A Practical Approach to Understanding Music Theory - 1st
Charles Brooks, University of North Alabama
Copyright Year: 2022
Publisher: University of North Alabama
Language: English
Formats Available
Conditions of Use
Attribution-NonCommercial
CC BY-NC
Reviews
This is very much an entry-level book on the topic. It does not cover enough topics to be used as a traditional "music theory textbook," and it doesn't cover the included topics in enough depth to be a true fundamentals textbook. read more
This is very much an entry-level book on the topic. It does not cover enough topics to be used as a traditional "music theory textbook," and it doesn't cover the included topics in enough depth to be a true fundamentals textbook.
I did not notice any factual errors, but there were two things that I consider issues of bias (meaning I have a problem with them but others might not): First, the harmony chapter is focused on the circle of fifths, which is not inaccurate but misses much of the nuance of harmonic function. Second, 6/8 is counted as 6 beats to the measure whereas most theorists would say it is two beats with three subdivisions. These could create problems in a college setting but would be acceptable if an adult were using the text for self-study, which I think is the best use of this book.
Much of the material in this book is introductory, and that information is unlikely to change. However, current emphasis in theory pedagogy is on harmonic function, which is missing from this book. Also, the unit on form is missing information currently prominent in the field.
This book is clear and written in an approachable style.
This book felt very consistent.
The book can be broken up, although many sections are very short. I'm not sure there is enough content to sustain a semester-long course though.
Each chapter is organized clearly, and the books' chapters contain what you would expect. However, the last chapter is not really about music theory-it's more about general music study. I didn't dislike the chapter but I did question it's presence in such a brief book.
Everything seemed fine with the interface.
Generally fine.
It is not offensive in any way.
My biggest concern about this textbook is that it does not contain enough information on its own to support a semester-long class in music theory, even at the introductory level. It also does not contain any musical examples or exercises. This significantly limits its value for college instructors. That being said, I could see this book being very useful for adults wanting to learn to read and start to understand music. The text is relatively wordy, perhaps too much so for an undergraduate student, but I think an adult would enjoy reading it and could certainly learn enough information from the text to support private study on an instrument or voice. If you are teaching an adult beginner I would highly recommend this textbook as a free way to learn the basics of music and identify areas they might be interested in studying in more detail.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Dedication
Section One
Section 1.1: Basics
Section 1.2: Reading Music
Section 1.3: Form and Structure
Section Two: Melody
Section 2.1: Scales
Section 2.2: Flavor of Music Using Scales
Section 2.3: Modes
Section Three: Harmony
Section 3.1: Circle of Fifths
Section 4: Rhythm
Section 4.1: Notation
Section 5: Putting it all Together
Section 5.1: Practice, Application, and Performance
Back Matter
Acknowledgements
Ancillary Material
About the Book
A Practical Approach to Understanding Music Theory is a textbook designed for the non-music performance major or music business/audio engineer who needs to professionally interface with musicians without needing to write or compose music. The material is designed around a spiral learning model in which a very simple straightforward concept is introduced, defined and explained. From this point and forward the book adds one element of music theory after another until a broad base of musical understanding and application is achieved. Even though the spiral learning model has a linear approach, the book is also laid out in a manner that any music student or hobbyist may treat it as a research manual to search out specific explanations of musical situations they encounter. This text is meant to be an all-inclusive explanation of how music is created, graphically distributed and performed for those who are not majoring in music theory, performance or education. It is aimed at those who are seeking a career in audio engineering, music business, artist representation, minoring in music, teaching lessons in a local community or someone who just wants to learn to play and understand music on a deeper level. The material is designed around a spiral learning model in which a very simple straightforward concept is introduced, defined and explained. From this point and forward the book adds one element of music theory after another until a broad base of musical understanding and application is achieved. Even though the spiral learning model has a linear approach, the book is also laid out in a manner that any music student or hobbyist may treat it as a research manual to search out specific explanations of musical situations they encounter. This text is meant to be an all-inclusive explanation of how music is created, graphically distributed and performed for those who are not majoring in music theory, performance or education. It is aimed at those who are seeking a career in audio engineering, music business, artist representation, minoring in music, teaching lessons in a local community or someone who just wants to learn to play and understand music on a deeper level.
About the Contributors
Author
Charles Brooks, DMA is a professional jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, hand drummer, pianist, clinician, composer, and educator. He is a 2015, a 2017, and 2018 Grammy-nominated educator. In 2017, he was recognized by international audio component giant K&K Sound by receiving the honor of being named a 2017 K&K Sound Company Artist of the Month. In Summer 2019, his vibraphone dissertation was selected by the international Percussive Arts Society for inclusion in their research archives; his dissertation is one of only four included in those archives. In addition to teaching, composing, performing, and recording, he released his first full-length solo percussion album, Empty Hand, in January 2018. His second full-length solo album, Inward Reflection: Music for Meditation & Relaxation, was released in Summer 2019, and his third solo full-length album Soul Magnet released Fall 2019. He is currently working on his fourth album Soul Survivor.