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

" Very engaged in the beginning, seriously slumped in the middle, but picked back up at the end. I learned quite a bit about music that I didn't know before so not a total loss. Still I was hoping for better. And the "humorous" tone got old very quickly even though I'm a fan of the dry British wit. This was not that. It felt more like your dad trying to tell jokes to your high school friends that were awkward and forced. "

" He's a scientist, a musician, and a funny guy. This makes John Powell the perfect guy to explain things like why 10 violins aren't 10 times louder than 1 violin, why certain notes sound good together, and how microphones work. For musically inclined, you'll get a nice little dose of science to explain all those eardrum waggling vibrations. For those who cannot read music, you'll learn how (and why) key signatures work. It is fun and interesting with a few illustrations along the way. "

" This is a very easy yet thoroughly informative read. I looked forward to reading it every night. The author is witty and engaging. He writes with authority and without condescension. I'd love to meet him - you get a great impression of the real John Powell through the text. "

" When the author is targeting his audience like a group of tourists who happened to have one hour free in between their other more exciting destinations, he is forgiven for trying to appear as intertwining and "down-to-earth" as possible. Trying to cajole the wavering attention and general apathy, he is mimicking the amusing circus master. Naturally this approach would stymie others who find such attention-grabbing performances and find them insupportably distracting. On such ground this book has failed this particular reader. "

" Entertaining and informative approach to the history of music, and why Western music is approached the way it is today. The terminology used is simple, and explanations are given where needed. Excellent book for anyone even remotely interested in music, and for those who consider themselves to be experienced in music as well. "

" love this..great voice, funny, and it made me understand things a lot better even without a background in music or science. imo, it was everything he intended it to be "

" If you have a decent grasp of science and a love of music, then this book is for you! I really enjoyed how the author explained things in an easy-to-understand manner. "

" This book followed a tv series with the same name. I loved reading this as it explains in fairly simple language how the complex science behind sounds and composing music really works. You will never listen to music in the same way again! "

" I've always been interested in knowing more about the theory and physics behind music, and this book does a good job of explaining the basics and how the history of music motivated the standards and conventions of classical and modern Western music. "

" This is a very good introduction to, um, how music works. The book's witty and up-beat writing style make it a pretty quick read. "

" Interesting, I learned some useful info. "

" Some things about music I knew, some things about music I didn't, some dry British humor. Fun. "

" Fantastic. Super informative and got quite a few chuckles out of me. "

" An interesting survey of how music appeals to us. Admittedly, I skimmed some of the technical bits but overall the author's amusing style makes music theory accessible. There's an included CD along with the book but I don't think it added much to the explanations. "

" A very fun book that was worth the read. I actually kind of preferred the voice of the author to the narrator in the few post chapter commentary but I can see why he chose to have someone else do it. Great review and contains plenty of fun moments when things get dry. "

" hilarious writing redeemed this one but, overall, I think this is not quited advanced enough for musicians and too advanced for non-musicians. "

" Pretty interesting and explained in an easy to understand style. "

" Clear and conscise introduction to the physics of music. "

" Knowing nothing about music theory before reading this I know understand why my little music generating app fails when it fails and succeeds when it succeeds. Time to code! "

" An excellent job - the author presents quite a bit of information, well organized, clearly and with a minimum of jargon. Beyond that, he does it in a way that had me laughing aloud often enough for my wife to be curious about what I was reading. I'll be looking for anything else he's written. "

" An interesting survey of how music appeals to us. Admittedly, I skimmed some of the technical bits but overall the author's amusing style makes music theory accessible. There's an included CD along with the book but I don't think it added much to the explanations. "

" It was really good, I got to discover how music really works and I got the deeper meaning of what music really is :P I love that it has a bonus c.d too :D "

" Fun and technical. At the same time. "