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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Jeremy Denk is a beautiful writer, and I really enjoyed the earlier parts of the book that have more of a memoir feel. I lost interest later when he focuses more on musical analysis. The litany of piano teachers, master class coaches, and pieces of music became a blur. And this is coming from a former music major who studied piano for 15+ years. I appreciated the life lessons he draws from music, but sometimes it got a bit too in the weeds for me.
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
E-G-B-D-F: the first letters in each of the title's words -- the mnemonic memorized by countless beginning piano students to learn the line notes of the treble clef -- make this a spot on perfect title for a pianist's memoir!
This debut work by the acclaimed American pianist chronicles his life in music. A prodigy in his early New Jersey and New Mexico boyhood years, the young Denk was also a misfit among his peers. Finishing high school at age 16, he goes off to Oberlin, followed by graduate work at Indiana University and later, Juilliard. Each chapter of the book begins with a playlist of musical works. It is in his studies of these particular works that Denk provides the lens through which his musical AND life lessons are recounted in prose that is thoughtful, insightful and very funny -- I had many genuine LOL moments while reading.
Throughout the pages, Denk's profound respect and devotion to music is inspiring. I frequently queued up the playlist of works as I read, in order to have the aural experience enhance the musical descriptions that were so evocatively written. The piano training and musical education given by many of the teachers and professors in Denk's life, are portrayed in all their brilliance, kindness and sometimes, cruelty -- making for fascinating reading.
I spent my childhood taking piano lessons and in my adulthood, became a piano teacher in my small town. Though I am not remotely the pianist of Denk's caliber, his memoir resonated with me in many of the situations described with his early teachers. Because I share a musical language with him, each chapter's playlist provided another depth of appreciation as well as being able to understand much of the detailed musical explanations of technique, tone production, rhythm, etc. My only reservation about this book is that the non musically trained person might feel a bit lost in the abundant musical detail in this otherwise insightful and entertaining coming of age story. For me though, this work is a profound love letter to music and a fascinating portrait of the making of an artist. I have listened to many of Denk's recordings and cannot wait for the day to hear him live in performance!
This debut work by the acclaimed American pianist chronicles his life in music. A prodigy in his early New Jersey and New Mexico boyhood years, the young Denk was also a misfit among his peers. Finishing high school at age 16, he goes off to Oberlin, followed by graduate work at Indiana University and later, Juilliard. Each chapter of the book begins with a playlist of musical works. It is in his studies of these particular works that Denk provides the lens through which his musical AND life lessons are recounted in prose that is thoughtful, insightful and very funny -- I had many genuine LOL moments while reading.
Throughout the pages, Denk's profound respect and devotion to music is inspiring. I frequently queued up the playlist of works as I read, in order to have the aural experience enhance the musical descriptions that were so evocatively written. The piano training and musical education given by many of the teachers and professors in Denk's life, are portrayed in all their brilliance, kindness and sometimes, cruelty -- making for fascinating reading.
I spent my childhood taking piano lessons and in my adulthood, became a piano teacher in my small town. Though I am not remotely the pianist of Denk's caliber, his memoir resonated with me in many of the situations described with his early teachers. Because I share a musical language with him, each chapter's playlist provided another depth of appreciation as well as being able to understand much of the detailed musical explanations of technique, tone production, rhythm, etc. My only reservation about this book is that the non musically trained person might feel a bit lost in the abundant musical detail in this otherwise insightful and entertaining coming of age story. For me though, this work is a profound love letter to music and a fascinating portrait of the making of an artist. I have listened to many of Denk's recordings and cannot wait for the day to hear him live in performance!
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Brilliant writing, about the life and the music.
medium-paced
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
After reading Judi Dench’s Shakespeare, I went the other way on the read-or-listen question with Every Good Boy Does Fine by Jeremy Denk - part memoir, part music writing by.a concert pianist I'd never heard of but now feel I know in a strangely intimate way. Denk is my contemporary -- we were actually going to college in the Midwest at the same time -- but worlds beyond me in the hugeness of his talent and brains. Still, I sense a kind of kinship as I listen to his story of growth and mistakes and discovery.
Music helped to comfort him during a difficult upbringing with extremely unhappy and ill-matched parents, and allowed him to get away into a wider world that turned out to offer its own kinds of challenges. He seems to have an incredible recall of every music teacher and lesson he ever had, and writes beautifully about all kinds of pieces, articulating profound, eloquent messages that manage to also be down-to-earth and often humorous.
Denk demonstrates some passages on the audio, which is why I decided to listen, but I wish there had been many more audio examples (I'll have to look up the playlist). This is a book that will only really appeal to avid music lovers, particularly piano aficionados, but for these it provides much insight into making life more musical -- that is, more harmonious, more fluent, more attentive, more joyful, encompassing the gifts of harmony, melody and rhythm that Denk explores.
I had a lot of contradictory feelings about this one. For much of the middle of the book, I couldn't put it down. But Denk refers to himself as "insufferable" several times throughout the book, and by the end I thought...yeah. On the other hand, I rediscovered some music through reading this, so that was nice.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Wish more popular classical performers would write books. Loved that the audiobook had musical excerpts in the background. This is aimed more at someone with a background in classical music.
I loved his commentary on the loneliness you feel as a musician, but also the great relationships you can form. A teacher is really a parental figure, and you create an odd kind of family with teachers, colleagues, and your own students. His queerness was just another level on this. I related to so much in this book, and as with any good book on music it made me want to go practice.
I loved his commentary on the loneliness you feel as a musician, but also the great relationships you can form. A teacher is really a parental figure, and you create an odd kind of family with teachers, colleagues, and your own students. His queerness was just another level on this. I related to so much in this book, and as with any good book on music it made me want to go practice.
DNF pg. 81
I was going into it for an educational purpose and came out of it disappointed in the author for making a (supposedly) professional book extremely unprofessional.
I was going into it for an educational purpose and came out of it disappointed in the author for making a (supposedly) professional book extremely unprofessional.