Post by anniemcu on Jul 25, 2008 0:28:17 GMT 1
My Book got reviewed in Dirty Linen Magazine!
From page 85 of Dirty Linen issue #137, August/September 2008 issue, on newsstands now:
NEMOFOTMAD CHORD BOOK
AN AMAZINGLY ACCESSIBLE ANNOTATED ACCOMPANIMENT ARCHIVE
by Sarah A. McUmber-House
Sassafrass Grove Studio ( 2004/08 )
$24.95
This book is about the size of a (very thick) pack of index cards,
and that's, in part, where it had its beginnings. Bass player Sarah
McUmber-House needed a convenient way to write out and keep
track of chord changes for new songs. She got the idea of putting
them on index cards, and, as a graphic artist, she also had the eye
and the skills to think of a useful and attractive way to design them.
People who saw her using hers wanted them, and so a the idea for
a book was born. It comprises hundreds of tunes, some in several
variations, laid out in measures with chords - letters for chords, that
is, not diagrams or tab - in each measure. Most of the tunes are from
old-time and Celtic traditions, including, for example, "Cooley's Reel,"
"Grey Eagle," "Forked Deer," "Soldier's Joy," and "Smash the Windows."
It's well designed, both attractive and practical, and because it uses
letters for chords, it can apply to many instruments. McUmber-House
includes bits of useful information, such as transposition charts and
ideas on how to tell a reel from a jig from a strathspey, as well as
suggestions for favorite medleys and some blank pages for you to
make your own tune charts. She adds this essential bit of advice, too:
"This book is designed to be a useful tool, but it shouldn't be a crutch.
Learn to listen to the changes." Indeed. This book will help you
figure out what you are hearing. McUmber-House notes that she's
working up more tunes for a second volume.
- Kerry Dexter (Tallahassee, FL)
for Dirty Linen Magazine of Folk and World Music #137 © 2008 Visionation, Ltd. Used by permission.
AN AMAZINGLY ACCESSIBLE ANNOTATED ACCOMPANIMENT ARCHIVE
by Sarah A. McUmber-House
Sassafrass Grove Studio ( 2004/08 )
$24.95
This book is about the size of a (very thick) pack of index cards,
and that's, in part, where it had its beginnings. Bass player Sarah
McUmber-House needed a convenient way to write out and keep
track of chord changes for new songs. She got the idea of putting
them on index cards, and, as a graphic artist, she also had the eye
and the skills to think of a useful and attractive way to design them.
People who saw her using hers wanted them, and so a the idea for
a book was born. It comprises hundreds of tunes, some in several
variations, laid out in measures with chords - letters for chords, that
is, not diagrams or tab - in each measure. Most of the tunes are from
old-time and Celtic traditions, including, for example, "Cooley's Reel,"
"Grey Eagle," "Forked Deer," "Soldier's Joy," and "Smash the Windows."
It's well designed, both attractive and practical, and because it uses
letters for chords, it can apply to many instruments. McUmber-House
includes bits of useful information, such as transposition charts and
ideas on how to tell a reel from a jig from a strathspey, as well as
suggestions for favorite medleys and some blank pages for you to
make your own tune charts. She adds this essential bit of advice, too:
"This book is designed to be a useful tool, but it shouldn't be a crutch.
Learn to listen to the changes." Indeed. This book will help you
figure out what you are hearing. McUmber-House notes that she's
working up more tunes for a second volume.
- Kerry Dexter (Tallahassee, FL)
for Dirty Linen Magazine of Folk and World Music #137 © 2008 Visionation, Ltd. Used by permission.
Dirty Linen - The Magazine of Folk and World Music
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