart's book. It doesn't move fast, and it doesn't depend on powerful emotions or dramatic reversals for its effect. It is a quiet and loving meditation on the piano, as it features in French life, and in Carhart's. He recalls his early days back in Virginia with equal vividness, when at the age of eight he took lessons from Miss Pemberton, playing a Chopin ballade or a Mozart sonata "in the warm Virginia evening, with the soft murmur of crickets in the surrounding woods". The whole book is suffused with just this softness, slowness and dreamy eloquence. For piano lovers, an absolute must. For others, a book of tremendous charm and pleasure." -- Christopher Hart / Amazon.co.uk Review -- This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

You may also like to browse the Music Bookshop at Hybrid Studios - where you'll also find a selection of useful books for bands. Click here to be whisked to the Hybrid Studios Music Shop.