Must reads as a music student
Must reads as a music student
A large part of studying at university is reading, both core texts and other types of books. Reading is a great way to help you develop your grammatical ability, vocabulary and academic understanding. So, let's take a look as some of the best books I have read throughout my university days so far, and some books that are on my reading list too!
Quick note before we begin. I am dyslexic, so if you were at all concerned about that being a problem when it comes to reading or studying at university in general, don't worry, there is support around every corner and the staff, teaching team and even your peers are more than happy to help you in whatever way you’ll need at BNU.
Autobiographies
By far one of the most interesting books I have read recently is 'Slash', Slash's autobiography. For those of you who do not know who Slash is (how could you not?), he is the lead guitarist in the rock and roll band Guns N Roses. This book is one of the few books that has gripped me from page one. I rarely find a book that I don't want to put down, but this was sure one of them. From crazy stories about recording albums, to stories about drug and alcohol addictions, this book really has every extreme in it.
Moving onto a different autobiography, is 'Rocks', by Joe Perry. Joe Perry is the guitarist from possibly one of the best bands ever (in my humble opinion) Aerosmith! This is a different style of autobiography, much less intense. He shares how he grew up in a strictly Christian home, and how at a young age he turned from faith to one of the craziest rock stars to have ever lived. Both autobiographies are great, easy reads.
Academic Books
Now onto the academic book. What you read will vary on where your interests within the music industry lie, so here are the books I have enjoyed or are getting ready to read. My favourite academic read, was a book called 'Acoustics and Psychoacoustics' written by David Howard. This goes through everything you need to know about the fascinating (again, in my humble opinion), world of acoustics (the behaviour of sound waves), and psychoacoustics (how the brain and ear interpret sound).
The next book on the list of academic books to read is 'Modern Recording Techniques' by David Miles Huber. This is a great book if your interest is based around record, mixing or mastering. In this book, it explains famous recording techniques and how to adapt them to your situation. This is definitely on the must-read list for anyone looking to go into music production.
The final academic book on my must-read list is 'Audio Production and critical listening' by Jason Corey. This book is great at looking into what to listen out for when analysing music and productions.
I hope you found this blog helpful and not too daunting. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me or any of the Student Ambassadors via Unibuddy.