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Rating: 
Summary: Description is better than the book...
Review: After having browsed through this book, I realized that it has been created for basic level beginners, which does not come out so clearly in the book description.
Even though it's meant for entry level musicians and arrangers, It must be said that ideas are presented vaguely. Also, all the examples and scores in the book become useless if the reader does not have any experience in music notation/music reading.
All in all, I can say that It does not match expectations.
I must say that this is the first book of the Berkley Press that I've found negative.
Rating:
Summary: A big disappointment...
Review: I should have paid more attention to the sticker on the front of the book that proclaims: "Great for Beginners!" It's sad that Berklee Press not only published, but continues to promote this book. I expected much better.I've been hanging around music for a while, but am more of a "seasoned hobbiest" than anything else. Yet there was only a couple of things I found useful in this book. Because the book is called "Arranging in the Digital World," I was expecting to get a book that taught some arranging, including some discussion about common ways to use a keyboard in an ensemble. Instead, the author fails on both of these points. First, in the introduction he states, "Our focus will be on sequencing techniques... rather than actual writing techniques." Last time I checked, arranging was WRITING appropriate parts. So, maybe this book should have been entitled, "Sequencing in the Digital World," since the author doesn't go into any depth about the kinds of parts you might want to write. The author also assumes that you are a seasoned keyboard player already (who else uses midi?) and so skips discussing keyboard altogether with this dismissive quote, "I assume you are already familiar with the piano..." I don't know how a serious book on arranging can say nothing about what keyboards might typically play in an ensemble. Other than a sample midi song fragment or two in a handful of styles (mostly jazz & latin), there just isn't much "arranging" to be found. You can read the whole book in an hour and it's not likely that you'll ever pick it back up again. ...
Rating:
Summary: A big disappointment...
Review: I should have paid more attention to the sticker on the front of the book that proclaims: "Great for Beginners!" It's sad that Berklee Press not only published, but continues to promote this book. I expected much better. I've been hanging around music for a while, but am more of a "seasoned hobbiest" than anything else. Yet there was only a couple of things I found useful in this book. Because the book is called "Arranging in the Digital World," I was expecting to get a book that taught some arranging, including some discussion about common ways to use a keyboard in an ensemble. Instead, the author fails on both of these points. First, in the introduction he states, "Our focus will be on sequencing techniques... rather than actual writing techniques." Last time I checked, arranging was WRITING appropriate parts. So, maybe this book should have been entitled, "Sequencing in the Digital World," since the author doesn't go into any depth about the kinds of parts you might want to write. The author also assumes that you are a seasoned keyboard player already (who else uses midi?) and so skips discussing keyboard altogether with this dismissive quote, "I assume you are already familiar with the piano..." I don't know how a serious book on arranging can say nothing about what keyboards might typically play in an ensemble. Other than a sample midi song fragment or two in a handful of styles (mostly jazz & latin), there just isn't much "arranging" to be found. You can read the whole book in an hour and it's not likely that you'll ever pick it back up again. ...
Rating: 
Summary: There are Much Better Books!
Review: This gets two stars only because it includes a floppy disk of MIDI files of examples. But not everyone has a floppy drive anymore. (By the way: MIDI or 'musical instrument digital interface' is the language a computer and an electronic keyboard [or other instruments nowadays] use to communicate. Sequencing software is rather like a recorder or stenographer in that the computer captures every nuance of each note one plays. Editing is a lot like correcting, copying, and moving around words in word processing programs. Adding a swirling bell voice here, transposing a tune by a few steps, and so many other possibilities let me feel as if I were painting with the notes of instruments and tones.) It's unusual for me to be negative about the totality of a book, a movie, or whatever; however, this how-to from the press for reknowned Berklee College of Music barely scratches the surface of the amazing art of combining notes and sounds to become a symphony or a jazz trio. I kept expecting more as I progressed through this short paperback, but by the end this seemed to have been the semester project of a frosh or sophomore for which he'd earn a B- for submitting it by the deadline. There are lots of bits of information needing further explanation or exploration. Things are brought up but not developed in a way which would help a beginner. And there just ain't much for someone with experience. Considering that a major pro musician is quoted on the backcover saying, among other sentiments, it's "A Godsend". It was this review which hooked me into buy "Arranging". Now I'm wondering about this musician or the editor of critical reviews. If I were to try to direct a beginner to real help, I'd suggest studying the manuals which came with her keyboard and software. Usually these are very useful as one develops a foundation of understanding this digital musical world. I'd also tell her to re-re-re-read the manuals every so often. Then there's the internet. Frankly, there are some major which let us access among the best resources on MIDI and digital recording -- for the beginner to the expert.
Rating:
Summary: There are Much Better Books!
Review: This little book comes with a 3.5-inch floppy disk containing some 30-odd MIDI files which are closely linked to the contents of the book. The technology of the digital studio is covered only very briefly, and the emphasis is on the techniques for building MIDI arrangements for a variety of contemporary musical styles, e.g. pop, jazz, country, latin, rock. As an experienced music educator, the author has arranged the lessons very logically from basic to complex, and I felt like it was having a personal music tutor guiding me through the paces. The maximal benefit from this book would be derived by sitting in front of your computer sequencer as you read and play through the sequenced examples. It is a very 'hands on' and systematic approach to teaching music arrangement, lots of practical tips and tricks, but relatively little theoretical discussion on musical style, harmony, rhythm, and the like. This book is one of a series of "Berklee Guides" from the famed Berklee College of Music.
Rating: 
Summary: A practical manual on MIDI sequencing for contemporary music
Review: This little book comes with a 3.5-inch floppy disk containing some 30-odd MIDI files which are closely linked to the contents of the book. The technology of the digital studio is covered only very briefly, and the emphasis is on the techniques for building MIDI arrangements for a variety of contemporary musical styles, e.g. pop, jazz, country, latin, rock. As an experienced music educator, the author has arranged the lessons very logically from basic to complex, and I felt like it was having a personal music tutor guiding me through the paces. The maximal benefit from this book would be derived by sitting in front of your computer sequencer as you read and play through the sequenced examples. It is a very 'hands on' and systematic approach to teaching music arrangement, lots of practical tips and tricks, but relatively little theoretical discussion on musical style, harmony, rhythm, and the like. This book is one of a series of "Berklee Guides" from the famed Berklee College of Music.
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