This is a terrific book. Blatter codifies various ways of putting sounds ...
352365
This is a terrific book.  Blatter codifies various ways of putting sounds together in orchestral writing.  This has helped my students significantly both is expanding their horizons, and tightening their writing.
1189171
This is an excellent book that is clear, succinct, and informative.  The book simplifies the putting process, and has a superb summary chapter that distills the key ideas.  I was immediately able to apply many of the ideas.  One of the authors has a distinguished history.  Before opening his own company, Frankly Golf, he invented graphite golf shafts, and was the technical director at USGA.  If you go the website for Frankly Golf, you can discover much more and also learn about the putter Frank Thomas created, the Frankly Frog (I'm not kidding here), which is now in my bag.
4184536
This book is really fantastic: the ideas are interesting and laid out in a logical progression, and I like that while there are some exercises that require a quiet spot, many others can be done in the course of a busy day. I am eager to try the meditations that are available online--what a good idea. This book is better than many others I have read.
I would absolutely recommend this book as a way to learn about mediumship and to expand your knowledge and comfort level.
4511852
Ric Viers has a very inviting, laid back writing style.  While this book may contain much the same information you'd find in a textbook, he wrote it as if he were having a pleasant conversation about location sound with the reader.  That makes this otherwise dry material a real page turner.

I would say that this is a must-read for anyone aspiring to a job as a "sound guy" in the film industry.  I'd also recommend it to non-audio film and video professionals so that they can get up to speed on what their colleagues in sound are doing and why.

If you're a video blogger or a video making hobbyist like me, I would not only recommend this book, but I'd say it's your duty to pick up a copy.  The techniques in this book apply just as well to the affordable (read: cheap) equipment that we all know and love as they do to the high-end gear used in the film industry.  I can almost guarantee you'd be better off buying a mic that's $15 cheaper and putting that extra cash towards this book.

The book is also from 2012.  That means that it discusses equipment that's still current, and that you can buy today (oftentimes right here on Amazon -- but they didn't pay me to say that).

My only gripe is so minor that the review doesn't even lose a star:  Ric does often repeat himself on certain points.  It's probably intentional reiteration to ensure that the reader hasn't missed a key element, however it's noticeable to the point of "breaking the fourth wall".  If books had walls.  It may not be the best metaphor, but there you have it.

I bought the paperback version rather than the digital.  The quality of the printing is overall high.  The cover has a nice matte feel to it, and inside the paper stock is thick but not problematically so.  There are plenty of illustrations and images, but not so many that you'd feel cheated at having bought a picture book.

All in all, a great read!
712638
Joe Tucker is a touring pro, a great teacher, and understands both the physics and art of pool.  In this book he has shared his secrets of how to read the rack that only a few, if any, professional and amateur players  know about. No 9-ball or 8-ball rack is perfect, they all have tiny spaces  between the balls and Joe reveals how to use these imperfections to your  advantage.  After reading this book, I now make a ball on my 8-ball and  9-ball breaks almost 100% of the time. This alone has brought my game to a  new level. A good read, great diagrams and well worth your time. The games  of 8-ball 9-ball will never be the same. Two thumbs up!
936536
This is a terrific book. It starts with the ABCs, then does short vowel sounds with consonants, then long vowel sounds with consonants, then blended consonant words and multisyllabic words. Except for a few updates that are needed due to changing times and politics, I think this book is stellar for teaching children to read modern English. I really wish it would be reprinted. I only have a copy because my mother, a schoolteacher in the 1960s, let me have hers.
189511
I can't say enough about how good this book is. I was hesitant to try learning music from a book, and granted, you do need to be able to read (at least on a rudimentary level) music to pick up the concepts in the book. But I found that, especially with the help of the included CD, which is referenced frequently throughout the book, it was relatively easy. After reading the first few chapters, I was blown away by the fact that I was learning some REALLY important concepts that I had never really been told about before! Just knowing some of these previously mysterious concepts has made me a much better afro-cuban percussionist, and I'm just getting started with the book. Also, Michael Spiro is a true educator - clear, concise, and interesting - but not too dry! For conga players who have gotten past the initial stages of learning (proper technique,the basic rhythms, etc) and are looking to go to the next level, I highly recommend this.
4182896
Klinsmann has a lot of controversial ideas and has been shaking things up for the last five years. Not everyone in America understands or agrees with what he's doing.  But Kirschbaum's thought-provoking book does a really good job of putting some context on what the coach is trying to do, and why he's doing the things he's doing to help make the US soccer team one of the best in the world. I learned a lot about Klinsmann and soccer in the US from this enjoyable and quite readable yarn.  I highly recommend this book.
332778
Robert Toft's newest book is outstanding. His earlier book Bel Canto opens a vista of options to the performer in aspects of interpretation usually considered off limits. The accepted faithful rendition of the score in all its infinite details and peculiarities is shown to be too limiting on creativity to be justified for 19th century performance practice. This book WITH PASSIONATE VOICE moves the playing field back to the 16th century. Again traditional taboos are dissected, such as, when to apply musica ficta, how to choose which notes to sing/play, when NOT to seek consistency across a score, when good performers were expected to 'correct' a composer's compositional errors. Especially valuable for the modern reader a bit hazy on 16th century concepts of music theory is his Appendix reviewing in plain English accepted assumptions about solmization, hexachords, tones and the like. These two books should revolutionize interpretation of 'the classics' in years to come.
1450324
This is a terrific book for anyone studying Bass Guitar.  I am using this in conjunction with another teaching method as this book fills in many blanks with regard to musical styles.

This is not a theory book.  A bit of theory is covered but that is not the main topic.

The most wonderful part of the book are the various styles from around the world with full illustrations that are also on the accompanying CDs.

This truly is one book that should be in a beginner or advanced Bass player's library.
1397783
I just finished reading this exceptionally entertaining and insightful book. Each chapter is conveniently short, and it ends with thought-provoking and inspirational quotes. The author uses his truly charming and humorous style of writing to describe his passion for soccer. He has skillfully mapped lessons learned in the game of soccer and sportsmanship to our daily life. I highly recommend this book. I am looking forward to read future books from this author.
1128634
This is a terrific book.  You'll learn much about Deaf culture, history and linguistics in general.  I wish I had had this book in my first year in American Sign Language.  It's a great tool to have.  The lanugage of Sign is every bit as complex and nuanced as any spoken language.  "Talking Hands" is a fabulous journey into the linguistics and culture of Sign.
2583027
Thorough, systematic, and full of very useful information. This book fully describes how the racquet and body moves on all the strokes, and uses great photos of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Serena and others to explain the text. I particularly enjoyed the psychology chapter which I use on the court and in my life off it. Highly recommended.
3382893
This new book from Russ Gold takes each rudiment and applies it throughout a page of different clave patterns. The results are clear; any student who uses this book will expand their vocabulary on the drumset tenfold. Russ's method is great because it forces you out of your own "go to" stickings so that you are forced to come up with new and creative patterns on the set. I highly reccomend this book for students of all levels and incorporate it into my practice on a daily basis. The stickings also come along with drumset applications so the bridge between hand technique and drumset applications in clear as daylight, something missing from most technique literature. Congratulations, Russ.
4575523
Serious US fans interested in international soccer/football: buy this book.

A caveat: "Inverting the Pyramid" is not a good place to start your quest if you lack a real commitment to learning the history, culture, personalities, and tactics of the beautiful game, all that has brought us to the 21st century. A basic familiarity with current international club and country football is probably necessary; if you don't know who Pep Guardiola is, or whether Brazil or Italy are more defense-oriented, you'll need easy access to a search engine.

But if you're willing to stop now and then to google "Cruyff" or watch highlights from the 1950 World Cup final, this book is an invaluable resource. Focusing each chapter on a country and era in which a particular tactical form was developed and disseminated, Wilson weaves anecdotes, articles, position diagrams, and much more into a thoughtful exposition of how and why approaches came and went. I was particularly fascinated in the differences in strategy as modernity -- in terms of professional salaries, health and nutrition, Fordist skill-based preparations, and so on -- have been taken up and discarded over the years.

I got this book from a British friend as a gift, and it's transformed my understanding of the sport. It will change yours as well, if you give it a good chance.
4672258
This book was an opportunity to learn how the best side of the world ever, apply their tactics in the attacking phase and I doubt that there will be a team equally succesfull to this Barcelona side. When I bought this book I didn't expect to be so insightfull and detailed. Very well organized as it breaks the complex parts of the playing style down to simple, so the coaches can better understand why certain things happen during the games. The attacking phase as well as the negative and positive transitions are presented in every detail and it is obvious that there was a lot of time spent on this book. As an UEFA PRO' coaching licence holder I would recommend this fantastic book to every advanced level coach who wants to know how pro teams apply their tactics. Congratulations to the author.
3113419
I am currently studying Tactics, including online and in books.  Most of them are theme orientated, which is good, as my first name, my middle name, and my last name, is Tactics until I reach my goal of Expert player, but this book is different:  it is taken from positions in games (most from 2010-2011) where one move had instant impact in everything from winning a pawn, to causing instant resignation.  It is well written, easy to understand, and the author asks the reader to take up to 20 minutes to analyze the position and work through the candidate moves chosen with one bringing forth consequence.  There are 300 puzzles, no board needed, with the solutions in the back.  Of particular value is the written hint to help the club player know what to look for without the more obvious "find the fork" or "mate in 3" theme books.  Although these are of great value (I am working through them for pattern recognition) this is a fresh break and is causing me to do far more exploration of the position.  Interestingly, he gives a rating-type system of self-scoring, and although not as scientific as "Chess Exam" (Igor Khmelnitsky) which was based upon the responses of rated players from 1200 to Grandmasters (see review), it is useful for the likely intended audience which is likely the 1200-1700 players.  The book is small, and easy to carry about, and great for daily study in bed, or perhaps on commute or break.  It is packed with exciting positions which, each and every, appears to be equal, that is, equal, if not for the tactical breakthrough.

This is clearly a step up for those of us who are doing pattern recognition and fits the niche perfectly between the "mate in 2" books and the strategic books due to the positional equity that appears in the real games.  The author has done a great deal of research in choosing professional games of late and finding the exciting game-changing positions.  This gives the book a certain feel of tension and excitement, bringing the reader 'into' the battle.

My intention is to work through the book several times, as I hope that some pattern recognition (remove the defender, for example) will become instinctive.  The author's sober comments and advice is encouraging and helpful.

***** Stars.