4 comments about The Everything Music Theory Book: A Complete Guide to Taking Your Understanding of Music to the Next Level (Everything Series).

1. I have bought 3 books by this author on Amazon and think they are all great books...
   I have learned alot from this book and like the style in which the author writes...
   Thanks,
   Randy



2. Having studied music performance as a child, I wanted to freshen up on my theory skills. I like the book because it didn't talk "down" to you, like you were a six year old. The author covers a range of topics that will get you up to speed quickly. The only gripe I have: In certain areas in the book he gives you "Etudes"--tests to see how your comprehension is. However, there are no answers provided in a book, or no online link give to where the answers are. So you could be self-teaching your way through the book and you would have no clue on if you were right or not. Other than that, I really do enjoy this book. If you don't play piano or guitar, a CD of audio examples is included, which I think is a nice touch.



3. I have been playing music since elementary school band and have played guitar since I was 20 years old (I am now 32), so music theory is not new to me. I have long had a cursory understanding of basic theory, but there were a lot of things I knew but did not understand, and a lot more that I just plain didn't know.
   
   For example, I knew about the different minor scales (natural, harmonic, and melodic), but had no idea why there were three of them and how they were used. I knew that a "root" chord usually follows a V7 chord, but did not understand why the V7 chord has such a strong pull back to the tonic. I knew what a "tritone" was, but not why it is musically important or when and how to use one. I had seen the circle of keys (aka circle of fifths) but did not understand its purpose or how to apply it to the music I read and play. I had only the most basic understanding of things like harmonization, chord progressions, inversions, and augmented/diminished chords, and I found many explanations of these things to be intimidating at best and confounding more often than not.
   
   This book explains all of those and a good deal more, as well as when and how to apply the concepts, in a way that is very easy to follow and comprehend. The author goes into why things are the way they are with bits of historical information and examples that help you understand where different musical concepts came from, but he does not get bogged down in the "how and why" like a lot of theory books do, and he never loses focus on the topic at hand.
   
   The Everything Music Theory Book is fantastically written, easy reading, and informative, and I do not hesitate to recommend it to anyone I meet that is interested in music, regardless of their current level of understanding or which instrument they currently play or want to learn. The material presented in the book is invaluable to anyone that wants to learn about music or improve their ability to play, comprehend, and analyze it, and you would be hard pressed to find it presented in a manner that is plainer, friendlier, or easier to understand.



4. Overall, the book explains music theory clearly. It has quizzes at the end of each section to test and reinforce what you learned. Problem is, no answers are provided, so you don't know if you were right or not. The cd provided with the book has audio tracks so you can hear the musical concept being described.

5 comments about From Sound to Symbol: Fundamentals of Music.

1. This is a thorough, easy to read and understand text on music theory starting from sound and then moving to musical symbols. The Music CD and Technology CD are both very helpful in reinforcing the various concepts. If you are looking for a Praxis review, review before entering your basic graduate school admissions theory exams - written, sightreading, and listening, or a middle school or high school music text for use in general music, chorus or band, you should certainly take a serious look at this text.



2. This textbook provides a much easier approach to theory and ear training than other music textbooks. This is a perfect textbook for undergrads. The "sound to symbol" idea helps to make sense of musical elements. I wish I had been taught this way in college!



3. First of all, let me provide a bit of background information about myself before I get into my review. I am an experienced music educator with a BM and an MA in music education, both from noted schools. While I have a very solid musical and educational background, it wasn't until I was enrolled in a Kodaly Certification course that I realized how much I was lacking in certain areas of music fundamentals.
   
   From Sound to Symbol is the first music fundamentals text that I have ever read and used where the student is able to experience and internalize the concept before a label (or symbol) is presented. Unfortunately, many undergraduate and graduate musicianship classes use a symbol to sound approach which leaves the majority of students in a state of disconnect from the musical concepts being studied. Nothing is ever truly internalized.
   
   In From Sound to Symbol students first experience the new musical concept kinesthetically, aurally, and visually. Once the student is competent in those areas of understanding, it is then that the `sound' is given its `symbol'. This results in an understanding of the relationships between pitches, rhythms, etc., and gives students the tools to be better at sight singing and dictation.
   
   It would be my wish that all schools of music adopt the approach presented in From Sound to Symbol. Houlahan and Tacka have laid out a thoughtful and deliberate sequence that is applicable to beginners and professionals alike (Chapter 1 deals with simple rhythms, and chapter 12 deals with harmonic progressions). I can honestly say that in a matter of a few weeks of study my musicianship skills have improved more than they did during my 6 semesters of music theory as an undergraduate (especially sight singing), and that is wholly due to the approach used in From Sound to Symbol.



4. From Sound to Symbol provides a unique perspective for music educators of the 21st century. Taking a `sound to symbol' approach, the authors have provided a means for taking the aural tradition of jazz, folk and pop music and merging it with the classical notation/score-driven tradition.
   
   More than a sight-singing/ear-training manual, this text allows for experiential learning and critical thinking to guide the musical growth process. The traditional system of teaching a symbol before hearing its sound leaves the student devoid of any meaning or musicality. This new learning theory model takes a more natural form of immersing students in the language of music before learning the rules of how to speak and write.
   
   Although I had incredible theory professors during my undergraduate studies, I have been more successful at sight-singing in three weeks (one summer term, daily) using this sound to symbol approach than I was in four years (eight semesters, daily) using a notation-driven method. I wish the same success for all those students struggling to connect with the exercises and drills contingent of the traditional system.
   
   If a music program (elementary, high school, undergraduate and graduate alike) truly desires great musicality out of its students, they need to adopt the learning theory model presented in the text, From Sound to Symbol.



5. I wish I had been able to use this book as a music major. It is interesting, thorough, and creative. It will challenge music undergrads and even those, like me, who have been out of school quite a while. Using this book as a basis for an intensive summer course, I believe that I have improved my musicianship and I am definitely convinced that FROM SOUND TO SYMBOL is the correct approach for teaching Music Theory.

5 comments about Structural Functions of Harmony.

1. If you are a musician and want to know more about harmony, Schoenberg's thoughts should be at least considered. You might not necessarily agree with him, but keep in mind that Schoenberg always taught from a traditionalist standpoint. Despite his "revolutionary" logo, Schoenberg never cared much for music before Bach. Even Schoenberg's idol and so-called reactionary, Brahms, thought highly of Josquin DesPres. And while there are probably better teaching books around, considering Schoenberg's music will be played 200 years from now (at the very least, Verlarkte Nacht) and yours probably won't (unless it's used on TV ad or played on an oldies station), you might want to get some idea of what makes this guy so utterly fascinating.



2. From the very start this book did not do a good job of clarifying its title or it vocabulary used in its analyses.I think that he thought by using the word function that it would add some esteem or he fancied himself a mathematian. The writer schonberg at the begining of the book first page after the title page the uses word triad a ,three note chord, which I never understood and I think involves a lot acoustic science that mr. schonberg never had or b.s.ed that he had. Succesion, progression,tonal all vague or historically obscure. The entire book has sheet music in it and parts from scores whichs seems to me he could have simplified and condensed his thinking. I think anyone who read/reviewed this book and liked it is putting on the airs because it is in style or the hip thing to like schonberg and it would be uncool amongst intellectuals not to like schonberg. Time to search for alternative ways of understanding music for anyone really is interested in bringing music out of the educational stone age because it has been neglected for to long and has been everyones side project.Fractal science shows progress.



3. This is an important book because it is a document written by Arnold Schoenberg. He wrote it from the way he taught his students harmony. If you know Schoenberg's tonal music you know how highly chromatic it is. It moves from tonal center to tonal center almost without the listener understanding how far they are traveling. This book uses his concept of region and that is not something taught in your freshman - sophomore theory courses.
   
   If you want to read this book, make SURE you have a strong grounding in traditional theory first. Then ground yourself in Schoenberg's treatise on harmony. Then take on this little book. Otherwise it will be opaque to you.
   
   However, just because you can't understand what the composer wrote, don't suppose that it is nonsense or dismiss it because of your own lack of comprehension. Schoenberg was a very important composer and understood the methods of composition very well. He certainly had his own views, however idiosyncratic they may be. It is simply that when you are Schoenberg you can do things lesser musicians cannot.



4. Well it looks like naj "jak" here is almost as clueless as he thinks the book is. He should know that Theory of Harmony is not a book to LEARN harmony, its a book that teaches you in detail the purposes and most advanced properties of such. If you're looking to begin music, do not buy this book. If you are a musician looking for a (in my opinion) genius's perspective on one of the most fundamental elements of music...then thats the book for you.



5. Schoenberg writes from a traditional harmonic standpoint. But he is aware of the fact that the primary systems of analysis are very limited to these traditional sounds and harmonies. Therefore Schoenberg sets out to put into work a new system for harmonic analysis which will work fine on traditional harmonies as well as on newer, more outside progressions. He achieves all of this through his idea of regions within music, a specific idea with a broad goal. By leaving the intricacies of traditional harmonic analysis and widening his scope, Schoenberg presents a system we may all need to take a second look at.

No comments about Music Every Day: Transforming the Elementary Classroom.

5 comments about Science and Music.

1. An especially well-written and entertaining introduction to musical acoustics. I keep a copy among my musical reference books.

   Also recommended: PENTATONIC SCALES FOR THE JAZZ-ROCK KEYBOARDIST by Jeff Burns.




2. SCIENCE AND MUSIC is great, but I should like to direct those readers interested in an in-depth more recent study to THE PHYSICS AND PSYCHOPHYSICS OF MUSIC by Juan Roederer.



3. Although I'm personally a fan of Helmholtz's somewhat dated On the Sensations of Tone, "Science and Music" is in my collection because it condenses the essential physics (and a little bit of the biology) underlying music. Right from the elementary definitions of pitch/frequency/period, Sir James Jeans covers the theory of vibrations, the characteristics of strings & pipes, harmony & discord (including Helmholtz's theory of dissonance) - with a quick tour of [intonational] temperaments, and other miscellaneous topics.
   
   The serious reader is probably better off digesting Helmholtz's detailed classic which could, however, prove to be a tedious read for the more casual reader. "Science and Music" instead presents a 'high-school' overview of the physics behind music. The non-technical way in which this book conveys its ideas also allows easy access for those students of music who have a minimal exposure to physics.



4. If you're a technical dummy like me, but what to understand some of the basic concepts behind how music, in particular soundwaves, are created work and behave... this is a great book. - - The author seems genuinely sincere in wanting to convey the concepts behind the science of sound to the everyday people and makes no attempt to intimidate of show off. - - No, after reading the book you won't be an expert acoustic engineer, but you might want to take further steps to become one... Topics start with the human ear, how sound waves are made/what they are -- the book explains frequency, harmonics, disonance, tuning systems, how scales and chords are put together to get these waves to behave the way we want them (and what happens when they don't) and then takes a look at a wide variety of instruments - - what factors control the sound in a room and lot's more. - - The author's ability to give simple examples that are very eas to visualize is a strong point of the book. - - If you are looking for something very mathematical and that assumes that you're a physics whiz, the book might not be so interesting, however, if you're a musician, there's a lot of insight to be gained by reading the book... and to boot... its very concise and has a great flow. In conclusion: even as a music teacher I would suggest my students to give this a read - - and the abstract realm of "music theory" will suddenly begin to make sense as get to wittness the source from where it comes from and realize that all it is is a bunch of logical conclusions which you'll be able to reach too after finishing the book.



5. There are numerous books on music theory and the science of sound, but what this book brings to the table is leaving mathematical treatment of the subject to geometry, and only geometry. Its presentation of simple harmonic motion, and then the superposition of multiple harmonic motions using circles and simple lines with geometric truths provides explanations that resonate with intuition.

5 comments about The Lion and the Jewel (Three Crowns Book).

1. Thumbs up to the author. He is one of my favorite author. He writes well. The book is perfect.



2. Thumbs up to the author. He is one of my favorite author. He writes well. The book is perfect.



3. When I read this play as part of a World Lit. class in my high school it changed the way I look a literature. To that point I had been mainly interested in history and politics. In the Lion and the Jewel, Soyinka combines his political ideas about colonization, cultures, and gender roles in to this vivid play. He creates multiple conflicts between the very well-defined characters and over the course of the play the conflicts evolve into macrocosmic conflicts that readers and audiences alike can relate too. The themes in this play are very strong and speak loudly when juxtaposed against current world events.

   I cannot recommend this play enough!! Check it out.




4. I read this book as a compulsory read for all Junior Secondary 3 students way back in Nigeria, and I and my friends had fun with it. You know discussing the plots and characters for tests and exams was fun.
   
   The book centres around a young maiden, Sidi. What is really memorable about the book is that she was trying to act all smart and she got her fingers badly burnt for that. As the other reviews have said, it has tonnes of lessons in it. Excellent read.
   
   Wole Soyinka, the first Nigerian Nobel Prize winner in Literature(or any category I think, for that matter) really shows his worth as a writer and as a traditional and cultural Nigerian. Little wonder that he gets the respect and admiration he receives back at home.



5. the story is a cleverly written satire. it shows the avarice of the old guard in the country. despite the fact that baroka has everything anyone in the village could ever want, he desires more. he must have the jewel at all cost and employs trickery to get Sidi into his arms. most of Soyinka's plays have a bit of a sting and i imagine it gets the message across to the ones that they are intended to reach.

No comments about A Theory of Adaptation.

No comments about Fundamentals of Sight Singing and Ear Training.

No comments about Popular Music in Theory: An Introduction (Music/Culture).

5 comments about Jazzology: The Encyclopedia of Jazz Theory for All Musicians.

1. The book's approach is so intuitive, it almost leads you by the hand into the world of jazz. Certainly jazz is freedom of expression but you have to know what you're doing and this book is the tool for that. Combine it with some tunes and mix in some listening, and the world of jazz is open to you. This should be a standard in every high school with a jazz program and every college lab band.



2. This excellent book is useful and relevant both as a reference work
   and as a coursebook.
   
   In addition to being the definitive compendium of music theory as it
   relates to Jazz usage, it also contains exercises for the student
   that can be used in the classroom as a supplementary teaching tool or
   even as a full blown course of study in itself.
   
   There are hundreds of musical examples to flesh out the prinicples
   and topics covered in the text.
   
   The material is well paced and in a logical order. The uncrowded look
   of the page layouts aids considerably in making this vast amount of
   technical material easily digestible for learners of any level.
   
   This extremely deep book is certainly poised to become the standard
   Jazz Theory text of the 21st century.



3. Although it is only one of many jazz theory books on my shelf, I find that this book sticks out for its breadth and applicability to performing and arranging in the jazz idiom. This is accomplished through the sections on piano playing for all jazz instrumentalists where the topics include both voicing and comping rhythms. The latter is usually left out from theory books. There is also a chapter devoted to solo styles where the student can read through analysis of solos with the musical example provided in the book. There is a chapter on arranging for various ensembles as well as a chapter that deals with "Early and Traditional Jazz" a much overlooked area in our jazz history studies. The book even ends with a chapter on practicing that deals not only with what one should practice, but why we practice particular aspects of the music.
   
   Of course there are all of the requisite chapters on scale/chord theory and the ii-V-I progression that you will find in most books, but it is the added material that appleals to the player as much as the theorist. That is what makes this book a superior buy to many others.



4. This book is one of the very best I have seen,
   along with "hearing the changes" by Jerry Coker,
   and Jazz and Popular Harmony by Daniel Ricigliano,
   it has become a favorite.



5. This is a good look at a rehashing of what has been, for a long time. Some authors are better at portraying certain subjects in better context than others. These 2 gentleman seem above the average! I like it, very much.
   
   The biggest value of this book though, is the fact that the great Jeff Bent was such a huge part in the authentication process.... I personally am working on several learning methods for publication. It would be an honor to have Mr. Bernt give a look at my ciriculum also. ( I probably mispelled that, thats why I need Jerf!!)
   
   Anyway, good book. Nicely done!