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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 27%
    - Lite Edition
    by Brian (Rmit Univ Australia) May
    £21.99

    Queen in 3-D: Bohemian Rhapsody Edition is an inside view of Queen, one of the greatest rock acts of all time, told in his own pictures and words by founding member, songwriter, and guitarist Brian May. The book is illustrated with over 300 photographs, the majority actually taken by Brian, and mostly in 3-D. These shots of Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, Roger Taylor, and Brian himself, on and off stage all round the world, spring into life when viewed with Brian's patented OWL viewer (supplied free with the book). Through the eyes of Brian's camera you are transported back in time to experience Queen's miraculous 46-year journey as if you were actually there. This edition includes 17 stereo images from Bohemian Rhapsody, the award-winning movie.

  • Save 17%
    by JOHANN SEBASTI BACH
    £16.49

    Bach's Sei Solo a Violino senza Basso accompagnato, the set of three Sonatas and three Partitas for unaccompanied violin, were completed by 1720. Perhaps seeded as early as 1703, they were ultimately fruits of his years employed as Kapellmeister at the court in Köthen where his employer Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen, a Calvinist with little requirement for liturgical music and also a keen musician, encouraged Bach to write much instrumental music for public and private entertainment. Nothing written before approached the complexity, expressive range and scale of this music, from the volleys of chords and rhythmic intricacy of the B minor Partita's opening Allemanda>/i> and the endlessly inventive elaboration of the same work's variant 'doubles' to the vastness of the D minor Partita's concluding Ciaccona, possibly the longest stand-alone movement written to that point, which contains worlds of contrast in its 64 variants of the opening bars. Reportedly a fine violinist himself, Bach completely redefined virtuosic and expressive violinistic possibility in these works. This classic edition by Carl Flesch from Edition Peters provides a fascinating insight into the great virtuoso tradition of the early twentieth century. The score is presented as a parallel edition, with Flesch's edited score (containing numerous fingerings, bowings and performance directions) appearing above Bach's original.

  • Save 21%
    - The Story of the Home-made Guitar that Rocked Queen and the World
    by Brian May
    £14.99

    This book offers a full exploration of every aspect of this extraordinary, hand-built musical instrument played by Brian May in Queen.

  • Save 31%
    by Joachim E. Berendt
    £51.99

    Take a jazz trip like no other with William Claxton's legendary photographic journey across the concert halls, side streets, and big bands of 1960s America. From coast to coast, Claxton's tribute is a living, breathing, beating picture of the genre that enraptured America across social, economic, and racial lines.

  • Save 14%
    - Lemmy: The Autobiography
    by Lemmy Kilmister
    £9.49

    "When I go, I want to go doing what I do best. If I died tomorrow, I couldn't complain. It's been good!". The updated autobiography of the greatest frontman of the loudest rock band there has ever been. Accept no other story from journalists. This is Lemmy's story from his own mouth.

  • Save 12%
    by Ferdinand Beyer
    £13.99

    The object of this work is to furnish young players with as easy an introduction as possible to the art of playing on the pianoforte wrote Ferdinand Beyer in the preface to his Elementary Method, which has been a cornerstone of the piano education literature since it first appeared in 1860, and contains much essential technique and theory for the young and beginner musician. Printed on cream paper with weight, opacity and grain direction optimal for music publications, this classic Edition Peters publication is a must-have for any aspiring pianist.

  • Save 14%
    by Peter Hince
    £9.49

    In an intimate and eye-opening story, roundly praised as the best available insight on Queen, Peter Hince recounts twelve years on the road with Freddie Mercury, Brian May and co. This truly is the definitive book on the 20th century's most iconic rock band.

  • Save 29%
    - Adventures in Record Collecting
    by Eilon Paz
    £29.99

  • Save 22%
    by Ray Wilson
    £14.49

    Dive hands-on into the tools, techniques, and information for making your own analog synthesizer. If you're a musician or a hobbyist with experience in building electronic projects from kits or schematics, this do-it-yourself guide will walk you through the parts and schematics you need, and how to tailor them for your needs.

  • Save 14%
  • 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 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

  • by Penelope Roskell
    £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 17%
    - The Life And Times Of Eminem
    by Anthony Bozza
    £9.99

    Most crucially, Anthony Bozza's unprecedented access to Eminem himself makes him uniquely qualified to answer the big question - why does Eminem matter?The answer is found in Eminem's unlikely life story, in his extraordinary ascent to super-stardom and in an analysis of his music and lyrics.

  • 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 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 22%
    by Brian J Robb
    £13.99

    For four decades, Depeche Mode dominated electronic music, from the naive melodies of 1981's Speak & Spell through to 2023's Memento Mori. Through changing line-ups featuring Vince Clarke, Alan Wilder, and Andy Fletcher, singer Dave Gahan and main songwriter Martin Gore have been the band's core.

  • 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

  • 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 - 18.99

  • 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.

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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