Theory books!?

[y2stevo]

Hey Guys,

I wondered If you could tell me if you know of any theory related books there are that go about it in a kind of course, that builds up your knowledge rather then what I usually do , which is pick bits and pieces that are advanced or intermediate or whatever but I never really go from the bottom and work my way up, I find that doing so tho helps with anything I do whatever it be,so would you know fo any such books??also preferrably guitar related or based on the guitar..

I Have sheets of Sound but I'd also like to use it in conjunction with a thoery book also, as I find sheets of sounds to be more applied theory than actually teaching it ..I just wanna build up some good foundations on my theory too..

Cheers

[bluesman]

I have Practical Theory for Guitar:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...007900-1970311

I'm just starting it so I can't tell you how well its written but I based my decision to purchase it on favorable reviews at Amazon.

The publisher says, "A guitar player's guide to music theory. This book is a complete theory course with recorded examples that put everything in an applicable, musical context. The recording includes all the musical examples and play-along tracks."

[y2stevo]

Cool, Thanks bluesman

That book seems pretty good, It seems to have alot of content on single sections too jdging by the page numbers, 4 or so for each mode..


If anyone else has experience with any similar books i'd be greateful

[bluesman]

If you want to know any specifics about the book that you can't find online before you buy it, let me know and I'll look at my copy for you.

[EricT]

The Jazz Theory Book by Mark Levine covers just about everything, it's considered the Bible of theory by many.
It's geared mainly towards jazz, though, so if that ain't your thing, you might want to look elsewhere.

[art420guitar]

"getting into jazz-fusion guitar" on mel bey is really good and straight to the point. i've learned a lot from it. comes with a CD and jam tracks but no licks, so it makes you come up with your own sounds once you study each chapter. somebody here bought it and stated they liked it as well. don't let the name of it throw you off, it's not geared toward jazz, it's really an all around theory primer that starts with the basics and is easy to understand.

[spaceboy]

aha, what i think would be PERFECT for you (though Bluesman's suggestion sounds pretty damn good) is the ABRSM (associated board [of the] royal school of music) official theory grade books.

they go through from grade 1 to 7-8, though most people consider grade 5 to be as much as you need to know without getting overly technical, and you can buy a book per grade that is full of examples and excercises. it's very good for doing in conjunction with a more concise theory reference book, so you work through the excercise books and when it doesn't explain something properly, look it up. so you get the best out of that annoyingly dense theory book, and you get to do the excercises.

it's been going for yonks, so is really well structured, and i see you're in Ireland, so it'll be nice and easy to get a hold of. just go to the abrsm site i think.

[y2stevo]

Hey Spaceboy thats exactly what I had in mind, althouh it only came to mind last night when i was in the waiting room for guitar lessons and hear one of the teachers ask the secretary for the grade 6 guitar book, and I was like"You can get grade books!?" in my mind of course...Do they come as seperate books? or package?, and roughly how much would i be spending on 'em..
Would Amazon or similar have them?

Cheers

[y2stevo]

Ah, I found the abrsm site.. Im confused to what all the different boks are though, there are past papers and what seems to be lesson books, or what appear to be lesson books..Am i looking for "First steps in Music Theory Grade 1-5"?
I might get the book Bluesman recommended too so mabye they might go hand in hand..

[spaceboy]

hey, well i had a look at the site, and there sure is a lot of stuff there! well it's the Music Theory In Practice workbooks that i did (and was thinking of) but although they explain MOST things before the examples, they don't explain EVRYTHING, and especially not fully, so without a teacher to guide you through you may want one of the textbooks to refer to for specific stuff. I know the AB guide and the First Steps in Theory are both perfectly adequate

[y2stevo]

Spaceboy Cheers..

I was Gonna order tonight or tomorrow, so would you recommend that i get the first 5 grades now or get each seperatly, The first would be much more convienient so I guess i've answered my own question..I think I'll go with "The First steps in Music Theory" too..Seems like it might be a bit better laid out but you can never really judge a book by its cover eh?

Also do you have any insight into the Guitar Grade Books?
I'll probobly Consider them later on down the road?

Cheers

If you want other, similar, material, you can download Trinity College London past exams for free:

http://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/inde...aded.downloads

Mike

[bluesman]

What's a Quaver?

[lhallam]

Originally posted by bluesman
What's a Quaver?

British for 1/4 note.
Semi-quaver - 1/8 note
demi-semi-quaver - 1/16 note

and my fave:

hemi-demi-semi-quaver = 1/32 note

[spaceboy]

Originally posted by y2stevo
Spaceboy Cheers..

I was Gonna order tonight or tomorrow, so would you recommend that i get the first 5 grades now or get each seperatly, The first would be much more convienient so I guess i've answered my own question..I think I'll go with "The First steps in Music Theory" too..Seems like it might be a bit better laid out but you can never really judge a book by its cover eh?

Also do you have any insight into the Guitar Grade Books?
I'll probobly Consider them later on down the road?

Cheers

no probs!

as for guitar grades, i've got the Rock School (done by Trinity College) Grade 8 book, and it seems to be all you need. 6 cool pieces, an example of a quick study piece you'd get in an exam, and a list of the scales/arpeggios n stuff that you need to know.

annoying thing is that they don't do grade 7! no idea why. they just go 1 2 3 4 5 6 8. annoying, cos grade 8's a bit tough right now, and grade 6 seems a bit too simple... but they're good.

there's lots of other ones out there. there's some sort of Guild or Association or something of Guitar Teachers for the UK, and I remember they had grade books that they do on their site... but i can't find em anymore.

have fun