Book recommendation: John Powell's 'How Music Works'

I have a book recommendation!  How Music Works by John Powell.

I picked it up originally thinking it was written by the composer John Powell (responsible for the scores of Happy Feet, Bolt, and How To Train Your Dragon, among many others), but this turned out not to be the case - though there's no explicit mention that they are not the same person, it's hard to imagine any bookseller or author who would be able to resist leveraging such impressive credentials.  Regardless, the story has a happy ending, as I found the book an unexpectedly entertaining and educational read.

The book focuses on the science of music - the history and science behind modern keys, what makes some tones harmonious and others not, how people develop perfect pitch, explains the differences between western and eastern music, and the mechanics of several different types of instruments, and the basics of acoustics, just for starters.  Of particular interest was the section on 'loudness', which explained how the rather messy measure of decibels came about and detailed several better options that were bypassed and are mostly lost to history.

I'd consider it a must-read for any music enthusiast without much formal education, any beginners, or even established musicians looking for a refresher on the theory of their craft.  It maintains a light sense of humour and a conversational tone throughout that makes it an easy read, and keeps to laymen's terms as much as possible, rather than becoming too bogged down in technical nitpickery.

It also dispels some common myths about music, the most surprising being that outside of the minor and major scales, there's no particular mood difference between which key you pick - for example, A flat major is no moodier/happier than, say, D major.  (Obviously choosing major or minor will influence the mood, simply for how the scale is arranged).  I'd long subscribed to this notion myself, so to see the myth broken down was a surprise but rather enlightening - it is in fact a self-perpetuating myth, in that composers will often choose their key for a sadder/happier piece based on this long-held belief.

All in all, not bad for $20 (and probably a lot less if you buy it online/in a country other than Australia).  It's certainly a good deal cheaper than a level 1 course at the Conservatorium of Music.