If you’re a musician looking for your next read or if you want to give a book to someone who loves music, this post is for you.
As a keyboardist and guitar player myself, I love reading books either about or for musicians. This includes music books that teach skills for playing instruments, as well as books that include inspirational stories of how music helped someone through a difficult time.
Best Books for the Musician in Your Life
In this post, we’ve compiled a combination of books about musicians, as well as books for improving your musical know-how.
1. The Beatles Sheet Music Collection by The Beatles
What better way is there to become a better songwriter than learning from the best? And few would disagree that The Beatles were hands-down the best songwriters of the last century.
This book of their songs includes arrangements for piano, voice, and guitar, so if you focus on any of these, you stand to learn something from this gem of a collection!
2. Somebody to Love by Matt Richards and Mark Langthorne
Queen’s lead singer Freddie Mercury was an icon, and when he died at age 45, the world was shocked to learn that he had been battling AIDS.
This book skillfully weaves the tale of Freddie’s rise to musical greatness amid his relentless search for love, as well as his tragic death.
3. All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release by Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon
If you’re a songwriter, you’ll be inspired by this collection that tells the story behind each song that The Beatles released! The authors are music historians who meticulously dissect, discuss, and analyze every song from every album the music legends ever produced.
4. Chronicles by Bob Dylan
This memoir, written by musical legend Bob Dylan himself, is a priceless book to add to any music-lover’s collection.
In this Nobel Prize-winning book, he explores critical turning points in his career and personal life, sharing his perspective of every step of his journey to the top.
5. Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick
If you want to read the story of the King of Rock and Roll, this book is for you. Written by a die-hard Elvis fan himself, Peter Guralnick tells the story of his idol, beginning in Elvis’s childhood years and leading right up to his success in the music industry.
6. Johann Sebastian Bach by Rick Marschall
If classical music is your forte, you will love this biography of Johann Sebastian Bach, who believed that music was “ordered by God’s Spirit.”
Discover why this beloved classical composer has been dubbed “The Fifth Evangelist,” and get a behind-the-scenes look into how he created his masterpieces alongside his relationship with God.
7. How Music Works by David Byrne
In this book, David Byrne looks into the musical art form, tracing its beginnings to the influences that affect it, including social, economic, and technological factors at play.
He uses his own career and collaborations to look at how music affects the human experience, and studies how humans create, distribute, and enjoy the music that forms a crucial part of our lives.
8. Beyond Talent by Angela Myles Beeching
If you want to build a career in music, this book is a must-read classic. Angela Myles Beeching, as a veteran career coach, will give you helpful insight into the main issues in mindset that keep musicians from realizing their career dreams.
9. The Art of Practicing by Madeline Bruser and Deline Bruser
Every musician knows the drudgery of slogging through practice sessions to get to where they want to be, and this book helps convert the monotonous and sometimes frustrating experience into something more rewarding and exhilarating.
The author’s own experience as a pianist helps in giving practical techniques for developing natural movement.
10. Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison
A must-have for songwriters, this book includes practical tools, beginning with idea generation, to utilizing function and form, all the way to fine-tuning your lyrics. This makes it a treasure for both experienced and new songwriters.
Learning More in Music
Music requires skill and practice, and reading books can help inspire you to improve. If you want to grow more as a person and as a musician, we really recommend adding books to your weekly schedule.
Or if you would rather take a break from reading, jump straight in to learning how to write a song or how to write lyrics!
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
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Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
