Product Description

What do all those lines and squiggles and dots mean? Basic Music Theory takes you through the sometimes confusing world of written music with a clear, concise style that is at times funny and always friendly. The book is written by an experienced teacher using methods refined over more than ten years in his private teaching studio and in schools. Lessons are short, well-paced and enjoyable. Whether you're a beginner of any age, whether you're an experienced player who wants to bone up on your theory, or whether you teach music and need a fun way to do it, you'll find this book valuable and will refer to it again and again.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #170647 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 318 pages

Review
Loved it! Your sense of humor and ability to simplify sometimes convoluted information makes your book a pleasure to read. -- Kathy Settevendemie, Music Educator, Kodiak AK

an ideal, highly recommended text for anyone of any background wanting to become proficient reading, composing, and performing written music. -- Midwest Book Review, September 10, 2001

From the Publisher
This book is a unique and worthy addition to the library of anyone interested in music.

From the Author
I've attempted, in Basic Music Theory: How to Read, Write, and Understand Written Music, to write a book which can be easily understood by anyone able to read English. I hope I've succeeded.

Customer Reviews

Easy and Completely Understandable!
Basic Music Theory by Jonathan Harnum, is an excellent book for people of all levels. Whether you are a beginner, or learned musician, this book is a very comprehensive source of material, that is both accessible,easy to read & understand, and very enjoyable. I have played various instruments over 24 years.And because of Harnum's matter of fact, conversational tone, this book has lent more to my understanding of basic music theory than all my private insturctors combined.

This is Very Basic Stuff
As someone who studied an instrument through high school but had no formal training in music theory, this book didn't tell me much that I didn't already know. It's for people with no performance OR theory background. It doesn't cover anything that you'd expect to learn in a college level class. But, it would be a great for someone who's never learned an instrument or for a kid at the elementary or middle school level. It's very clearly written and easy to understand.

The Ultimate Do it Yourself for Music Theory
Learning music theory on your own is not something to be tried by the faint of heart, simply because it seems like that for every rule there are fifty million execptions. Sorta like the English language. hmmmm... Anywho, Jonathan Harnum has taken an overly complicated subject matter and made it learable for anyone. And I do mean anyone!! As he explains early in the book, previous music theory books really lack in completely explaining WHY things are the way they are. Harnum de-cryptifies all that is involved with music theory for the non-musician. But this book is not just for the non-musician! I have been a student of music for over 13 years and a teacher for 3 and I found myself finding new and interesting (and humorous) facts about music theory. This book can teach anyone music theory and keep a smile on their face the entire time.