Customer Reviews

Basic Music Theory: How to Read, Write, and Understand Written Music

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As someone who studied an instrument through high school but had no formal training in music theory, this book didn't tell me much that I didn't already know. It's for people with no performance OR theory background. It doesn't cover anything that you'd expect to learn in a college level class. But, it would be a great for someone who's never learned an instrument or for a kid at the elementary or middle school level. It's very clearly written and easy to understand.

Basic Music Theory by Jonathan Harnum, is an excellent book for people of all levels. Whether you are a beginner, or learned musician, this book is a very comprehensive source of material, that is both accessible,easy to read & understand, and very enjoyable. I have played various instruments over 24 years.And because of Harnum's matter of fact, conversational tone, this book has lent more to my understanding of basic music theory than all my private insturctors combined.

Learning music theory on your own is not something to be tried by the faint of heart, simply because it seems like that for every rule there are fifty million execptions. Sorta like the English language. hmmmm... Anywho, Jonathan Harnum has taken an overly complicated subject matter and made it learable for anyone. And I do mean anyone!! As he explains early in the book, previous music theory books really lack in completely explaining WHY things are the way they are. Harnum de-cryptifies all that is involved with music theory for the non-musician. But this book is not just for the non-musician! I have been a student of music for over 13 years and a teacher for 3 and I found myself finding new and interesting (and humorous) facts about music theory. This book can teach anyone music theory and keep a smile on their face the entire time.

In Basic Music Theory: How To Read, Write, And Understand Written Music, Jonathan Harnum draws upon more than ten years of experience and expertise as a music teacher to present the non-specialist general reader with a definitive and accessible introduction to music theory. At the end of each short chapter a review has been placed to insure that the reader has understood and assimilated the informative provided. Also provided at the conclusion of each chapter is a "practical use" exercise. At the the end of each major section or "Part" is a comprehensive review (complete with cross-referencing to the page number on which the information first appears). After every few chapters and covering other topics are "interludes" ranging from ultra-brief history of musical notation, how to practice, conducting, and a lesson in Italian musical terms. Basic Music Theory is an ideal and highly recommended text for anyone of any background wanting to become proficient in the reading, composing, and performance of written and notated music.

I took band in junior high and am now rediscovering my instrument in college on my own. I forgot a lot of stuff since junior high and got this book as a present. Its great! Funny and simple, even when it explains tough ideas, like key signatures. The tricks he uses to get information across are great and have helped me a lot. This is a great book for anyone from junior high to adult!

4 stars for Content
0 stars for Kindle Format

The first quarter of the book was a clean, concise, and excellent introduction to Music Theory. Unfortunately, the Kindle version of the book was poorly formatted; it's as if they did a basic export of the content and didn't review how it looked!

Examples & tips were horribly illegible; some of the tip graphics were out of order, and the musical notes didn't coincide with the proper labeling because of it. I neared the end of chapter too, and couldn't take it anymore- the whole chapter on rhythm was lost entirely to formatting! I sent a note to Amazon, and received a refund... but I hope they take extra steps to improve the digital format. Until then, back to physical book for me.

Update: The author, Jonathan Harnum, was nice enough to email me personally thank me for the formatting comments. He plans on tackling as soon as possible - a welcome change, looks like I'll be buying the book again very soon. This is a top notch author, it's great to see such interaction in the online world!

Most of my best teachers have been books, and this one is certainly added to my list. In high school what theory I did get was confusing and boring. Not so with this book. It's clear, concise, and maybe what I liked the best was it's style. It reminded me of sitting down and playing with a friend who knows more than I do and is willing to teach me what he knows. It's so much easier to learn that way. Great book. I highly recommend it!

Based on the reviews I read here, I bought the book. I was disappointed. The "humor" and "fun" are overshadowed by the fact that book is shallow in its coverage of music theory. I was especially irritated that it teaches the names Tonic and Dominant, but leaves out the other degrees of the scale. I hope there's something better out there.

Basic Music Theory by Jonathan Harnum explains the subject in a manner that is light-hearted and easy to follow. For someone in their late forties (like me) who hasn't had formal music training since the age of thirteen, nor picked up a musical instrument until now, it's been extremely useful. To the extent that the dots, p's and d's on a musical score actually have meaning. There is a free pdf version of this book online (1st edition, which you can't print) but, honestly, it's well worth paying to get the hard copy. I can now say that I'm able to read music and understand some of the more-complex musical arrangements. I've been playing the saxophone for about 18 months now and the book has helped to bring me from a level of not being able to read music up to one of reasonable competence at sight reading.

The book is set out in seven parts, each part progressing the readers knowledge and ability in a logical manner. Naturally, parts 5, 6, and 7 require more of the reader than the earlier chapters, but I haven't come across anything that better explains the theory behind intervals and chords. It's an American book with American notation, so Harnum talks in terms of whole notes and fractions of notes, not crotchets and quavers, but that's fine with me.

I have two pieces of advice... Buy the book and, don't skip any section, test, or review until you're absolutely certain you understand the theory. Otherwise you'll either be a less competent musician, or you'll end up re-reading sections (like I did!).

Finally someone came up with a basic music theory book that's actually understandable and readable. Mr. Harnum explains complicated concepts in a way that even someone like me without any music background can easily understand them. I am looking forward to playing an instrument thanks to his help. This is by far the best music theory book I have ever read!