Wow! eBook
Basic Music Theory, 4th ed.: How to Read, Write, and Understand Written Music 4th Edition
Author(s): Jonathan Harnum (Author)
- Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
- Publication Date: October 27, 2013
- Edition: 4th
- Language: English
- Print length: 226 pages
- ISBN-10: 1492831638
- ISBN-13: 9781492831631
Book Description
What do all those lines and squiggles and dots mean?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 music teacher using methods refined over more than twenty years in schools and in his private teaching studio. Lessons are fun, well-paced, and enjoyable.Whether you’re a beginner of any age, whether you’re an experienced player who wants to bone up on your theory, or whether you teach music and need a fun way to do it, you’ll find this book valuable and will refer to it again and again.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Basic Music Theory is an ideal and highly recommended text for anyone of any background wanting to become proficient in the reading, composing, and performance of written and notated music.”–Midwest Book Review(5 stars, highest rating)
“This is a book that covers lots of ground without ever appearing “difficult.” It is written in a breezy, conversational manner, so one “talk” naturally drifts into the next.”
–KLIATT Library Review Service“Basic Music Theory by Jonathan Harnum explains the subject in a manner that is light-hearted and easy to follow. For someone in their late forties (like me) who hasn’t had formal music training since the age of thirteen, it’s been extremely useful. I can now say that I’m able to read music and understand some of the more-complex musical arrangements. I’ve been playing the saxophone for about 18 months now and the book has helped to bring me from a level of not being able to read music up to one of reasonable competence at sight reading.
–Chris Ward (Kendal, UK)“Basic Music Theory by Jonathan Harnum, is an excellent book for people of all levels. Whether you are a beginner, or learned musician, this book is a very comprehensive source of material, that is both accessible,easy to read & understand, and very enjoyable. I have played various instruments over 24 years.And because of Harnum’s matter of fact, conversational tone, this book has lent more to my understanding of basic music theory than all my private insturctors combined. Easy and completely understandable!”
–Ruben Tamayo, Los Angeles, CA Basic Music Theory encompasses more than just the basics for beginning piano or violin students. Anyone who hopes to play any instrument should find this a great starting place. Harnum draws on his experience of having taught thousands of students to produce a book that’s just loaded with information, yet manages to convey that information with a light touch and a bit of humor that makes it understandable for teens and adults, and maybe even for middle school students. -Kathy Duffie, homeschool book reviews. Full review (is.gd/kowore)From the Author
This book was first written over 10 years ago for my students because there were no books like this one at the time (friendly and easy, with concepts simply and clearly explained). I’ve used it with students from grade school through college, as well as older adults with no previous musical experience. This completely updated 4th edition was written after I completed a PhD in music education and realized that the book could be even better. It will help you learn to read music.
From the Inside Flap
Music programs in schools across the United States struggle to make the case for music in an effort to raise funds and in some cases, to keep programs from being cut altogether. Advocates often point to extra-musical benefits in an effort to justify the inclusion of music in the curriculum. Some of these claims have been supported by quality research, and some have not. For example, researchers at McGill University in Canada found that kids who take piano lessons showed improved general and spatial cognitive development; studies at a Miami Veterans Administration hospital indicate that music making may improve the brain’s natural production of regulatory hormones like melatonin; piano students who begin studying by age 7 have a larger corpus callosum (the channel through which the two hemispheres of the brain communicate). Musicians appear to be better able to detect emotion in sound, and hear better in noisy settings according to research from leading auditory neuroscientist Dr. Nina Kraus and her research team at Northwestern University.
Pretty cool stuff, but it’s important to remember that the true benefits of music lie elsewhere. Music is its own reason for existence, as is any art form. To justify the existence of music in the schools, or its general importance by pointing to other effects is like saying that eating food is important to the economy. It’s true, but there is a more fundamental importance that lies deeper.
Reasons for including music and music education in one’s life has nothing to do with larger brains, better social skills, or better math skills, even if these benefits actually exist. The reason for including music in one’s education is that music is a source of authentic and meaningful personal expression, as valid and important as any other personal expression, whether it be linguistic, mechanical, mathematical or scientific. If providing a balanced education is important, music and the other arts must be included.
Written music is a recent development in music history and has only been around for about 800 years in our Western tradition. Many musical traditions, and many highly successful musicians around the world don’t use written music at all. Written music is simply one more tool a musician can draw upon in the pursuit of messing around with sound. Being able to read music is no guarantee that you’ll actually be a musician, of course. In your quest, as soon as you can let go of the written note and dive deeper into the sounds themselves, do it.
The best of luck to you!Jon Harnum 10/15/13
Pretty cool stuff, but it’s important to remember that the true benefits of music lie elsewhere. Music is its own reason for existence, as is any art form. To justify the existence of music in the schools, or its general importance by pointing to other effects is like saying that eating food is important to the economy. It’s true, but there is a more fundamental importance that lies deeper.
Reasons for including music and music education in one’s life has nothing to do with larger brains, better social skills, or better math skills, even if these benefits actually exist. The reason for including music in one’s education is that music is a source of authentic and meaningful personal expression, as valid and important as any other personal expression, whether it be linguistic, mechanical, mathematical or scientific. If providing a balanced education is important, music and the other arts must be included.
Written music is a recent development in music history and has only been around for about 800 years in our Western tradition. Many musical traditions, and many highly successful musicians around the world don’t use written music at all. Written music is simply one more tool a musician can draw upon in the pursuit of messing around with sound. Being able to read music is no guarantee that you’ll actually be a musician, of course. In your quest, as soon as you can let go of the written note and dive deeper into the sounds themselves, do it.
The best of luck to you!Jon Harnum 10/15/13
From the Back Cover
What do all those lines and squiggles and dots mean? 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 music teacher using methods refined over more than twenty years in schools and in his private teaching studio. Lessons are fun, well-paced, and enjoyable.Whether you’re a beginner of any age, whether you’re an experienced player who wants to bone up on your theory, or whether you teach music and need a fun way to do it, you’ll find this book valuable and will refer to it again and again.You will discover how easy it is to:
- Learn quickly and efficiently with easy lessons designed by a professional teacher.
- Learn the symbols used in written music.
- Understand the terms most musicians use.
- Use memory devices to learn terms and symbols.
- Use the study guides to remember it all.
- Apply what you’ve learned with short Practical Use sections at the end of each chapter.
- Find examples of musicians making excellent music.
With Interludes on:
- How to practice: the author conducted his PhD research on music practice. Learn some great practice tips.
- Conducting. What does all that arm-waving mean, and how does it help? Find the answers and learn to do it yourself.
- Learn some Italian. Most musical terms are in Italian. Learn them in this section.
- Ultra-brief history of music notation.
Special Features:
- Piano keyboard with note names
- Guitar fretboard w/ note names
- Chapter & Section reviews
- Practical use exercises
- Extensive cross-references
