Book: The Music Lesson (Wooten, 2006)

The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth through Music

Wooten, Victor L. 2007. The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth through Music. New York: Berkley Books.
ISBN 9780425220931, 0425220931

Review
Fact or Fiction? Truth or Myth? Did Victor Wooten experience what he writes about in this book? Or is he a master storyteller and life coach using myth and anecdote to make a point or two? The story's protagonist, we presume it's Victor as it is written in the first person, receives instruction from a number of actors throughout the text. The first, Michael, does not teach but shows Victor what he should be teaching himself; starting with ten parts of music. The final list of ten parts may be found on page 40 of the edition I read: notes, articulation, technique, feel, dynamics, rhythm, tone, phrasing, space and listening. Later on we learn such things as one should not play their instrument, instead one should play music; and (p.252) "Books and teachers can be of assistance but you should never let them take the place of what you feel and know within yourself". Make of it what you will, I appreciate that good playing in a group setting seems to come when I am not thinking too hard about what I should be playing: parts of the concious mind shut down and less concious parts seem to link directly with the hands and body to create music through my preferred instrument - the standard tuned guitar.

Text Review (Other reading of related texts)

Please Note: I do not strictly follow author-date style in these citations as I would like various technology and media to be able to access these pages.


Wooten, Victor L. 2007. The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth through Music. New York: Berkley Books.

Footnotes:
Worldcat: www.worldcat.org

I am using the author-date referencing style of Chicago author-date (17th edition).
Reference List / In-Text Citation Styles in Chicago author-date (17th edition)
Reference List / In-Text Citation Styles: University of Newcastle, NSW

Unless otherwise noted all books listed were in my personal library at the time of the first blog posting about the book.
Some titles were borrowed or referenced from RMIT University libraries (City, Carlton, Brunswick Campuses) during the period 2006-2016; or from Hobsons Bay City Council library. or Bayside (Brighton) Council library, or Prahran Mechanics Institute (& ARHS) library.

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