Music Therapy Clinician: Supporting reflective clinical practice Volume 1 | Page 40
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Guitar Music For The Mid-Life Crisis
(Music: Why We Listen, Why We Play)
John Foley, MT-BC
Unlikely as it sounds, ‘Guitar Music for the Mid-Life Crisis
(Music: Why We Listen, Why we Play)' was probably the
shortest title that would do justice to the book.
Much of the focus is on “Music: why we listen, why we play” but
the book got its start when I found myself in a predicament: I
wasn’t that interested in music anymore. After years of seeing
music as pastime, job, career and, maybe, obsession, I found
himself playing only when I had to and not listening with any
real interest.
I started with this premise: when we try to fix something, it helps
to know how it worked when it was functioning
properly. Looking into the science and history of music and its
effect on humans I was surprised to find how deeply entwined
music was in our lives. Even when we’re not singing, the pitch
and rhythm of everyday speech can change the meaning of our
words. The difference between “Let’s eat, Rover” and “Let’s eat Rover” is not just a matter of
punctuation. Music saved that dog’s life.
I've traveled and recorded with Rock bands and accompanied folksinger Oscar Brand, sharing
stages with Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Odetta, Richie Havens and the famous “many
others”. Some of those experiences found their way into the book.
Lots of people have enjoyed books like ‘Zen in the Art of Archery’, ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance’ and ‘Fly-Fishin Through the Mid-Life Crisis’ without being specifically interested in
those subjects. Those books looked at life through a certain lens and a lot of people were
interested in the search. Just about everyone relates to music on some level.
The book is written for casual listeners, serious fans and musicians alike. There’s some
interesting information about the guitar but there’s plenty of time spent on other instruments plus
songs, singing and music in general. And as far as “mid-life”, I took that to mean not the "midpoint" but "somewhere in the middle", which is where a lot of us are.
In the meantime, if you read the book and can think of a shorter title, please let me know.
Contact: [email protected]
Published by Outskirts Press, Inc.
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