A Practical Method for Taus, Dilruba, and Esraj: Level 1: Beginner

Trying to get written information on the dilruba is like pulling hens teeth. Even less is written on the taus or the esraj. Provided you know the basics of the Indian musical notation, this book is well worth it's weight in gold and is a God-send to those who have purchased these instruments or have a desire to do so.With 11 chapters on everything from history, tuning, care of the instrument, the book doesn't stop there. It's chock full of lessons in easy to play notation, both in western and Indian Classical formats. Some 40 colour photgraphs scattered throughout this work, help to illustrate all of the above. The author is very generous with references and contacts for further study. A trip to his website offers even more straight forward knowledge.I don't think I've ever seen anything like this book on the market with regard to these particular instruments, much less with colour photos. More than likely, it's the only one you'll ever see.

Michael Wheeler is a patient teacher on video (see his lessons on YouTube), in person (I've started taking lessons with him via Skype) and through the pages of this book. There is very little written in English on the baisic of playing this family of instruments and Michael's book helps fill the void. He walks you through step by step to become acquainted with these haunting instruments (I play the dilruba), helping to build skill and competence. I fully recommend the purchase of this book; I have a hard copy and a Kindle Fire version as well.

I recieved my copy of Wheeler's book yesterday, and have been skimming through it. I'm a trained guitarist and sitarist. I started dilruba several years ago, and while I made progress using my wits (and some youtube videos), Wheeler's book is very helpful. It presents the information and lessons efficiently, and covers a lot. Highly recommended.

A great resource for someone trying to teach themselves to play one of these instruments, especially when you are new to the instrument, the music, and the culture. The level of teaching is very basic, which is quite helpful. A bit more explanation of the structure of Indian songs and music would have been appreciated, especially since the instruction is aimed at beginners. A CD or on-line recorded source of the tunes as written would have been helpful for those of us who don't read music well.Hopefully a second book will be forthcoming to explain Indian rhythms, talas, and their applications in Indian music, as well as explanations of how and when to play common Indian ornamentation.

what a wonderful resource for english speakers who are interested in learning the esraj or dilruba.if you are considering this book you already know there is not much out there in english for esraj/dilruba. pick this up. you wont be disappointed.the author also has a youtube channel with lessons.thanks mr. wheeler

I have given it a 2 start rating as the kindle version does not show many of the images. It is not the fault of the author but Amazon who should look into fixing it.

It does what it is supposed to do and it is what it is supposed to be. Dr. Wheeler is to the point, accurate, and rigorous without bogging down the student in things that might be of academic interest but of little use to the practicing musician.

As others have said, this is an ambitious and wonderful book. Unfortunately, many of the graphics in chapter 4 show as black blocks. Not a showstopper, but it does detract from an otherwise fabulous book. Looking forward to diving in.

I think this is a useful and well written and illustrated Tutorial, suitable for anyone setting out to play these instruments.

the book is great to get a basic concepts of indian music. notations are done in western style, but it was a good starting point to me before i started taking classes.