Music Theory Essentials offers an antidote to music theory textbooks that are overly long and dense. Focusing on the essentials, this text provides a clear-cut guide to the key concepts of music theory. Beginning with no assumptions about music theory knowledge, the book covers the core elements of music fundamentals, diatonic and chromatic harmony, post-tonal theory, and popular music in a single concise volume. Emphasizing critical thinking skills, this book guides students through conceptualizing musical concepts and mastering analytic techniques. Each chapter concludes with a selection of applications designed to enhance engagement: Exercises allow students to apply and practice the skills and techniques addressed in the chapter. Brain Teasers challenge students to expand their musical understanding by thinking outside the box. Exploring Music offers strategies for students to apply learned concepts to the music they are currently learning or listening to. Thinking Critically encourages students to think more deeply about music by solving problems and identifying and challenging assumptions. A companion website provides answers to book exercises, additional downloadable exercises, and audio examples. Straightforward and streamlined, Music Theory Essentials is a truly concise yet comprehensive introduction to music theory that is accessible to students of all backgrounds.

THEORY ESSENTIALS is a two-volume text that offers a unique, total solution to teaching music theory. Integrating all the components of the two-year music theory sequence, each volume (and its accompanying workbook that can be purchased separately) fully synthesizes the major topics in music theory with aural skills, keyboard applications, and examples from the literature. Offering terrific value, THEORY ESSENTIALS replaces the need for the four separate texts traditionally required for the music theory sequence (theory, ear training/sight singing, keyboard harmony, and an anthology). The result is a remarkable, carefully-paced synthesis of these components that moves from a solid grounding in Fundamentals through Diatonic Harmony (in Volume I), and from Secondary Function chords through Twentieth-Century Techniques (in Volume II).

Basic Music Theory takes you through the sometimes confusing world of written music with a clear, concise style that is at times funny and always friendly. The book is written by an experienced teacher using methods refined over more than ten years in his private teaching studio and in schools. --from publisher description.

Covers everything novice musicians and lifelong learners need to know. Full of music trivia, music history, comprehensive instruction and visual aids, music symbols, and chords throughout. This is a crash course in music theory that even professionals will enjoy.

Master musical skills quickly and easily! From classical music to new age, hard rock, and pop, music has always played an important role in everyday life. Whether you're an intermediate musician or an aspiring music major, The Everything Essential Music Theory Book is a guide to mastering one of the most important tools for every musician: musical understanding. This compact, portable volume covers all the basics, including: The construction of chords and scales How to understand rhythm and time signatures How keys are identified and organized Creating harmonization and melody With each clear and easy-to-understand chapter, musician and educator Marc Schonbrun takes you through the essentials of music theory--the very glue that holds music together.