Cengage Advantage Books: A Creative Approach to Music Fundamentals [With Chord Chart]

The book arrived on time and in great condition. It turns out that if you are a student, you want to get the student version, not the instructor's version because the student version comes with an access code for online supplements. The book however is great and is in the exact condition that the seller stated it would be in. Great product!

Criticism of this text as not good for people with little background is somewhat surprising. It begins rhythm with the idea that music is organized around an underlying pulse, then introduces basic note values and meters. It begins pitch at the level of "this is a staff." How much more basic can you get? I am an experienced music theory professor, and I find this an excellent systematic approach to music fundamentals. If you can learn, you can learn very well from this book; if you can teach, you can teach very well from it. My only criticism regards the tear-out exercises. This 9th ed. has been improved so that the tear-outs won't take the rest of the text with them--that was a cheapskate, profit-centered approach to book design. Now they are all at the end of the chapter, albeit lumped together so they still don't come out individually. After students and I have all purchased a copy of the text, I still photocopy and distribute the exercises (now termed "Practice Materials") according to my lesson plans and overall course schedule. The material itself is still presented as clearly and systematically as ever. As with any course content, mastery of material for many students still requires best teaching practices.

Of all the basic theory texts out there, this is the only one that invites the student into a musical exploration of theory. Unlike other basic texts (Damschroder, Conley/Clough, Harder/Steinke), Duckworth's book connects theory with music through numerous musical games and activities. While it is designed for use in a college classroom--many of the activities require an instructor--it can be used for individual study by an advanced beginner. (Someone who has some experience playing an instrument or singing in choirs, for instance.)I highly recommend this book--for beginners, or for teachers who, like myself, are always looking for a way to bring basic material to life. Duckworth does so marvelously.

I thought this was a terrific book when I had it in college! That was way back and it was the 4th ed., but I doubt it's changed much (I need to buy it myself). This book covers all the "basics" of music. Now, I'm a little biased because I learned the very true basics of music through several years of band as a kid (notes, scales, basic time, etc), but there are still very many things I never learned from those kid days that are contained herein. It is concise and complete, covering many topics and makes it easy to understand everything very quickly. I was devastated when the last WEEK of the semester I left the book somewhere - and when I tried to find it in the likely places that day, it was gone. Some other engineering student (I was taking this as an extra class) probably picked it up and realized what a great source it was. I liked it so much I went back to the school store during the next-semester sale to buy one - only to see the department had given it up for another book! Bummer!

I hope that no one was scared away by my use of the word theory. Most people seem to fear and laothe music theory but this book offers a simple and easy way to learn the basic elements of theory. William Duckworth has explained everything with the utmost concern for the reader's comprehension of the material. Useful excercises are provided after each lesson. This book is structured like a textbook but it is also a useful learning tool for someone with mere interest.