Sir Peter Ustinovs beautifully crafted autobiography is told with exquisite wit and insight. From his birth in April 1921; it spans his extraordinary career as actor; playwright; film star and director; confirming his early belief that he is irrevocably betrothed to laughter. Ustinovs renowned gift for mimicry is exploited to the full in Dear Me. Eccentric relatives; school masters; sergeant majors and manic Hollywood moguls are all brought unforgettably to life.
#1531939 in eBooks 2004-08-01 2004-08-01File Name: B0046LV30U
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Deep and wide. but certainly not a simple tune book or tutorBy R. ReidI am delighted with this book. I was already somewhat familiar with the history. the music. and the times. and I am incessantly curious - so this was a great choice for me. Once the author got interested in the subject. hes stuck with it like a dog and a bone. collecting information and scraps darn near compulsively. And he can write lucidly.I happen to learn to play by watching. listening. and trying to mimic. and I have a far ranging curiosity. There are some low star reviews out there. and I suspect they are not wrong: if youre looking specifically for a tune book. or a book to guide your learning step by step - this may not be it. The books depth and width would likely not be efficient for pursuing the single goal of learning to play the tunes.I was also pleased how the author handles the nationally embarrassment of the long lived "minstrel" movement in the US. He neither excuses it. nor indulges in breast-beating for the sins of the fathers. He accepts that attitudes were different. he understands those attitudes were part of an oppressive system and a willful ignorance of the extent to which humans truly were created equal. and when it is part of the story its right in there - the facts of the matter. This has been a problem with some other productions on the banjo.In fact. at times it is clear just how far minstrelsy was removed from the music of the plantation hands. The performers were not southerners. nor did their urban audiences have experience of rural music. In fact. he points at times to a strong Irish influence. despite the shuck and jive titles given the tunes and the supposed reproduction of "authentic" song and dance by the men in makeup. (Always men - no woman had any business on the stage any more than a black man did).In the end. the book is chock full of stylistic notes. best guesses on tunings and instruments. and covers the same basic tunes in a number of different ways as the genre evolved. Either for a read. or for a more advanced adviser on performance. this is a wonderful book.2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. The Early Minstrel BanjoBy John WardropI bought this book and am totally lost. It clearly has huge potential but why are the tunings of each piece not mentioned? Every tab I have ever seen describes how the banjo is to be tuned for that particular piece such as. "gDGBD" being the most common. However these are not anywhere to be found in the book. How is one to know how play the tune? Have I missed something? It must be in the book but I cant find it. Page 19 gives a general account of certain tunings in the 19th century but that doesnt help you when you come to a tune say on page 200. I must be missing something because no one would write a book of TABs and not mention what tunings they are supposed to be in. That would be like asking someone to spell a word when they dont know the alphabet. Can anyone help me?2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The Minstrel BibleBy Round WoundThis is a great book. There is one tune to a page. so its nice and big and easy to see the tab. The tab isnt all messed up with ornaments. Occaisionally. there is a little dot over a note that tells you that that note is played with the index finger. If theres ever doubt about a thumb note. an "X" signifies this. I have learned many tunes from this book. They come from different sources thru the years. some are easy. some are harder.. none are impossible. You use minstrel banjo tuning throughout. Youll be in the key of G or D. If you tune higher. youll be in A or E. dGDF#A is the proper tuning. Many pages are devoted to the different authors who notated these tunes in the 1800s and what makes them unique. I skipped that at first. I jumped in learning the tunes. like I said. there arent many embellishments to clutter up the pages. This authors other books contain some of the songs in this book. but this is the big daddy. If you have a minstrel banjo you need this book. If you have a minstrel banjo but dont read tab. you must teach yourself. Youll want to get all the notes right. The timing of the notes is pretty easy to understand. and the tab system is easy as 1 2 3 and sometimes 4. This is the Minstrel Bible.
