The Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Music gives you the tools to improve your playing, composing, and listening skills. Ages 12 to 112 will refer to the valuable information in this book again and again.
This book covers the basic theory needed to begin reading music as well as for writing your own musical compositions. Beginning with the basics: basic definitions, note values, key signature, etc. and moving on to more advanced theory including modulations, suspended chords, inversions and cadences, this book flows so that the beginning student can start at the beginning, and working through the book a chapter at a time will gradually gain a concrete knowledge in music theory. The advanced student will be able to begin with the section most beneficial to his or her current quest for knowledge. With over 100 clearly laid out examples learning music theory has never been easier.
Each aspect of music theory includes examples written in musical notation, as well as guitar and piano fingering positions. The examples used are not taken from classical composition, rather they were written by the author for the sole purpose of getting a particular point across. They are not complicated, drawn out, or overloaded with unnecessary notes, they are simple, concise and to the point. Classical compositions, written by musical masterminds, are wonderful works of art, however, for beginners, this book includes more simplified examples which should be used only as learning tools. Once the theory is learned, you can go on to compose your own wonderful musical pieces as well as learn and understand those wonderful compositions by musical masterminds.
A section on guitar solos is also included. After perfecting the patterns in the Solo section the guitarist will be able to play solo in any key and any style of music.
One of the most spectacular aspects of this book is the Music Theory Summary Sheet found at the end of the book. This summary sheet is jam packed with important theory information. Chords, scales, flats, sharps, note values, intervals, chords chord progressions and much more can all be found on this summary sheet.
