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Comments (10)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 10 of 10 items
Dec 17, 2020pfsheckarski rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I don't know much about musicology, so reading the first half of this book (I'm not done yet) has led me from staggering revelation to curious insight to incredible historical nugget, again and again. For instance, bass drums created…
Feb 25, 2019LibrariAndy rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I loved this book. It gives a glimpse into a variety of music scenes and discusses the importance of hearing music in the appropriate context. It is probably longer than it needs to be, but I enjoyed it to the end.
Jun 22, 2018
Besides meditations on the nature of music from cultural perspectives, there is some fine material on The Talking Heads and the band's recordings, as well as Byrne's solo work, plus some surprisingly practical analysis of the music…
Jul 11, 2015ByStephanie rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
I guess I'm too young (teenager) to really appreciate this book, since I found it difficult to engage with the parts that focus on music and technologies from before my time. Other parts, like those that focus on cultural differences and…
Jun 26, 2015CRRL_CraigG rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Musician and writer David Byrne crafts such an enticing collection of essays, dropping factoids and anecdotes along the way, that I was equally informed and entertained. Read more at: http://www.librarypoint.org/how_music_works_byrne
Apr 24, 2014uncommonreader rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I stopped reading after a couple of chapters as I did not find the book that interesting or insightful.
Jul 03, 2013ReidCooper rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This book needed both better editing and better proofreading. In many cases, I found myself wishing the library had the key books Byrne keeps drawing on, so I could go directly to the sources instead. "How Music Works" shines, though, when…
Jun 09, 2013WVMLStaffPicks rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Have you ever wondered why pop songs are roughly three minutes long, or how improvisation in jazz began? Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne answers these questions and more in his ambitious survey of musical creation. How Music…
Apr 16, 2013michael12 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I expected this to be an "aging rock star bio", but it's much more than that. Byrne does describe his own musical genesis, the formation and career of Talking Heads, and his own solo projects. But he uses this as grist for the mill in…
Nov 14, 2012
A true Renaissance man, David Byrne is a painter, photographer, and writer in addition to being a Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame inductee and co-founder of the new wave band Talking Heads. In How Music Works, which Booklist calls "endlessly…