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How Music Works Hardcover – September 12, 2012

by David Byrne (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,011 ratings
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How Music Works is David Byrne’s remarkable and buoyant celebration of a subject he has spent a lifetime thinking about. In it he explores how profoundly music is shaped by its time and place, and he explains how the advent of recording technology in the twentieth century forever changed our relationship to playing, performing, and listening to music.

Acting as historian and anthropologist, raconteur and social scientist, he searches for patterns—and shows how those patterns have affected his own work over the years with Talking Heads and his many collaborators, from Brian Eno to Caetano Veloso. Byrne sees music as part of a larger, almost Darwinian pattern of adaptations and responses to its cultural and physical context. His range is panoptic, taking us from Wagnerian opera houses to African villages, from his earliest high school reel-to-reel recordings to his latest work in a home music studio (and all the big studios in between).

Touching on the joy, the physics, and even the business of making music, How Music Works is a brainy, irresistible adventure and an impassioned argument about music’s liberating, life-affirming power.
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  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    McSweeney's
  4. Publication date
    September 12, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    9.1 x 7.1 x 1.6 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1936365537
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1936365531
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best Books of the Month, September 2012: It's no surprise that David Byrne knows his music. As the creative force behind Talking Heads and many solo and collaborative ventures, he's been writing, playing, and recording music for decades. What is surprising is how well his voice translates to the page. In this wide-ranging, occasionally autobiographical analysis of the evolution and inner workings of the music industry, Byrne explores his own deep curiosity about the "patterns in how music is written, recorded, distributed, and received." He is an opinionated and well-educated tour guide, and the resulting essays--on topics from rockers' clothes to the role of the turntable, concert stages to recording studios--will give you an entirely new perspective on the complex journey a song takes from conception to your iPod. --Neal Thompson

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Most people know idiosyncratic, Scottish-born David Byrne as the front man of that great new wave band, Talking Heads. But he is also an author, painter, photographer, and film and record producer. In this wide-ranging celebration of the power of music, he discusses, among many topics, the early days of the recording industry, various types of music venues, birdsong and whale calls, the significance of mixtapes, the development of CDs, his love of African rhythms, and the concept of creativity and what it means to be creative. But he also mentions his own career as well as the many collaborators he has worked with, including English musician and producer Brian Eno, Brazilian composer and singer Caetano Veloso, and DJ Fatboy Slim. He describes the origin of his twitchy stage persona and acknowledges his own shyness, describing himself as “a withdrawn introvert,” whose most comfortable way of communicating was, he says, onstage. (“Poor Susan Boyle; I can identify,” he writes). At one point, he even self-diagnoses himself as having a mild form of Asperger’s syndrome. He concludes by asking provocative questions: What is music good for? Why do we need music? “Funding future creativity is a worthy investment,” he insists. Endlessly fascinating, insightful, and intelligent. --June Sawyers

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ McSweeney's (September 12, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1936365537
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1936365531
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.44 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.1 x 7.1 x 1.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,011 ratings

About the author

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David Byrne

David Byrne

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A cofounder of the musical group Talking Heads, David Byrne has also released several solo albums in addition to collaborating with such noted artists as Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson, and Brian Eno. His art includes photography and installation works and has been published in five books. He lives in New York and he recently added some new bike racks of his own design around town, thanks to the Department of Transportation.

Photo © Catalina Kulczar-Marin

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
2,011 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book provides wonderful information and insights into music history. They also say the author is incredibly talented and skilled. Readers appreciate the unique style and quirky cover. They say the book has fantastic history about both American and non-western music. Opinions are mixed on the entertainment value, with some finding it fun and others finding it boring.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
Music contentReadabilityIntelligenceComplexityVisual appearanceContentHumorEntertainment value
104 customers mention "Music content"104 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's music content wonderful, thoughtful, and useful. They say it helps them understand musicians, their workplace, and their minds. They also appreciate the profound chapters on music history and how we think of music. Readers say the discussion is concrete, grounded in his personal narrative, and offers a little of everything to everyone. They mention that the writing is precise, detailed without wandering, and brimming with humor.

"...I found "How Music Works" by David Byrne to be fascinating and it's opened up to me new ways of looking at music in the world...." Read more

"...Byrne, but before and after that he adds insightful and profound chapters on music history, how we think of music and how that keeps changing...." Read more

"...This grand book, with its padded cover, offers a little of everything to everyone...." Read more

"...Listening to his music is a wonderful way to experience his life inspiration too.It’s a longer read than I thought and complex...." Read more

37 customers mention "Readability"31 positive6 negative

Customers find the book well written, absorbing, and self-explanatory. They also appreciate the well thought out opinions and bare bones vocabulary.

"...It's all fascinating, the writing is just right - I never actually thought "Oh, get over yourself!"..." Read more

"...- David Byrne has really outdone himself with this erudite, well-thought-out & insightful book that is part auto-biography, but is mostly him..." Read more

"...His thoughts are simply and elegantly presented, the writing precise, detailed without wandering, brimming with humor...." Read more

"A well-written book. I gave the book 4 stars because the color of the type is very dull and a little difficult to read (almost as in straining)...." Read more

18 customers mention "Intelligence"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book incredibly talented and fascinating. They also say the author is a keen observer and humble.

"...This guy is a genius and his observations are very stimulating, thought provoking...." Read more

"...As a long time admirer of David Byrne’s creative, thoughtful and brilliant musician and artist...." Read more

"...It's not often you get great talent along with great intelligence and clear perception...." Read more

"David Byrne is fascinating, influential and has been involved in some of the best music that I've enjoyed...." Read more

16 customers mention "Complexity"13 positive3 negative

Customers find the book's story telling totally engrossing, and the most comprehensive tour of the essence of music of all kinds. They also mention that the book contains a handful of wonderful, unconventional arguments.

"...There is entertaining history and numerous personal stories from Byrne, but before and after that he adds insightful and profound chapters on music..." Read more

"How Music Works is a handful of wonderful, unconventional arguments wedged apart by excessively detailed biography...." Read more

"...The book is the perfect blend of anecdotes from a wide-ranging career in music along with theoretical observations about music and its role in our..." Read more

"...I might add that it is fascinating to watch [...] in conjunction with the book's tale...." Read more

13 customers mention "Visual appearance"13 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's unique style, saying it's beautifully bound and has great photos. They also mention that it'll make a wonderful gift.

"I loved this book!. As a long time admirer of David Byrne’s creative, thoughtful and brilliant musician and artist...." Read more

"...you like his music, his views on the art form and its virtues are unique and compelling." Read more

"...It covers history, styles, the awesome influence of oriental, latin and african music and of course the interesting and complex way of David Byrne..." Read more

"...this was a worthwhile book because it was a personal account and original. This is aperson who has chosen to make a living in a different way...." Read more

10 customers mention "Content"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's content fantastic, with history about both American and non-western music. They also appreciate the book for its creativity and culture.

"...This is one of the best books I have read in a while. There is entertaining history and numerous personal stories from Byrne, but before and after..." Read more

"...The historical account is amusing when considering the delusions of reality instilled by each new device on the unconditioned and uneducated ear...." Read more

"...It covers history, styles, the awesome influence of oriental, latin and african music and of course the interesting and complex way of David Byrne..." Read more

"...There is some great history here and some wonderful speculation about the future of music...." Read more

6 customers mention "Humor"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book educational and humorous.

"...presented, the writing precise, detailed without wandering, brimming with humor. The writing always feels honest...." Read more

"...through his musical career first hand- both educational and humorous!" Read more

"...There's humour too." Read more

"Absolutely brilliant, funny, interesting and spot-on. Can't say enough about this great book!..." Read more

17 customers mention "Entertainment value"11 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the entertainment value of the book. Some find it fun to read for a while, while others find it boring and not a casual read.

"...Very interesting and fun to read however it could use 5% more editing as there were a few sections either slightly less clear or with too much..." Read more

"...It is definitely not a casual read. Listening to his music is a wonderful way to experience his life inspiration too...." Read more

"...All in all a good, engaging, sometimes inspiring read. Worth the investment in time for anyone with a passion for the music and art business." Read more

"...Great fun and well worth reading." Read more

Thank you!!
5 out of 5 stars
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Got it as a bday gift. Come in excellent condition, in time
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Top reviews from the United States

Michael P. McCullough
5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Book of 2012
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2012
Verified Purchase
It would be difficult to praise this book too much.

Clearly at age 60 David Byrne has had a lot of experience in the world of music and has had a lot of time to think about it and he has graciously decided to share his thoughts here.

The book starts out as a sort of anthropological look at music in general, then continues as he explains how the actual space in which the music is created (a small tavern, a concert hall, or a forest, for example) influences what type of music is produced. Or how technology changes and influences music.

There is quite a bit of musical autobiography here as he discusses his work with Talking Heads, and subsequent projects. Personally the first five Talking Heads albums (especially #1 and #2) were and are incredibly important and influential in my own personal history, and even in my development from a youth to an adult; but after the fifth album I moved in a different direction musically than Byrne did and honestly, unless I heard it on the radio, I have never even listened to his subsequent works - so it was interesting read about them here.

As the book progresses Byrne explains much about the technical processes involved in recording music and the business side of music - that is to say different ways in which the music is marketed and sold. It's all fascinating, the writing is just right - I never actually thought "Oh, get over yourself!" even during the autobiographical sections, (this demonstrates the perfection of his writing style), the illustrations were interesting, and physically the hard cover McSweeney's edition is in itself a work of art.

This is interesting - I recommended this book to my Dad, who is 76 years old. He knows who David Byrne and Talking Heads are and he never really liked them at all (but I know he got to hear a lot of their music, probably against his will, as I lived in his house during my five year infatuation with Talking Heads) but he loved the book stating he thought Byrne was a genius!

Actually I will just go ahead and quote his email review - I don't think he will mind:

"I've mentioned this book, recommended to me by Michael, to each of you whom I've seen in the past week or so. I found "How Music Works" by David Byrne to be fascinating and it's opened up to me new ways of looking at music in the world. I'll leave it to the Amazon description which I've included to give you a general overview. I have never been a 'Talking Heads' fan but that doesn't matter while reading this thing. This guy is a genius and his observations are very stimulating, thought provoking. He knows whereof he speaks and, though I didn't grasp some topics. I am really glad I tried."
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JC Davenport
5.0 out of 5 stars Profound
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2022
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Like a lot of music I discover, I feel like I'm late to the party for this book. It came out ten years ago, but was updated some in 2017. I think It is still immediate and relevant, the only minor changes in music business the near death of the CD and the takeover of streaming. Overall I think it is well deserving of a classic, "must read" for music fans. This is one of the best books I have read in a while. There is entertaining history and numerous personal stories from Byrne, but before and after that he adds insightful and profound chapters on music history, how we think of music and how that keeps changing. Later there is terrific commentary on succeeding in music business, succeeding in creating a "scene" and how to better teach the next generation. The last chapter was partially over my head, but no less important. That's ok because I have a feeling this may be on my re-read list. I have to appreciate that David Byrne, despite his success and the fact that he must know this is an awesome book, uses this platform to promote music itself, and not so much David Byrne.

Finally and oddly for me, I would say don't skip the chapter on the music business. I think I always kind of thought of musicians as somehow spoiled rich people who had more money than they knew what to do with. That also goes for actors and athletes in my small brain. But this book somehow conveys the reality that they are all "temp" workers, working gig to gig, choosing to pursue their art/heart over perhaps more rational/longer term professions. Ok a lot of them are still rich. But after reading this I think . . you guys deserve all the money you can get.
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Dr. Debra Jan Bibel
4.0 out of 5 stars Musical Musings: A Hodge-Podge
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2012
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Byrne begins his wide-ranging historical, technological, psychological and sociological examination of music with a novel insight: architecture of musical venues shape composition and instrumental arrangements. Regarding huge gothic cathedrals, intimate nightclubs, and jungle camp sites, room reverberation, volume of space, and audience vocal ambience dictate modal versus scale works, instrument development, and performance dynamics. The great revolutionary divide was recording technology, and musicians discovered that what works live does not necesarily achieve the same result on vinyl, tape, CD, or .mp3, and vice versa. Expectations often lead to disappointment and the performance and performer suffers. With such an interesting introduction, the book offers much promise. It almost fulfills expectations with both personal and general tidbits and theses that reward the reader, though for myself his personal examples are somewhat weaker.

The second chapter is an musical autobiographical section describing the evolution of his music and stage attire over the succeeding eras of rock. In his world travels, his encounter with Japanese and Balinese traditional music and theatre art had a profound influence on the development of his stage craft. One of his suits clearly had classic Japanese origins.

Chapters 3 and 4 return to musicology with an expansion of the role of technology, recording and playback. The historical account is amusing when considering the delusions of reality instilled by each new device on the unconditioned and uneducated ear. The ideal of recordings was and remains an actual live performance, particularly among classical music fans; but the alternative worthy philosophy is the electronic creation of uniquely shaped sound itself, as with tape editing, synthesizers and digital programming, and electric instrument design. Oddly, computerized editing of recordings to achieve perfection in tempo, pitch, and so forth proved imperfect to the ear and lacking in warmth and positive emotional value. Byrne does not elaborate in later chapters, but recordings (and its transmission over radio) changed society by uniting peoples, speeding musical development, and (for instance, in Brazil) of overturning governmental policy of approved musical forms. I do not share Bryne's lament about the calculus-like wave sectioning of digital CDs over analogue LPs because of psychoacoutics, an aging ear, and the fact that speakers are yet analogue in their cone movement and shaping. Of interest is Byrne's belief that we are now so awash in music, indeed private music on personal .mp3 players and smart phones, that live performances are becoming more important, as that increasingly rare commodity, silence. I enjoyed Bryne's relating, in brief James Burke fashion, the connection of the Chinese mouth organ, the shen, to digital computers.

Chapter 5 is again more personal with Bryne's experiences in a recording studio and the art, engineering, and strategy of creating an album. Entire books have been written and documentary films have focused on this subject, but the use of computers on mixing boards is a new phenomenon.

The following chapter discusses his collaborations. He had already mentioned his albums with Brian Eno, but now Byrne moves beyond Talking Heads by developing music with Caetano Veloso and choreographer Twyla Tharp and creating with Norman Cook [Fatboy Slim] a theatrical piece on the Philippine's Imelda Marcos.

Chapter 7 is all about the business and financial side of the music industry. There are pie charts. He explains the very recent changes in industry, when musicians can edit and mix their music on their laptop computers and distribute it via digital download and cloud companies and promote themselves with YouTube videos and have kickstarter campaigns to get public underwriters. The giant brick & mortar record shops (Tower, Borders, Virgin Megastore) are no more and the power of music labels are severely diminished. This chapter should be read by anyone considering how to create and promote their own music; he describes various business models.

The next chapter furthers practical advice on the choice of venues, song material, the courage to be different, responsibility to band members and fellow musicians, and so on. It is a peculiar chapter for such a book.

Chapter 9 pulls back to a shotgun approach critical of musical elitism and lauding the amateur musician. In the days before mass-marketed recordings, there was a piano in the parlor. Even in the 1960s, every kid (yours truly included) had an acoustic guitar, singing folk songs. Until very recently, courses in music appreciation were dedicated only to classical music and rarely jazz. Governmental and corporate funding erected costly symphony halls and museums. Byrne seems to ignore the reality that these measures were to preserve and encourage endangered music styles and that the masses are doing fine in supporting pop and avant-garde culture, filling stadiums and arenas and small local music joints. Symphony halls are not restricted to dead European composers; I have heard contemporary American, Japanese, Argentinian, Iranian, and other world composers. Still, the point is taken when middle and high schools do not offer music and art classes and other nations support amateur musicians, music clubs, and youth bands and orchestras. Music and art should not be passive art forms.

The final chapter covers music as a human, biological, and indeed metaphysical essence. This historical and anthropological section sketches prehistorical, ancient, and early modern musical instruments, musical sciences, and philosophies. Everything vibrates, from atoms to planets. He does not include it, but string theory of matter involves vibrating strands of energy. Bryne briefly mentions the differing scales of music across the planet, the relationship of language and speech to music, neurological imprinting of music and its performance, music in religious rituals [Taliban and similar zealots aside], the natural ambient music appreciated by John Cage and the composed ambient music of Satie, Eno, and Feldman, and various other aspects of music. Bryne can only touch upon these large subjects as he closes the book. While it may lead to further reading, I find the section too scattered to be truly effective.

This grand book, with its padded cover, offers a little of everything to everyone. Fans of Bryne, as leader of the Talking Heads or as musicologist, will surely find much to appreciate here. I do think, however, that he could have prepared two smaller books, one dedicated to the practice of musicmaking today and one to music's historical and anthropological aspects.
193 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Cesar Cuellar
5.0 out of 5 stars Is there something that David Byrne can not do?
Reviewed in Mexico on October 26, 2021
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My book was delivered in good conditions, so nothing relevant there. The book itself is great, amazing insight of all things involved in the music business. David Byrne shows amazing writing skills by sharing his experiences and illustrating his know-how.
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Borias
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfeito
Reviewed in Spain on April 21, 2024
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O artigo é muito bom.
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Big Al
5.0 out of 5 stars Great, thought provoking work
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2023
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An enjoyable and informative read, and lots of common ground if you’ve been in anyway involved in the music industry over the last 30+ years.

Will now revisit all the Talking Heads albums with renewed interest
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Parsec
5.0 out of 5 stars Hochinteressant!
Reviewed in Germany on May 2, 2022
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Das David Byrne nicht nur ein sehr innovativer Musiker, sondern auch ein kluger Kopf und ein guter Beobachter ist, hat dieser Ausnahmekünstler seit den späten 70ern immer und immer wieder bewiesen... sei es bei den unsterblichen Talking Heads oder auf Solopfaden.

Mit HOW MUSIC WORKS legt Byrne ein hochinteressantes, cleveres und schlichtweg enorm unterhaltsames Buch vor - mit autobiographischen Bezügen analysiert Byrne, wie Musik ihre Wirkung entfaltet. Es macht großen Spaß, Byrne bei seinen Ausführungen zu folgen, und in vielen Punkten liefert er sehr schlüssige und originelle Sichtweisen. Man merkt dem Autor den enormen Erfahrungsschatz seiner fast 50 Jahre lange Karriere an - hier legt ein Künstler seine Gedanken nieder, welcher sich in vielen Kunstformen aktiv war und ist, und der immer wieder bereit war, neue Ausdrucksformen zu verwenden und auch sich neu zu erfinden.

Der Schreibstil ist dabei sehr klar und strukturiert, und bei all dem auch noch sehr instruktiv, aber immer unterhaltsam... Längen hat dieses durchaus umfangreiche Buch nicht.

Ein Punkt, welcher bei der Lektüre dieses Buches etwas irritiert, ist der Umstand, dass David Byrne, wenn es um das Werk der Talking Heads geht, die Beiträge der anderen drei Bandmitglieder relativ wenig würdigt... Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz und Jerry Harrison werden eher am Rande erwähnt, und es entsteht bei der Lektüre unwillkürlich das Gefühl, das mindestens 95 % des Schaffens der Talking Heads von David Byrne stammt, was in dieser Form sicherlich nicht stimmt. Der Streit um den kreativen Input war es angeblich auch, welcher das Ende der Talking Heads besiegelt hat, und wenn ich das vorliegende Buch unter diesem Gesichtspunkt lese klingt dies irgendwie einleuchtend. Über seine sehr produktive Zusammenarbeit mit Brain Eno schreibt David Byrne beispielsweise wesentlich mehr als über die Zusammenarbeit mit den übrigen Mitgliedern der Band, die ihn so berühmt gemacht hat. Dieser Kritikpunkt ist allerdings eher sekundär und macht das vorliegende Buch und seine Ausführungen nicht weniger interessant und lesenswert.

Alles in allem: nicht nur für Talking Heads und / oder David Byrne Fans ein hochinteressantes Buch!
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beeswax
5.0 out of 5 stars Not sure what I was expecting
Reviewed in Australia on May 10, 2018
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David Byrne and Talking Heads were influential to my life in ways that verge on embarrassing. They were that essential slice of the punk/new wave scene that said with neither smirk nor rancour, “Give it a shot. What have you got to lose?” The punk as affirmation school, as it were. This book is filled with the inquisitiveness, if not wisdom, of one who has spent his adult life in the public eye yet remains curiously untouched by it all and retains a deep sense of ‘What happens if we try this,” essential to every artistic adventure and adventurer.
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