On the eve of his fortieth birthday, Gary Marcus decided to fulfil a lifelong dream and learn to play the guitar. He had tried many times before failing, miserably. This time, he decided to use the tools of his trade as a cognitive scientist to see if he might succeed. In a quest that takes him from Suzuki lessons to the feet of the guitar gods, Marcus discovers how to practise efficiently; how to find the right teacher, no matter what you re learning; what middle-aged brains do better than teen-aged ones (witnessed through the performance of his first band, Rush Hour); how to manage stage fright; how music changes the brain; and much more. He also brings insight into the question, is the pursuit of a passion reward enough? A groundbreaking exploration of the allure of music, his journey is also an empowering tale of your mind s ability to grow throughout life.
Guitar Zero
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"Gary Marcus, one of the deepest thinkers in cognitive science, has given us an entertaining and enlightening memoir, filled with insight about music, learning, and the human mind." --Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature.
[Guitar Zero] is an easy read and uncovers some interesting facts… If this book had a chorus, it would scream: “There’s still hope!; BBC Focus
"Marcus is one of the smartest psychologists around, a deep thinker and an eloquent writer, and the story he tells is informed by the best science of perception and learning and evolution, talent and effort, genius and frustration and success. If you have ever dreamed of becoming a musician, you simply must read Guitar Zero." --Paul Bloom, author of How Pleasure Works
"Guitar Zero is a refreshing alternation between the nitty-gritty details of learning rock-guitar licks and Mr. Marcus's survey of the relevant scientific literature on learning and the brain. For those who look forward, in "retirement" to honoring the lifelong yearnings they have neglected, Guitar Zero is good news." --Norman Doidge, Wall Street Journal
‘Science and story are woven together with abnormal skill, and fascinating information comes non-stop… With a likeable narrator and beautifully precise writing, this is one of the best science books and best music books you’ll read this year.’ The Word magazine review, August issue
[Guitar Zero] is an easy read and uncovers some interesting facts… If this book had a chorus, it would scream: “There’s still hope!; BBC Focus
"Marcus is one of the smartest psychologists around, a deep thinker and an eloquent writer, and the story he tells is informed by the best science of perception and learning and evolution, talent and effort, genius and frustration and success. If you have ever dreamed of becoming a musician, you simply must read Guitar Zero." --Paul Bloom, author of How Pleasure Works
"Guitar Zero is a refreshing alternation between the nitty-gritty details of learning rock-guitar licks and Mr. Marcus's survey of the relevant scientific literature on learning and the brain. For those who look forward, in "retirement" to honoring the lifelong yearnings they have neglected, Guitar Zero is good news." --Norman Doidge, Wall Street Journal
‘Science and story are woven together with abnormal skill, and fascinating information comes non-stop… With a likeable narrator and beautifully precise writing, this is one of the best science books and best music books you’ll read this year.’ The Word magazine review, August issue
About the Author
Gary Marcus is Professor of Psychology and Director of the New York University Center for Language And Music (CLAM), where he studies evolution, language, and cognitive development. He has written three books about the origins and development of the mind and brain, including The Algebraic Mind, The Birth of the Mind, and Kluge, and is also the editor of The Norton Psychology Reader. His scientific articles have been published in leading journals, such as Science and Nature, and his essays have appeared in Wired, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and many others. He lives in New York City.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Curate's egg of a book about the science of learning to play an instrument
19 May 2012
By Paul Bowes
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
This is an amiable, lucid, intermittently interesting book about current science of learning and cognition as it applies to the task of learning to play a musical instrument - in the author's case, the guitar - from scratch in middle life. Gary Marcus is a well-regarded expert in the field.
The book is at its strongest when Marcus sticks to what he knows best - the science. Marcus explains the various psychological and physical hurdles and mechanisms well, and It's hard to come away without an enhanced understanding of how difficult the task of learning to play music really is. Marcus is also unusually aware of how many unrelated facets there are to practical music-making, many of which have to be mastered simultaneously in the early years, and how many different skills these call on.
Unfortunately, he has relatively little of interest to say about music, the guitar as an instrument, or the process of learning to play as an adult. Marcus talks to a lot of players, but the insights he gleans are the stuff of magazine interviews. Nor is his personal odyssey - from total noob to borderline competent noob, which broadly alternates with the technical chapters - compelling.
The author does perform one very useful service: presenting a sceptical counter-argument to the recently popularised "ten thousand hours" school of thought, which implies that with sufficient practice anybody can become an elite performer. Although he gives every credit to the importance and effect of focussed practice, Marcus's account of how truly elite performers come to be is far more credible than Malcolm Gladwell's more optimistic version in 'Outliers'.
The book's title is a little misleading, and as a result it's hard to see who this book is really aimed at. Anybody who has read anything about the subject will find relatively little here that's new or surprising. Some readers may be expecting a how-to guide: they will be disappointed.
Recommended to anybody seeking a readable, authoritative introduction to the science. Not recommended to anybody seeking a 'how I learned to play the guitar at 40' guide.
The book is at its strongest when Marcus sticks to what he knows best - the science. Marcus explains the various psychological and physical hurdles and mechanisms well, and It's hard to come away without an enhanced understanding of how difficult the task of learning to play music really is. Marcus is also unusually aware of how many unrelated facets there are to practical music-making, many of which have to be mastered simultaneously in the early years, and how many different skills these call on.
Unfortunately, he has relatively little of interest to say about music, the guitar as an instrument, or the process of learning to play as an adult. Marcus talks to a lot of players, but the insights he gleans are the stuff of magazine interviews. Nor is his personal odyssey - from total noob to borderline competent noob, which broadly alternates with the technical chapters - compelling.
The author does perform one very useful service: presenting a sceptical counter-argument to the recently popularised "ten thousand hours" school of thought, which implies that with sufficient practice anybody can become an elite performer. Although he gives every credit to the importance and effect of focussed practice, Marcus's account of how truly elite performers come to be is far more credible than Malcolm Gladwell's more optimistic version in 'Outliers'.
The book's title is a little misleading, and as a result it's hard to see who this book is really aimed at. Anybody who has read anything about the subject will find relatively little here that's new or surprising. Some readers may be expecting a how-to guide: they will be disappointed.
Recommended to anybody seeking a readable, authoritative introduction to the science. Not recommended to anybody seeking a 'how I learned to play the guitar at 40' guide.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By C. Irwin
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this book based on a review that said it was a Dave Gorman style book about the author's quest to learn an instrument, along with some scientific stuff about how the human brain behaves when learning an instrument. As a person who started guitar in his early 40s, likes books by Dave Gorman, and is also interested in authors like Oliver Sacks who write about the brain and its ability to adapt to changing circumstances, I thought Guitar Zero would be a good fit for me.
Unfortunately I'm struggling with it. There seems to be too much explanation of why learning music, and the guitar in particular, is difficult, and not enough about the actual accomplishments of the author. For instance, there is rambling discourse about Western musical annotation or where to find certain tones on a guitar fretboard that are so dry and uninteresting that I don't feel inspired to read on.
I've abandoned the book for a while, in favour of some reading material that flows better. I may well return to it as I'm hoping there could be insights later in the text that could assist with my own learning of the guitar.
Unfortunately I'm struggling with it. There seems to be too much explanation of why learning music, and the guitar in particular, is difficult, and not enough about the actual accomplishments of the author. For instance, there is rambling discourse about Western musical annotation or where to find certain tones on a guitar fretboard that are so dry and uninteresting that I don't feel inspired to read on.
I've abandoned the book for a while, in favour of some reading material that flows better. I may well return to it as I'm hoping there could be insights later in the text that could assist with my own learning of the guitar.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I enjoyed reading this book. It's particularly useful for the older individual who is thinking about starting to play a musical instrument from scratch.
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3.5 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Don't really know why I bought this.
This seemed on the face of it a must have read for the mature guitar novice.I bought the Kindle version and was pleased with the speed of the down load.Well done Amazon. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Terry Swain
3.0 out of 5 stars
Never too late to rock
As someone who did not start to learn guitar until my 60's I read this book with great interest. I was intrigued to find Gary was a mere kid of 38 when he started and yet we seem... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Gi Forks
1.0 out of 5 stars
A great opportunity missed
This is an endearing account of Gary Marcus journey through learning to play guitar at the age of 38 but amounts to little else. Read more
Published 7 months ago by S. Robson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Guitar
I was wondering why progress in music was such a slow process for me. Not being of the scientific frame of mind, I needed the technicalities of music to be explained.
Published 10 months ago by Christopher Barnett
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