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Understanding the Formula of Music

DVD

Dan Huckabee (Actor, Director) Rated:

7 customer reviews

DVD
from $19.98

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(Jan 13, 2003)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Learn how music really works! Can you hear music? If your answer is no...you can learn! "Whenever I hear a new song on the radio, I already know how to play it the moment I hear it!" It's as easy as watching TV! Music is as simple as first grade math, but a lot more fun! Sounds magicbut the truth is, all good musicians can do that! And so can you, after we've shown you what to listen for. Watching this video will make you musically enlightened! Most of us start by taking a few lessons on an instrument, or by trying to figure out how to play on our own. You will gain an ear for harmony & melody, plus knowledge of the mechanics, as well as the language of musical terms. Everything is laid out in the most logical order, with the easiest examples to practice on. The best thing about it is that it's so much fun, you'll forget you're studying! Be that guy who everyone thinks is a natural-born talent! Now you can learn on your own without being at the mercy of teachers & books. You'll have music in you coming out your ears! Learn ear training, the Nashville Numbering System, Perfect Pitch, history of the formula, voicing, how to figure out the chords to any song, how to recognize intervals, tempered scale, circles of 4ths & 5ths, and much more! It will give you the understanding that the pros have! It's really just 4 years of college music theory condensed down into 2-hours of just watching TV. Find out why those great musicians are so talented and join 'em yourself! It's not such a mystery if you know what you're doing. Split screen close ups & video graphics put it right in your lap! No matter what instrument you are learning, this video Will HELP!!!

Review

"Formula of Music" is the best video that I have seen. The two hours flew by!" -- Rick Stone, Arvada, CO

"I have learned more in four hours...(watched it twice), than I have in 40 years." -- M. Stewart Freehold, NJ

"It answered questions Ive been trying to have someone answer for years. It was $40 well spent." -- Bill Weigle, La Feria, TX

If youre looking for a quick method to make the most progress on your instrument, watch the Formula of Music -- American Harmonica August 1998 by Phil Lloyd

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Product details

Actors: Dan Huckabee
Directors: Dan Huckabee
Format: Color, Full Screen, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Number of discs: 1
Rated:
NR
Not Rated
Studio: Musicians Workshop
DVD Release Date: January 13, 2003
Run Time: 120 minutes
Average Customer Review: 7 customer reviews
ASIN: B000088UNG
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,054 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #1801 in Movies & TV > DVD > Special Interests

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Jay

Clear, simple and to the point!

February 8, 2008

Format: DVDVerified Purchase

Pay no attention to the review with the narration commments, I almost didn't buy this DVD becuause of it.

I'm really glad I did. The delivery is fine *and,* this is as user friendly and clear as you are likely to get .

It starts with a simple, step-by-step approach with enough review that you start to get it after a few minutes.

It's shot in split screen so you see keyboard and guitar examples as he's playing them.

Just have your keyboard or guitar there with you as you watch and hit pause when you want to practice a bit.

The basics are presented in keys and numbers so you see the relationship between chords, notes and keys easily.

This is a very thorough DVD. Moving from the basics to pitch, harmonies 4ths and 5ths...and it will definitely spice up your playing and create new ideas for songs.

I am not a professional musician, but this was a huge help for me in understanding how to become a better songwriter, and what to look for when trying to learn new songs.

Also, I got a keyboard for Christmas but didn't know how to play it. Though this is not a "how to play piano" dvd, I am learning enough to hack my way through a song.

The only critism I could give is that the song examples are not exactly current material. I assume this is to avoid copyright and royalty issues.

Regardless, the melodies are clear enough and the instruction is straight forward and to the point enough that you will understand music theory and if you play any instrument it will help your playing tremendously.

Comment 16 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

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Mack_T_Knife

Highly Informative. Learn the structure of music...

January 27, 2005

Format: DVDVerified Purchase

From the Musician's Workshop

This instructional program first came out in 1998 on video, and has been reissued now on DVD. Dan Huckabee has gone to great lengths to demystify how music works. And if you're willing to listen to him, he will succeed in presenting this for you.

One of the more unusual aspects of this product is that there is no book. With no book to supplement the information. Huckabee challenged himself successfully with the task of presenting this information in a way that could be understood as you hear it. He suggests a series of exercises to put these musical concepts to work immediately. And when you apply what he says it can and will make sense. He effectively emphasizes using your ears. His insightful method blends a traditional theoretical approach to understanding music, with the grassroots aural tradition that is common among folk, blues, rock players.

This is a very extensive work, over two hours long covering elementary music fundamentals--scales, chords, harmony. And it expands into more advanced matters of ear training, inversions, intermediate chords, and arranging. In the DVD format, it immediately becomes not only user friendly, but fun to visit and revisit.

Huckabee himself has an extraordinary background--a music degree from the University of North Texas; 1976 National Dobro Champion: toured with the Allman Brothers: and has authored 250 instructional music products. Here's a lifetime of diversified and powerful musical experiences, distilled and clearly presented in two hours.--MM

Comment 42 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

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DocTodd

A great start in theory

September 26, 2013

Format: DVDVerified Purchase

Best DVD out there to give beginners a start on theory, so maybe it deserves 5 stars for being the best, but my kids found it a little boring. Mostly because it's fairly low tech and moves a little slowly for kids that have played instruments for 5+ years each. That said, most kids learn to play music, but don't learn theory for years, so for interested adults or teens that can play, but don't know theory, I'd recommend this.

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Amazonian

The only info on theory that starts from square one

November 22, 2011

Format: DVDVerified Purchase

If your concerned about delivery don't get it. If it's about information try it.
It did more for me in regards to understanding the structure and "why" of music than the stack of books I previously purchased. It helped me to understand where chords come from. The majors and minors and their progressions.
I'm a beginner.

Comment 6 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

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Terrence M. Davis

Excellent Teacher !

November 22, 2008

Format: DVDVerified Purchase

This is absolutely great. I'm 56 and this is putting a lot of things together for me. Absolutely clear and simple. Things are starting to make sense.

Comment 5 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

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WhattheDickens!

Narrator kills, absolutely kills this

May 10, 2007

Format: DVDVerified Purchase

A good narrator is essential for tutorial videos like this. Unfortunately, this narrator 'teaches' this course with the passion of a 95-year-old pensioner on double dose sleeping pills. Really, I've never seen such a wooden delivery, with monotone voice throughout, strained smiles as he gets to the point in his detailed script where, presumably, it tells him to smile. And, worst of all, how irritating is it to have a narrator looking at you, but in fact looking a few inches below screen level reading (and I do mean reading - you can follow his reading almost with finger on the page) a script. Did he have to read word by word? Couldn't he have improvised and been a bit more spontaneous?

I honestly can't say much about the content, because I was sooooo put off by this dreadful, dreadful narrator.

Comment 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

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strings2go

Huckabee on the art of music

December 20, 2005

Format: DVD

I've been playing guitar and banjo for just about a year now. I own more than a half dozen instructional videos. Besides this Huckabee dvd, I have others by Kaufman, Grossman, Sokolow, Keith, and Star. Although I have found them all to be helpful, I would have to say that the most valuable of the lot is "The Formula of Music."

This set of lessons is very well thought out and executed. Huckabee emphasizes the fundamentals of music theory rather than providing tabs of particular songs. He shows how listening and discerning the orderly structure of music is critical to the development of a good musical understanding. Because his approach is truly foundational, it adds leverage to all one's other efforts to learn an instrument. By teaching the art of music rather than simply presenting particular songs, Huckabee fosters independence in his students.

Comment 24 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

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