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Book The Musical Instruments of Prog Rock

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Gerinski View Drop Down
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    Posted: January 30 2020 at 03:13
Dear all,

I just want to share with you that my book "The Musical Instruments of Progressive Rock: An Illustrated Guide, from the 1960s to the present" is already available on Amazon.com.

With 288 pages and more than 500 pictures and illustrations I believe that it will be an interesting read not only for prog lovers but for anybody interested in the musical instruments of rock music. The publishing company was very pleased with the book and its Spanish version has been rated with 5 stars on Amazon.es.

I have avoided writing an "Encyclopaedia of rock musical instruments", opting instead for a prose writing in which I use the musical instruments as a guiding thread through which I can share with the reader interesting aspects, curiosities or anecdotes about the instruments themselves, the prog artists and the music they created.

Since I'm not a native English speaker the book was corrected and proof-read by a native English in order to ensure a quality book.

If any PA member will buy it and read it I would greatly appreciate feedback, and kindly post a review and rating on Amazon.

If you have any questions about the book don't hesitate to ask me.

Cheers!

Gerard










Edited by Gerinski - January 30 2020 at 08:42
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Davesax1965 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Davesax1965 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2020 at 06:48
Excellent, well done !! And I never realised that you weren't a native English speaker !!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2020 at 14:05
The book in its English version has just received the first two reviews and ratings (on Amazon.es, I guess they must be Spanish or South-American readers who for some reason preferred the English version to the Spanish one, or perhaps people who simply found it first on Amazon.es than on Amazon.com).

Both 5-stars !!

"Awesome Book. With many details, graphics, history and use of the most varied instruments, focused on progressive rock lovers, but very useful for everyone who enjoys the music.
A good gift, very interesting for both professionals and amateurs."

"A must have for any Rock music lover.
Amazing, technical while didactic.
Indeed a great research work."


In the meantime the Spanish version has also received two more 5-stars reviews and ratings.

Thank You to the readers for their kind support.






Edited by Gerinski - February 21 2020 at 14:15
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 21 2020 at 14:22
Originally posted by Davesax1965 Davesax1965 wrote:

Excellent, well done !! And I never realised that you weren't a native English speaker !!
Thanks ! I wrote the book in English myself, but I asked a native to proof-read it and correct it, my English is not too bad but it's never the same, I wanted a really quality product.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cstack3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 26 2020 at 13:07
Congratulations, it looks very interesting!  As a prog musician myself, this is near & dear to my heart!  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 05 2020 at 07:55
One more 5-star review & rating, this one on Amazon.de (Germany) for the English version of the book.

It's already 6 out of 6 taking together the English and the Spanish versions of the book!


"Incredible piece of work!!!
Breathtaking comprehensive and with love to the details!
It is full of details and informations but still easy to read and enjoy, with lots of anecdotes, pictures and illustrations.
Not only for the musicians but for all of you who love (progressive) Rock music.
Listening to good music while enjoying the illustrations and pictures in this great piece of work is good entertainment!
Unrestricted buying advice;-) "


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 14 2020 at 14:18
Just to share this info: For those of you who can order to the Spanish site of Amazon, Amazon.es, they are making a big discount offer for the book, in both the English and the Spanish versions.

Instead of the standard retail price of 30.00 € they are now listed at

English version: 15.97 €
Spanish version: 16.40 €

I don't know the reason, I guess they want to get rid of the stock they may have. 



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 19 2020 at 14:33
A new review of the book "The Musical Instruments of Progressive Rock" in metalsymphony.com.
The following is a slightly condensed translation of the original review in Spanish (in link below):

“The Musical Instruments of Progressive Rock ” is an absolutely amazing book that has surprised me greatly. Mainly for its originality, I have never seen a music book where the protagonists are the instruments and the musicians are secondary actors. A book of 286 pages illustrated with more than 500 pictures. The author of this work is Gerard Bassols, an amateur multi-instrumentalist and progressive rock lover.

Musical instruments have changed dramatically from the 1960s to the present day. But on that road, the trip has been magical and that is what this fantastic book tells us, reviewing in an entertaining way the most relevant instruments on that journey, telling us how the most emblematic ones work and leaving us anecdotes of the experiences of the musicians with them.

The structure of the book is divided into groups of instruments. Starting with keyboards, then guitars and basses, drums and percussions, to finish with other instruments and sound effects. Almost half of the book is dedicated to keyboards, which is more than logical since it is the type of instrument that has presented the most evolution and variety over the last 60 years. From the Chamberlin to the current Nord keyboards it goes through the emblematic Mellotrons, Moogs, Hammond, ARP, Farfisa, Fairlight, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha DX, keytars, sequencers and many more; during the course of the pages we will review the evolution from monophony to polyphony, the discovery of MIDI… in a time journey where you can discover curious artifacts and where comments and photos related to the musicians are interspersed, with people like Tony Banks, Rick Wright, Jon Lord, Jordan Rudess, Geoff Downes, Pete Bardens, Edgar Froese, Jean Michel Jarre, or like Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson who acquire greater prominence, since they contributed in a decisive way in the development of this type of instruments.

In the guitars section, obviously the Fender and the Gibson are the best known, with special attention to the Stratocaster, the Telecaster and the Gibson LP, ES and SG. But there's also room for Ibanez, Rickenbackers, acoustic guitars, 7-string guitars, controller guitars, devices like the E-bow, Lap Steel guitars, and many more. As for the basses, the Fender obviously, the Rickenbacker, fretless basses, basses with 5 or more strings, as well as the Moog bass pedals or the headless basses and guitars so fashionable in the 80s. There’s also an entry for guitars and basses of multiple necks. In this section we find details about Brian May, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Hackett, Robert Fripp, David Gilmour, Steve Howe, Alex Lifeson, Frank Zappa, Pat Metheny, John Petrucci, Steve Vai, Greg Lake, Roger Hodgson, Mike Oldfield, Chris Squire, Geddy Lee, Tosin Abasi, John Myung, Phil Manzanera, Jaco Pastorius, Guthrie Govan, Billy Sheehan, John Paul Jones, Mike Rutherford , Tony Levin, Steven Wilson, Alan Holdsworth, among many others.

As for the drums, he dedicates less space to them, initially defining its components and some more detail to some special percussions, such as rototoms, octobans, electronic drums very fashionable in the 80s, Paiste coloured cymbals and other curious drums and percussions. Alan White, John Bonham, Neil Peart, Mike Portnoy, Keith Moon, Stewart Copeland, Terry Bozzio, Mike Mangini, Phil Collins or Carl Palmer to whose drums he dedicates a special section, are some of the names that appear in this area of ​​the book.

Finally, a section on other instruments and sound effects makes us visit the harp, the violin, the flute (of course, with a photo of Ian Anderson in his iconic position), the saxophone where Mel Collins cannot be missing, the harmonica which already reminds us of Supertramp's “School”, the bagpipes, the talk box and the vocoder. The sound effects come from the hand of the pedals and pedalboards, in an overview since it is a very personalized subject for each musician. The book concludes with the Frippertronics developed by Robert Fripp and Brian Eno.

The book focuses on progressive rock, bands like Yes, EL&P, Genesis, Rush, Dream Theater, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Marillion, Camel, Big Big Train, etc ... are the protagonists, but we will find a multitude of references to bands that, although they have done some progressive music, they are not pigeonholed within the style itself. We talk about bands like Queen, Roxy Music, Deep Purple, The Police, Uriah Heep, Elton John, Tangerine Dream, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Pat Metheny, Jean Michel Jarre, Steve Vai, etc ... therefore, as I said before, this book will satisfy even lovers of pop, rock, jazz, etc ... I have really enjoyed reading this book while listening to the songs that were mentioned, paying attention to the instruments used in them.

"The Musical Instruments of Progressive Rock" is a must book for every lover of this musical genre and highly recommended also for any music lover. Although talking about instruments may seem something excessively technical and boring, the author explains each one of them clearly and simply, in such a way that it satisfies both the musician and the non-musician. In some more complex instruments, he goes in an easy way to explain technically how they work, highlighting these parts in a box in case someone does not want to go into such details. Every fan of music in the last 60 years and every musician should have this magnificent book. If you love music, you like instruments or want to give a gift to a musician or music lover friend, this book is a guarantee of success.

Highly recommended.”


https://www.amazon.com/Musical-Instruments-Progressive-Rock/dp/8413385997

http://www.metalsymphony.com/los-instrumentos-musicales-del-rock-progresivo-gerard-bassols-circulo-rojo/


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 04 2020 at 13:27
If your browser translates from Spanish to your own language (it should), here's the interview published in Metalsymphony.com about the book 



Edited by Gerinski - November 04 2020 at 23:22
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 28 2020 at 08:23
A new reader's review on Amazon, with yet another 5-stars rating Smile

"Compulsory purchase for everyone who likes progressive rock

If you have ever been interested in progressive rock or you have liked the music of Genesis, Pink Floyd, EL&P, Yes, etc, and if you have ever been intrigued or surprised by the image of those wonderful keyboard players in the middle of their huge rigs of keyboards playing incredible sounds, you should read this book.
Very entertaining, deeply documented, easy to read and extremely instructive, for me this book has filled a hole all my life I've been waiting for.
Furthermore, if you simply like rock instruments in general (guitars, basses or drums) you will find very curious information that will appeal to you the same.
One of a kind book that adds a high quality paper, presentation and wonderful photos.
Looking forward a second part of this excelent work."

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote triptych Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 14 2020 at 01:25
Only saw this book now....judging by the cover alone (I know you should never judge a book by its coverEmbarrassed) it seems to be a very cool book to read for any rocker. Ty.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 14 2020 at 04:10
Well, as for the cover picture, I know it is rather non-descript of the prog genre, I initially wanted to have Emerson's Moog or a collage of several quintessential prog rock instruments, or a pic of Wakeman surrounded by his keyboards in the 70s or something like that.

But the publishing company had some objections, it had to be a very high-res picture in portrait orientation, of the right proportions, and for which nobody might claim copyright. This constrained severely the choice, as most free available pics from the 70s lacked the sufficient resolution. Additionally, although the book is very much focused on prog rock, the publishing company wanted to expand the potential customer base to any rock music enthusiasts, and preferred to give it a rather more generical look than a very explicit prog rock scope.

Actually this is the first draft cover I made for the Spanish edition, it was much more explicitly prog, but according to the publishing company it looked very amateur-ish:


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sean Trane Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 20 2020 at 02:10
Originally posted by triptych triptych wrote:

Only saw this book now....judging by the cover alone (I know you should never judge a book by its coverEmbarrassed) it seems to be a very cool book to read for any rocker. Ty.


yeah, I didn't notice this thread until now.

I'll look into it ASAP.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cstack3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 20 2020 at 02:24
Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

Well, as for the cover picture, I know it is rather non-descript of the prog genre, I initially wanted to have Emerson's Moog or a collage of several quintessential prog rock instruments, or a pic of Wakeman surrounded by his keyboards in the 70s or something like that.

But the publishing company had some objections, it had to be a very high-res picture in portrait orientation, of the right proportions, and for which nobody might claim copyright. This constrained severely the choice, as most free available pics from the 70s lacked the sufficient resolution. Additionally, although the book is very much focused on prog rock, the publishing company wanted to expand the potential customer base to any rock music enthusiasts, and preferred to give it a rather more generical look than a very explicit prog rock scope.

Actually this is the first draft cover I made for the Spanish edition, it was much more explicitly prog, but according to the publishing company it looked very amateur-ish:



I quite like this one!  Thank you for incorporating the excellent photo of Steve Howe taken by my good friend, Curt Krill, at the Yes concert in Cicero, Illinois - August 15, 1976 ("Solo Albums" tour). 


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 20 2020 at 03:12
Yes that picture of Howe playing a Les Paul Junior is super cool.

Incidentally the Spanish version of the book (which so far is selling better than the English one) has received another 5-stars rating on Amazon, and it's already 10 out of 10!
Pity that the reader didn't leave any comment, only the stars rating.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 20 2020 at 05:26
Special price offer!

For those interested in the English version of the book and who can order to the Spanish portal of Amazon, Amazon.es, the book is now in special offer price 24.42 € instead of the official retail price of 30.00 €.

I have no idea why or for how long will this offer last, I guess they may be willing to get rid of some stock.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote triptych Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 20 2020 at 05:26
Great book chock block full of photos.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 20 2020 at 05:51
Originally posted by triptych triptych wrote:

Great book chock block full of photos.
Do you have it? Smile
Did you enjoy it?


Edited by Gerinski - December 20 2020 at 05:56
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mind_Drive Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 20 2020 at 22:54
cool! it directly went on my wishlist. 
the next time i need a present for a prog loving friend, i might get this :)
It's just a ride... <3
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote triptych Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2020 at 04:30
Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

Originally posted by triptych triptych wrote:

Great book chock block full of photos.
Do you have it? Smile
Did you enjoy it?

No I haven't got a copy myself yet.....I only flipped thru the pages of a copy from one of my colleague's bookshelves which i casually perusing about 2 weeks ago :). I'm planning to get a copy for Xmas or just after the Xmas break....a.s.a.p. Smile
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