Customer Reviews

The Complete Book of Scales, Chords, Arpeggios and Cadences: Includes All the Major, Minor (Natural, Harmonic, Melodic) & Chromatic Scales - Plus Additional Instructions on Music Fundamentals

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Alfred's Books have always been some of the best learning materials available. This book is no different. The book has all the scales every student should master as well as some informative information regarding music fundamentals. The book is of high quality with bright big text and is very easy on the eyes. They used quality paper and ink for this book. The paper stock is thick and sturdy so it can stand up to some abuse. The one thing I wish was included was a spiral binding. Once you get into these types of books, it becomes difficult to lay flat on the piano desk without the pages closing. Minor gripe, you can take it to Fedex office to get it binded for around $6 if it becomes too bothersome to you.

I am a beginner and bought this to supplement my music lesons. I am finding it wonderful and have been playing from it for a couple weeks now. It has suggessted findering for the scales. Each scale has the basic two octives followed by contrary motions and then two variations. Each is pretty humbling - I think I have it down until I try the 6ths or such and find I have to learn it again. Second page has the cords and arpeggios. The written background information is interesting and useful explanation of why some of the scales developed as they did. My teacher is also impressed by it. Well worth the price.

Scales are not fun but form the foundation of all music understanding. This is an excellent book providing many exercises in all the foundational principles of music. Regardless of what instrument played, all good musicians benefit from a strong understanding and mastery of the content of this book.

Scales and chords are the building blocks of learning piano, and are tied into basic music theory. This book is an excellent and easy-to-understand reference for that, and has exercises that help develop good skills.

I find it essential for practice and just for looking up stuff I've forgotten. If you're a self-study looking for something to supplement your method books, get this book. If you have a piano teacher, chances are he or she has already recommended picking up this or something similar.

I just started playing the piano 4 weeks ago and purchased several books on music theory and the like. After reading many of the books, I was left with several questions relative to major and minor scales etc. This book answered all of the quesitons I had in the first 10 pages. As I make progess with my playing, I'm sure this book will be an invalueable tool as well as an excellent reference. I highly recommend it...

This book includes all the basic information needed to master scales, arpeggios and other music fundamentals. The importance of practicing the scales is more than just familiarizing oneself with the notes on the board, they also help to practice fingering.

The book also gives a nice overview of some basics of music from cords, triads, fifths, cadences, etc. So yea, if you're beginning the piano or just looking for a good all in one book on the subject I would definitely recommend this one.

The Alfred Complete Book Of Scales, Chords, Arpeggios and Cadences is an extraordinarily well put together format. They spend the first dozen or so pages explaining the theory behind how scales and chords are put together. They do indicate that they are best learned by practice, but the theory at the beginning of the book is an excellent resource.
They formatted the scales extraordinarily well. Starting around page 16 you start the key of C Major, with every major and minor scale following that as well as two pages of Chromatic scales at the end, a page on harmonizing the scales, a page with blocked scales and accelerating scales followed by Expanding scales, and scales in double thirds, double sixths and octaves. After that they have Scales in the Grand Form, followed by broken triads, triad chains and cadences. The back of the book finally has a scale fingering chart.
Back to the format of the regular scales though. I'll illustrate what they do with C Major, which they do for the rest of the scales. All of C Major is listed on the two pages you have open when you turn there. First there are parallel motion in octaves, followed by contrary motion starting on the same note, parallel motion in thirds or tenths, parallel motion in sixths. On the following page (which you're already opened to) they have the C Major Triads: Root Position along with the primary chords, the C Major Cadences, C Major Arpeggios, and Dominant Seventh Arpeggios. This is an excellent resource for any student pursuing understanding in piano.
I have been playing piano for several years and never have grasped such a great understanding of the instrument until purchasing this book. I find that songs come so much more easily now just as long as I practice the scales before playing. The brain is a wonderful thing, but you do need to give it some fundamentals to work with, and this book of scales are the answer.
Well worth the cost, I would've been willing to pay more for this book than the $9 I payed for it. Highly recommended.

First pages give handy explanations of how scales and chords are formed, so you can start from any note and construct the chords yourself.
Scales are easy to read, includes fingerings.
Great book to learn and practice the fundamentals.

What can I say? It's just what the title says: a book that goes through all the scales, illustrating their related chords and arpeggios as well. If that's what you want, I doubt you'll find a better book anywhere near this price.

There are plenty of descriptions here of what's in the book and how it's laid out. After practicing just the C Major scale it's already clear to me these exercises are laying a foundation to improvise all over some jams! I'd gladly pay $50 bucks for this and rate it 10 stars in a heartbeat. It's not a fun beginner's book (which I'm very much a novice), it's for people who wanna skip the cutesy stuff and get to work.