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.

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.

Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory is designed for students of any age, whether listeners or performers, who want to have a better understanding of the language of music. In this all-in-one theory course, you will learn the essentials of music through concise lessons, practice your music reading and writing skills in the exercises, improve your listening skills with the ear-training CDs (available separately or as a Book & CD combo), and test your knowledge with a review that completes each unit. The Student Complete Book includes Books 1-3 in a spiral-bound format. Book 1 (Lessons 1-25): Staff, Notes and Pitches * Treble & Bass Clefs * Grand Staff & Ledger Lines * Note Values * Measure, Bar Line and Double Bar * 2/4, 3/4 & 4/4 Time Signatures * Whole, Half & Quarter Notes/Rests * Dotted Half & Quarter Notes * Ties & Slurs * Repeat Sign, 1st & 2nd Endings * Eighth Notes & Rests * Dynamic Signs, Tempo Marks & Articulation * D.C., D.S., Coda & Fine * Flats, Sharps & Naturals * Whole & Half Step, Enharmonic Notes. Book 2 (Lessons 25-50): Tetrachords & Major Scales * Key Signatures * Chromatic Scale * Intervals, Circle of Fifths * Perfect, Major & Minor Intervals * Augmented & Diminished Intervals * Solfège & Transposition * Sixteenth Notes & Rests * Dotted Eighth Notes & Eighth Note Triplets * Common Time & Cut Time * 3/8 & 6/8 Time Signatures * Pick-up Notes & Syncopation * Primary & Major Triads * Scale Degree Names * Dominant 7th Chord. Book 3 (Lessons 51-75): 1st & 2nd Inversions of Triads * Inversions of V7 Chords * Figured Bass * Major Chord Progressions * Minor Scales, Minor Triads * Augmented & Diminished Triads * Primary Triads in Minor Keys * Minor Chord Progressions * Modes * Harmonizing a Melody in Major and Minor Keys * Broken Chords & Arpeggiated Accompaniments * Passing and Neighboring Tones * Composing a Melody in Major and Minor Keys * 12-Bar Blues Chord Progression & Blues Scale * Basic Forms of Music. The complete line of Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory includes Student Books, a Teacher's Answer Key, Ear-Training CDs, Double Bingo games, Flash Cards, Reproducible Teacher's Activity Kits, and interactive software for students and teachers in private study, studio and network environments.

This book is designed to help guide a beginning music theory dialogue between instructor and student in private one-on-one lessons. Six areas of beginning music theory are covered. the major scale, the natural minor scale, intervals, triads, seventh chords and harmonized major and minor scales. Fingerings, intervallic structures and note names are also diagrammed in each chapter.It is highly recommended that this book is used in the course of study with a professional bass instructor, though many players have found the book to be useful in self-study. A good bass teacher will help explain and demonstrate theory concepts in a live setting and also shed additional light in terms of alternate fingerings, ear training and gaining full technical mastery of theory concepts across the entire fingerboard

Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory is designed for students of any age, whether listeners or performers, who want to have a better understanding of the language of music. In this all-in-one theory course, you will learn the essentials of music through concise lessons, practice your music reading and writing skills in the exercises, improve your listening skills with the available ear-training CDs (sold separately), and test your knowledge with a review that completes each unit. Computer software is also available with randomized drilling of the material and scorekeeping. Book 3 (Lessons 51-75): 1st & 2nd Inversions of Triads * Inversions of V7 Chords * Figured Bass * Major Chord Progressions * Minor Scales, Minor Triads * Augmented & Diminished Triads * Primary Triads in Minor Keys * Minor Chord Progressions * Modes * Harmonizing a Melody in Major and Minor Keys * Broken Chords & Arpeggiated Accompaniments * Passing and Neighboring Tones * Composing a Melody in Major and Minor Keys * 12-Bar Blues Chord Progression & Blues Scale * Basic Forms of Music. The complete line of Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory includes Student Books, a Teacher's Answer Key, Ear-Training CDs, Double Bingo games, Flash Cards, Reproducible Teacher's Activity Kits, and interactive software for students and teachers in private study, studio and network environments.

This practical, easy-to-use, self-study course is perfect for pianists, guitarists, instrumentalists, vocalists, songwriters, arrangers and composers, and includes ear training CDs to help develop your musical ear. In this all-in-one theory course, you will learn the essentials of music through 75 concise lessons, practice your music reading and writing skills in the exercises, improve your listening skills with the enclosed ear training CDs, and test your knowledge with a review that completes each of the 18 units. Answers are included in the back of the book for all exercises, ear training and review.