Customer Reviews

The Art of Steely Dan: Piano and Other Instruments

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I had higher hopes for this book. From looking at the table of contents it appeared that the author had the best of intentions by trying to examine various aspects of Becker/Fagen music but he stretched himself to thin. The result is that we have very basic assessments of , for example, common chordal Dan practices supported by a few examples. And then we are on to the next topic. I have little objection to the information presented and it does provide some food for thought and does promote a greater interest in looking more intensely at the workd of Steely Dan both as a listener and a musician. But its just a survey as opposed to an in-depth analysis of their work. To be fair, I like the material but there just isn't enough of it. I think that the author should have perhaps left out the material on lyrics and themes and gotten more deeply into the music. If you want an interesting look into Fagen's motivations and chordal selections check out his DVD with Warren Bernhardt called "Concepts For Jazz/Rock Piano". I've mined that DVD any number of times and still get gold from it.

with Warren Bernhardt