I am not a Deadhead, nor am I a drummer, but I have really admired this book, and Mickey Hart big time. He really went off the deep end of his knowledge of percussion, both conventional, and exotic. I had not had this book with me since 1995, so my mind is a bit foggy, but if I remember right, the book is also a trip down Memory Lane, speaking of the hippie days of the Haight-Ashbury, The Grateful Dead and the whole scene in general. One of my favorites was of a drum he got in Tibet made from human skulls. He was wondering why he felt like he was being cursed, and he was told that he was using the drums wrong and it was used to wake the dead. He decided to return the drums and get a similar one not made of skulls. Drumming at the Edge of Magic was also a tie-in to what was then Mickey Hart's latest CD called At the Edge. This book really makes me wished I was there with the hippies and the Deadheads, even if I, myself don't listen to the Dead. It's too bad the Dead isn't around anymore thanks to Jerry Garcia's untimely death. Whether you're a Deadhead or not, whether you're a percussionist or not, this is truly an enthusiastic and well-written book on the subject of percussion.

At a glance, Drumming at the Edge of Magic may seem like an autobiogrphical journey by the Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart. While the book is autobiographical, it goes far beyond that to discover the real meaning of drumming and music in general.

The meaning of drumming (or life?) comes in many forms, and many disguises. As Hart begins to unluck the secrets to why humans desire to express themselves in music, one can't help but say, "YES!". Hart, and to a certain extent, Jay Stevens, put into words what drummers and other musicians have felt all along but have never known how to express. The journey ends up being a look inward; not just for Hart but for the reader as well.

After reading this, I had my wife and father read it. I explained, "This is how I feel about drumming."

The companion CD and sequel book, "Planet Drum," are nice additions but the book stands by its self as an outstanding source for understanding music at its most basic form.

This book will move you.

I'd lost interest in playing for about 5 years before I read this book, but Mickey Hart's book brought me back to the reasons I started hitting the bottom of tin cans woth a wooden spoon! This book follows, to a degree, the history of drums, and studies the emotional, spiritual and physical effects of drums, old ancient, and new on people. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to play for any or no reason, and to andone who can't explain why the music makes them dance.

It's a shame it's out of print and should be reprinted

One of my most favorite albums that I have ever listened to is Mickey Hart's CD entitled "Spirit into Sound", with its collection of nature-evoking drum and woodwind music. So when I saw that this book was available, too, I was expecting something about the music on the album and the ideas that went behind its creation. Instead I was disappointed to find instead a set of quotes about music that don't relate to the album. It is, however, a really good source of quotes about music, including some really surprising ones. If you want inspirational words concerning music, this is the place to find them.

For those of us who have often contemplated the meaning and magic called "music", Mick's book will certainly unlock the mysteries and shed light on this universal power that has permeated all cultures since time began. This is an incredible compilation of insights spoken by the masters and common man who have lived, loved and graced the world with music over the centuries. A great read; simple, humorous, reflective and motivating. I recommend this book to people of all ages -- musicians and non-musicians alike. And particularly children who in their youth will benefit from understanding that music is the pulse of life, critical to the soul, and as necessary as food, water and air.

It is hard to put into words how deeply music affects our spirit... and long documentary books on music don't seem to cut it, at a feeling level. This book is a choice collection of various quotes and "takes" on music and the music experience. As someone for whom playing music (and listening to others play music) is a profound part of my life.....giving me joy, keeping my energy stress-free, sharing with friends...this book is a huge validation of all the beautiful things music does for us! It's one of those books you can flip to any part of, and lift your day just by reading a page or two. Leave it out for your visiting friends! It's a great gift idea for any music lover.

This book is great for an overview of percussion instruments around the world. The history of these percussion instruments is show through facts and folklore. The massive amounts of photographs in this book help with the indentification of the many, many instruments. This book is great if you want a brief overview of the history of percussion, but if you want something that is a little deeper than that I would find another book. This book is rather simple and relies on the pictures to do most of the work. Still, this is a cool book.

A celebration of Percussion & Rhythm. Origin Stories & original paintings of drummers, singers, dancers, clappers & all manner of rhythmic instruments from the four corners of the world & distant times, illuminate this passionate, enchanting tour. There is a tape that accompanies the reading of this lovely book.

Mickey Hart goes into a global exploration of percusion instruments in this particular book. The interplay between sound and mysticism is explored, with lavish photographs and numerous quotations to boot. Although this book isn't much on words, theres a lot of good stuff in here. Breaking it down into various regions, Hart shows some wonderful examples of musical instruments used in Africa, Oceania, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. Aside from more familar instruments (bullroarers, clap sticks and various drums), he also gives examples of exotic instruments like the shekere, mbira, shawm, skull drums and gamelan orchestras. In addition, he explores numerous non-western cultures, such as the Rashaida, Ethiopians, Tutsis, Nepalis and Ojibwa. Aside from this are little side-bars on various related subjects such as Shamanism, Capoeira, Carnival, drums and warfare and the "dance of the dead". Theres even a whole list of names various cultures around the world have for the bullroarer, which is considered sacred in cultures as far away as the Australian aborigines and the Apache of North America. And, of course, it explores the process of sound, from the big bang to the end of time itself, complete with a lot of cultural notes and tidbits that are great to know. For instance, did you know tht Ethiopian soldiers used to be accompanied by trumpters and drummers who symbolized the drummers who will herald the Apocalypse? Or that in some parts of the world drums really were used to communicate? Or that early Christians were summoned to church with a "sound board" instead of a bell? All of these small little notes, and many other historical facts and curiousities are contained within this book. And, finally, there are also a handful of illustrated myths and legends retold in the book. These include a Sioux legend of the origin of the powow drum and a Koori story about how the bull-roarer came to earth, as well as a grisly tale of what the Inca did to captured foes (made them into drums) and a Siberian tale of creation.
This is really an amazing book. Those with an interest in anthropology, music or shamanism should take a brief look at this book. Heck, everyone should. It may not be a lot of reading, but it is wonderful to flip through and learn about the history of sound, mysticism and the pulse of the world itself. Just buy it and you'll see what I mean.

There are other sources of information about Lou Harrison, such as "The Music of Lou Harrsion" by Heidi Von Gunden and "The Lou Harrison Reader". There are much better biographies of much better and more significant twentieth-century composers, such as "Gyorgy Ligeti" by Richard Toop. There are much better biographies of colorful American figures associated with twentieth-century music, such as "Woody Guthrie: A Life" by Joe Klein. In short, I don't think we ought to put up with this piece of clumsy mannered hackwork. (By the way, the chapter on Lou Harrison's sexuality is ridiculous and unnecessary: Take him at his word.)

The authors explain in the introduction that but for commercial constraints they could have made a much larger book, in fact a book of each chapter. This is precisely the wrong way to think about any kind of creative work. Creation is SELECTION. Anyone can gather facts and factoids (or as Lou Harrison might say, facticles) and make a great pile of them. It is quite another thing to forge them into a clear, compelling narrative line, and this other thing is just what the authors fail to accomplish. It's safe to assume, I think, that a Lou Harrison autobiography would be much, much, much better than this.

Miller and Lieberman's biography of Lou Harrison has become the definitive work on this California composer. Rather than simply writing a chronology of his life, the book provides a brief biography and then tackles different aspects of his work in a series of brief chapters. These include tuning systems, calligraphy, instrument building, political activism, dance, gay rights, and many more.

The result is an eclectic and somewhat experimental book, fitting for the composer. Occasionally some of the chapters fall short of being comprehensive, particularly the one dealing with Harrison's sexuality. But in general this book is a refreshing read, with much new information and analysis.

A CD with several unreleased recordings and demonstrations is included.