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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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  • Save 29%
    by Matt Mahurin
    £28.49

    A collection of wildly inventive portraits of musician Tom Waits, the result of a 30-year collaboration with photographer and illustrator Matt MahurinThis visually arresting book is a testament to the unique collaboration, going back three decades, between the photographer and illustrator Matt Mahurin and the musician Tom Waits.Having shot magazine portraits, album covers, and music videos of Waits, Mahurin was inspired to resurrect 100 dormant film negatives as a jumping off point to explore his own surreal, poetic, and occasion­ally dark vision. The images vary from traditional por­traits to ones that capture Waits in concert—but the majority are richly imagined scenes in which Waits is more muse than musician. In addition to the diverse images, the book includes a foreword by Waits, an essay by Mahurin on their longtime collaboration, and 20 original paintings, drawings, photographs, and digital images inspired by Waits’s song titles.

  • Save 15%
    by Metallica
    £10.99

    An alphabetical history of one of rock's heaviest bands...Metallica!

  • Save 10%
    - Search for David Bowie in Berlin, Studio 54, Outer Space and more...
    by Kev Gahan
    £8.99

    This book is a reverent and interactive homage to David Bowie, with dense illustrations of the many real and imagined universes of his own making. Hidden somewhere on each of these double page spreads, a Bowie is patiently waiting to be spotted by the well-trained eye of a fan. As the chameleonic Bowie took on so many iconic personas across his illustrious career, each moment is celebrated chronologically in this book. You will have to find young and dapper David Jones in 1960s Brixton; look for Ziggy Stardust in spaced out Outer Space, crawling with Martian spiders and nestled between the stars; then search for glam Bowie among the revellers at Studio 54; and ask yourself, "is that the Thin White Duke outside Hansa By the Wall in late-70s Berlin?” Each page of this book is so laden with Bowie references that you might even pick up a factoid or two in your search. With fun, detailed illustrations that explore Bowie's world - and that of his influences - Where's Bowie is the perfect guide to the cultural icon for both adults and children. Plus, who doesn't want to raise their kid as a Bowie super-geek? No one - that's who.

  • Save 10%
    - 99 exercises to train, project and harness the power of your voice
    by Jeremy Fisher
    £8.99

    Your voice is a powerful instrument. But how can you get the best out of it? This is a Voice is a practical toolkit of step-by-step vocal exercises to help speakers and singers of all abilities transform the quality of their voice. Using advice from expert vocal coaches, you'll learn: - Breathing exercises and vocal warm-ups - How to pace and project your voice- Techniques for speaking with confidence- How to sing jazz, pop, opera - and even try beatboxing - with style Whether you're a member of a choir or a professional singer, preparing for a big presentation or planning a wedding speech, This is a Voice will give you the skills to make yourself heard. With a foreword by Cerys Matthews.

  • Save 24%
    - A Perfect Dream
    by Ian Gittins
    £18.99

    The successes, struggles, tensions, line-up changes, substance battles, court cases and notable creative achievements of The Cure are placed on the full and informed trajectory in this insightful look at the band's multi-decade run.

  • Save 15%
    by Deborah (Author) Curtis
    £10.99

    Mesmerizing on stage but introverted and prone to desperate mood swings in his private life, Curtis died by his own hand on 18 May 1980. Touching from a Distance documents how, with a wife, child and impending international fame, Curtis was seduced by the glory of an early grave.

  • Save 21%
    - A Complete Course in All Styles of Jazz
    by Rod Fogg
    £22.99

    JAZZ GUITAR HANDBOOK: A COMPLETE COURSE IN ALL STYLES OF JAZZ

  • by Fanny Waterman & Marion Harewood
    £9.49

    Suitable for older beginners, this book features chapters that guide young players towards the successful performance of a comprehensive selection of pieces and studies. It introduces more advanced pieces and a wider range of repertoire from CPE Bach and WF Bach, Farnaby and Couperin, to Kabelevsky and Britten.

  • Save 20%
    - The Uncensored Oral History of Punk
    by Legs McNeil
    £11.99

    This is the story of a cultural phenomenon which embraced Andy Warhol, Jim Morrison, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Patti Smith, The Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop, and more. Documenting a time of self-destruction and peverse innocence, this text has contributions from both stars and groupies.

  • Save 14%
    by Bob Dylan
    £9.49

    An unprecedented publishing event - the first volume in a series of memoirs by one of the most important and influential musicians and songwriters of our time.

  • Save 18%
    - Revised And Expanded
    by Paul Zollo
    £17.99

    The classic collection of candid interviews with the greatest songwriters of our time, including Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Patti Smith, Paul Simon, Tom Petty, and dozens more

  • by Kathy Blackwell & David Blackwell
    £11.99

  • by Kenneth Womack
    £23.49

    **MiCannes Award Music Book of the Year**The first full-length biography of Mal Evans, the Beatles' beloved roadie, assistant, confidant and friend

  • Save 23%
    by Madison Beer
    £15.49

    Discovered at twelve years old, Madison Beer was one of the first artists to have her entire life documented online. Over the past decade, she has navigated the spotlight as a child, through her teenage years, and now as a young woman in her twenties.In The Half of It, Madison pulls back the curtain to show the behind-the-scenes of her journey, from reckoning with mass hate online and the time her private pictures were leaked, to battling suicidal thoughts while making her highly acclaimed debut album, Life Support, and her recovery since then. This memoir is an honest and unflinching account of self-love, mental health, and advocacy from one of the fastest-rising musical voices and most influential social media presences of her generation. It hammers home the point, more striking and urgent than ever, that no matter how close the internet may make us feel to people, we truly don't know the half of it.

  • Save 31%
     
    £54.99

    Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine is an unprecedented glimpse into the creative life of one of Americäs most groundbreaking, influential, and enduring artists. Several years ago, a treasure trove containing some 6,000 original Bob Dylan manuscripts was revealed to exist. Their destination? Tulsa, Oklahoma. The documents, as essential as they are intriguing¿draft lyrics, notebooks, and diverse ephemera ¿ comprise one of the most important cultural archives in the modern world. Along with countless still and moving images and thousands of hours of riveting studio and live recordings, this priceless collection now resides at The Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, just steps away from the archival home of Dylan¿s early hero, Woody Guthrie. Nearly all the materials preserved at The Bob Dylan Center are unique, previously unavailable, and, in many cases, even previously unknown. As the official publication of The Bob Dylan Center, Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine is the first wide-angle look at the Dylan archive, a book that promises to be of vast interest to both the Nobel Laureate¿s many musical fans and to a broader national and international audience as well. Edited by Mark Davidson and Parker Fishel, Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine focuses a close look at the full scope of Dylan¿s working life, particularly from the dynamic perspective of his ongoing and shifting creative processes¿his earliest home recordings in the mid-1950s right up through Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020), his most recent studio recording, and into the present day. The centerpiece of Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine is a carefully curated selection of over 600 images including never-before-circulated draft lyrics, writings, photographs, drawings and other ephemera from the Dylan archive. With an introductory essay by Sean Wilentz and epilogue by Douglas Brinkley, the book features a surprising range of distinguished writers, artists, and musicians, including Joy Harjo, Greil Marcus, Michael Ondaatje, Gregory Pardlo, Amanda Petrusich, Tom Piazza, Lee Ranaldo, Alex Ross, Ed Ruscha, Lucy Sante, Greg Tate and many others. After experiencing the collection firsthand in Tulsa, each of the authors was asked to select a single item that beguiled or inspired them. The resulting essays, written specifically for this volume, shed new light on not only Dylan¿s creative process, but also their own.

  • Save 21%
     
    £13.49

    "Fabulously dressed with a flair all his own, unapologetic yet vulnerable, talented yet supremely humble: Harry Styles is a cultural phenomenon and icon for our times. This photo-packed, gold-foiled luxe gift book celebrates the global superstar's impact on music and fashion and how his choice of positive and authentic self-expression and tolerance has helped redefine modern masculinity and celebrity worldwide. If a person could be a smile, then that would be Harry-and that essence of Harry is what this exciting book captures. Stylers and Harries will adore and treasure this keepsake."--

  • Save 27%
    by Mary Gabriel
    £25.49

  • Save 25%
    by Martin Popoff
    £20.99

    Toronto, ON

  • Save 29%
    by Willie Nelson
    £28.49

  • by Joseph Alexander, Tim Pettingale & Remi Harris
    £15.99

  • Save 18%
    by Questlove
    £11.49 - 16.99

  • Save 27%
    by Tom Sheehan
    £21.99

  • Save 23%
    by David Bowie
    £34.49

  • by Ryan (Journalist Pinkard
    £10.49

  • by TOBE A. RICHARDS
    £18.49 - 22.49

  • Save 27%
    by The Rolling Stones
    £25.49

    An intimate and comprehensive presentation tracing the incredible musical career and creative life of The Rolling Stones.

  • Save 15%
    by Will Sergeant
    £10.99 - 15.49

  • - The Essential Saxophone Resource
    by Ray Smith
    £26.49

    Dr. Ray Smith is the saxophonists'' saxophonist, the teachers'' teacher. His 50+ years of saxophone playing and teaching have prepared him well to bring together perhaps the greatest breadth of practical saxophone information ever assembled under one book cover in The Science and Art of Saxophone Teaching. This book is valuable to saxophone teachers and serious saxophone students alike covering such topics as basic tone production (embouchure, oral cavity, breath support) and solving problems with tone, playing low notes, slurring down over intervals, solving reed issues, saxophone repair and adjustments, coordinating classical and jazz study and practice, warmup exercises and practice routines, articulation basics and articulation styles, development of technique and speed, choosing fingerings, solving vibrato issues, working on intonation problems, playing dynamics, rhythmic development, learning altissimo (may be worth the price of the book alone), phrasing musically, choosing good breathing places, working with ornamentation and cadenzas, dealing with differences between styles, becoming a multilingual musician, doubling other woodwind instruments and helpful information on clarinet, flute and double reeds, dealing with stage fright, and much more. This volume belongs in the library of every earnest saxophonist. There are also a series of video tutorials on a coordinated YouTube channel that bring all the concepts to life.Ray has been blessed to be a master pedagogue and is sharing in this book the concepts, insights, and approaches he has used to help countless young players become great saxophonists and musicians. His track record as a professor at Brigham Young University is enviable. His students teach at many of the nations'' universities, perform in the Broadway pits, play in the service bands of the Army, Navy, and Marines, and write for Hollywood movies. One is playing with the Dukes of Dixieland, and one is currently holding down the first tenor chair in the famed University of North Texas 1 O''Clock Lab Band. Ray, himself, a disciple of Eugene Rousseau, is a fine performer and well-recorded artist. He is equally at home in classical and jazz-related styles and adept at all five woodwind instruments. He has been heard frequently on the airwaves of this country (ESPN, ABC, NBC, CNN, etc.), on movies such as The Sandlot and The Swan Princess, and on Television series such as He-Man: Masters of the Universe, Xena, and Hercules.

  • Save 21%
    by Richard Morton Jack
    £13.49 - 21.99

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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