The Music Theory Resources Thread

[AugmentedFourth]

So I'm failing to find the thread now, but I suggested a while ago that we have a master list of music theory resources so that people don't have to create a new thread every time they want recommendations or to introduce a new resource. Some folks seemed to like it, so here it is. Feel free to suggest items for the list.

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Online resources:

Toby Rush's Music Theory for Musicians and Normal People

Dave Conservatoire

musictheory.net

Open Music Theory

teoria.com

eMusicTheory's interactive counterpoint drills

For just another place to discuss music theory: /r/musictheory

Ye olde book resources:

m3g0wnz's recommendations for music theory textbooks: Beginner's resources (for the sidebar) : musictheory
Note: In this post, m3g0wnz recommends against using Kostka/Payne's Tonal Harmony, and several comments below seem to agree. Take that as you will, I believe that that is the text MBN usually recommends. (I cannot myself judge as I have never read a copy.)

Other book recommendations:

• Kent Kennan's Counterpoint
• Arnold Schoenberg's Fundamentals of Music Composition
• Stefan Kostka's Materials and Techniques of Twentieth-Century Music
• Mark Levine's The Jazz Theory Book
• Paul Hindemith's Elementary Training for Musicians (Public domain in Canada, China, Japan, S. Korea, or any country with copyright = life of author + 50 years.)

 

[octatoan]

I've seen MBN say that he's not exactly in love with the book, but that it covers everything one needs.
I like Aldwell and Schachter's voice-leading book and Laitz's The Complete Musician.

And I decided against Kostka/Payne after looking at /r/musictheory as well.

Also: STICKY STICKY STICKY

 

[Mr. Big Noodles]

Add this to the list, then let me moan for a bit: drill: counterpoint: eMusicTheory.com


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Note: In this post, m3g0wnz recommends against using Kostka/Payne's Tonal Harmony, and several comments below seem to agree. Take that as you will, I believe that that is the text MBN usually recommends. (I cannot myself judge as I have never read a copy.)

I've seen MBN say that he's not exactly in love with the book, but that it covers everything one needs.

...

And I decided against Kostka/Payne after looking at /r/musictheory as well.

I'm going to come to the defense of Kostka/Payne again.

Kostka/Payne's Tonal Harmony. Again, does not promote an understanding of how chords work—chord function is not explicitly addressed, only chord spelling.

This is BS. K&P explicitly identify tonic functions, dominant functions, and pre-dominants, then go further to differentiate the IV chord's dual function as a pre-dominant and subdominant.

"Most often, IV has a pre-dominant function, moving directly to V or vii, or it may expand the pre-dominant area by moving first to ii or ii6. In a very different role, IV may proceed to a I chord, sometimes called a plagal progression." (Kostka & Payne, 6th ed.*, p.111)

* All of my page numbers will refer to this edition.

In my experience, it's the jazz theory texts that are guilty of spelling chords and then leaving you hanging where voice leading, harmonic function, and melodic tendency are concerned.

Also introduces completely ridiculous chords (e.g. ♯viø7...seriously) that are a result of their overly-vertical orientation. The analyses are poor.

It's a harmony book. Harmony is the vertical organization of music. Take a look at Rameau's treatise (the book to which every succeeding harmony book eventually owes its dues) if you have any doubt that the study of harmony has ever been anything but vertical. Even in species counterpoint à la Fux, the focus is on the vertical relationship of tones. The authors are not as obtuse about it as this person would have you believe. There is a discussion in chapter 5 of the 6th edition of Tonal Harmony on what makes good melodic contour (in CPP style), which is very similar to what one would find in the beginning of any counterpoint text. Besides, the bulk of the book is dedicated to voice leading and how different dissonances resolve, which is a horizontal approach. And, where appropriate, the authors discuss counterpoint’s role in the development of harmony (p.470).

Furthermore, while I cannot find the #viø7 in Kostka & Payne that m3g0wnz is talking about, it is a real sonority that comes from the harmonic treatment of the melodic minor scale. It is not a common sonority, but I've seen it pop up in a few places.

Children's Album, Op.39 (Tchaikovsky, Pyotr) - IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library: Free Public Domain Sheet Music

Pyotyr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Children's Album, No.7, The Sick Doll


Measure 11, 0:30. Uncommon chord? Sure. Ridiculous chord? Hardly.

Tonal Harmony is not the be all end all of music theory books, but it does a pretty good job of covering what it says it will cover: harmony. As for the conjecture that the analyses are poor... I hardly see how. They are chordal analyses, not contrapuntal, formal, or rhythmic analyses. As long as you are aware of what the authors are trying to do, I don't think that you'll find that they do a bad job of it at all.

Overall, I think it is more important to do the work than it is to read the book. Remember, it's what you do with it that counts.

Also: STICKY STICKY STICKY

Seconded.

 

[Aion]

Hindemith's Elementary Training for Musicians (from no longer under copyright, or at least I assume that's why it's on IMSLP)

Note: I have yet to actually read this, so I can't vouch for it as a good/bad book to learn from, but Hindemith was a well known composer, performer, and teacher.

 

[AugmentedFourth]

Hindemith's Elementary Training for Musicians (from no longer under copyright, or at least I assume that's why it's on IMSLP)

Note: I have yet to actually read this, so I can't vouch for it as a good/bad book to learn from, but Hindemith was a well known composer, performer, and teacher.

It seems to have good critical reception. I will add it, but I'm not going to directly link to the IMSLP because it is not public domain in the U.S. or in the EU, just Canada, China, Japan, and S. Korea.

 

[7stg]

Chords and scales
Guitar - Chords, Scales, Intervals, Inversions, & Key Signatures for the 10, 9, 8, 7, and 6 String Guitar.

 

[AugmentedFourth]

Chords and scales
Guitar - Chords, Scales, Intervals, Inversions, & Key Signatures for the 10, 9, 8, 7, and 6 String Guitar.

If you don't mind me asking, what is the purpose of this resource? I ask because if I put it in the list, I want to have a note saying what it is used for, since it isn't a purely music theory pedagogy-focused resource.

From what I can tell it seems to mostly give charts for the location of (scales/chords) notes on a fretboard, but I'm not sure that that is relevant. Given a knowledge of basic music theory, knowledge of the notes that each string on your guitar is tuned to, and the fact that every fret up makes the pitch go up a semitone, all of this can be constructed. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the descriptive, aesthetic study of music theory.

 

[7stg]

If you don't mind me asking, what is the purpose of this resource? I ask because if I put it in the list, I want to have a note saying what it is used for, since it isn't a purely music theory pedagogy-focused resource.

From what I can tell it seems to mostly give charts for the location of (scales/chords) notes on a fretboard, but I'm not sure that that is relevant. Given a knowledge of basic music theory, knowledge of the notes that each string on your guitar is tuned to, and the fact that every fret up makes the pitch go up a semitone, all of this can be constructed. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the descriptive, aesthetic study of music theory.

It's just all the chords and scales. The way the chords are laid out does teach intervals vs the standard block diagram which are just dots on a grid. Yes, they can be derived form the knowledge of chords and intervals, but the site does list every single one arranged into their mode/equivalent set.

 

[Mr. Big Noodles]

Haven't read this very closely, so it's probably complete and utter rubbish.

Open Music Theory – Open Music Theory

 

[AugmentedFourth]

Open Music Theory is already up there.

 

[Mr. Big Noodles]

My bad.

 

[Solodini]

Hindemith's Elementary Training for Musicians (from no longer under copyright, or at least I assume that's why it's on IMSLP)

Note: I have yet to actually read this, so I can't vouch for it as a good/bad book to learn from, but Hindemith was a well known composer, performer, and teacher.

It's a great book, from the little I've used it. A lot of it is more musicianship exercises in terms of ability to play or comprehend certain things, rather than an examination or explanation of theory.

 

[AugmentedFourth]

Sorry if this isn't the right place to ask this, but how exactly would one go about getting a thread stickied?

 

[octatoan]

Sacrifice three virgin goats and a white cow at the altar of Djod at midnight under a blood moon.

Or maybe PM a mod, that works too.

 

[Mr. Big Noodles]

Chuck! Chuck, it's Marvin. Your cousin, Marvin Berry. You know that new ear training resource you're looking for? Well, listen to this!

Online Ear Training with Intervals, Melodies, and Jazz Chord Progressions | IWasDoingAllRight

(A little rough around the edges, but it has some nice features.)

 

[octatoan]

I ended up spending the entire evening on the site. Thank you.