How Music Works: The Science and Psychology of Beautiful Sounds, from Beethoven to the Beatles and Beyond

This book explains everything you might ever have wondered about music and what makes it music as opposed to mere sounds. The book requires no prior knowledge of music or music theory, or even how to read music, but it is probably only for those seriously interested in "how music works." Mr. Powell presents in a clear and humorous book an explanation of just about everything you could imagine concerning the topic of music and music perception. For example, he gives a brief history of the difficulty in designing musical instruments so that not only do they sound good but allow a transposition f

As the title says, this is a book about how music works -- but about how it works in physical sense, not in an artistic or emotional sense. This took me aback, since I'd expected (having foolishly failed toread the write up or the reviews) something about sense and sensibility.But I am very glad I got the book, and read it. The author sets out to make the mechanics of music clear even to readers with no musical education. I am just such a one, and the book does indeed make a lot of things very clear, starting with what makes a sound musical. It proceeds through pitch and frequency, tonality, i

I LOVE this book. I can't put it down. If you have ever wondered why music is played the way it is, get this book. It doesn't matter whether you can play an instrument or not, you will find this book fascinating -- and fun to read.

This book was a godsend for me in my efforts to learn music theory as an older beginner. John Powell combines his credentials as a physicist with his deep understanding of music theory in a way perfect for me. I have several books that tell me the “what” about music theory, but this book goes on to explain the “why” music is the way it is, and how it evolved down through history. I believe it is essential for learning to understand the overall concepts holistically, and then work back to the details of how something works. Mr. Powell does an outstanding job of this, and with wit and humor all

Like many kids growing up, I had piano lessons here and there, but my overall knowledge of music was still pretty basic."How Music Works" takes a lot of musical concepts and makes it palatable even for people with limited knowledge of music theory but has an interest in better understanding why music works the way it does.From what is perfect pitch to the difference between notes and noise to how exactly instruments like organs and guitars work to scales and more, I learned a lot of fundamentals as well as interesting tidbits along the way.For instance, did you know that music notes weren't st

I had to get this for a class, otherwise I wouldn't bother reading. Nothing in here you can't find on the internet these days.

John Powell has two notable features as a writer: he has a gift for explaining the science behind music, and he has an unfortunate weakness for undergraduate humour.If he had worked on the former a little more, at the expense of the latter, this would have been a much more serious and rewarding book. His constant digressions into would-be-funny stories eventually pall on the reader and make the book slow going.Nevertheless, I do recommend it to younger readers who are eager to know why, for example, dissonance jars on the ear, or why a clarinet sounds different to a violin. As far as I know, t

Disclaimer: I have not finished the book, I am taking my time to read it slowly to fully understand the great information provided. I also read parts aloud to my husband, who understands music theory quite a bit but is definitely learning from this book. I say this is a great book if you are new to music -- and I mean that you are new to playing music/instruments. Music is its own language, and this book is the beginning of how to understand the language. The author explains concepts using everyday language and both familiar and unique examples. I found his discussion on the harp and the glock