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Music

Music speaks directly to your feelings and comes in many forms. For that reason Tales have selected some of the finest music books just for you. You can for example find a biography of your favorite music idol, but you can also find music theory books that will help you become your own musician. Whether you like rock, pop, musicals or classical music we have the books for you. Find your inner melody with a music book from Tales.
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  • - Master the Soloing Language of the Bebop Saxophone Legends for Jazz Guitar
    by Ulf Wakenius, Joseph Alexander & Tim Pettingale
    £15.99

  • Save 29%
    - 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists
    by Eilon Paz
    £29.99

    Stompbox is a captivating book penned by the renowned author Eilon Paz. Published in the year 2021, this book is a delightful addition to the literary world. The genre of the book is hard to pin down, as it traverses a unique space, much like the author's writing style. Eilon Paz has a knack for weaving words in a way that immerses the reader in the narrative, making 'Stompbox' a must-read. The book was brought to the public by the esteemed publisher, Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale. If you're looking for a book that will keep you hooked from the first page to the last, 'Stompbox' is the one for you. Dive into the world of Eilon Paz with 'Stompbox' and experience a literary journey like no other.

  • - Pearl Jam and the Present Tense
    by USA) Givony & Ronen (Independent Scholar
    £16.49

  • - Play by Number
    by Veda Gupta
    £11.49

  • Save 23%
    by Shea Serrano
    £15.49

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Shea Serrano's latest book combines the smooth hipness of Tribe Called Quest, the hellfire of DMX (RIP), the quirky brilliance of Missy Elliot, and the sheer, unstoppable flow of Jay-Z into one enlightened compendium of hip-hop greatness

  • Save 16%
    - Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces
    by Albert Mudrian
    £15.99

    The making of the 25 greatest extreme metal albums of all time, as told via exclusive band-member interviews, drawn and expanded from Decibel's "Hall of Fame"

  • Save 30%
    by Joaquim Paulo
    £41.99

    This striking and innovative collection of jazz covers presents the designs that defined a sound. Containing record covers from the 1940s through to the early 1990s, each reproduction is accompanied with essential background information. Spanning photographic and illustrative works, these album artworks are a marriage of music and design and a...

  • by John Miller
    £9.49

    John Miller's Trumpet Basics series is widely regarded as the leading method for beginner trumpet players and their teachers. This new edition of Trumpet Basics (Pupil's book with CD) offers a fresh design, clear technical drawings, fun illustrations, new activities and of course all of the great tunes featured in the original Trumpet Basics.

  • Save 15%
    - The Inside Story of Pantera
    by Rex Brown
    £14.49

    This starkly honest memoir by Pantera bassist Rex Brown offers shocking insight into one of the most influential metal bands

  • Save 14%
    by Lucinda Williams
    £9.49 - 15.49

  • by Lenny Kaye
    £18.99

    An insider's take on the evolution and enduring legacy of the music that rocked the twentieth century

  • Save 13%
    - The Story of Bad Religion
    by Jim Ruland & Bad Religion
    £13.99

    From their beginnings as teenagers experimenting in a San Fernando Valley garage dubbed "The Hell Hole" to headlining major music festivals around the world, Do What You Wanttells the whole story of Bad Religion's 40-year career in irreverent style.

  • by Guitar World magazine
    £12.49

    GUITAR WORLD PRESENTS: METALLICA

  • Save 15%
    - A Memoir
    by Andras Schiff
    £10.99

    A book of memoirs and stimulating reflections on music by the legendary classical pianist, Sir Andras Schiff.

  • Save 21%
    - The Man Behind the Guitar
    by Julian Vignoles
    £13.49

    Biography of the legendary guitarist Rory Gallagher.

  • Save 10%
    - Raising the Kanneh-Masons
    by Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason
    £8.99

    The most talented musical family in the world. For the first time, mother Kadie Kanneh-Mason shares her unique story.

  • Save 14%
    - A Life in Nine Pieces
    by Laura Tunbridge
    £9.49

  • Save 20%
    - The Rise of Elvis Presley
    by Peter Guralnick
    £11.99

    The definitive biography of Elvis and an excellent slice of social history.

  • Save 15%
    - A Memoir
    by Rick Ross
    £10.99

    *NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*?A gripping journey.??PeopleThe highly anticipated memoir from hip-hop icon Rick Ross chronicles his coming of age amid Miami's crack epidemic, his star-studded controversies and his unstoppable rise to fame.Rick Ross is an indomitable presence in the music industry, but few people know his full story. Now, for the first time, Ross offers a vivid, dramatic and unexpectedly candid account of his early childhood, his tumultuous adolescence and his dramatic ascendancy in the world of hip-hop.Born William Leonard Roberts II, Ross grew up ?across the bridge,? in a Miami at odds with the glitzy nightclubs and yachts of South Beach. In the aftermath of the 1980 race riots, he came of age at the height of the city's crack epidemic. All the while he honed his musical talent, overcoming setback after setback until a song called ?Hustlin'? changed his life forever.From his first major label deal to the controversies, health scares, arrests and feuds he had to transcend along the way, Hurricanes is a revealing portrait of one of the biggest stars in the rap game and an intimate look at the birth of an artist.

  • Save 29%
    - Look Within
    by Ziggy Marley
    £31.99

    In honour of Bob Marley's seventy-fifth birthday, this glorious oversize book collects more than 150 photographs that celebrate the life and influence of the forefather of reggae and one of the greatest musical and sociopolitical icons of twentieth-century pop culture.

  • Save 21%
    by Tom Morello
    £27.49

    As the co-founder of Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave and Prophets of Rage, and as a collaborator with rock legends from Bruce Springsteen to Johnny Cash, few musicians have been as groundbreaking as American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and political activist, Tom Morello. Whatever It Takes explores Morello's entire career from his first bands through to his most recent solo album. This book is illustrated throughout with photographs, including many from Tom Morello's archives; memorabilia such as vintage setlists , diaries, handwritten musical notes and imagery of Tom Morello's most famous guitars.

  • Save 23%
    by David Byrne
    £15.49

    From former Talking Heads frontman and multimedia visionary David Byrne and revered bestselling author, illustrator, and artist Maira Kalman-an inspiring celebration in words and art of the connections between us all. A joyful collaboration between old friends David Byrne and Maira Kalman, American Utopia offers readers an antidote to cynicism, bursting with pathos, humanism, and hope-featuring his words and lyrics brought to life with more than 150 of her colorful paintings.The text is drawn from David Byrne's American Utopia, which has become a hit Broadway show-returning to Broadway on September 18, 2020, and soon to be a documentary from Spike Lee. The four-color artwork, by Maira Kalman, which she created for the Broadway show's curtain, is composed of small moments, expressions, gestures, and interactions that together offer a portrait of daily life and coexistence.With their creative talents combined, American Utopia is a salvo for kindness and a call for jubilation, a reminder to sing, dance, and waste not a moment. Beautifully designed and edited by Alex Kalman, American Utopia is a balm for the soul from two of the world's most extraordinary artists.

  • Save 10%
    - A History of Modern Europe Through the World's Greatest Song Contest
    by Chris West
    £8.99

    An entertaining look at the changing face of the Eurovision Song Contest and the political and cultural influences behind its kitsch and glitzy facade.Do you think the world of the Eurovision Song Contest, with its crazy props, even crazier dancers, and crazier still songs has nothing to do with serious European politics? Think again. The contest has been a mirror for cultural, social, and political developments in Europe ever since its inauguration, when an audience in dinner jackets and ball gowns politely applauded each song. It has been a voice of rebellion across the Iron Curtain, an inspiration for new European nations in the 1990s and 2000s, the voice of liberation for both sexual and regional minorities. It even once triggered a national revolution.Eurovision! charts both the history of Europe and the history of the Eurovision Song Contest over the last six decades, and shows how seamlessly they interlink - and what an amazing journey it has been.

  • Save 14%
    - The New York Times bestseller
    by Patti Smith
    £9.49 - 10.99

  • Save 15%
    - The Biography
    by Peter Doggett
    £10.99

  • - Icons of K-Pop
    by Adrian Besley
    £7.99 - 9.49

    BTS, also known as Bangtan Sonyeondan or 'Bulletproof Boy Scouts', are the breakthrough K-pop band. For the first time, this book tells the story of the Korean boy band with a global army of fans, who have propelled their heroes to the top of the charts all over the world.

  • Save 24%
    - Opera
    by Alan Riding & Leslie Dunton-Downer
    £18.99

    "e;Packed into every page of this book is the excitement of discovery, knowledge, taste and visual beauty. It all gives the reader the illusion of being at an actual performance."e; Placido Domingo "e;Opera is a beautiful guide for opera enthusiasts as well as the perfect welcome for converts to this ancient rite. It offers today's and tomorrow's audiences a delightful "e;navigation system"e; along an avenue that leads from Monteverdi to Bob Wilson."e; St phane Lissner, Director of the Teatro alla ScalaEssential reading whether you are a seasoned opera goer looking for a quick brush-up before a performance, or new to the genre and wanting to know more.From Baroque to Italian, from Vivaldi to Debussy explore 400 years of music drama from late-Renaissance Italy to works from contemporary names including Philip Glass and Thomas Ad s. Discover hundreds of classic and modern opera interpretations, learn about the lives of operatic masters, from Monteverdi to Adams plus, read act-by-act synopses of more than 160 operas from Madama Butterfly and Tosca to Candide and The Maid of Pskov which signpost the highlights of each opera and help you follow the story-line and identify characters. Eyewitness Companions Opera music for your ears and eyes.

  • Save 11%
    by Mark 563
    £7.99

    After the overwhelmingly popular Hip Hop Coloring Book, Mark 563 is back with Hip Hop Coloring Book: East Coast Edition. It's a fun activity book for kids and adults. The book features a selection of Mark 563's own illustrative takes on some of Hip Hop's most important figures - from early pioneers like Busy Bee, to 90s NYC profiles like Nine and newer stars like ASAP Rocky - all ready to be colored in.The 96 pages are packed with legendary East Coast rappers, spanning from the Golden Era through to today's rap superstars. A perfect gift for anyone interested in Hip Hop and popular culture. Hip Hop Coloring Book: East Coast Edition is marker friendly! Use your favorite markers without the risk of ruining the illustration on the other side of the paper.Hip Hop Coloring Book: East Coast Edition is the latest in Dokument Press popular coloring book series, with themes such as graffiti, skateboarding and lowriders.

  • Save 18%
    - Growing Up with Robert Johnson
    by Annye C. Anderson
    £20.49

    An intimate memoir by blues legend Robert Johnson's stepsister, including new details about his family, music, influences, tragic death, and musical afterlife

  • Save 14%
    by David Mitchell
    £9.49 - 15.49

Music
Music has that special connection with our feelings. It can both make us happy and sad, help through a crisis and through all the difficult feelings we need to acknowledge. Life is not just about being happy, and music can take you on a journey through all those different feelings. In that way music can function as a form of therapy. Music can comfort you and the lyrics can make you feel embraced and recognized. Some of the songs we love most are those, which have that universal feeling and message in them. Those songs that cover all the different and conflicting feelings of life in a verse. You can learn the secrets behind some of the biggest hits or most beautiful ballads in our selection of music books. 
You could also get to know your biggest idol in our icon books. Some of the music icons have lived an inspiring and sometimes hard life, and you can learn a lot from there stories. We have biographic music books with musicians from different genres, all with their own fascinating story. We have multiple music books about the extremely talented singer Freddie Mercury - the frontman, pianist and songwriter in the legendary band Queen. Freddie Mercury had an amazing career and a magnificent voice, and he was at the same time a huge inspiration for homosexuals and generally everyone, who felt different. The singer must tragically lost his life to AIDS and the world lost one of its biggest stars to date, but you can revisit Freddie Mercury’s amazing talent and read his story in the music books Bohemian Rhapsody - The Definitive Biography of Freddie Mercury, Freddie Mercury - the Biography, Somebody to Love - The Life, Death and Legacy of Freddie Mercury, and many more.

Music books for students
If you are studying the wonderful world of music or just wants to improve your performance you should look at our music theory books. They will help you with all the different techniques no matter the instrument. At Tales you find music books for piano, music books for keyboard and music books for guitar. They will all help you in your musicology study or on your journey to becoming an amazing musician yourself. 
We also have music history books that will take you on a journey with all the greatest from Beethoven and Mozart to Tjajkovskij and Stravinskij. When you travel through the history of music you will also visit different music periods and get a better understanding of why the music sounds so differently throughout history. The music is formed by its time and the historical events of that time. If you are interested in the history of music we will recommend the music history book by Cecil Gray called History of Music. The music book moves in the crossfield between the elementary, educational and tries to give answers to some of the things we do not yet understand. It starts with the Gregorian Chant and moves through investigations of both French, Italian, English, and Russian music. 

Musical
If you like to visit the theatre for a musical you can take some of that magic with you home by finding the books, scripts and lyrics of all the biggest hit shows on Broadway and West End. Experiencing a live performance is something unique, but it is over too fast. That is why we recommend you to dive deeper into your favorite musicals with the music books on Tales. You find the lyrics and story behind the world’s nr. 1 hit musical Hamilton that changed the world. The show won The Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2016 and tells the story of one of America’s Founding Fathers Alexander Hamilton. The musical contains an amazing Grammy award winning soundtrack with the most brilliant lyrics telling the story of the American civil war. The man behind it all is the extremely talented Lin Manuel Miranda, who tells the story of American then, but with the sounds and faces of modern times. You can dive into the fascinating story of Alexander Hamilton and the musical in the book Hamilton: The Revolution or you can learn how to perform the amazing songs yourself with the music books Hamilton - Vocal Selections & Piano or Hamilton - Easy Piano Selections

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