Rating: 
Summary: Something for every musician
Review: "Hearing and Writing Music" is a marvelously comprehensive and concretely practical book for musicians. There is something in this book for every musician, regardless of experience level. The beginning musician could read it methodically chapter-by-chapter, absorbing the text and carefully doing each exercise, while the professional musician might zero in on specific topics to enrich his knowledge and skills. I was especially intrigued by the discussion of the intervals as they relate to the harmonic series. Mr. Gorow strikes a delicate balance between scientific and aesthetic points of view; he explores the mathematical basis of music, while never losing sight of the artistic purpose of it. Mr. Gorow's method of transcription, which is perhaps the heart and soul of the book (though by no means its only purpose) is full of insight and practical advice. I applaud and heartily recommend this important and valuable book. - Andrew Kinney, professional composer/orchestrator
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Summary: On "Hearing and Writing Music" by Ron Gorow
Review: "Hearing and Writing Music", by Ron Gorow, is a superb book. It makes a simple and elegant presentation of the internal process by which we hear sounds and music, how we recognize intervals, chords, melody, harmony, counterpoint, and the timbre of instrumentation/ orchestration, how we can develop the skills of listening, auditory memory and imagination, and how to use these skills to hear and to write down music of any sort. The hallmark of an expert is the ability to explain the basics of his field as simply as possible. By that standard, Mr. Gorow has proven his expertise in this book. I note that the other reviews, both for Amazon and in musical journals, tend to limit the importance of "Hearing and Writing Music" to ear training. I believe that Mr. Gorow's book is valuable for much more than ear training. I have studied it, and as a result of that study, I believe that my auditory memory and imagination and my abilities in score reading have improved enormously. Further, I have been able to use the skills in this book to transcribe melodies, harmonies and counterpoint almost effortlessly, both those that I have heard, and those which existed only in my imagination. This book has opened many doors for me. I believe that it can do so for many others. On a personal note, for the last 30 years, I have been able to hear and compose music in my imagination. Unfortunately, I have been almost exclusively self-taught, and I despaired of ever being able to write down what I heard. Mr. Gorow's book, and my use of it, has changed all that. I have just completed the first movement of a symphonic tone poem, and I intend on continuing to compose for the rest of my life. I have studied many books on music theory, and have listened to and studied many pieces of music. If I may make an analogy, my studies had formed the equivalent of a crystalline solution. "Hearing and Writing Music" was the equivalent of a seed crystal, which put everything into order, and transformed me from a listener to a composer. I cannot recommend it highly enough for those who wish to become songwriters, arrangers, or composers, or those who wish to improve their skills.
Rating:
Summary: On "Hearing and Writing Music" by Ron Gorow
Review: "Hearing and Writing Music", by Ron Gorow, is a superb book. It makes a simple and elegant presentation of the internal process by which we hear sounds and music, how we recognize intervals, chords, melody, harmony, counterpoint, and the timbre of instrumentation/ orchestration, how we can develop the skills of listening, auditory memory and imagination, and how to use these skills to hear and to write down music of any sort. The hallmark of an expert is the ability to explain the basics of his field as simply as possible. By that standard, Mr. Gorow has proven his expertise in this book. I note that the other reviews, both for Amazon and in musical journals, tend to limit the importance of "Hearing and Writing Music" to ear training. I believe that Mr. Gorow's book is valuable for much more than ear training. I have studied it, and as a result of that study, I believe that my auditory memory and imagination and my abilities in score reading have improved enormously. Further, I have been able to use the skills in this book to transcribe melodies, harmonies and counterpoint almost effortlessly, both those that I have heard, and those which existed only in my imagination. This book has opened many doors for me. I believe that it can do so for many others. On a personal note, for the last 30 years, I have been able to hear and compose music in my imagination. Unfortunately, I have been almost exclusively self-taught, and I despaired of ever being able to write down what I heard. Mr. Gorow's book, and my use of it, has changed all that. I have just completed the first movement of a symphonic tone poem, and I intend on continuing to compose for the rest of my life. I have studied many books on music theory, and have listened to and studied many pieces of music. If I may make an analogy, my studies had formed the equivalent of a crystalline solution. "Hearing and Writing Music" was the equivalent of a seed crystal, which put everything into order, and transformed me from a listener to a composer. I cannot recommend it highly enough for those who wish to become songwriters, arrangers, or composers, or those who wish to improve their skills.
Rating:
Summary: Something for every musician
Review: "Hearing and Writing Music" is a marvelously comprehensive and concretely practical book for musicians. There is something in this book for every musician, regardless of experience level. The beginning musician could read it methodically chapter-by-chapter, absorbing the text and carefully doing each exercise, while the professional musician might zero in on specific topics to enrich his knowledge and skills. I was especially intrigued by the discussion of the intervals as they relate to the harmonic series. Mr. Gorow strikes a delicate balance between scientific and aesthetic points of view; he explores the mathematical basis of music, while never losing sight of the artistic purpose of it. Mr. Gorow's method of transcription, which is perhaps the heart and soul of the book (though by no means its only purpose) is full of insight and practical advice. I applaud and heartily recommend this important and valuable book. - Andrew Kinney, professional composer/orchestrator
Rating:
Summary: If you only own one music instruction book. . .
Review: . . . make it this one!!
I was so impressed with this book, that I recently purchased the expanded second edition, even though I already have the first edition! I have never done that with any book before. (And as a musician with a B.A in Music Education who has almost a thousand music books in her library, that's saying something!)
The depth, range, and thoroughness of this book far outpaces any other book of its kind out there. Where else can one go from the very origins of sound itself, and the active listening and perception thereof, all the way to transcribing complex polyphonic works, orchestrations, and film scores, all in one book?
What I really enjoy about this book is its approach to listening to music beyond mere intervals and passive listening. It expands ones'hearing to phrases,and through texture and form as a whole. It is the first ear training method I've ever come across that actually addresses tetrachords, modality, chromaticism, and
sequences as tools, while most methods stop at the intervals and chords themselves. (There is even a section on tone rows!) Don't let the above words scare you; the book is very clearly written, with a minimum of technical jargon. Indeed, it actually encourages the reader to reach to the highest levels of musical perception, and in turn, prepares one for transcribing, composing,orchestrating,and performing.
The organization of the book is very clear and logical, from perception of sound itself,from sound to music, using the materials of music to transcription, perception to notation and communication with notation, through to performance and publishing. There is even a section on copyrights (not only in the paper domain, but the digital domain, as well!)
In addition, the sections on transcribing resources, supplies and books, and film score links on pp.384-399 alone are worth more than the price of the book itself.
Best of all, this book is written by someone who has been working in the business for over 40 years, and the labour of love shows in every page.
I was going to list my favorite parts of the book, but the list soon looked like the Table of Contents! For me, this isn't just one book; it is an amalgamation of all of the wonderful and inspiring professors and books that I've ever learned from. (This book is also a soothing balm over the scars left by incompetent, mean-spirited and ignorant teachers and outdated pedigogical curriculum--a certain Dr. Andersen from Fresno City College comes to mind!!)
Reading and working with this book will help any musician (even a non-musician who shows a cursory interest in music)reach his or her highest creative potential by expanding musical awareness and perception. I have since found that expanding creative awareness and perception in one endeavour carries over to other modes of human expression: painting, drawing, sculputure, dance, film, etc.
Rating:
Summary: A must for anyone in the music field.
Review: A wonderfully enlightened approach to understanding and trusting your inner ear.
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Summary: COVERS HUGE RANGE OF MATERIAL
Review: COVERS HUGE RANGE OF MATERIAL I do not go to collage for music and I don't take formal lessons from any instructors so I am no authority on any subject in music but I'll do my best to review this book. Ron covers every corner of music I can think of. Rhythm, Intervals, Harmonies, Modes, Notation, Transcribing, you name it, its probably in this book. Probably the best part of this book are his Exercises. If you seriously devoted a lot of time into these exercises, your musicianship would improve 100%. The ear training part is great, and most of all its not boring like some other books I have read. This book will keep you on your toes and not falling over in your chair! I liked all the information on the mental and spiritual part of playing. He devotes some pages to get your mind prepared for the journey into sound. A lot of other texts I have read lack this and are very sterile and dry. Toward the end there is tons of information on references, resources, jobs and links to a lot of cool websites. Some of the material may be a bit strong for a complete beginner, but there is nothing you can't get through in time. If you play Rock (like me, Shoutout to all the Rockers!!), Metal, Blues, Country, Jazz, Techno, Classical or any style of music that uses 12 tones I would give this book a shot. Us independent people that are not studying at a collage or taking lessons thrive on books like this. I would expect a book like this to cost at least $50.00! You can't ask for a better deal then this!
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: Hearing and Writing Music by Ron Gorow is a really great book. If you are interested in composition, arranging and orchestration, and you are serious about your studies, this is really a book you should study. It will give you lots of input and help you along the way to develop your ears to have much more control when you are writing music (and listening). It will help you along the way to hear what you are writing, and be able to write down what you hear in your head or from an external source. The best way to achieve this (according to the author) is learning to transcribe music, and training your ears by transcribing different kinds and styles of music. I agree to this, transcribing music is the best of training when it comes to learning to hear what you put on paper, because it combines working with musical sound and notation, and what I find very unique about this book is that it focuses on transcribing real music, and you can choose the music of your own choice for these exercises, whatever style you prefer. And to me this book stands above all other books I've seen on the subject, because in addition to training your ears it focuses on developing your notation techniques as well, and incorporates two large superb chapters on this subject. This book is also packed with valuable information about the craft and the music business, and it is really an inspiration to read.
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Summary: THE Book for the 21st Century Musician
Review: Hearing and Writing Music is THE book for the 21st century musician. Mr. Gorow has crafted a well thought-out approach for expanding the skills of today's musician, at any level of development. There are essential reference materials that compliment and supplement the techniques all throughout the book. Mr. Gorow's style is very accessible to both musicians and non-musicians. This book gives you the tools to prepare and develop your ear for a profession or for just simple enjoyment. As a published composer and professional music engraver/copyist, my livelihood depends on my musical ability. Mr. Gorow's book has helped me to focus my energy and skills to create a more effective technique as I work on various projects. My ear's sensitivity has been heightened immensely as a result of this book. I feel like I owe Ron more than what I paid for the book. Thank you Ron for sharing your thoughts and proven techniques. I can't wait for your next project!
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Summary: Just Wonderfull !!!
Review: Hi ! For me, the definition of a good musician is someone who can play wathever he think or feel without scrambling around uselessly. Well, thats exactly what this book is about ( I think i will have to set me a new goal in a few months). I already went from one cover to the other(just to set up the learning process) and was stunned. The information is clear and precise making the learning process easy and flowing. Now what left to do is to apply it. I am a self-tought musician ( playing for 10 years now) and i find no peculiars difficulty to apply material. As soon as i talked about this book to a friend, he ordered one. I think that this is the best book i ever bought in my life. Well suited for every style of music ( i play Jazz mostly) and instruments ( including voice) One only minor drawback ( there got to be one), some examples require specific instruments for exercises(strings, woodwinds
,ect...). I am lucky to play guitar ( i use a slide tube for microtonal examples), clarinet and a bit of piano. I STRONGLY recommend having a computer ( more than helpfull for producing steady tone (download a tone generator) to practice intervals singing against it. Overall, a must have for everyone serious about music.
Thanks Mr. Gorow Max Freniere
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