Customer Reviews

Techniques and Materials of Music: From the Common Practice Period Through the Twentieth Century (with eWorkbook Printed Access Card)

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

 

 

This is a perfect textbook for college students in their first two years. Part of the beauty of the book is that instructors have a great deal of flexibility in how to organize their beginning music theory classes. One can add more composition projects or less depending on the class. In my opinion, which differs from the first reviewer, music theory is intrinsically not a subject for people to study independently. Music is too complicated with too many chances for misunderstanding. Most people know that they need an instructor to study piano. Why would theory be different? The examples provided in the book are clear, very clear, and can easily be expanded with more complex musical examples and assignments.

This textbook adds other musical textures apart from the often mistaught four part chorale textures with the parallel fifth and octave rules. No one in Bach's day (Bach is the model for this afterall) ever wrote chorales as vertical chord structures despite Walter Piston's strange misportrayal of this texture. Four part chorales are countrapuntal and that's how they're written.

We now have generations of music students teaching who continue this myth to the detriment of their students who pass the nonsense along when they start teaching. Benjamin, Horvit, and Nelson along with Leo Kraft and his excellent books have helped correct this.

This textbook is understandable, putting it far ahead of most of the others. I read Ottman and Piston and they are certainly pedantic and confusing. Both wax on with such lofty nonsense in their efforts to explain some of the most simple things. Why not just be clear?

The students finally have a chance to understand the real stuff with Benjamin, Horvit, and Nelson. I urge you to get a desk copy and decide for yourself.

After years of buying and perusing basic music theory texts, I was discouraged with the main ones for their denseness and tedious nature, such as Piston and Hindemith. For the amatuer wanting a well-designed guide to develop an understanding of how classical music works, this is by far the best. The steps are clear and logical, the exercises just what the learner needs, and the accompanying book of music examples a highly advisable purchase. You could do this on your own without a guide, given the fact that the materials have been tested in the classroom. The bibliography is also useful, if for nothing else than to show you why this vademecum is the most user-friendly and helpful.

I've used this book often in my classes at both UCLA and Santa Monica College. I think it's a terrific book. But the price is just unconscionable! How does the publisher justify such an outrageous price, I wonder.

This book is so wonderful. I love how it so simply explains music theory, so that I can understand it better and become better!! I love it!!

The "eWorkbook Printed Access Card" (EPAC) is useless unless you are enrolled in a University course. There is no way to unlock it because the serial key is not in the book. I called the publisher and they said that I can't use the (EPAC). The only reason I bought this edition is for the (EPAC). I have two other versions with the content barely changed.

Unless you are in a class where this is the required material, My advice is to buy the older used versions and let this publisher sit this version with their useless eWorkbook Printed Access Card.

Know that old saying, "you get what you pay for"? It's not always so.
Copies of this book sell for $150 in places. That is ridiculous, seeing as it's less than an inch thick. It's supposed to cover centuries of music theory, yet each principle is explained vaguely and with few examples. If you want to get a really good step-by-step on Western music theory, take a look at Clough and Conley's "Basic Harmonic Progressions," which will give the reader a solid working knowledge of basic music theory ("basic" meaning the core of functional harmony). Unless you have a music class where this thin little book is required, stay far away from it. If I'm not able to sell this book back at the end of this year, I intend to take it to a target range and dispose of it properly. It will be the most expensive target I've ever bought.

This book was used for my Harmony I and II class at Fullerton Community College which was the second and third course in music theory for music majors. I find this book to be very poorly written. IT does not go into to much detail in explaining concepts. The chapter in the book are very short although the reference back section is handy. It is written in a skeletal outline format and does a terrible job at defining new terms. The book is also worthless for self study. Students need the guidance of a professor or music pro to help them learn from the book unless the student is very bright. Most of the examples are written for keyboard which could be burdensome for non keyboard playing people even though I play the keyboard. Also the examples in the book are not good enough and not all of the examples are in four part choral style which is learnt in most college thoery classes.