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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory, 2nd Edition

by: Miller, Michael (Author)

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory, 2nd Edition

by: Miller, Michael (Author)

ISBN 13:
9781592574377
ISBN 10:
1592574378
Edition: 2nd
Format: Paperback
Copyright: 09/06/2005
Publisher: ALPHA BKS.
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Summary

Published in 1992, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory has proven itself as one of Alpha's best-selling books and perhaps the best-selling trade music theory book ever published. In the new updated and expanded second edition, the book includes a special CD and book section on ear training. The hour-long ear-training course reinforces the basic content of the book with musical examples of intervals, scales, chords, and rhythms. Also provided are aural exercises students can use to test their ear training and transcription skills. The CD is accompanied by a 20-page section of exercises and examples.

Part 1: Tones

(54)

Pitches and Clefs

(14)

Understanding Musical Tones

(1)

Tones Have Value

(3)

What's the Frequency, Kenneth?

(1)

Play by Numbers

(1)

Do Re Mi

(1)

Tones Have Names

(3)

Learning the ABCs

(1)

Notes on a Piano Keyboard

(1)

Notes on a Staff

(2)

Above---and Below---the Staff

(1)

Different Clefs

(6)

The Treble Clef

(1)

The Bass Clef

(1)

The Grand Staff

(1)

Specialty Clefs

(1)

The Percussion Clef

(3)

Intervals

(10)

Be Sharp---or Be Flat

(1)

Stepping Out

(1)

A Matter of Degrees

(8)

First Things First

(2)

Major and Minor Intervals

(1)

Perfect Intervals

(1)

Augmented and Diminished Intervals

(1)

Beyond the Octave

(1)

Intervals and Half Steps

(4)

Scales

(18)

Eight Notes Equal One Scale

(1)

Major Scales

(3)

Minor Scales

(7)

Natural Minor

(3)

Harmonic Minor

(1)

Melodic Minor

(3)

In the Mode

(7)

Ionian

(1)

Dorian

(1)

Phrygian

(1)

Lydian

(1)

Mixolydian

(1)

Aeolian

(1)

Locrian

(3)

Major and Minor Keys

(10)

Keys to Success

(5)

Using Key Signatures

(1)

Major Keys

(2)

Minor Keys

(2)

The Circle of Fifths

(1)

Accidents Will Happen

(1)

Changing Keys

(3)

Part 2: Rhythms

(34)

Note Values and Basic Notation

(10)

Taking the Measure of Things

(1)

Taking Note---of Notes

(4)

Whole Notes

(1)

Half Notes

(1)

Quarter Notes

(1)

Eighth Notes

(1)

Sixteenth Notes

(1)

Taking Count

(1)

Taking a Rest

(1)

Taking a Note---and Dotting It

(1)

Taking Two Notes---and Tying Them Together

(1)

Taking the Beat and Dividing by Three

(3)

Time Signatures

(10)

Measuring the Beats

(5)

Quarter-Note Time

(1)

Eighth-Note Time

(2)

Half Time

(1)

Changing the Time

(1)

Grouping the Beats

(5)

Tempo, Dynamics, and Navigation

(12)

Taking the Pulse

(3)

Beats per Minute

(1)

Italian Tempo Terms

(2)

Speeding Up---and Slowing Down

(1)

Hold That Note!

(1)

Getting Loud---and Getting Soft

(2)

Dynamic Markings

(1)

Changing Dynamics

(1)

Play It Harder

(1)

More Dynamics

(1)

Finding Your Way

(6)

Repeating Sections

(1)

Repeating Measures

(1)

Repeating Notes

(1)

Repeating Rests

(3)

Part 3: Tunes

(64)

Melodies

(20)

Combining Tones and Rhythms

(1)

Common Melodic Techniques

(3)

Dvorak's New World Symphony

(1)

Bach's Minuet in G

(1)

Michael, Row the Boat Ashore

(1)

Pachelbel's Canon in D

(1)

Composing Your First Melody

(2)

What Makes a Melody Memorable?

(14)

Center on a Pitch

(1)

Make Sure You End Up at Home

(1)

Stay Within the Scale

(1)

Use the Big Five

(1)

Find the Hook

(1)

Create Variations

100

(1)

Write in Four---or Eight, or Sixteen

100

(1)

Make It Move

101

(1)

Take Small Steps

101

(1)

Stay in Range

102

(1)

Avoid Unsingable Intervals

102

(1)

Keep the Rhythm Simple

103

(1)

Stay in Time

104

(1)

Set Up---and Resolve---Tension

104

(1)

Set Up a Call and Response

105

(1)

Establish Symmetry

105

(1)

Balance Repetition and Variety

106

(1)

Follow the Chord Progressions

106

(1)

Follow the Form

107

(1)

Follow the Words

107

(1)

Write for a Specific Instrument or Voice

108

(1)

Be Unique

108

(1)

Learn More About Composing

108

(3)

Chords

111

(16)

Forming a Chord

112

(1)

Different Types of Chords

112

(4)

Major Chords

113

(1)

Minor Chords

114

(1)

Diminished Chords

114

(1)

Augmented Chords

115

(1)

Chord Extensions

116

(4)

Sevenths

116

(3)

Other Extensions

119

(1)

Altered, Suspended, and Power Chords

120

(2)

Altered Chords

120

(1)

Suspended Chords

121

(1)

Power Chords

122

(1)

Inverting the Order

122

(1)

Adding Chords to Your Music

123

(2)

The Complete Idiot's Chord Reference

125

(2)

Chord Progressions

127

(18)

Chords for Each Note in the Scale

127

(3)

Creating a Progression

130

(1)

It's All About Getting Home

130

(1)

One Good Chord Leads to Another

131

(2)

Ending a Phrase

133

(1)

Perfect Cadence

133

(1)

Plagal Cadence

133

(1)

Imperfect Cadence

133

(1)

Interrupted Cadence

134

(1)

Common Chord Progressions

134

(4)

I-IV

134

(1)

I-V

134

(1)

I-IV-V

135

(1)

I-IV-V-IV

135

(1)

I-V-vi-IV

135

(1)

I-ii-IV-V

136

(1)

I-ii-IV

136

(1)

I-vi-ii-V

136

(1)

I-vi-IV-V

136

(1)

I-vi-ii-VI-ii

136

(1)

IV-I-IV-V

137

(1)

ii-V-I

137

(1)

Circle of Fifths Progression

137

(1)

Singing the Blues

138

(1)

Chords and Melodies

138

(7)

Fitting Chords to a Melody

138

(4)

Writing a Melody to a Chord Progression

142

(3)

Phrases and Form

145

(8)

Parts of a Song

146

(1)

Introduction

146

(1)

Verse

146

(1)

Chorus

146

(1)

Bridge

147

(1)

Instrumental Solo

147

(1)

Ending

147

(1)

Putting It All Together

147

(1)

Head Cases

148

(1)

Classical Music Forms

149

(4)

Part 4: Accompanying

153

(32)

Transcribing What You Hear

155

(12)

Training Your Ear

155

(2)

Listening---Actively

157

(1)

Developing Superhearing

158

(6)

Hearing Pitch

158

(1)

Hearing Intervals

159

(3)

Hearing Rhythms

162

(1)

Hearing Melodies

162

(1)

Hearing Keys

163

(1)

Hearing Chords and Chord Progressions

163

(1)

Writing It All Down

164

(3)

Accompanying Melodies

167

(10)

What's the Score?

167

(3)

Working from a Lead Sheet

168

(1)

Working from, a Chord Sheet

168

(1)

Working from a Melody

169

(1)

Working from Nothing

170

(1)

Working the Form

170

(1)

Playing the Part

170

(4)

Block Chord Accompaniment

171

(1)

Rhythmic Accompaniment

171

(2)

Arpeggiated Accompaniment

173

(1)

Moving Bass

174

(1)

One Good Strum Deserves Another

174

(3)

Transposing to Other Keys

177

(8)

Move Your Notes Around

177

(1)

Why You Need to Transpose

178

(1)

Four Ways to Transpose

179

(6)

Step-Wise Transposition

179

(1)

Degree-Wise Transposition

180

(1)

Interval-Based Transposition

181

(1)

Software-Based Transposition

182

(3)

Part 5: Embellishing

185

(38)

Harmony and Counterpoint

187

(16)

Two Ways to Enhance a Melody

188

(1)

Living in Harmony

189

(5)

Voicing and Inversions

189

(3)

Making Harmony Parts More Melodic

192

(1)

Voice Leading

192

(2)

Making a Point---with Counterpoint

194

(4)

Creating Your First Counterpoint

195

(3)

What to Avoid

198

(5)

Avoid Extended Parallel Movement

198

(1)

Avoid Big Leaps

198

(1)

Avoid Dissonant Intervals---Unless They Resolve

199

(4)

Chord Substitutions and Turnarounds

203

(12)

Extending a Good Thing

203

(2)

Altering the Bass

205

(1)

Two Chords Are Better Than One

205

(1)

One Good Chord Can Replace Another

206

(4)

Diatonic Substitution

206

(1)

Major Chord Substitutions

207

(1)

Minor Chord Substitutions

207

(1)

Dominant Seventh Substitutions

208

(1)

Functional Substitutions

209

(1)

Turnarounds

210

(5)

Special Notation

215

(8)

Throwing a Curve

215

(2)

Ties

215

(1)

Slurs

216

(1)

Phrases

216

(1)

The Long and the Short of It

217

(1)

Tenuto

217

(1)

Staccato

217

(1)

When Is a Note More Than a Note?

217

(2)

Grace Notes

217

(1)

Turns

218

(1)

Trills

218

(1)

Glissandos

219

(1)

Arpeggiated Chords

219

(1)

Getting Into the Swing of Things

219

(1)

Getting the Word

220

(3)

Part 6: Arranging

223

(82)

Composing and Arranging for Voices and Instruments

225

(16)

Vocal Arranging

225

(2)

Voice Characteristics

226

(1)

Vocal Ranges

226

(1)

Instrumental Arranging

227

(14)

Instrument Characteristics

227

(3)

Transposition

230

(2)

Good Keys and Bad Keys

232

(1)

Instrumental Ranges

232

(9)

Lead Sheets and Scores

241

(16)

Follow the Rules

241

(1)

Take the Lead

242

(1)

Make It Simple

243

(1)

Chord Sheets

243

(1)

The Nashville Number System

243

(1)

Sing It Loud

243

(4)

Jazz It Up for Big Bands

247

(1)

Strike Up the (Concert) Band

248

(4)

Make the Big Score---for the Symphonic Orchestra

252

(1)

Use the Computer

252

(5)

Performing Your Music

257

(48)

Preparing the Parts

257

(1)

Rehearsal Routines

258

(1)

How to Conduct Yourself

258

(4)

Conducting in Four

259

(1)

Conducting in Two

260

(1)

Conducting in Three

260

(1)

Finding the Beat

261

(1)

Practicing in the Real World

261

(1)

Coda

262

(3)

Appendixes

A The Complete Idiot's Music Glossary

265

(10)

B The Complete Idiot's Chord Reference

275

(4)

C Answers to Chapter Exercises

279

(14)

D The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory, Second Edition, Ear Training Course CD

293

(12)

Index

305

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory, 2nd Edition

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory, 2nd Edition

9781592574377

1592574378

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory, 2nd Edition

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory, 2nd Edition

9781592574377

1592574378

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

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