Voices from the Oil Fields

Average customer rating:

Very Interesting

Too Careless

A very underrated book, although some of reviewer criticisms are quite valid

Brilliant melodies, gorgeous prose

A Great Book on the Psychology of Music

Music, The Brain, And Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our Imagination
Robert Jourdain
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Reference | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Appreciation | Theory, Composition & Performance | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Instruction & Study | Theory, Composition & Performance | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Theory | Theory, Composition & Performance | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 038078209X

Amazon.com

What is music? How and why does it affect us? What is the nature of musical genius? Author/composer Robert Jourdain explores these and other questions, from the essential nature of sound through composition, performance, and, finally, the nature of ecstasy. His prose is eminently readable, offering a very accessible account of a difficult subject to the general reader as well as to the musical sophisticate. This is a fascinating and intriguing book, written by someone who clearly knows his subject.

Book Description

What makes a distant oboe's wail beautiful? Why do some kinds of music lift us to ecstasy, but not others? How can music make sense to an ear and brain evolved for detecting the approaching lion or tracking the unsuspecting gazelle? Lyrically interweaving discoveries from science, psychology, music theory, paleontology, and philosophy, Robert Jourdian brilliantly examines why music speaks to us in ways that words cannot, and why we form such powerful connections to it. In clear, understandable language, Jourdian expertly guides the reader through a continuum of musical experience: sound, tone, melody, harmony, rhythm, composition, performance, listening, understanding--and finally to ecstasy. Along the way, a fascinating cast of characters brings Jourdian's narrative to vivid life: "idiots savants" who absorb whole pieces on a single hearing, composers who hallucinate entire compositions, a psychic who claims to take dictation from long-dead composers, and victims of brain damage who can move only when they hear music. Here is a book that will entertain, inform, and stimulate everyone who loves music--and make them think about their favorite song in startling new ways.What makes a distant oboes wail beautiful? Why do some kinds of music lift us to ecstasy, but not others? How can music make sense to an ear and brain evolved for detecting the approaching lion or tracking the unsuspecting gazelle? Lyrically interweaving discoveries from science, psychology, music theory, paleontology, and philosophy, Robert Jourdian brilliantly examines why music speaks to us in ways that words cannot, and why we form such powerful connections to it.

In clear, understandable language, Jourdian expertly guides the reader through a continuum of musical experience: sound, tone, melody, harmony, rhythm, composition, performance, listening, understanding--and finally to ecstasy. Along the way, a fascinating cast of characters brings Jourdians narrative to vivid life: idiots savants who absorb whole pieces on a single hearing, composers who hallucinate entire compositions, a psychic who claims to take dictation from long-dead composers, and victims of brain damage who can move only when they hear music. Here is a book that will entertain, inform, and stimulate everyone who loves music--and make them think about their favorite song in startling new ways.

Customer Reviews:

Very Interesting.......2007-09-28

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I especially enjoyed reading about the personality characteristics of the greatest composers. Why did Mendelssohn and Saint-Saens never fully develop the potential they showed early in life while Beethoven's skills in composition improved consistently during his lifetime? For me, this book at least addressed, if not answered, some of the questions I've wondered about for a very long time. A previous reviewer complained the book portrayed snobbery. I guess from a certain viewpoint, someone could feel that way. James Brown said he'd surpassed everyone, Beethoven, Mozart, everyone because he'd written 5,000 songs. With all due respect and acknowledging Mr. Brown's very real talent, there is a bit of a difference there. For hundreds of years, music has been created for purposes of art and has been written also as popular music. Both unquestionably have their place in the world of music. The same could be said of all the arts. Is Australian aboriginal art less important than a Monet? Not if we believe the real purpose of art. I suggest an individual's opinion of this book depends on what they are hoping to take away from it. For me, it was an enjoyable, informative read.

Too Careless.......2007-08-05

I didn't even get to page 100 before deciding that the information in this book couldn't be trusted, and so I'm not going to finish reading it. I do have some expertise in classical music, and the author is just plain wrong in some things he says in that area. After realizing that he not very conscientious in the area which I was knowledgeable, I certainly can't rely on his presentation of facts in the scientific areas that I don't know so well, and that kind of material is the bulk of the book. The writing itself is not very impressive, either. Some of it seems to be trying in a much too calculated way to be "popular". Other of it fails when trying to explain complicated stuff, giving the impression that the author himself was none to clear about the material. And some of the writing is strangely "off", as if he looked up the wrong word in a thesaurus. It's really too bad the book isn't a success, because the subject matter itself is fascinating, and a high quality, well-written book on it would be most welcome.

A very underrated book, although some of reviewer criticisms are quite valid.......2007-05-05

I am a former research scientist and lifelong musician. I also have a graduate education in psychology and I don't approach any of the arts in a reductionistic fashion. It is from this space that I am evaluating this book on its merits with the understanding that its scope is indeed limited to Western music, which is only a small slice of the musical pie.

What I most like about this book is the way it weaves a story of the emergence of hearing and how sound affects us physically and psychology. For this purpose, the author draws on diverse sources such as science, anthropology, sociology, etc. However, he does this by weaving a tapestry of interesting threads, which is not at all like the construction of an academic treatise.

This book is also accessible to anyone and everyone! It is not just for musicians, scientists of psychologists. The target audience is the average person, however, if you have a background in one or more of these areas, you will appreciate the contents even more.

An underlying premise of the book is that music is satisfying because it sets up "anticipations" and then goes about satisfying them in unexpected ways. The more complex the music, the more types of anticipatory events are created and satisfied in more imaginative ways. I didn't really think about this until I read the book, but it's true. I can validate this in my own experience over a lifetime.

While some people may feel the application of biology or any other field is reductionistic, I didn't find this to be the case. Rather, I found that the author used various lenses and legitimate domains of knowledge to explore the many and varied facets of musical experience. Rather than taking away the mystery of what moves us, it makes the whole musical adventure even more fascinating and mysterious.

My guess is that most of you reading this are not familiar with Ken Wilber who is a rather famous contemporary philosopher. Ken espouses a worldview that embraces four irreducible domains of human experience that inform each other. He feels the split between arts, science and morals was the result of one domain (science), dominating the others. I believe there is much truth to this argument, but you will find none of this spirit here. I don't want or need to go into Ken Wilber in detail here, but he provides a very credible and integral worldview and I think this book is very much in the spirit of honoring each domain of human experience without a need to reduce any one of them to another. (For more on Wilber's books, see my listmania lists or for a nice introduction check out A Brief History of Everything.

Brilliant melodies, gorgeous prose.......2007-02-23

This book should be required reading for anyone who wants to understand how the human mind perceives, understands and translates music. Absolutely wonderful!

A Great Book on the Psychology of Music.......2007-01-10

I really enjoyed this book - in fact I took dozens of pages on a borrowed copy, then had to get my own. It may be a dense read for the layman, but anyone with a bit of science education will understand it, and really appreciate the fascinating perceptual and physical-psychological properties of the sound assortments we call music. A must read......
Here's a web site that recommends more books of this type:
[...]

Book Description

Survival training for the 21st century

Maps for each disorderly sector of Union City

Brutal tactics for armed and unarmed combat

Strategies for each thug-smashing power-up

Walkthroughs for every disturbing mission
Crucial strategies for anti-gang warfare

Customer Reviews:

GOOD STRAGITY.......2000-05-13

The book gives alot of help to those who are stuck in some of the very challanging parts of the game. Even though there are many cheats for the game (not nessecarilly in the book) the stragity guide helps alot. So if your stuck and need some help or even just a clue I would say to get it.

Book Description

As a game designer or new media storyteller, you know that the story is everything. However, figuring out how to tell it interactively-and in a way that keeps your audience coming back for more-can be challenging. Here to help you out (and to open your mind to ever more creative ways of producing those stories) is the man who created the cult publication The Art of Computer Game Design and who has devoted much of his career to that very topic: Chris Crawford. To highlight the path for future gains in the quest for a truly interactive story, Chris provides a solid sampling of what doesn't work, contrasting unsuccessful methodologies with those that hold promise for the future. Throughout you'll find examples of contemporary games that rely on different technologies-and learn the storytelling lessons to be garnered from each of the past methodologies. Within the context of interactive storytelling, Chris explores ways of providing conflict and challenge, the difference between low- and high-interactivity designs, the necessity to move beyond purely visual thinking (so that the player is engaged on multiple levels), and more.

Customer Reviews:

Ahead of its time........2005-12-15

One day the games industry will look at Chris Crawford the same way the film industry looks at Joseph Campbell. He sets out the first few steps of a path that could revolutionize gaming - if only it is taken to heart. Some of his ideas are radical, some are controversial, but all are insightful. The only criticism I have of this book is that Crawfords brash and grungy tongue-in-cheek delivery might rub some people the wrong way (although, I personally found it refreshing). And that the book is too short.

The Beginning.......2005-12-15

Crawford's take on Interactive Storytelling, that is the maturation of a medium which will become the dominant form on art and entertainment in the 21st century, provides a foundation upon which future efforts will either be based off of or at least reference in intellectual homage. The breakdown of the modes of human thought in the early chapters provides a sturdy, cognitive lense which game designers can use to understand challenge. This book focuses primarily on social reasoning and the challenge which could be derived from that important facet of human experience, so far unexplored in traditional video and computer games.

In late 2005 Mr. Crawford wrote an article for The Escapist, and online publication which is highly recommended to anyone interested in the cutting edge of the interactive medium. The article addressed appealing to the female demographic of possible players from the angle of utilizing social challenge to meet women on a common ground. The problem with this article was that it used a controversial science to make this point, and it was possible to infer a sense of sexism, where women are inherenlty social and therefore drawn to interactive soap operas, while men are inherently spatial and drawn to games similar to hunting. The real point is that social challenge will put games on a whole new playing field which both men and women can appreciate as art and popular entertainment. Thats the lesson taught by "Chris Crawford on Interactive Storytelling", along with some useful approaches to the design problems. Don't let politics stop you from glimpsing a revolution.

Additional comments.......2005-11-11

In the spirit of full and open disclosure, I have known Chris Crawford for over twenty years. We are close friends and colleagues. So instead of providing a review, I'd like to comment on some of the things brought up in the other reviews.

In two reviews, it is indicated that the book is not tutorial and doesn't provide specific examples. These are absolutely correct. "Chris Crawford on Interactive Storytelling" is a distillation and documentation of all that Chris has learned and created on interactive storytelling over the last thirteen plus year. He explores areas where none have gone before and he also explores areas where others have been adding insights that are new. There is definitely material here you won't find in any previously written book. However, this is a not a document of a completed journey. A couple of simple stories have been built-as proof of concept for the early working versions of the Erasmatron-but they mostly demonstrated the need for better tools. Interactive storytelling requires a new set of skills and tools. This book is heavy on theory and process, but light on examples because the theory and processes must precede the examples-and we're just getting a handle on the theory and processes. Expect to see examples in Chris' next book, which I expect he'll write once the Erasmatron is out the door and pumping out interactive stories. (I'm guessing here, Chris has never mentioned doing another book, but there will definitely be a need for a book on Erasmatron storybuilding and who better to write it than Chris Crawford and/or Laura Mixon?)

William Ogles comments on Chris' writing style, which is decidedly conversational. His writing style, combined with his strong convictions, often polarizes readers and the attacks against him can be as vicious as the praise is glowing. Chris was a teacher early in his career and lessons learned from those early days drive much of his writing and speaking style. He will present gray area subjects in stark black and white and he writes provocatively. This is his method for making a point and generating thought and discussion.

Indeed, it was his recent article about Women and Gaming in "the Escapist" (an on-line magazine) that provoked the single negative review of this book. The best clue to this is that the reviewer is complaining about Chris' views on women and gaming, yet that subject isn't covered in this book. Also the quotes are from his article, not from the book. Chris' point was that sales of romance novels (especially of the "bodice rippers" genre) and soap opera show that women were the primary customers and that they were immensely popular and that games that appeals to the same needs would be more successful with women than "Doom" clones. It appears to me this is rather obvious-the trick, of course, is figuring out what such games might be. The reviewer's characterization of the above as "blatant gender stereotyping" is a hard trail to follow and suggests that Chris triggered a hot button for the reviewer.

Also, unlike Chris' other book "Chris Crawford on Game Design", this book is not for aspiring "game" designers-it's for aspiring "interactive storytelling" designers (of all ages) or for game designers that want to move into an entirely new and exciting field.

An inspirational manual from the topic's greatest thinker.......2005-10-06

In this book, Chris Crawford presents his teachings, thoughts and feelings on Interactive Storytelling, the topic that he has courageously committed the last thirteen years of his life to researching, understanding and developing.

This book struck many chords with me and opened up many avenues of thought, presenting me with inspirational ideas that kept me thinking about Interactive Storytelling for the many months that followed. I own a reasonable collection of books on game development and related academic topics, and I believe this to be the single most important book in my collection. Many of the ideas within are worth the price tag alone.

I whole-heartedly recommend this book to anybody even remotely interested in Interactive Storytelling, and especially designers and developers within the games industry. It simply deserves to be read.

Not Just a Must-Read, It's a Must-Study........2005-04-07

This book opened up a whole new pattern of thinking for me. The information Mr. Crawford conveys in this publication is invaluable to any writer seeking to break into new areas-particularly gaming and other applications utilizing interactive storytelling. Writing for this genre requires a whole different mindset from traditional genres and Mr. Crawford succeeds at moving the reader towards that mindset.

Time and again I see in game reviews how a particular game has "awesome graphics and great gameplay but the story and dialogue" were severely lacking. With Mr. Crawford's extensive experience in the gaming industry, he very capable gives aspiring writers every tool he or she will need to get a very good start in the industry. Throughtout the book, he stresses how important it is for the "artsie" thinkers (the writers & artists) to work together with the "techie" thinkers (the programmers) and I think this is a valuable lesson that many current game producers have yet to learn. Mr. Crawford reminds the entire programming industry that one sector of development cannot succeed without the other. He more than adequately investigates and chronicles how the different development teams can work together and bridge the "communication" gap between the "artsies" and the "techies."

This book, while not exactly a tutorial piece, offers many examples and exercises to move the writer along in thinking like an interactive storyteller. The only real drawback may be the detail Mr. Crawford goes into. While I personally don't have a problem with this, I work with several young people who, while they are very keen on gaming development, probably wouldn't spend an adequate amount of time studying the information contained in the book unless it were required reading in a course.

Personally I feel that any writer who wants to pursue and develop stories for interactive programming should study this book. It's not enough to read it through once, twice or even three times. This is a book which needs to be worked through section by section, until writing for this relatively new genre becomes second nature. This book will have a permanent home in my library; it is very rich in information-hats off to Mr. Crawford for producing a very timely manual.
-Adaera-

Average customer rating:
Chris Crawford on Interactive Storytelling (New Riders Games)
Chris Crawford
Manufacturer: New Riders Games
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUIF6W

Customer Reviews:

Fine reading.......2004-02-22

Fantastic!! Mr. Issac, in writing this timely book, has done a great service to anyone interested in the Arabian Peninsula.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Southern Historical Association on August 1, 2001. The length of the article is 662 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The La Salle Expedition to Texas: The Journal of Henri Joutel, 1684-1687.
Author: Light Townsend Cummins
Publication: Journal of Southern History (Refereed)
Date: August 1, 2001
Publisher: Southern Historical Association
Volume: 67 Issue: 3 Page: 631

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Topics include matrix-geometric invariant vectors, buffer models, queues in a random environment and more.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book.......2001-10-02

An excellent and challenging discussion for those interested in algorithmic methods, particularly phase type distributions. Not a book for the feint of heart. A previous introduction to queueing theory is definintely helpful (e.g. Kleinrock v1/2, or Ross)

Useful but advanced.......2000-12-20

This book presents matrix geometric results from advanced queueing theory topics. In general, the book is hard to read for beginners in the field, but it provides a concise overview of the phase type distributions.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful.......2005-12-20

Very easy to use and very helpful. Know the event but don't know the date? Just look it up in the index arranged alphabetically by issues/problems. Doing a project for a certain time period and don't know where to look? Check out the second half of the book with an index arranged chronologically (by date, from oldest to current). I definately recommend it for all you fast fact seekers, especially those who don't have much time to spare.

Nearly 4,000 facts about environmental "firsts".......2002-09-08

Capably edited by Ronald J. Formica (Managing Editor, New England Publishing Associates), Famous First Facts About The Environment is a highly specialized and thoroughly "user friendly", 573-page reference book. Half of the volume collects nearly 4,000 facts about environmental "firsts", from activist movements and geophysics, to zoos, aquariums, and museums. The second half is an in-depth index that allows the reader to quickly and easily look up the appropriate fact for just about any environmental subject matter. An exacting and thorough gathering of fascinating environmental facts, Famous First Facts About The Environment is an essential, core reference for school and community library Environmental Studies collections.

Average customer rating:

Famous First Facts About the Environment
Ronald J. (EDT)/ Chase, Victoria S. (EDT) Formica
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N6BZKK

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