I still don't like this book (in his attempt not to be pedantic, he veers too far in the opposite direction; all that lame humor and drawn-out rhetorical questioning amounts to hand-holding) -- but you're right that discussions of Steely Dan's chord progressions (also, Joni Mitchell's chord voicings) are a highlight. It's entirely possible, of course, that as a musician I'm not his intended audience.
I still don't like this book (in his attempt not to be pedantic, he veers too far in the opposite direction; all that lame humor and drawn-out rhetorical questioning amounts to hand-holding) -- but you're right that discussions of Steely Dan's chord progressions (also, Joni Mitchell's chord voicings) are a highlight. It's entirely possible, of course, that as a musician I'm not his intended audience.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the book is for novices, methinks.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I kind of like it when people hold my hand. It's sweet.
ReplyDeleteHave you read Sack's "Musicophilia"? Fascinating stuff.