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Title: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory by Michael Miller ISBN: 0-02-864377-1 Publisher: Alpha Books Pub. Date: 11 June, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.89 (9 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent Review
Comment: After years and years of lessons, I could play just about anything, but I couldn't have told you exactly WHAT I was doing. My teachers never spent much time on theory. I could play all the scales, but had never figured out how they worked together.
When I started to teach piano on the side, I wanted to make sure my students didn't suffer from that knowledge gap. I went to find a quick overview, and this book fit the bill.
This book is CLEAR, CONCISE, and ENLIGHTENING as to how chords and scales and transposing all work together.
Most importantly, the book is well designed so it's easy to find what I'm looking for when I have a specific question. The layout is clean and uncluttered, which is a nice change from all the books that seem to delight in visual clutter.
A+. Money well spent!
Rating: 5
Summary: nice pick for the average reader
Comment: Supposing that you are an average person such as myself who wants to learn to play an instrument, and that you are looking to become more informed about music theory without becoming an expert (or needing to be an expert to understand the book) this is a very good pick. It is clear and friendly without being wordy. Having been required to learn piano as a child, I have been exposed to several books/processes for learning music theory, and this book is the one that actually made it understandable to me. I have had to read it more than once to remember the concepts, but that is to be expected with any book; this book makes the concepts accessible and is the best I've come upon so far.
Rating: 5
Summary: Readable, Helpful, and Interesting Intro to Music Theory
Comment: Music theory is often seen as unnecessary and boring to even the most musically inclined persons. Many see it as a hindrance to their natural creativity. However, without a sense of music theory, nobody will progress from playing music, to understanding and even writing music.
I took a music theory class in college and used a textbook that tried to say the same things that Miller says, only the textbook was far more confusing. I think this book would actually make a fine textbook for an "Intro to Music Theory" class. He covers most basic topics, even assuming that the reader has no music knowledge. This is good for beginners, but for me it meant that I only skimmed the first few chapters. He does cover more advanced topics such as harmony, counterpoint, transcribing from audio, and transposing. At the end of each chapter, he has quizzes to review and test what was learned in the previous chapter. He includes most important topics in music theory, including scales, pitches, rhythm, melodies, chords, chord progressions, phrases, transcribing, arranging, writing lead sheets, and performing. At the end, the book has a glossary, a guitar and piano chord reference section, and answers to the quizzes at the end of each chapter.
Overall, this book has many good qualities. It is very readable and interesting. He also is able to convey difficult topics in an understandable way without sacrificing his point. Most music theory textbooks cannot do this, and overwhelm the reader. I would say this book is best for students who need an easy-to-understand book to complement a more advanced book, to clarify what they have learned in a music theory class. It is also good for musicians who don't want to be experts in music theory, but who wish to further their musical abilities. However, as I have said, it also works on its own, and I believe rivals many textbooks that are five times as expensive.
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Title: Music Theory Made Easy by David Harp ISBN: 0918321999 Publisher: Musical Idiot Press Pub. Date: 20 September, 1999 List Price(USD): $5.95 |
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Title: Practical Theory Complete: A Self-Instruction Music Theory Course by Sandy Feldstein ISBN: 0882842250 Publisher: Alfred Publishing Company Pub. Date: June, 1982 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: Basic Music Theory: How to Read, Write, and Understand Written Music by Jonathan Harnum ISBN: 097075129X Publisher: Questions, Ink Pub. Date: 15 June, 2001 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Harmony and Theory : A Comprehensive Source for All Musicians by Keith Wyatt and Carl Schroeder ISBN: 0793579910 Publisher: Hal Leonard Pub. Date: 01 April, 1998 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: Composing Music: A New Approach by William Russo, Jeffrey Ainis, David Stevenson, Jeffrey Aines ISBN: 0226732169 Publisher: University of Chicago Press Pub. Date: March, 1988 List Price(USD): $22.50 |
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