5 comments about Elementary Harmony: Theory and Practice with CD (5th Edition).

1. This is a well-designed book, but is marred by an incredible number of mistakes. It's truly unbelievable. I realize that these exercises can be tricky, but the publishers ought to be ashamed that, after four editions, they have allowed mistakes to remain in nearly every assignment.

   Why is it that the majority of first-semester music students can find so many mistakes, yet the professionals who put the material together can not see glaring errors that jump right off the page? This is the most unreliable text I have ever used. It's not unusual to find a mistake here and there in technical books, but I identified literally dozens in just the first half we covered in Theory 1 class.

   If you are required to use this book for a class, then you don't have any choice--just be very careful. If you are studying on you own, without the benefit of others to help catch all the errors, then you will want another book.




2. A good book, better than many others I have used, but as otherreviews describe, it contains many blaring errors. Its text is muchmore readable than other books I have used, though.



3. this was the text book that was used in my college intro to harmony and tonal counterpoint. it was full of mistakes and was very difficult to follow. my professor even expressed his hatred of this horrible, horrible book, but yet my university feels inclined to continue using it. if you really want to learn voice leading and harmony, find another book.



4. Great review of "the essentials" given before getting into the meat of the text, including ways to help determine key sigs, etc. Audio CD a big help.



5. My first complaint is that there is no reason why this book should cost as much as it does. It has flimsy paperback binding (I owned it two months before the cover fell off, and my only use of it was during class and carrying it on the 2-minute walk from the music building to my dorm - in my hands!) and cheap paper. The only "pictures" are some black-and-white staves. My psychology book cost as much as this book and was physically made far superior. The only thing I like about the pages is that they accept pencil, which is nice for taking notes and jotting down answers to questions that can be erased later.
   
   The set-up of the book itself makes sense and was fairly easy to skim when preparing for a test. I appreciated that. Yet I think all the good I can say about this book has now been stated.
   
   As other reviewers have indicated, it has lots of errors. My theory teacher had to correct several factual errors in class, which made me worry about the rest of the book! Also, most of the "review" questions in the book don't have answers - which make them completely useless. I saw no point in practising skills if I didn't even know whether or not I was doing it correctly.
   
   Also, I used the book to study so I could test out of Theory I, and was aggravated to no avail that the book does not really explain figured bass - the foundation of all theory! It mentions figured bass, assumes the reader knows what it is, and proceeds to teach new concepts. I had find websites to show me figured bass, thanks to the lack of explanation in my theory book!
   
   Chances are, you don't have a choice whether or not you use this book, since, like I, you are coerced into using it because of your professor. In that case, be forewarned about the problems with it. However, if you do have a choice, only use this book if you can find it for $20 - that's about how much it's worth. And get supplements; you'll need them.

5 comments about Poetics of Music in the Form of Six Lessons (The Charles Eliot Norton Lectures).

1. No student or lover of Stravinsky's music should be without this book. It is a rare opportunity to see into his thought processes, and it makes one realise just how much music meant to him- that he sought to serve it by understanding it as deeply as he could.

   In communicating this understanding, Stravinsky makes for an engaging, if somewhat challenging, read. The book is a transcript of six lectures given by the composer to French students, and the translators have seen fit to cast his words into a large quantity of "verbal Victoriana." If at times it seems boring, it is all due to that style of language. Apart from that, it is an excellent account on the part of a man who (for all his known self-contradictions) clearly used his heart as well as his hands and his head.

   For students of Stravinsky, this book is essential. As a record of his personality and thought processes, it takes some beating.




2. As a composer of over 250 classical and jazz works, I can't stress enough how important "Poetics of Music" was to me in my musical development. I read this book from a composer's perspective with hopes that I could get into the mind of this great composer. From "Poetics of Music" I learned that inspiration is never contrived and always accidental. Stravinsky said that a composer "improvises aimlessly" the way an animal grubs for food. Both seek personal satisfaction. He said this in the context of the "rules of music", making it clear that there really are no rules in musical composition. All that drives us in our art is that need to find our musical satisfaction.



3. it is always interesting to me to read a book by an artist talking about his art. why read on the subject of some art by a critic rather than artist, who can reveal the thought process and energy that goes into the actual creation? here, the art is music, but the whole book (especially chapter three) should be read by artists in all fields. here he discusses inspiration, and the role that it plays and how it functions in making art (less than one might suppose). the crux of stravinsky's claim is that artists should always make art, as a function of their being, and not wait for inspiration (which should, in any case, be found everywhere).
   
   being a fan of other russian composers, especially those of communist ussr, the chapter on russian composers was interesting. he discussses the role that politics played and how it stiffled music and art there.
   
   there is also an interesting discussion on the role of the artist in contemporary times. he abhors the notions of 'modern' and 'academic,' and considers himself (and the 'rite of spring') as conservative music, and not revolutionary, while demeaning the critics and listeners whom he describes as 'snobs.' (in fact it is this conservativism that allows him to attack wagner and deride his music.) the arguments that he presents in such discussions are very enlightening for any artist, as well as a musician.



4. These six lectures were given at Harvard during the 1939-40 academic year in French. They are presented here in English translation and have been the subject of a great deal of discussion over the past sixty-plus years. In re-reading them, I have to say that my opinion of them has risen a great deal from my student days. Maybe it is because I am now about the age he was when he gave them, maybe it is because I am no more well read and have thought more about music since my youth, or maybe it is because I now see the solid philosophy and healthy insights he had and the rather unhealthy directions that academia was taking that he was resisting. Probably it is all of these.
   
   Reading these lectures are not easy sledding for those not already familiar with Stravinsky, his life, work, and the context for these lectures. Also, the reader will need to go to the various conversation books Stravinsky did with Robert Craft to get later clarification and further insight into what he was saying. However, they are not profoundly technical in music theory. What they require from the reader is a broad understanding of music, art, and European political and religious history to have a framework for understanding what Stravinsky is saying.
   
   The first lecture lays out what he intends to do with the lectures. The second talks about what he believes music is, what it isn't, and provides great insight into what Stravinsky believes is important in the art of music and what corrupts it. In the third lecture he talks about composition and provides wonderful insights into what it is for him. He really does undermine the common notion of the role of inspiration in composition.
   
   The fourth lecture says it talks about musical typology (whatever that is). What it talks about is what the composer must do in choosing his own rules in composition. In Stravinsky's view the stricter the rules the more free the composer is to create. I think this is a particularly strong lecture. The Russian character in music and the Soviet corruptions of that are the topic of the fifth lecture. In 1939, taking on Stalin was a brave thing even in the West because of the way academics and the media lauded Uncle Joe.
   
   The last lecture talks about performance issues that were of particular concern to him. This is also quite interesting because of the way performance practice became such a vital force in the last quarter of the twentieth century. His principles and desires are quite profound and interesting, and do require the clarification from the conversation books to avoid being taken out of context.
   
   The epilogue ties things up nicely and raises the issues of ontology once again. Along the way Stravinsky over and over again talks about religion and music in the Church versus the attempts to replace religion with art (which Stravinsky considers a terrible and failed notion).
   
   A fine and important work by one of the great composers.



5. One of the things this offers is real insight into the creative process. If you're having writer's block, I recommend these lectures for you. Igor's ideas may well help in clearing up some of the problems we create for ourselves.

No comments about The Theory and Technique of Electronic Music.

4 comments about A Generative Theory of Tonal Music.

1. This formal theory of music does a great job of handling subjective and stylistic issues with different kinds of rules. Very well though-out. I wish they'd have worked out how counterpoint fits into their structure, but otherwise a great book.



2. This book is a turning point in XXth century music theory.It admits "surface salience" as an important musical attribute (chapter 5), distinguishing it from the "reductional importance" of events. Should we work with a double conception of structure: surface structure (focusing on surface salience) versus deep struture (focusing on reductional importance)? The investigation of surface salience leads to questions related to tension and release, an area that is still to find its best approach. What is best in the book: the ability to uncover the making of a theory; the ability to rejuvenate and integrate schenkerian ideas with a critique of Meyer's approach (rhythmic structure versus metrical structure); the linguistic/cognitive connection. What is not so good in the book: the remarks on contemporary music (with an almost fascist view of inherited abilities)



3. This very technical work is very interesting and uses a very valuable and relatively new approach. However it is very conservative musically, to the point of losing subjectivity. I would recommend James Tenney's writings instead. META + HODOS: A Phenomenology of 20th-Century Musical Materials and an Approach to the Study of Form (1961; Frog Peak, 1988), is available through amazon, or Hierarchical temporal gestalt perception in music : a metric space model with Larry Polansky, also printed in Soundings Vol. 13: The Music of James Tenney. Garland, Peter (Ed.) (Soundings Press, 1984) which has articles by and about Tenney, who takes a much more progressive and broad view than Lerdahl.



4. This book tried to do for tonal music what Chomsky's work did for language. That is, come up with a theory that is dominant in its field in academia, has tremendous prestige, but ends up having almost no explanatory ability for how language or music actually works in the real world. The book is tedious with only a few interesting points.
   
   The book has been in print more than twenty years (and that amazes me), but has had almost no impact on any musician outside of a small circle of academic thinkers for whom music is more of a technical and arcane game / puzzle than an art of expression and emotion. In fact, bringing up emotion and expression will cause immediate laughter and a great many derisive comments.
   
   Save your time and money. Whenever I am tempted to read a book like this, I realize how little time I get to play my piano. So, I go do that instead and find it a much better use of my time.

1 comments about Theory (Primer Level/Bastien Piano Basics Wp205).

1. This is an excellent source for teaching beginner piano lessons. I used it when I began taking piano lessons 26 years ago and used it when I began teaching lessons 7 years ago. It is basic without being boring. I have just moved to a new community and am starting with brand new students - I can't imagine using anything but Bastiens books.

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 Complete Guitar By Ear: 2 CD Relative Pitch Ear Training Course.

1. The title of this course is very misleading. It is far from "complete". The author simply plays each interval, one kind at a time, in different places on the guitar and you find them. It does not have anything about relating a note to a key center/note, or anything about chords (type & function). I recommend Ear Training from Hal Leonard for a more complete course.



2. "I can't imagine how much more fun learning the guitar could be... 'Complete Guitar By Ear' is like having the best and most patient teacher ever--you'll learn the guitar and ear training at your own pace."
   Barry Rudolph, Music Connection Magazine
   
   "Where was this product years ago when I had no comprehension of intervals, pitch or a true practice regimen? Once again the savvy folks at MJS have produced a wonderful product designed pure and simply to help guitarists become better players."
   Chris Armold, Writer/Photographer, Guitar Digest



3. These 2 cds are very simple. He plays various interval starting at the minor second. In the second cd he plays the same intervals only faster. The tracks never contain more than one interval so you cannot test yourself. For chords he says "just combine a major with a minor 3rd and thats all you need to know". Clearly, there are many fingerings etc that you need to know. In short, no beginner could ever use these CDs to learn to play guitar. No intermediate player could use these CDs to learn ear training because they likely already know the names of the intervals and these teach nothing else.
   Ear Training for the contemporary musician by Keith Wyatt et al is a book an intermediate player can use for ear training that really works but represents weeks or more of hard work.



4. I recently finished a ten lesson special at the local extension school, Beginning Guitar. I have other books and a nice DVD but Complete Guitar By Ear fills a nice gap for me. Ripped to my MP3 player I can go through the exercises pretty much anywhere I happen to be at the time. Also, since I have a poor ear I do thing the repetitive listening help more than reading from a book.



5. The advert is better than the product. Having bought two guitar tutorials on the same day along with a number of other pieces of material, in comparison, this was not one of the better purchases.

No comments about Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory, and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design.

5 comments about Microsound.

1. Firstly I would like to disagree with the reviewer who said granular synthesis was not musical. I use it a musical way quite often. It can make very interesting sounds if you give it a go. I was hoping for a guide to granular syntheis, its implementation in some kind of program like Max or SynthEdit or Reaktor but this is not the book for that. Basically it covers a wide range of slightly different types of Granular Synthesis. Approx 2-5 pages are spent on each type. But as the tpyes are so similar bar the size of the windows or perhaps how the windows are selected it makes the book feel very same throughout. The intro chapter covers the history which is informative and interesting. Although the book covers a lot of ground nothing is covered in terms of practical application. No real reference to use is covered, no real description of how to create granular synth modules and no real description of musically useful approaches. He does let you hear some of his composition that he used for public performances but he doesn't really explain why he thought that particular type f synthesis worked well for that performance. I learned a little more about GS from Microsound but to be honest his Computer Music Tutorial is much better and the description of GS in the CMT is almost a good. Save your sheckles and buy the big brother Computer Music Tutorial.



2. A really excellent book. It is highly scholarly, yet easy to understand. He articulates concepts I have thought about for years, but was never able to express adequately. Roads has a talent for organizing very complex material within a perspective-oriented framework making the macro concept very easy to grasp.
   
   It would be extremely helpful to all serious composers of electronic/computer music.



3. This book will change how you make music and listen to music. There is no turning back.



4. Many people today seem to be obsessed with recreating 'classic' sounds, whether it's Minimoogs, TB303s or even traditional orchestral instruments. So it's refreshing to find that there are still people out there intent on pushing the boundaries of synthesis further and creating new sounds. Curtis Roads has done more than most in this field, and this book on granular synthesis that he has authored is a fairly comprehensive guide to the subject.
   Roads' involvement with granular synthesis began in 1972, and his research in the field has resulted in him eventually developing his own software. Granular synthesis deals with sound at a 'quantum' level: the sonic atom being the individual sample (any one of the 44100 taken in a second at the standard sampling rate). To be audible as anything other than a click, samples need to be grouped together to form grains of sound. These grains are typically anywhere between three and one hundred milliseconds in length. Granular synthesis is concerned with the organization and processing of both samples and grains to create sounds that are often far beyond the range of more traditional methods of synthesis.
   The technology and software required to manipulate sound at this level is now commonly available. Popular programs like Chaosynth and Max/MSP offer in-depth granular facilities, and Roads' own programs, Pulsar Generator and Cloud Generator, are, as you might expect, specifically designed for this sort of application. Although this technology has made it possible, granular synthesis remains a complex process. Microsound is perhaps the best theoretical and practical guide to date, its 409 pages concisely and fluently written throughout. The first chapters outline basic time scales in musical structure and the history and theory of microsound. Chapters three to six deal with the theory and practice of granular synthesis, examining everything from the organisation and processing of grains to the implementation of micro-scale transformations. The later chapters explore the implications and aesthetics of composing with microsound. The book concludes with a brief chapter about the future of granular synthesis. If there is any fault with this book, it is that it may be rather academic in tone for some readers - it is not a 'how to' book. However, if you are seriously interested in exploring granular synthesis, and understanding the principles behind it, then this book is ideal.
   For those readers who would like to get their hands dirty themselves and try programming granular synthesis compositions, you might want to look up Jass and jMusic on the web. Jass is a unit generator based audio synthesis programming environment written in pure Java. Jass requires Java 1.5. jMusic is a freeware API that supports both real-time and non-real-time granular synthesis. jMusic has extensive tutorials and example programs available online.
   I notice that Amazon does not show the table of contents for this book, so I do that here:
   Introduction **
   Acknowledgments ix
   Overview **
   1. Time Scales of Music **
   2. The History of Microsound from Antiquity to the Analog Era 43
   3. Granular Synthesis 85
   4. Varieties of Particle Synthesis 119
   5. Transformation of Microsound 179
   6. Windowed Analysis and Transformation 235
   7. Microsound in Composition 301
   8. Aesthetics of Composing with Microsound 325
   9. Conclusion 349
   References 353
   Appendix A: The Cloud Generator Program 383
   Appendix B: Sound Examples on the CD 389
   NOTE: Sections marked by "**" have sample chapters available at the book's website at MIT Press.



5. Read this book - comes with an enveloped-cd inside. It approaches to the sound from the scientific and really interesting angles.

2 comments about John Brimhall's Complete Theory Notebook.

1. Despite the 'out of print', this workbook is still being printed by Hansen House in Florida. I know because I speak to them regularly. It has mistakes, but nothing which will cause the student grief. The reason I've been using this Music Workbook for over 20 years for nearly each of the over 5000 students I've taught is: 1. It's organized. 2. It's easy to understand and 3. It is made to be used with ANY music method. I've taught both at large universities as well as privately. This is a great workbook for the person who wants to have fun learning notes and chords. As with every other music theory workbook I've read (and that's most of them), I do NOT advise using this without having some person or instructor helping you with some of the important sections---like chords. If you just want fun out of playing the piano or keyboard---you MUST learn chords. This is found in "Level or Part 2" of this workbook. When you do learn chords, you will need to go slow and perhaps contact a musician friend or teacher. Also, the first level of this workbook only has 10 short lessons dealing with learning the names of the notes. From years of experience, I can tell you that unless you have studied piano or a musical instrument before, that is NOT enough. There is a wonderful little workbook called, "John W. Schaum Keynote Speller". Get the "Primer Level" (published by Schaum)---you will not be sorry.
   For the person searching for a more defined "college method" of learning I would not advise purchase of this item. This will not teach you counterpoint or Bachian Theory. But if you want FUN at the piano or keyboard, this is SIMPLE. So forget those hyped new books like "Music for dummies"--or whatever the name. They are as bad as the title suggests. This is still the best to start with----ask any one of the thousands of students I've taught!



2. This book comes highly recommended for anyone who is taking harp lessons--whether a beginner or advanced student. The instructions and illustrations are so easy to follow.
   
   Thank you so much.