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Victor Wooten's "The Music Lesson"

#21
...that's me, always late to the party!

:spit:

Man, I just finished reading it (in like a DAY), and my head feels FUNNY, but in a good way.

I am inspired again, hugely, and trying to convince my wife, who is "learning to play piano" to spend some time with it. I think it will strongly and positively influence her (I've been trying to get her to just "jam" with me, but she's being self-conscious and won't do it! :hmm: :( ).

Best music book I've ever read. I hope to go to one of his camps one day now.

(All that said, I'm the least "mystical/spiritual" person you'll ever meet in many ways, this book was more than "mystical/spiritual", it was LOGICAL as well! :D )
 
#22
It's funny, I was going to look for this thread and here it is.
I've had a mixed time with the book. Though I'm getting a lot out of it.
There have been times when it really absorbs me, then times when I'd put it down and feel no compulsion to pick it up. And in fact I've had to force myself to pick it up again. But almost every time I pick it up again, I wind up with something that makes a difference for me, musically.
I'm still working my way through it.
That said, it has definitely had a very strong and positive impact on my playing already. Some of what he's communicating is really sticking.
So I'm a fan of the book. Definitely.
 
#23
Are there any music lessons in this book, or is it a book _about_ playing music? Does that question make sense? "The Evolving Bassist" would be a good example of the former and the Tony Levin book (I don't recall the name) would be an example of the latter.
 
#24
Pacman said:
Are we really not talking about this, or did I just miss it?

This has to be one of the best, most inspiring books I've read! Concepts that will improve your musicality from day one. I literally felt like a better player after reading just a few chapters.

Not only is he a fantastic musician, he's a really good teacher.

My favorite quote: "Never give up the groove in order to find a note."



Anyone else read this?
Click to expand...

Reading it now, was thinking as I put it down last night about the lack of attention it's generated on TB. This is a good book. Lessons on every page. And dug the :"never give up..." quote right from the start. Gonna try to get my copy signed by V at the Thunder show in August. Buy it read it! really.
 
#26
I'm about half way though...

It's written as a novel, and as a novel it's pretty badly written - Victor isn't going to win the Pulitzer no matter how good a bass player and teacher he is... However the format works and is necessary to give you space to learn from it (because it can't teach you anything!). If it was written as a more traditional tuition book it really wouldn't work at all.

The format DOES work for reasons that you'll understand when you read it - because you will learn stuff from the book that will help you understand why it has to be like that. There is TONS of good stuff in there, and I've recommended it to a friend who REALLY needs to learn what he needs to learn.

just buy it - it's dirt cheap anyway, so what have you got to loose?

Ian
 
#32
I never understood how "reading" or "talking" about music or any other art form could make you a better artist (or better anything)? Neither, don't have anything to do with Art. If somebody else needs to 'inspire' you, you don't have it in you then.

I speak as a former boxer, and a lot of what I learned in boxing could be very well put to use in creating Art.
 
#33
If you don't try it, then you never will get it, will you?

Reading and talking about music won't make you a better artist. But thinking about it will. And everyone needs a spark now and then.

I speak as a musician of over 25 years. Not everything in music parallels to boxing.
 
#34
Wow, I just finished the book today... For the record this is the only book in my 17 years that I could not put down.

How has this thread not reached 50 pages!?

Every concept was just so cool, interesting and amazing to me. Definitely changed the way I look at music for the better. Haha the only frustrating thing is there is sooo much stuff between Micheal, Uncle Clyde, Sam and Isis that is hard to keep it all in my brain... definitely going to be reading it again soon.

How wild was the part where he was talking to Music herself?

At then end when he goes into the guys apartment put a big smile on my face.

Also is Micheal based of a real person?
Best book I have ever read in my life, not just relating to music but also life.
 
#37
A good book. A great tool to get in touch with the very basics of 'why we play music', and though there is a great deal of talk about bass playing, it really could be used by any musician or performer.

If you liked it, you might check out "The Inner Game of Tennis" by Timothy Galway or "The Inner Game of Music" by Barry Green.

If you were put off by "Jonathon Livingston Seagull" or anything else by Richard Bach you might want to pass on it.

I liked the book and it IS a great help to get back to basics, but personally I could have done without the extra-physical things (wilting flowers with mind control, singing to animals, odd healing with song etc etc). I do believe in mystical things and, as the book says, all the things we need are in the air and all we need to do is try to get in touch with that flow. The attempt to show them in story form is a little annoying, but the book is worth it.
 
#38
This book literally blew my mind. I spent a little over a day with it and got roughly halfway through before I had to put it down and absorb everything I'd taken in. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the first few chapters, so I have yet to finish the book... But I definitely will. Amazing read, though I'll agree with a previous poster about Vic not being a novelist. Those put off by less than inspiring format in dialog might have some trouble with it.
 
#39
I'm on Measure five at the moment.

I won't get into deets here so that people can read it for themselves, but Measure four really hit home with me. I started out using a whole bunch of what I call "slappy tappy", and learned the hard way why I shouldn't...

I'll say no more on the subject. Those who read it know what I mean. :D

After the first measure I decided it was going to be one of the best books I ever read, and it hasn't let me down yet.

I highly recommend this book to any true Musician. I do not recommend it to "bassists".

:musician:
 

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