Product Description

Designed to meet the needs of the two-year theory curriculum for music majors, this straightforward market-leading text emphasizes practicality and ease of use for both the student and the instructor. Its outstanding ancillaries, which include a collection of audio examples on CD (for both the text and workbook), Finale Workbook Software, and an extensive Instructor's Manual, round out the comprehensive teaching package.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4165 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 688 pages

Customer Reviews

A good review, medeocre if you're new at music theory
Reading the views of other Amazon users shows me that my feelings are similar to others. This is certainly not the worst book out there, but it is also not the best (or even nearly so). The assumption is that the student is also taking private lessons, music history, piano proficiency readiness (if piano is not the primary instrument), and playing in ensembles at the same time. Maybe there are additional classes intended in such areas as ear-training, sight-singing, counterpoint and form and analysis. And Jazz is an entirely different subject in itself.

I picked it up (as I do many of my books) at a used bookstore near the local university, in order to keep up with my music education over the summer before transferring from a 2-year school to a 4-year university. For that purpose, the book has been helpful.

However, it does make very rapid progress, without much explanation of variations and concepts. It's almost as if the author is expecting that the student simply needs to refresh. So why is this used as a standard textbook for new music students? I cannot tell you!

A better bet, in my opinion, is the Benward set of books (Music in Theory and Practice, Volume 1 with Audio CD Music in Theory and Practice, Volume 2 with Audio CD) and the workbooks that are sold with. I have not gone through this most recent edition, but assume that it is similar to the previous. Benward makes some errors, and it is important that an instructor helps to explain the more difficult areas, but it is clear, and thorough.

Okay?
I was kind of surprised by all the bad reviews. I think this book is very helpful to music theory students for the basic essentials of music. Of course there is more to music than tonal harmony and that's where one's own creative mind comes in, not an author's.

I've been affiliated with several other theory books and this one by far is the most organized, understandable, and useful. The book is divided into sections based on broad categories, new terms are described in detail, several visual and audio examples are given, and there are several self-tests to test out the new knowledge.

I definitely recommend this book to any music major or to anybody who just loves music. :)

Tonal Haramony
Recommended by my piano teacher, I have found this book very helpful for the theory I never studied when I began piano lessons over 20 years ago. I wish I had read this book when I began playing the piano. My practice time would be much more efficient if I had.