How Music Works

The Science and Psychology of Beautiful Sounds, from Beethoven to the Beatles and Beyond

By: John Powell

Narrated by: Walter Dixon

Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

An enthralling investigation into the mysteries of music. Have you ever wondered how off-key you are while singing in the shower? Or if your Bob Dylan albums really sound better on vinyl? Or why certain songs make you cry?

Now, scientist and musician John Powell invites you on an entertaining journey through the world of music. Discover what distinguishes music from plain old noise, how scales help you memorize songs, what the humble recorder teaches you about timbre (assuming your suffering listeners don’t break it first), why anyone can learn to play a musical instrument, what the absurdly complicated names of classical music pieces actually mean, how musical notes came to be (hint: you can thank a group of stodgy men in 1939 London for that one), how to make an oboe from a drinking straw, and much more.

With wit and charm, and in the simplest terms, Powell explains the science and psychology of music. Clever, informative, and deeply engaging, How Music Works takes the secrets of music away from the world of badly dressed academics and gives every one of us—whether we love to sing or play air guitar—the means to enhance our listening pleasure.

©2010 John Powell (P)2010 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

"Powell conveys the material with enough humor and cocktail party facts to keep the book light and fun." ( Publisher's Weekly)

Interesting read but can be dry at times.

A very fun book that was worth the read. I actually kind of preferred the voice of the author to the narrator in the few post chapter commentary but I can see why he chose to have someone else do it. Great review and contains plenty of fun moments when things get dry.

A very fun and friendly intro to music science.

The easy and simplistic aproach to music science seasoned with a witty sense of humor made this an enjoyment from start to finish. recommended no matter what your musical knowledge level.

excellent material - so so narrator

If you could sum up How Music Works in three words, what would they be?

Interesting explanation of many musical concepts. Music was a "magical talent" to me until I listened to this book.

First I didn't get the humor, but quickly got used to the British humor and started enjoying the book.

I thought the narrator was annoying and that, unfortunately, didn't change much till the end of the book.

What did you like best about this story?

the material is excellent

What aspect of Walter Dixon’s performance would you have changed?

Wrong narrator. Pauses too often without a need. The most unnecessary pauses are often between "the" and what comes after it. Why do you need to say "the pitch"???

Great book for learning more about music

This book is so entertaining! It is funny and clever and very enlightening. The narrator has just the right style, the right mix of humor and seriousness to make it funny and informative. I enjoyed almost all of it. It is written for non-musicians in an effort to help them understand what music is all about. The author does a great job of hitting so many aspects of music, but for me, a professional musician, it was a little elementary. With that said, I did learn a few things that I can use in my classroom, and that made it all worth it. I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions. I can recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the workings and meanings of music.

I must add that I am glad the editors did not have the author read his own book. He interjects on several occasions with musical examples that have been discussed by the narrator. He is very hard to understand. I liked his interjections and loved his use of his guitar playing examples, but the narrator, Walter Dixon, brings the book to life.

Outstanding. Making a technical subject easy.

Would you listen to How Music Works again? Why?

I've already listened to it three or four times. It really is interesting and well presented.

Have you listened to any of Walter Dixon???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time I've heard Walter Dixon. I like his presentation.

GOOD THINGS to KNOW

This is one of those books that you're glad you listened to even if you are well versed in the subject matter already. It covers things like where we get the notes in the modern scale, how speakers work and most stuff in between.

It's not always easy to stick with it; it gets a little dry in spots.

The biggest complaint I have is there's not enough musical examples. He mentions music by Beethoven, Pink Floyd and many others, but doesn't play the passage. Of course he can't due to copyright laws.

I surround myself with music constantly and often I recall John's references so it's well worth the listening.

Great info brought in an easy way

John Powell and the narrator Walter Dixon do a great job explaining the physics and other mysteries of music. I had so much fun listening to this. If you want to understand why music is music, this is a great book to start.

A simple way to gain depth and breadth in music

Would you listen to How Music Works again? Why?

I'd listen to it again because there were many fascinating bits I'd like to hear again, and to reinforce the learning.

The author is quite a funny guy, reminds me of Ricky Gervais a bit, which is refreshing and keeps you listening for the next funny bit.

The information is presented so well, and I learnt so much about how and why music works, and how and why it makes one feel the way it does, I can't say enough good things about this book.

If you're interested in the science of music, or are starting out with an instrument you'll find this book has a breadth and depth of knowledge that explains so much more than any other single source.

Also, I would say that since having listened to this material, my appreciation of all music has been enhanced. I appreciate the skill in making great sounds so much more.

Any additional comments?

This book has a ton of information, which may or may not be interesting or useful to you. If you don't like learning for the pleasure of it, or are not really interested in how music works, you probably won't enjoy this book. But if you do, then you'll love it.

I recommend this to anyone who is in to music!

Would you listen to How Music Works again? Why?

I would listen to this again so that I could brush up on some of the very helpful points this book makes.

Great starter read for music theory

Where does How Music Works rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 5%. The way it explains the theory is exceptionally understandable.

What did you like best about this story?

The way the author incorporates music pieces into the audio book

Which scene was your favorite?

The chapter for how to bring out emotion.