Basic Materials in Music Theory: A Programed Course

This book is laid out in excellent, understandable, interesting order and progression. It covers all of the basics, with self paced excercises to facilitate the mastery of the concepts presented. I am using this book for myself now and will use it for my voice students in the future.

I have passed music theory exams prior to using these books, but have never been fully happy with my understanding; especially in the more complex usage of chromatism. Having used these books for a while, I believe them to provide and impart the best understanding of Classical Western music theory for harmony, part writing and voice leading available, I have many other music theory books, most are very good, but this series is far superior to any other. However, it is limited in terms of practical music writing required for diploma and degree exams, so though they cover the theory elements very well, for practical work I would recommend getting a good workbook, here I would recommend getting the ABRMS or Trinity College publications, available via their web sites or their distributors. I would recommend all the books, Basics, Programmed Course 1 & 2, and excellent bridge to 20th Music and Contrapuntal Techniques. Sadly like most college level text books they are expensive!

The content included in "Basic Materials in Music Theory" is nicely annotated and listed by the customer reviewer, johnlski from May 13, 2003. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn the basics in music. As a college professor, I use "Basic Materials in Music Theory" with incoming freshman music majors who have failed their diagnostic exam and need remedial work before entering Theory I. If you are thinking of majoring in music in college, or just want a good basic undertanding of music theory, this is an excellent book to start with. The thorough explanations, along with the immediate feed-back to questions, make it so everyone can use this book on their own. This should be the minimum understanding of music theory that a student has as they enter through the doors of the ivy halls.

I first heard about this book from the Ball State University School of Music. They were explaining the audition process and highly recommended this book for their theory exam. I had already been looking for a music theory book so I decided to get it. It was amazing! It was so easy to learn by myself using this book. Each chapter consists of two columns of 'frames'. On the right is questions and information. After completing the question, you simply uncover the left column to see the answer. Each chapter consists of these frames that slowly build on what you have learned in previous frames until you complete the chapter. It is very simply yet VERY effective. Also at the end of each chapter are 'Mastery Frames' similar to a test. If you get a question wrong it tells you what frames to review in the chapter. Also included at the end of each chapter is an increasingly challenging ear training activity. For those interested here are all the chapters to show what the book covers:1)The Basic Materials of Music: Time and Sound2)The Notation of Pitch3)Time Classification4)Note and Rest Values5)Time Signatures6)Intervals7)The Basic Scales8)The Major Scale9)The Minor Scales10)Key Signatures11)TriadsAlso included in the back are two appendixes on Piano Styles and an Orchestration Chart along with a complete Glossary of Musical Terms. One very useful addition is an extensive bibliography for further study. I can play an instrument proficiently and new basic music theory pertaining to my instrument. After reading this book I have brushed up on all the stuff I thought I completely knew and learned many more things I never knew in regards to basic music theory. I am now at a level where I can begin to start basic compositions- one goal I was aiming for. I would recommend this book without hesitation to anyone interested in Music.

This is the best book I have ever come across for teaching yourself music theory. It starts out like you know nothing about music theory. Then it builds step by step, until by the end of the book, you are well-grounded in music theory. The eleven lessons are easy to follow. They cover such things as note and rest values, intervals, key signatures, scales, and triads. There are plenty of exercises, ear training exercises, and mastery frames. There are 2 other books in this series,by these same authors, using this same format - covering the next steps in musical composition - namely elementary harmony and advanced harmony. I highly recommend these books too. By completing all of the exercises in each of these three books your ability to compose music will be greatly enhanced.