Guitar One Presents Open Ears: A Journey Through Life with Guitar in Hand (Book) [Paperback]

Steve Morse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2001

Most people know the part about them doing what they love to do best in front of a throng of adoring fans. The less obvious part of a musician's job description can include dealing with a broken-down band bus, lights falling from the stage, people who don't pay, and other occupational hazards. In this collection of 50 Guitar magazine columns from the mid-'90s on, guitarist Steve Morse (Steve Morse Band, Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple) sets the story straight about what being a working musician really means. He deals out philosophy and practical advice on: playing with the band, songwriting and developing a style, recording and equipment, and much more, through anecdotes of his many fascinating hard-knock lessons learned. inch.Self-teaching, adjusting to fit the situation, and good people skills are the keys to making it happen. Learning these skills, in addition to mastering technique, seems to be the way to go. inch. - Steve Morse

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Cherry Lane Music (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575603640
• ISBN-13: 978-1575603643
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,075,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Open Ears, Indeed., September 24, 2008

By 

Phillip L. Milner "Philbillie" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Guitar One Presents Open Ears: A Journey Through Life with Guitar in Hand (Book) (Paperback)

I have been a huge fan of Morse since High shool when "What If" came out and our bassist sprang it on the rest of the band at a rehearsal break. That was about thirty years ago and Morse has been a major influence and inspiration to me ever since.
Not only as a guitarist, but as an overall renaissance man who exemplifies professionalism and impeccability in all endeavors whether in music, engineering, flying or even motocross racing(!)This book is like a guidebook on how to be a pro at whatever you do: No shortcuts,
no excuses, no whining. Just get the job done and done well.

But for me the most astounding parts are the chapters on creativity and how to compose. That is, he takes one of the most mysterious and hard to explain processes and details real concrete advice on how to get the music inside you out and down onto paper or tape or whatever and make it a reality. This was a major light bulb moment for me and shows Morse's towering musicianship and utter command of the creative process.

Just buy the book. You will read it in one night and come back to it like a reference. Don't cheap out and get a used one, either.
For twelve lousy bucks you are supporting a real, honest-to-god working musician who has always given it 100% from the start.

Peace,
Philbillie
www.philbillie.com

5.0 out of 5 stars Open Ears Book, January 12, 2012

By 

Peter C - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Guitar One Presents Open Ears: A Journey Through Life with Guitar in Hand (Book) (Paperback)

Great book penned by the great Steve Morse, very holistic ideas presented therein about guitar playing, life and the music biz in general. Thanks for the quick delivery too. Cheers, Peter :)

3.0 out of 5 stars Appreciated, but may not meet your expectations, January 21, 2010

By 

D. Granja - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Guitar One Presents Open Ears: A Journey Through Life with Guitar in Hand (Book) (Paperback)

I suspect most people picking up this book will be musicians hungry for some juicy Steve Morse technical or musical tidbits. That is not what this book is about, and in fact there is little mention about technique, gear, or melody/harmony/rhythm.

The bulk of this book is 2-3 page rewrites of columns he wrote for GuitarOne magazine. There are definitely no musical transcriptions. The articles themselves read more like a conversation you might hear on a bus between Steve and a budding 17 year old musician, or maybe something you might read if he were to write a blog. A lot of advise about staying motivated, keeping your center, and treating the people around you right. There are a couple of fun stories about life on tour with Deep Purple, and some very lightweight discussion of techiques. Details are more along the line of helping when someone else is soloing by muting your strings or turning down the volume. His message is more about how you show respect to others through your playing.

The book starts off slow and gets more engaging in the latter half, probably as the author settled into a pace about what to write about in his column. I read it in a room in my house were it was comfortable and convenient to read 2 page articles in out sitting, and that was a good strategy because I initially needed something to keep me coming back and reading just one more article until it engaged my attention.

Steve Morse has a reputation for being a great person. It comes out in numerous shows and guitar clinics I've seen him at, and it definitely comes out in this book. Although it wasn't what I was looking for, I did read the book all the way through and I think it did make me that much better of a person for having read it. As long as you relax your expectations, I think it would do so for you to.