Idiot's Guides - Music Theory Read online

  The knowledge of how different notes work together also helps you expand on the simple melodies you’re currently playing. When you know theory, you know how to accompany a melody with chords and how to voice those chords so that they sound good to your ears. You also can learn how to turn that simple melody into a full-blown arrangement for groups of voices and instruments, and how to create your own melodies and compositions.

  Without a knowledge of basic music theory, you won’t be able to fully express your musical ideas; nor will you be able to share those ideas with others.

  Music Theory Is Useful

  Of course, it isn’t just professional musicians who need to know theory. Even if you’re just playing music or singing for your own personal enjoyment, a knowledge of theory will help you better appreciate it.

  Here’s an example: let’s say you’re helping out at your daughter’s school and someone, knowing that you’re a musician, asks you to work up an arrangement of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” for the upcoming school pageant. There are two girls and one boy in the class who sing pretty well, and another boy who knows how to play trumpet. You’ll accompany them on guitar.

  This doesn’t sound like a tall order, but it does require a lot of theory to complete! First of all, you need to know how to read and write music—which includes the knowledge of clefs and keys and time signatures. Then you need to know about chords and chord progressions and how to create harmonies and counterpoint. You also need to know how to arrange music for different voices and instruments, and even how to transpose music from one key to another. (That’s because the trumpet reads music in a different key from everybody else.)

  You see the problem. If you don’t know your theory, you won’t be able to complete this rather simple assignment. It’s as simple as that.

  When you know the theory behind the music, playing and singing gets a lot more interesting. With a little grounding in theory, it’s easier to understand why some melodies are more appealing than others, and why certain chord progressions work better with certain melodies. You’ll see how harmony works, which will really help if you’re singing background or accompanying someone on piano or guitar. You’ll even be able to arrange music for your choir or band, or to create your own compositions.

  And here’s the neat part: music theory isn’t hard. Once you learn the basic notes and scales, the rest falls together fairly easily. After all, a chord is just three notes played together. That’s all—just three notes. And a song is nothing more than a few chords strung together in a series, along with a melody—which is just a series of notes all in a row. Figuring out what goes where (and which notes sound good together) is what theory is all about.

  Music Theory Is for Nonmusicians

  Music theory isn’t just for musicians, either. A lot of listeners out there are curious about how music is created. Just what makes a particular song so special? Why does some music sound uplifting, and other music sound sad? And just what are your musician friends talking about when they say things like “cool changes” or “take this up a third”?

  You don’t have to be a music student to be interested in how music works—just as you don’t have to have a literature degree to be interested in how words and sentences fit together. Basic music theory is for anyone who is interested in music; the more you know, the more you can appreciate the music that you listen to.

  Music Theory and Me

  There are many different ways to learn music theory. Your school might have music theory classes you can take. Your music teacher also might teach a little theory, or know a private teacher you can study with. Or you can learn theory the way I did: by yourself, from a book.

  I taught myself music theory back when I was in eighth grade. My junior high school had the usual general music classes, as well as choir and band, but didn’t have any theory classes. So, because I wanted to arrange some tunes for a band I was in, I had to teach myself the theory behind the arranging.

  My theory education came from a lot of trial and error, and from two books: Dick Grove’s Arranging Concepts: A Guide to Writing Arrangements for Stage Band Ensembles (1972) and David Baker’s Arranging and Composing for the Small Ensemble (1970). Both of these books are still in print today (but in newer editions), and still as valuable as they were back then. I recommend you check them out.

  Now, if you look at the titles of those books, you’ll see that they really don’t have anything to do with basic music theory. There’s theory in the books, of course, but you really have to read between the lines (so to speak) to pull it out. I would have given my right arm back then for a book that focused on beginning-level theory, written at a level that I could comprehend.

  Well, 30 years later, I wrote that book.

  It’s interesting. I was a fairly serious musician throughout my junior high and high school years, and went on to attend the prestigious Indiana University School of Music, in its even more prestigious jazz studies program. But something shifted along the way, and I ended up graduating IU with a business degree, and found myself some years later working in the book publishing industry. After serving my time in the corporate world, I became a full-time writer, writing books about all manner of topics, from computers to business management to home theater systems.

  Then, in 2000, I was asked to write a music book—The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing Drums (available at a bookstore near you). Things had finally come full circle, and I was writing about the music that I loved, and lived, so many years ago.

  That book led to my writing other music books, chief of which is the one you hold in your hands—Idiot’s Guides: Music Theory. The first edition of this book, published in 2002, became an overnight success—one of the best-selling music theory books of all time, with more than 250,000 copies sold worldwide. I’m still amazed at how well this book has been received, and am grateful to the hundreds of thousands of readers who helped to make it so successful. I’m glad to have had the opportunity to introduce a new audience to the joys of music—in, I hope, a manner that is easy to follow, reasonably comprehensive, and somewhat practical. And I’m pleased to present this updated third edition of the book, made even more useful by the inclusion of the Music Theory Ear Training Course online.

  As to the book itself, Idiot’s Guides: Music Theory, Third Edition, is designed to be a self-teaching tool for anyone wishing to learn music theory. The book starts with basic notes and rhythms; advances through scales, melodies, chords, and harmony; and ends with valuable information about accompanying, arranging, and conducting your music. In short, it presents pretty much everything you’ll need to know about music theory—for musicians of any level.

  Of course, I always recommend studying with a good teacher. Even if you’re reading this book, you can learn even more by supplementing the material in these pages with the hands-on instruction you can get from a real human being. To me, that’s really the best of both worlds: self-paced study accompanied by interaction with a good music theory instructor.

  What You’ll Find in This Book

  However you decide to learn, I hope you find the information in this book useful. I’ve arranged the material in such a way that even if you know nothing about music or music theory, you can start on page one and progress through the book, moving from the basics to more advanced concepts. If you do know some theory, you can skip those chapters that you already know and go right to the new material you want to learn. And, once you’ve learned what you need to know, you can still use this book as a reference, to look up those scales or chords that you never can seem to remember.

  Idiot’s Guides: Music Theory, Third Edition, is composed of 21 chapters, each of which presents a different aspect of music theory. The chapters are organized into six general parts, as follows:

  Part 1, Tones, gets you started with reading music. You’ll learn about the notes on a piano, the intervals between different notes, and how those notes combine into different scales. You’ll also learn about clefs and key
s—both major and minor.

  Part 2, Rhythms, shows you how to arrange your notes sequentially in space. You’ll learn how to count and how to notate your music, using whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, and more. You’ll also learn about different time signatures, and about tempo, dynamics, accents, and other musical effects.

  Part 3, Tunes, helps you combine tones and rhythms to create your own melodies. You’ll learn how melodies and chords are constructed; you’ll also learn about chord progressions and different song forms.

  Part 4, Accompanying, shows you how to make more out of your basic melodies. You’ll learn how to write down the songs you hear on the radio, how to accompany simple melodies on piano or guitar, and how to add harmony and counterpoint to your songs.

  Part 5, Embellishing, goes beyond basic theory to present advanced music notation and show you how to transpose music to other keys. You’ll also learn how to spice up your music by substituting more sophisticated chords in your arrangements.

  Part 6, Composing and Arranging, presents real-world advice for creating your own music—and taking it public. You’ll learn how to compose music in various genres and forms, create lead sheets and scores, use music notation software to create sophisticated arrangements, and arrange for groups of instruments and voices.

  In addition, you get three appendixes, including a glossary of musical terms, a guide to ear training files available online, and the answers to this book’s exercises (found at the end of each chapter).

  Speaking of online, at the book’s website, idiotsguides.com/musictheory, you’ll find a slew of audio files, a chord reference, charts of instrument ranges, and a bonus chapter on performing your music.

  Music Theory Ear Training Course Online

  The web page that accompanies this book (idiotsguides.com/musictheory) is your gateway to the Music Theory Ear Training Course. This is a self-paced guide, in the form of streaming audio files, to improving your musical hearing. Work through the online examples and exercises to learn how to recognize scales, intervals, chords, and rhythms. It’s a great way to learn how to understand and transcribe the music you hear. (You can check your answers in Appendix B.)

  Although you don’t need to listen to the online audio files to learn from the book, I’ve tried to tie the ear training lessons in with the content presented throughout the book. For example, when you read Chapter 2, you can listen to Lesson Two online (track #11), which lets you hear what all those intervals actually sound like. Look for the Ear Training icon at the beginning of a chapter to discover which track online corresponds to the information being presented.

  What You Need to Use This Book

  Any practicing or aspiring musician can learn basic music theory from Idiot’s Guides: Music Theory, Third Edition. You don’t need any initial knowledge to get started; you can use this book even if you don’t know how to read music or play an instrument.

  However, it will help if you have access to some sort of keyboard instrument. That can be a piano or organ, or some sort of inexpensive synthesizer or consumer-grade music keyboard. You can even use a keyboard app on your smartphone or tablet. It doesn’t have to be a great keyboard or a big one; you’ll use it mainly to perform some of the examples and exercises in the book. (You can use this book without having a keyboard, but then you’ll have to envision some of the examples in your head.)

  Most of the examples and exercises can be performed on any instrument—piano, guitar, trumpet, or whatever. If you don’t play an instrument, you can sing most of the exercises. If you can’t play or sing, I suggest you go the cheap keyboard route, so that you have some way of hearing the theory presented.

  It will also help if you have some blank music paper at your disposal. And, of course, a computer, tablet, or smartphone with an internet connection, so you can listen to the Music Theory Ear Training Course online.

  How to Get the Most Out of This Book

  To get the most out of this book, you should know how it is designed. I’ve tried to put things together in such a way to make learning music theory both rewarding and fun.

  Each chapter presents a basic concept of music theory, and progresses through that concept using a combination of text and musical examples. In some chapters you’ll find pages of reference material—scale listings, chord charts, and the like—that you can turn back to whenever necessary.

  At the end of each chapter are exercises based on the theory presented in that chapter. Work through these exercises to test your newfound knowledge—and find out what areas you need to work on a little more! (The answers to these exercises are in Appendix C.)

  Throughout the entire book, you’ll see a number of sidebars that present additional advice and information. These elements enhance your knowledge or point out important pitfalls to avoid. Here are the types of sidebars you’ll see scattered throughout:

  DEFINITION

  These sidebars contain definitions of terms pertaining to aspects of music theory.

  NOTE

  These sidebars contain additional information about the topic at hand.

  Tip

  These sidebars contain advice about how best to use the theory presented in the text.

  Warning

  These contain cautions about what to avoid when you’re reading and writing music.

  Let Me Know What You Think

  If you want to learn more about me and my other books, check out my personal website at millerwriter.com. Search or click through to find the page for this book to find any corrections or clarifications we’ve posted.

  You can also use the contact form on my website to contact me with questions or comments. I always love to hear from my readers—especially when the readers are fellow musicians! I can’t promise that I’ll answer every message, but I will promise that I’ll read each one!

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to Beth Ogren, who has been a good friend for more years than I remember. She’s been waiting a long time for me to write a book about a topic she’s interested in—so here it is, Beth.

  Acknowledgments

  I had assistance from dozens of individuals in the creation of this book and would like to thank the following for their help:

  For the first edition of this book, I thank Marie Butler-Knight, Renee Wilmeth, Kathy Bidwell, and Joan Paterson, for helping to turn my original manuscript into a printed book. For the second edition, I thank Jennifer Moore, Janette Lynn, and Cari Luna for their additional work. And for this new third edition, I thank Lori Cates Hand, Phil Kitchel, Billy Fields, and Mike Sanders for making the book better than ever.

  In addition, special thanks to my junior high school music teacher and lifelong friend, Phyllis Fulford, for suggesting some important changes to the book’s outline, and for encouraging my talents way back when.

  Thanks, as well, to another old friend, Orson Mason, who helped me arrange contact with Harry Miedema, and who also deserves many thanks for turning me on to a lot of great jazz at the Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis—and equally tasty jambalaya at Yats next door!

  Thanks also to Harry Miedema for agreeing to write the original foreword for this book.

  Special thanks go to Allen Winold, professor emeritus in the Department of Music Theory at Indiana University, for graciously taking time out of his busy schedule (and his vacation!) to review the manuscript of the first edition of this book. Allen jumped into this project with a very welcome enthusiasm, and his comments and suggestions helped to make this a better book than it otherwise would have been.

  Even more thanks go to Dr. Frank Felice, composer, educator, and all-around good guy, for providing a thorough review of this book’s audio ear training course and for writing a new foreword for the second edition. He helped ensure the accuracy of the ear training files and accompanying text, and offered many valuable comments on content and approach—and helped to make the second edition of this book even better than the first.

  I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank my
lovely wife, Sherry, and the rest of my family. They put up with all my nonsense, some (but not all) of which is undoubtedly related to the writing of this and other books.

  Finally, I’d like to thank all the readers of this book’s first and second editions, for their kind comments and useful suggestions. It’s you folks who made this book such a resounding success, and I’m extremely grateful for your support.

  Special Thanks to the Technical Reviewer

  Idiot’s Guides: Music Theory, Third Edition, was reviewed by an expert who double-checked the accuracy of what’s presented here to help us ensure learning the ins and outs of music theory is as easy as it gets. Special thanks are extended to Jay Fuchs, PhD.

  Dr. Jay Fuchs is the head of the Music Theory Department at McNally Smith College of Music, located in St. Paul, Minnesota. He holds a PhD in music theory and composition from the University of Minnesota and is a respected music educator, authoring the popular musicianship series Doctor Jay’s Music Lessons. He also is a popular singer and pianist.

  PART

  1

  Tones

  Discover the building blocks of all music: the pitches you play or sing. You’ll learn about the notes of a scale, the different types of clefs and staves, the intervals between notes, major and minor scales, and all sorts of different keys and key signatures. (That’s a lot for just four chapters!)

  CHAPTER

  1

  Pitches and Clefs

  In This Chapter

  Understanding musical tones

  Assigning names to specific pitches

  Putting notes on a staff

  Using the treble, bass, and other clefs

  Lesson 1, Track 2

  As you can tell from the title, this is a book about music theory. But what exactly is music theory? And, even more basic than that, what is music?