The Music Lesson

Victor WootenBeijing United Publishing Co., Ltd.2019

Rating 4.2
Chapters
15
ISBN
9787550231511

Tags

Literature Foreign Literature Life PhilosophyInspirationPhilosophical ReflectionInner GrowthGrowing UpForeign FictionComing of AgeFull-Length Novel

Summary

The Music Lesson is an autobiographical novel by the American bassist and five-time Grammy winner Victor Wooten. The protagonist is a young bassist who lives for music; he practices at home day after day but never breaks through his technical and spiritual plateau, and both his career and his life sink into a trough. Just then a stranger named Michael appears in his home: eccentric in manner yet radiating an unusual charisma, he is both a genius musician and something like a philosopher who understands life. Michael arranges twelve unusual lessons for the young man, each built around a basic element of music—groove, notes, duration, technique, emotion, dynamics, rhythm, tone, articulation, space and rests, listening, and finally "dream." There is no dry drilling of music theory; instead the young man is taken into repeated adventures in mountains and forests and by lakesides: following animal tracks, listening to mysterious frog calls, sensing the relationship between sound and silence. The teacher talks about life through music, turning abstract theory into wisdom that can be experienced. The book is written in the movement structure of "ornament—overture—measures one through eleven—final measure—coda," its prose light and rich in philosophical reflection, at once a coming-of-age novel and a life lesson in listening and concentration. It repeatedly stresses: music comes from within, and the instrument is only a channel; true breakthroughs come not from more practice but from a new understanding of rhythm, space, and listening. For musicians, creators, and ordinary readers struggling at a plateau, the book offers a gentle but powerful reminder.

Editor's review

这不是一本讲乐理的技术书，而是一位世界级乐手把自己二十多年的演奏体悟写成的小说。维克多·伍顿五次捧起格莱美奖杯，三次被《贝斯手》杂志评为“年度贝斯手”，并入选《滚石》杂志“十大贝斯手”，他完全有资格写一本练习秘籍；但他选择了更难得的方式——用一个年轻人遇见神秘导师的故事，把“律动”“停顿”“倾听”这些词还原成可以亲身经历的体验。 本书最动人的地方在于它不说教。十二堂课里，老师几乎没有“教”什么，只是带着学生去看、去听、去感受：在山林里追踪动物的脚步理解节奏，在湖边听蛙声理解音调，在休止符中理解空间。读到后面你会发现，那些原本用来讲音乐的词，说的其实是生活——什么时候该用力，什么时候该停下来，什么时候只需安静地听。 装帧上采用精装小开本，随手翻阅一两节也很合适。它适合放在床头、琴房或通勤包里，在你觉得“练不下去了”“写不出来了”的时候，翻开任意一页。出版以来在中文读者中积累了良好口碑，被许多音乐人和创作者当作常读常新的小书。

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Reading tips

  1. 按目录顺序读完十二堂课，再回头重读最触动自己的那一节。
  2. 读到“律动”“倾听”等章节时，不妨放下书，实际听一段音乐或静坐几分钟。
  3. 把书中的音乐概念替换成自己的工作与生活场景，做一点笔记。
  4. 可以配合作者的贝斯演奏作品一起听，感受文字与声音的呼应。

About the publisher

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. China · Founded in 1993

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. is a publisher known for its literature and history titles, with 2,065 books in the collection. Its publishing covers foreign literature, contemporary Chinese prose and essays, history, folk literature, and cultural books. Its list ranges from Sima Qian's complete edition of the Records of the Grand Historian to foreign classics such as The Book of Disquiet, All Quiet on the Western Front, Snow Country, The Stranger, and Jean-Christophe, as well as modern Chinese works including Teahouse and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk. Its authors and translators include Yasunari Kawabata, Fernando Pessoa, Erich Maria Remarque, Jin Xinyi, Zhou Miao, and Chen Chao. Public information is limited, but its catalogue reflects a balance between Chinese and foreign literary classics and historical and cultural works.

Contents

  1. Grace Note
  2. Overture: Opening
  3. Measure One: Rhythm
  4. Measure Two: Notes
  5. Measure Three: Note Duration
  6. Measure Four: Technique
  7. Measure Five: Emotion
  8. Measure Six: Dynamics
  9. Measure Seven: Tempo
  10. Measure Eight: Pitch
  11. Measure Nine: Articulation
  12. Measure Ten: Space and Rests
  13. Measure Eleven: Listening
  14. Final Measure: Dreamscape
  15. Coda: Back to the Beginning

FAQ

这本书是乐理教材吗？ 不是。它是长篇小说，以十二堂课的叙事谈音乐感悟与人生哲理，几乎不涉及系统的乐理符号和练习方法，适合当作心灵读物而非教科书。
需要懂音乐才能读懂吗？ 不需要。作者用故事和比喻讲音乐，律动、休止、倾听等概念都能在日常经验中找到对应，零基础读者同样能读得进去。
作者维克多·伍顿是谁？ 美国贝斯手，生于1964年，多次获格莱美奖，曾三次获《贝斯手》杂志“年度贝斯手”称号，并入选《滚石》杂志“十大贝斯手”榜单。
中文版有几个版本？ 简体中文版最早由吉林出版集团于2010年推出，译者为范中洁、孙睿婕；此后北京联合出版公司等推出再版，ISBN为9787550231511。
书里的故事是作者亲身经历吗？ 书中带有明显的自传色彩，主人公年轻贝斯手的经历与作者本人高度相似，但神秘导师与奇遇情节属于文学虚构。

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About the author

Victor Wooten Author

Victor Wooten is a writer whose work centers on music and reflections on life, and his representative book is The Music Lesson. Public information about him is limited: his dates of birth and death, nationality, and educational background are unknown. Judging from The Music Lesson, his writing uses music as a vehicle for exploring learning, personal growth, and self-expression, drawing lessons from performance that can be carried over into everyday life. His style is plain and conversational, without piling up technical terms, so the book appeals both to music lovers and to general readers. In the Chinese book market he is categorized under literature and foreign literature, suggesting that his work is received as narrative and reflective writing rather than as a purely professional music manual. He has published only a small number of works, and his influence lies mainly in this approach of using music as a metaphor for life.