Customer Reviews

Music Theory Made Easy New Edition (Reference)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I firmly believe that a knowledge of music theory is an indispensable tool for any musician, regardless of what instrument or style they play. Sadly, I see lots of guitarists who don't learn anything beyond downloaded tablature, and even some orchestra musicians who only know how to play what's written in front of them. But in music, just like any other field, it's easy to learn new things and communicate with others once you know the language. Which brings me to this book...

This book is really cheap, skinny enough to fit in a guitar case, good for any instrument, has some funny illustrations, and (best of all) is written very clearly without going against convention. The author starts with some information on the science of sound, a brief history of music development, then looks at notes, scales, chords, progressions, applications to various music styles, and in the end some helpful suggestions on writing songs and jamming with other people. Granted, it's not the complete guide to music theory, and he does get some of the history of Pythagoreas wrong. But it's the perfect introductory book for the many musicians who haven't learned much, if any, music theory (and don't worry -- you don't need to know how to read sheet music to understand this book). If you want to learn the basics of music theory in an inexpensive, straight foward, yet fun way, then buy this book.

Although this book is obviously not geared towards those undergoing heavy-duty classical music training, if you just want to learn what chord construction, chord progression, scales, and a little of what jazz and rock styles are all about, this is the book for you. This is, hands down, the best theory book for the player who just wants to play an instrument well enough to jam with his/her friends or to learn and play songs from a fake book. Even an accomplished musician who knows little about theory (and yes, those people do exist) can benefit from reading this plainly-written, enjoyable, and inexpensive little book.

This book is great! I'm an adult who loves music but whose education was neglected in the field of music theory. This explained all of those "mysteries" and helped me understand that music is simply another language and not just a "gift". The style is clear and easy enough for my 4th grader to understand. It enervated me and made me feel not-so-hopeless and that, yes, someday with practice I can play an instrument and understand why music does what it does.

I can't say whether this book is for everyone or not. What I can say is that, after reading this, I finally "get it." I now UNDERSTAND the concepts of music in a way that lessons and practice just couldn't get into my thick skull. Thanks, Mr. Harp!

The book is written in a very concise and abstract style, so don't be fooled by its small size. It covers most of the major musical concepts (notes, intervals, scales, chords, chord progressions, melody and improvisation) in a way that larger "for morons" books can't seem to describe as well in 10 times the amount of ink.

Two caveats:

1: Just 'cause it's small, don't think you'll flip through it and understand it in 10 minutes. It's still a complex set of concepts, even when "made easy."
2: Don't think that reading this one pamphlet-sized book will allow you to instantly read/write music notation or compose a symphony. I would think this would be obvious, but other reviewers...?

Think of it this way: For the price of a six-pack, there's an excellent chance that while reading this book you'll understand music with sudden "oh wow!" clarity. I got it, and now I get it, and so should you!

I've got a stack of music theory and improvisation books in my collection but this basic, unpretentious little book is one of the ones I come back to most often. Too many music theory books are abstract and geared toward classical music; this by contract is a very practical little book aimed at people more intersted in pop, rock, jazz, etc. And you can't beat the price.

This is definitely the book that EVERY musician needs. It is filled with information and excellent diagrams. You don't even need to know how to read music to understand this book...so it's great for beginners. This book can also be used with any instrument, even voice.

This book contains *The Science of Sound * A Brief History of Music * Naming the Notes *General Note Names* Roman Numeral Names * Scales:Musical Alphabets * What are Chords? * Chord Structures * Improvisation and Melody * Composing Songs * and more!

I'm glad I bought this book because not only was it helpful, it was also CHEAP! A great book with a great price is a great buy..so buy it!

I do not buy books unless they are REALLY useful. This book taught me much about music theory. If you are a beginner or if you are intermediate in your music knowledge I would recommend this book. It explains what octaves, scales, chords, melodies, rhythm, and so much more are. It also teaches you what a note is (a vibration at a certain rate per second), how the same note an octave higher is vibrating at twice the speed, etc. He makes music theory come alive. I give this book my highest rating. I wish more people would write such easy-to-understand books. It is also very cheap for a book that teaches you so much.

This book is cheap and extremely thin. Despite its unimpressive looks and unpretentious style of teaching, I have learned more about how music is put together from this book than any other book or course that I have tried (which cost exponentially more). This book is perfect for beginners interested in learing to play any musical instrument or music in general. This book delivers knowledge that is absolutely essential to understanding how music is put together, and it also focuses on teaching the many technical terms used in music. After reading this book, you KNOW you've gained valuable, useful knowledge. Imagine having a genuine, solid understanding of the fundamentals of music theory just by reading a simple, 80-page book. That's what Music Theory Made Easy delivers.

I bought this as a short and sweet introduction to music theory. Often, because of the K.I.S.S. principle, shorter books can be less confusing than much longer ones. Not so in this case. A clearer book could have been written in the same number of pages.

Although this did help me learn some of the basics, it left me with far too many unanswered questions. I still don't understand what it means to play a song in a particular key. There are so many notes in a song, how do I know which one(s) determines the key of the song? Although David Harp discusses playing in different keys, he never actually explains how you tell what key the song is being played in.

I haven't read either of them yet, but based on the ratings you may be better off with Edly's Music Theory for Practical People or The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory.

Update: Since originally writing this review I have read "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory", and it is a far better--but far longer--book than this one. It also comes with an ear training CD. I now have no unanswered questions. (The note that a song ends on is usually the key of the song because the song resolves itself on that note. Also, the music notation tells you what key the song is in.) To help learn to read sheet music, I very highly recommend these sheet music flashcards.

The size of the book really makes you expect less but the information contained in it is "dense". The author uses a conversational style, and occasionally advertises his other titles, but the topics are presented very efficiently. I read it over the course of two days and when I got done I knew I was going to be referring back to it for some time.

Some things are very important and only take up half a page but they need to be read about 4-5 times to really "get it". This makes it easy to read too fast and gloss over the details. As you gain understanding you'll appreciate how the author cuts to the chase when explaining things and doesn't ramble on like so many other books.

The Note Finder tool it contains is very handy when learning about chords and scales. Yes you have to make your own and assemble it but it is easy and very worthwhile.

The book will provide the reader a great foundation and some advanced details, such as the complex theories with Jazz, without requiring a daunting 200 pages like some other "introductory" books. This is what an proper introduction to music theory should be like, it would keep many from being scared away and missing out on the fun of understanding and playing music. It is not the end-all-be-all book on the subject, nor does it claim to be. It is just what it claims, an easy reading book that gets you actively using music theory quickly. You will move on to more complete books after this but I can't really think of a better way to be introduced to the subject.

It is worth every penny of its cover price, and then some actually. It is 80 pages but because of the shape of the book, think two paperbacks stacked vertically, it probably contains closer to what a 120-140 page paperback book typically does.