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 enlarge | Author: Mark Levine
Publisher: Sher Music
Category: Book
List Price: $42.00
Buy New: $28.90
You Save: $13.10 (31%)
New (8) Used (10) Collectible (1) from $27.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  53 reviews
Sales Rank: 6630
Media: Spiral-bound
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 522
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.8
Dimensions (in): 11 x 8.3 x 1.3
ISBN: 1883217040
UPC: 073999783162
EAN: 9781883217044
ASIN: 1883217040
Publication Date: June 1, 1995
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 I'll Make This Short April 23, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book is not for beginners, but if you're ready to expand your jazz skills, there is no better book I've seen (except for his Jazz Piano book!).
 Needs another edition November 11, 2005
51 out of 66 found this review helpful
When I finished my classical training, I picked up this book with enthusiasm and have been working with it on & off for 2 years. Levine wrote a book that was sorely needed in music education, but I am anticipating another edition since I have severe criticisms of the book that are probably more the fault of Levine's editors than his.
Firstly, there are too many musical examples in this book. It would be better to stick to a handful of artists to demonstrate a lot of points. Levine frequently goes off into tangents of just listing artists . The book could have been cut in half because of this and more time devoted to explaining concepts.
Secondly, the book is written in a conversational style which often makes it difficult to follow because written and spoken word are two different entities.
Thirdly, the book is overwhelming because of the first reason I mentioned as well as some of the chapters are huge. Ch. 3 should have been 3 seperate chapters.
Fourthly, Levine needs to work with his editors in finding a better way to present the core concepts, especially in Pt. 1, I found myself scratching my head sometimes trying to figure out just what Levine was getting at even though I understand harmony well. It is often on the tip of Levine's tongue and he doesn't lay it out for his reader.
Finally, only half of the page is printed on. Sher Music Publishing could have used the entire page and reduced the price of the book. This isn't related to the actual content of the book, but if your a student tight on money, this is significant.
The fundamental question for any jazz theory book is this: what distinguishes jazz from other types of music? Improvisation is not a sufficient answer since Jazz has some serious rules just as any human language does. Levine still needs to better synthesize his knowledge so it is more accesible to his readers. After reading his book, I still feel that I need to go to another book to find more information.
 groovy stuff July 20, 2005
7 out of 11 found this review helpful
awesome stuff, just what the doctor ordered. Unlocking the mysteries of jazz as we speak. All laid out clearly. I've been playing guitar for about 15 years now, mostly rock style stuff and wanted to get deeper into the jazz theory side. I saw this book in a music shop and thought it was perfect. All the musical examples are for piano, which makes it a little harder to access for guitar (hence the 4 stars) but it'll probably do my sight reading good, and having to work out the examples on guitar I'm sure will improve my intake of the information.
I'm about 30 or so pages in and have only scratched the surface.
very useful July 19, 2005
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
As a beginner jazz pianist, I have found this book really useful. I also own Mark Levine's Jazz Piano book and another jazz piano book but have found this to be the most helpful. I would greatly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about jazz, it can be applied to any instrument.
BUY THIS BOOK NOW!! March 28, 2004
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
By all means, if you've been confused with theory in the past, buy this book! I could have easily saved myself several hundred dollars I've spent on other materials that only left me as confused as I was when I started or at best taught me fragments of theory that I couldn't piece together in a cohesive manner if I'd just bought this book first. Levine's book shows you the how and the why in a way that is easy to understand and builds on itself so that you "get it" and can apply it. I can't recommend it highly enough!
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