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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 14%
    by Eric Clapton
    £9.49

    Now for the first time, Eric tells the story of his personal and professional journeys in this pungent, witty and painfully honest autobiography. These are the memoirs of a survivor, someone who has reached the pinnacle of success, who has had it all, but whose demons have never left him.

  • Save 24%
    by Michael Jackson
    £18.99

    Presents one man's personal view of the world around us, and the universe within each of us. Containing Michael Jackson's personal writings and over one hundred photographs, drawings, and paintings from his own collection, this book is suitable for all fans of an incredible, inspiring man who died as he lived - dancing his dream.

  • Save 15%
    by dba E Mark Oliver Everett
    £10.99

    * The extraordinary true life story of songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, lead singer of the band Eels

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    £8.49

    Studies are an established part of every instrumentalist's training. They place technical problems in musical contexts, and can be invaluable aids to development. 76 Studies for Flute brings together in two books a broad selection of repertoire in a variety of styles, from Camus to Telemann. There are also a number of specially composed studies by Paul Harris that introduce aspects of 20th century style and considerably extend the scope of the selection. The studies are arranged in order of increasing difficulty, according to a carefully planned technical progression.

  • Save 17%
    - How My Heart Sings
    by Peter Pettinger
    £14.99

    A biography of the influential jazz pianist, Bill Evans. Peter Pettinger, himself a concert pianist, describes Evans's life, his personal tragedies and commercial successes, his music making, his technique and compositional methods, his approach to ensemble playing, and his legacy.

  • Save 18%
    - The Roots, The Music, The People
    by Francis Davis
    £17.99

    In honor of the Year of the Blues, the long-awaited reissue of a myth-shattering examination of a most enduring form of American music

  • Save 22%
    - 300 Excercises and Practice Routines for the Violin
    by Fischer
    £30.99

  • Save 14%
    - The Autobiography
    by Duff McKagan
    £9.49

    Explosive autobiography of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver bass guitarist Duff McKagan.

  • Save 18%
     
    £20.49

    In 2004, Keane released their debut album, Hopes and Fears, to widespread critical acclaim. Hopes and Fears went on to sell millions of copies worldwide and has become one of the most beloved albums of the 21st century. Now, with full album lyrics, including B-sides and rarities, original notebook scans, photographs and ephemera, alongside unprecedented insight and behind the scenes reflections from the members of Keane, this beautifully presented hardback book celebrates the 20th anniversary of this iconic album.

  • Save 20%
    by Brian Eno
    £11.99

    Why do we need art? What Art Does is an invitation to explore this vital question. It is a chance to understand how art is made by all of us. How it creates communities, opens our worlds, and can transform us. Curious and playful, richly illustrated, full of ideas and life, it is an inspiring call to imagine a different future.

  • Save 24%
    by Michael McDonald
    £18.99

  • Save 21%
    by Warren Zanes
    £13.49

    The fascinating story behind the making of Bruce Springsteen’s most surprising album, Nebraska, revealing its pivotal role in Springsteen’s career—in development as a major motion picture starring Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) “Brilliant . . . For fans of American music, Deliver Me from Nowhere makes a great ghost story.”—The Boston GlobeAN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEARWithout Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen might not be who he is today. The natural follow-up to Springsteen’s hugely successful album The River should have been the hit-packed Born in the U.S.A. But instead, in 1982, he came out with an album consisting of a series of dark songs he had recorded by himself, for himself. But more than forty years later, Nebraska is arguably Springsteen’s most important record—the lasting clue to understanding not just his career as an artist and the vision behind it, but also the man himself. Nebraska is rough and unfinished, recorded on cassette tape with a simple four-track recorder by Springsteen, alone in his bedroom, just as the digital future was announcing itself. And yet Springsteen now considers it his best album. Nebraska expressed a turmoil that was reflective of the mood of the country, but it was also a symptom of trouble in the artist’s life, the beginnings of a mental breakdown that Springsteen would only talk about openly decades after the album’s release. Warren Zanes spoke to many people involved with making Nebraska, including Bruce Springsteen himself. He also interviewed more than a dozen celebrated artists and musical insiders, from Rosanne Cash to Steven Van Zandt, about their reactions to the album. Zanes interweaves these conversations with inquiries into the myriad cultural touchpoints, including Terrence Malick’s Badlands and the short stories of Flannery O’Conner, that influenced Springsteen as he was writing the album’s haunting songs. The result is a textured and revelatory account of not only a crucial moment in the career of an icon but also a record that upended all expectations and predicted a home-recording revolution.

  • by Pauline Oliveros
    £10.99

    Deep Listening: A Composer's Sound Practice offers an exciting guide to ways of listening and sounding. This book provides unique insights and perspectives for artists, students, teachers, mediators and anyone interested in how consciousness may be effected by profound attention to the sonic environment.Deep Listening is a practice created by composer Pauline Oliveros in order to enhance her own as well as other's listening skills. She teaches this practice worldwide in workshops, retreats and in her ground breaking Deep Listening classes at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Mills College. Deep Listening practice is accessible to anyone with an interest in listening. Undergraduates with no musical training benefit from the practices and successfully engage in creative sound projects. Many report life changing effects from participating in the Deep Listening classes and retreats. Oliveros is recognized as a pioneer in electronic music and a leader in contemporary music as composer, performer, educator and author. Her works are performed internationally and her improvisational performances are documented extensively on recordings, in the literature and on the worldwide web.

  • Save 15%
    by Kate Bush
    £10.99 - 13.49

  • by George Lawrence Stone
    £14.99 - 27.49

  • Save 24%
    by Yungblud
    £18.99

  • Save 14%
    by Stuart Braithwaite
    £9.49

  • Save 15%
    by Rory Sullivan-Burke
    £10.99

  • Save 14%
    by Simon Spence & Peter Doherty
    £9.49 - 15.49

  • Save 14%
    by Robby Krieger
    £9.49

  • by J. B. Arban
    £10.49

    Hailed the Trumpet Bible for over 150 years, this complete pedagogical method contains hundreds of exercises for brass instruments, beginning with basics and progressing to advanced compositions, including the author's famous arrangement of "The Carnival in Venice."Sharing the knowledge he acquired from many years of experience as a performer and teacher, Arban discusses every aspect of playing with emphasis on articulation, tonguing, slurs, tone, and range. He offers an appreciation of all the instrument's inherent difficulties as well as instructive points that touch upon all possible musical questions.Whether you are a beginner or an old master, this is an essential asset to trumpet, French horn, and cornet players.

  • Save 15%
    by Paul Morley
    £10.99

    THE TIMES & UNCUT #1 MUSIC BOOK OF THE YEARA SUNDAY TIMES, NEW STATESMAN, MOJO & LOUDER THAN WAR BOOK OF THE YEAR'Reading From Manchester With Love I feel I understand the times we've lived through differently, better, and from new angles. The writing is compelling and musical, befitting its extraordinary subject. I never met Tony Wilson, but now I feel as though I knew him well - and I'm sorry that I didn't.'BRIAN ENO'From Manchester with Love is the perfect monument.'SUNDAY TIMES'Paul Morley's writing has been delighting and exasperating me since his NME work in the late 1970s . . . From Manchester with Love is by far his best book.'STUART MACONIE, NEW STATESMAN (Books of the Year)Critically-acclaimed and bestselling author Paul Morley's long-awaited biography of Factory Records co-founder and Manchester icon Tony Wilson.'When forced to pick between truth and legend, print the legend.' Tony WilsonTo write about Tony Wilson, AKA Anthony H. Wilson, is to write about a number of public and private characters and personalities, a clique of unreliable narrators, constantly changing shape and form. At the helm of Factory Records and the Hacienda, Wilson unleashed landmark acts such as Joy Division and New Order into the world as he pursued myriad other creative endeavours, appointing himself a custodian of Manchester's legacy of innovation and change.To Paul Morley he was this and much more: bullshitting hustler, flashy showman, aesthetic adventurer, mean factory boss, self-deprecating chancer, intellectual celebrity, loyal friend, shrewd mentor, insatiable publicity seeker. It was Morley to whom Wilson left a daunting final request: to write this book.From Manchester With Love, then, is the biography of a man who became eponymous with his city, of the music he championed and the myths he made, of love and hate, of life and death. In the cultural theatre of Manchester, Tony Wilson broke in and took centre-stage.'Epic . . . More than a mind map, the book's peculiarity and expanse and, yes, love, means it becomes an immersive experience. I found it very moving indeed.'OBSERVER'Morley's biography is as illuminating on Wilson's strange ability to hold others in his orbit, even after his death, as it is on the story of his life . . . fascinating.'THE SPECTATOR'As much a (brilliant) biography of Manchester as it is of Tony Wilson . . . It's a fantastically written, sprawling, superbly research book that's both heartfelt tribute and essential reference work.'CLASSIC ROCK'A gigantic, haphazard and unexpectedly emotional monolith dedicated to the "e;irritating dilettante"e;, "e;pretentious charlatan"e; and "e;huckster extraordinaire"e; who put his city on the musical map . . . Here he burns on fantastically bright.'UNCUT (9/10)'This is no ordinary biography . . . [From Manchester with Love] is a work unto itself, solidifying Tony Wilson as a postmodern hero . . . it's brilliant . . . I have to imagine Tony Wilson (if ghosts of dead impresarios read from their graves) is pleased with From Manchester with Love.'LOUDER THAN WAR'Written with Technicolour perspective, humour, pathos and empathy in fluid, immensely readable prose, it is a book that does justice to Wilson's memory and enduring influence.'RECORD COLLECTOR (5/5)'Captivating . . . Across 600 pages, each of the 51 chapters weaves dream states with journalistic investigation, a tale of how one human being, with the help of like-minded spirits, psychically co-opted an entire city.'CONFIDENTIALS

  • Save 10%
    by Tracey Thorn
    £8.99 - 13.49

    An exploration of female friendship and women in music, from the iconic singer-songwriter and bestselling author of Another Planet and Bedsit Disco Queen

  • by Jeremy Siskind
    £15.49

  • Save 10%
    - Experience the K-Pop Phenomenon!
    by Malcolm Croft
    £8.99

    A celebration of this colourful seven-piece phenomenon from Korea, exploring in detail the group's origins, members and super rise to success.

  • Save 10%
    by Martha Wainwright
    £8.99 - 15.49

    A memoir from internationally renowned singer Martha Wainwright.

  • Save 14%
    - The Eddie Van Halen Story
    by Paul Brannigan
    £9.49

    From the moment their hugely influential 1978 debut landed, Van Halen set a high bar for the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, creating an entirely new style of post-'60s hard rock becoming the quintessential Californian band of the 1980s.

  • Save 31%
    by Vikki Tobak
    £54.99

    Schmuck ist und bleibt eine Säule der Hiphop-Kultur - egal, ob es um diamantenbesetzte "Grillz", überdimensionale "truck style"-Anhänger, bust down-Rolex- und Patek Phillippe-Uhren, oder eine Tiffany-Halskette geht. Der exzessive Bling ist das glitzernde Statement einer kollektiven Identität - kompromisslos, charismatisch und mit viel Street-Smartness.Ice Cold. A Hiphop Jewelry History umspannt die gesamte Geschichte des Hiphop-Schmucks von den 1980ern bis heute - es ist die fantastische Verbindung des Hiphop-Narrativs und seiner Visualisierung. Hunderte von ungewöhnlichen Fotos präsentieren alle wichtigen Hip-hopkünstler und feiern "Ice" als den Ausdruck der Identität und Selbstdarstellung.Nach den Anfängen mit Run-DMCs goldenen adidas-Anhängern und Eric B. & Rakims pompösen Dookie-Ketten und Mercedes-Medaillons entwickelt sich der Hiphop-Schmuck vom Street-Accessoire zu einer boomenden Designkultur. Die Tradition des Schaulaufens erreicht neue Höhepunkte mit Künstlern wie Pharrell Williams, Jay-Z, Gucci Mane, und Cardi B, deren immer exklusiveren Schmuckstücke Motive aus der Popkultur integrieren, unkonventionelle Materialien verwenden und wiederholt auch Kollaborationen mit Künstlern wie Takashi Murakami eingehen.Die Autorin Vikki Tobak zeigt mit vielen Beispielen die Arbeiten von Schmuckpionieren wie Tito Caicedo of Manny's, Eddie Plein, und Jacob the Jeweler bis hin zu neueren Künstlern wie Avianne & Co., Ben Baller/IF & Co., Greg Yuna, Johnny Dang, Eliantte und vielen mehr.Ice Cold ist die umfassende Schau eines schillernden, inspirierenden Stils, zu der die führenden zeitgenössischen Fotografen beitragen: Wolfgang Tillmans, Janette Beckman, Jamel Shabazz, Timothy White, Gillian Laub, David LaChapelle, Danny Clinch, Phil Knott, Raven B. Varona, Al Pereira, Albert Watson und viele andere.Das Vorwort von Slick Rick und Essays von A$AP Ferg, LL COOL J, Kevin "Coach K" Lee und Pierre "P" Thomas von Quality Control Music nehmen uns auf eine sehr persönliche Reise in ihr Schmuck-Universum mit.Ice Cold geht dabei weit über den ostentativen Bling hinaus, um dessen transformative Geschichte zu enthüllen, die sowohl laut als auch stolz ist.

  • Save 14%
    - The Complete, Authorised and Uncut Interviews
    by Oasis
    £9.49 - 23.49

    The first-ever authorised book from Oasis, one of the biggest bands on the planet.

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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