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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory (Paperback)

~ (Author) "As you can tell from the title, this is a book about music theory..." (more)
Key Phrases: diatonic substitution, music notation programs, major second higher, The Least You Need, Exercises Exercise, Next Note Tonic (more...)

4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (76 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory breaks down a difficult subject in a simple way-even for those who think they have no rhythm or consider themselves tone deaf. With clear, concise language, it explains everything from bass-clef basics to confusing codas.

About the Author

Michael Miller is the author of several successful music guides, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Songwriting, Second Edition, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Solos and Improvisation, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing Drums, Second Edition, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Composition. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Alpha (June 11, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0028643771
ISBN-13: 978-0028643779
Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (76 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #509,691 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
As you can tell from the title, this is a book about music theory. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
diatonic substitution, music notation programs, major second higher, underlying chord structure, corresponding major scale, lower melody, concert key, upper melody, related major scale, chord notation, chord sheet, music notation software, slash chords, common chord progressions, arpeggiated accompaniment, extended chords, following table details, following chord progression, neighboring notes, treble clef staff, concert pitch, tonal memory, neighboring tone, basic music theory, suspended chord

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Least You Need, Exercises Exercise, Next Note Tonic, Nashville Number System, Row the Boat Ashore, B-flat Major, Instrument Range, Pachelbel's Canon, Special Notation, Key Signature Chords, Substitutions Substitution Example, The Sound of Music

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Customer Reviews

76 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (76 customer reviews)

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264 of 266 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable, Helpful, and Interesting Intro to Music Theory, August 11, 2003

By	David Bennett "www.ancient-future.net" (Ohio, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Music theory is often seen as unnecessary and boring to even the most musically inclined persons. Many see it as a hindrance to their natural creativity. However, without a sense of music theory, nobody will progress from playing music, to understanding and even writing music.

I took a music theory class in college and used a textbook that tried to say the same things that Miller says, only the textbook was far more confusing. I think this book would actually make a fine textbook for an "Intro to Music Theory" class. He covers most basic topics, even assuming that the reader has no music knowledge. This is good for beginners, but for me it meant that I only skimmed the first few chapters. He does cover more advanced topics such as harmony, counterpoint, transcribing from audio, and transposing. At the end of each chapter, he has quizzes to review and test what was learned in the previous chapter. He includes most important topics in music theory, including scales, pitches, rhythm, melodies, chords, chord progressions, phrases, transcribing, arranging, writing lead sheets, and performing. At the end, the book has a glossary, a guitar and piano chord reference section, and answers to the quizzes at the end of each chapter.

Overall, this book has many good qualities. It is very readable and interesting. He also is able to convey difficult topics in an understandable way without sacrificing his point. Most music theory textbooks cannot do this, and overwhelm the reader. I would say this book is best for students who need an easy-to-understand book to complement a more advanced book, to clarify what they have learned in a music theory class. It is also good for musicians who don't want to be experts in music theory, but who wish to further their musical abilities. However, as I have said, it also works on its own, and I believe rivals many textbooks that are five times as expensive.

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165 of 167 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done!, April 24, 2003

By A Customer

I have bought many books on Amazon but have reviewed them very rarely. I had to review this one though because I think it fills such a significant void. I have struggled with learning music theory for quite a long time and have used standard texts such as Walter Piston's famous book "Harmony". I've always felt very disoriented and have never failed to lose the forest for the trees...until I bought "Music Theory, The Complete Idiot's Guide".

It breaks you in very slowly. In fact, it assumes that you don't even know how to read music. This may make for a few wasted chapters for those who already do such as myself however even these chapters have some useful, not frequently taught information.

The rest of the book (the vast majority) is incredibly useful and GENTLE! Miller doesn't give you too much information, just enough to get you going, to familiarize yourself with the language of melody, chords, chord progressions, voicing and rhythm. The book is clearly geared to people who wish to compose or write arrangements and will get you started at these endeavors very quickly without a lot of overly complicated theory.

If it's a detailed, exhaustive textbook you're looking for, forget it. You'll be extremely disappointed. But if it's a quick, user-friendly introduction to this very complex business then you should definitely check this out. Having read it, I feel much more willing and able to look at more advanced books. Considering the objectives Miller has for his book, I'd definitely give it five stars for achieving those objectives.

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56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great accessible guide to music theory - especially for the beginner, July 15, 2006

By	calvinnme "Texan refugee" (Fredericksburg, Va) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

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This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

My background is in engineering and computer science. However, I do a lot of multimedia programming, and when it came to writing code for computer music I was at a loss because I have no formal musical training whatsoever. I've never played an instrument and I probably never will. However, I found it disabling to be unable to read music or understand the language of music theory when it came to reading the many helpful works on computer music that are in print and on the web. This book appeared to be what I was looking for and it turned out I was correct in my choice. It takes you from the absolute beginning, assuming you can't even read music, and takes you from intervals through phrases through counterpoint and into composition and performance. There are very helpful exercises at the end of every chapter with solutions at the end of the book, making this a good choice as a textbook or an excellent and inexpensive means of self study.

Part one talks about the notes of a scale,the different types of clefs and staves, the intervals between notes, major and minor scales, and keys and key signatures. Part two, on rhythm, starts by teaching you what simple whole notes are and moves on to sixteenth notes and syncopations. Also covered are time signatures, tempo and dynamics, and how to navigate through a piece of music. In part three, Tunes, you learn how to put tones and rhythms together to create a melody. Next you learn how to add chords to your tunes and find out about chord progressions and song forms. At this point, you have what you need to create your own pieces of music. Part 4, on accompaniment, teaches you how to train your ears so you can write down music as you hear it. You'll be able to create simple accompaniment parts on piano or guitar. Last, this section shows you how to take a song in one key and transpose it to a totally different key. Part 5, on embellishment, shows how to fill out your music with harmonies and counterpount, and how to add fancy chord substitutions to your tunes. The last section is on arranging music. It talks about how to write for specific voices and instruments and how to create attractive master scores and lead sheets. You also learn how to conduct your music in front of a choir, band, or orchestra. The appendices contain a complete glossary of terms, a chord reference, and answers to the chapter exercises.

I read the entire book, although parts one through three, which focuses on music literacy, are what I concentrated on because it coincided more to my needs. Parts 4 through 6 are more on performance and composition. I was so impressed by the book that I also bought "Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Composition", which I found equally accessible. I highly recommend both books.

Note that there really is very little difference between the first and second editions of this book, which makes sense because music theory does not change much over time. The parts of the second edition of book and chapters that they are composed of have identical titles and near identical content to the first edition. The only real difference is that the second edition has an audio CD in it that contains "The Complete Idiot's Guide Ear Training Course". If that is not important to you, going with the first edition and saving some money might be a good idea.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Music Theory
This is a good book for studying at school. It is helpful and insightful. You can even read it if you're not at school it's still a great tool for you to dive into, if you're... Read more

Published 1 month ago by RIKKI

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Brilliant
This book is brilliant.

The explanations of music theory are not only given with crystal clarity but in a way that makes it fun to learn. Read more

Published 1 month ago by michael dennett

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent summary of useful theory concepts
I'm a semiprofessional, classically-trained musician. This book was a fabulous way to fill the gaps in my general theory knowledge. Read more

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5.0 out of 5 stars Idiot's Guide to Music Theory
This book answered virtually all my questions about the theory of making, writing, and recording music; I really like it!

Published 2 months ago by Mack Henderson

5.0 out of 5 stars good for beginners
good for beginners or even those who just want to brush up on there stuff.

Published 2 months ago by Caleb J. Nielsen

2.0 out of 5 stars Can't stand on its own
You need a teacher, or someone who knows what they're doing, to help you along with this book. When you hit an exercise you don't understand, all you have to fall back on are the... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Alec

5.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Comprehensive
I'm an amateur trumpet player just used to reading from sheet music. I knew absolutely nothing about modes, chords, progression, or transposition. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Shastastan

5.0 out of 5 stars PACKED with all you ever wanted to know
And a whole lotta stuff you didnt know was out there. If you cant learn to read music with this, you may never learn, because this ones the one is pretty darn good.

Published 5 months ago by Shuree D. Munden-Wagstaff

5.0 out of 5 stars IT'S INCREDIBLE!!!
I'm a college student at McNally Smith College of Music, and I read this book a couple of years before I started attending. Read more

Published 6 months ago by RockinRobin411

2.0 out of 5 stars Ok
I think it is goes to fast... not as simple as I thought! I don't know anything about music.

Published 7 months ago by Mycologist

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