Books

[Spudmurphy]

I love a good reference book!!
Over the years I've built up a collection of books covering most of my favourite artists and genres of music.
The Who
Free
U2
Led Zeppelin
Billy Gibbons
Entwistles basses
Many Guitar books
Beatles
Blues
Rockabilly
Screaming Lord Sutch
Joe Cocker
Jeff Beck
Tom Petty
Little Feat
Pink Floyd
Elvis
Keith Moon
Black Sabbath
Pink Floyd
Keith Richards
John Buchanan
Sting
Thin Lizzy
Danny Gatton
J Cash
Slash
Albert Lee
Paul Bigsby
Badfinger
Gibson
Fender
MusicMan
Rory Gallagher
Brian May
Jim Marshall
Rockfield Sudios
ZZ Top
Building repairing instruments
many many more....
Just got 2 books recently that look interesting, the first is one called "Instrument" - a book about the relationship between musician and instument, craft and machine,artist and muse,friend and companion. To further quote from the foreward by Johnny Marr ...
some musicians carry their instrument through life like a precious object to be protected and treasured;some artists rely on on their instrument to do the work in a way that only that particular guitar or snare or keyboard, can do;while others take it for granted that that the instrument they acquired all those years ago will always do what they do together .. blah blah blah ...."
Fantastic pictures by Pat Graham, mostly of guitars in all shapes and form, showing unusual and usual relicing.

The other book is called temperament
'equal temperament' tuning was once a hugely controversial notion and it is a study based on it's resolution.

Two good reads!!

Anybody else come across anything interesting recently?

 

[DrKev]

Do tell me more about the temperament book! The physicist in me is always fascinated by this kind of thing. While I've studied temperament, tuning, and compensation, and reckon I understand it better than most people, I'm always interested to read something more.

But other than that I have a very, very small book collection and an embarrassingly small part of that is music. The only two I 'regularly' look at are William Leavitt's "Modern Method for Guitar" (the 3-volume-in-1 edition, published by the Berklee School of Music) and Ted Greene's "Chord Chemistry", which is basically a bible of all the possible variations you can play from the chords we already know. I used to have Ralph Denyer's "Guitar Handbook" which excellent and covered so many bases pretty well it was useful reference on theory, technique, setups, repairs, chords, etc.

 

[Spudmurphy]

ahhh I thought that you would be interested in this Dr K.

Whilst working away I visited the David Hockney exhibition In Saltair, and the premesis had a great little book section. Trouble was that all books were being sold at face value and I generally scout around for deals.

I came across these two books and was smitten.
I ordered through amazon and when I got back home yesterday they were waiting for me.

Yet to look at the Temerament book yet, and don't have it here with me right now.
I know it looks at the whole debate around temperament and links to the Harpsicord / Piano.

Will get back after I manage to read it.

 

[Spudmurphy]

I have to get Ted Greens Chord chemistry - awesome teacher and guitar collector sadly now departed.
Ralph Denyer's "Guitar Handbook" looks interesting - will look into that one.
Edit - less than $3 used on amazon - MM Axis on the front of it too - gotta be good then

 

[DrKev]

I got my copy of Denyer's book in '91 or '92. Don't know if there have been updates since. That's an EVH on the cover.

Who authored the temperament book?

Another book I should get is Jack Darr's Electric Guitar Handbook. It's kind of an electronics text book for those of us who love soldering irons and the smell of burning skin.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Stuart Isacoff - here's the link
Temperament: Amazon.co.uk: Stuart Isacoff: Books

Will check out those others DK

 

[DrKev]

Ordered! Thanks mate!

Now then, anyone else want to chime in or shall I rename this thread to "Kev and Kev discuss books amongst themselves"?

 

[Spudmurphy]

Ordered! Thanks mate!

Now then, anyone else want to chime in or shall I rename this thread to "Kev and Kev discuss books amongst themselves"?

lol - nice one Kev

Just finished the first chapter - who would have thought Galileo and Newton would have had an impact on fretboards?

 

[Spudmurphy]

The pictures in the Instrument book are great - a tad pricey but a nice "small" coffee table book
Instrument: Amazon.co.uk: Pat Graham: Books

 

[PugNinjas]

Nice suggestions fellas, the one I always go back to is The Guitar Player Repair Guide - Dan Erlewine. I've read it cover to cover and bunch of time and even my son enjoys it (he actually asked me to read the sections on truss rods so he could understand their purpose----btw he's 8)

I tend to grab books when I want to break out of a rut so I found Guthrie Govan's Creative Guitar 1 & 2 to be really helpful. Years ago, my "guitar geekness" took over and when we needed some space in our first apartment, I removed all the lessons from the back of the magazines and put them in a binder. I still reference it all the time and it's nice to discover lessons from Morse and Paul Gilbert that I had totally forgotten about.

 

[JMD]

I picked up a book on temperment about 3 years ago - I think it's a good read about an interesting subject. Here is the link
How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony: And Why You Should Care: Amazon.co.uk: Ross Duffin: Books

 

[DrKev]

I picked up a book on temperment about 3 years ago - I think it's a good read about an interesting subject. Here is the link
How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony: And Why You Should Care: Amazon.co.uk: Ross Duffin: Books

I saw that book on Amazon. Funny, I thought TV talent shows and out-of-tune YouTube guitar videos ruined harmony.

 

[DrKev]

The Isacoff temperament book was delivered a few days ago and I'm part way through it. It's not a bad read, I'm mostly enjoying it, and learning too.

Anyone else got books to share?

 

[Spudmurphy]

The Isacoff temperament book was delivered a few days ago and I'm part way through it. It's not a bad read, I'm mostly enjoying it, and learning too.

Anyone else got books to share?

I'm getting my head around a Howling Wolf book at the mo and only really part way through the Temperament book. I've learn't some interesting facts about temperament.