The Complete Musician
by Steven G. Laitz · first published 2003
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Beginning with music fundamentals, this text covers all the topics necessary for a thorough understanding of undergraduate music theory by focusing on music in context. The text links each of the tasks that comprise a tonal theory curriculum, explicitly connecting written theory (writing and analysis), skills (singing, playing, and dictation), and music-making outside the theory class. Distinctive Features: * Presents an outstanding quality, quantity, and diversity of exercises geared toward real music and real music situations * Explores not only standard four-voice harmony, but also oth
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You should definitely check reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/musictheory/ There are specific resources given for beginners. Personally I went with the large The Complete Musician by Laitz as most recommended it, and I’m quite happy with my choice. It goes very deeply into all aspects of playing and composing music as well as understanding it. The style Is a bit academic but…
on “Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?” ↗A teacher is by far the best way to go, failing that The Complete Musician is the best book/source I have seen for self study. The problem with self study is that the basics of harmony/triads seems very simple and people plow through it and think they understand than get completely…
on “Coltrane: A music theory library with a command-line interface” ↗…to find someone who's decent at piano and play through some progressions you'd find in a theory book. (Diversion on theory textbooks...) Though I didn't pick it, at my school we use Steve Laitz's The Complete Musician (http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Musician-Integrated-Approach-...) and its associated workbooks. I wouldn't recommend it for self-study, because there are a lot of little errors in it a student likely…
on “Show HN: Ear training using midi.js” ↗…2-1 or 7-1 and the bass 5-1 at cadences is one of the first things taught in a counterpoint class. The rule of the octave is in most theory textbooks. The first example that comes to mind is Laitz, "The Complete Musician." You're right that these textbooks don't teach how to improvise an accompaniment from a figured bass, but I'm not sure that's a good use of time for a theory class.
on “Toward a Better Music Theory (2013)” ↗…idea you have in your head. Personally, I had some experience learning to compose music from a college course, and I've been trying to relearn some of what I'd forgotten by trying out this textbook: The Complete Musician, but progress is slow. And even if I'm able to put together a musical piece, I wouldn't be able to afford hiring the people needed to bring it to life. I wonder how far we are from AI tools where you…
on “I used Suno AI to cover my own demo album” ↗