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Music Theory for Dummies (Paperback)

by Holly Day & Michael Pilhofer (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
RRP: £13.99
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Product Description

Product Description

Many people grimace at the sound of music theory. It can conjure up bad memories of grade school music classes, rattle the brains of college students, and make self–taught musicians feel self–defeated. Music Theory may seem tedious and unnecessary, especially since not many people can read music.

Luckily, Music Theory for Dummies shows you the fun and easy way to understanding the concepts needed to compose, deconstruct, and comprehend music. This helpful guide will give you a great grasp of:

  • Note value and counting notes
  • Treble and bass clefs
  • Time signatures and measures
  • Naturalizing the rhythm
  • Tempo and dynamic
  • Tone, color, and harmonics
  • Half steps and whole steps
  • Harmonic and melodic intervals
  • Key signatures and circles of fifths
  • Scales, chords, and their progressions
  • Elements of form
  • Music theory’s fascinating history

This friendly guide not only explores these concepts, it provides examples of music to compliment them so you can hear how they sound firsthand. With a bonus CD that demonstrates these ideas with musical excerpts on guitar and piano, this hands–on resource will prove to you that music theory is as enjoyable as it is useful. Don’t get discouraged by the seemingly complicated written structure. With Music Theory for Dummies, understanding music has never been easier!

Note: CD–ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.



From the Back Cover

Helpful hints on melodies, chords, and music development

The fun and easy way to read, write, and perform any style of music

Need to grasp music theory? This hands–on guide explains the concepts in plain English — from scales, intervals, and tempos to chord progressions, phrasing, harmonizing, and arranging — and shows you how to apply them in compositions ranging from pop and rock to jazz and classical. It′s also packed with musical examples you can hear on the CD!

Discover how to:

  • Read notes and understand tones

  • Keep proper rhythm

  • Master major and minor scales

  • Build chords and cadences

  • Write in popular musical forms

Demonstrations of music theory concepts

Musical examples performed on both piano and guitar

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Music Theory for Dummies
81% buy the item featured on this page:
Music Theory for Dummies 4.6 out of 5 stars (7)
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The AB Guide to Music Theory Vol 1
6% buy
The AB Guide to Music Theory Vol 1 4.5 out of 5 stars (13)
£4.34
First Steps in Music Theory: Grades 1 to 5
6% buy
First Steps in Music Theory: Grades 1 to 5 3.7 out of 5 stars (3)
£4.47
Music Composition for Dummies
4% buy
Music Composition for Dummies 4.7 out of 5 stars (3)
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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Just enough of everthing you need to know about Music Theory, 1 Jan 2008
By Graham Mccarthy "gmccarthy15" (Cheshire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
It's harder than it should be to find a good, readable book on Music Theory. In my experience many turn out to be classroom references or music notation only books, but Music Theory for Dummies covers the gamut of subjects, including on the way, music notation, a brief history, and forms of music and it does it all logically and informally with clearly laid out sections and diagrams.

So if you want to know the difference between an imperfect and plagal cadence; between a Rondo and a Sonata or the contribution to music of Pythagoras, this 336 page book has it all and for these reasons, I can recommend it to anybody that wants to study music theory from beginners to intermediate level.
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Music Theory, 15 May 2008
By C. R. Bullock "crjb" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is an impressive book making a normally dry subject amusing and entertaining. It is fun to read and understand, explaining everything for the beginner and going into real detail for the more experienced.
The only word of criticism is that it is American and as a result doesn't consider that terminology such as semibreve, crotchet, quaver, semi-quaver even exist. Minim is mentioned but the others are not. Having said that the terms note, half-note, quarter-note etc. are more easily understood - however a little addendum would have helped even if in part of the history section.
It also comes with a CD that has a fantastic array of examples and concepts to listen to.
I have yet to work my way through the more complex parts of the book but I'm sure that it will provide me with the answers to questions that have puzzled me for years. I fully recommend buying it to anyone.
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37 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Crash course in music theory, 6 May 2007
By proudmama27 (East Sussex) - See all my reviews
When my son started taking piano lessons a couple of months ago, I was terrified of the day that he needed my help with his studies. Thanks to this book, though, I can now look over his shoulder while he's playing and know exactly what it is he's doing--and supposed to be doing--while working through his music lessons.

Not only does this book cover the basics, but I'm confident that I'll be able to help my son with his piano and music lessons for years to come, all the way through to the point where he starts writing his own music. And who knows? Maybe by then I'll be playing music as much as he is now--even thought I've only had the book for a few days, I've been really inspired to try to figure my way through some piano pieces myself, or just sit and play around with chord progressions and some of the other more interesting parts of improvisation covered in this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Really good
For many years I have been trying to find a good enjoyable and readable book on music theory.
Now I have find it. Read more
Published 6 days ago by "Smith" Reader

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly useful
Yet another delightful addition to the Dummies series on Music. I approaching Theory with some students, as there is already some distant memory, probably from siblings or peers,... Read more
Published 4 months ago by J. Hutchings

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 stars!
I find this book very useful when it comes to teaching my students about music theory, it keeps things nice and simple. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Diane K

5.0 out of 5 stars music theary for dummies
This book is so informative and so easy to understand.It really is like a few years lessons all crammed into a great book.
Published 7 months ago by Anne O'Connor

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