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theory book questio

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(@frosk)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 42
Topic starter  

I thought I should buy some theory book. I know absolutely nothing about music theory at all, though i'm starting to sloowly understand music notation now. But which one is the best;

this ( http://www.amazon.com/Music-Theory-Guitarists-Everything-Wanted/dp/063406651X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-6228959-5600635?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1177609311&sr=8-1 )

or this ( http://www.amazon.com/Music-Theory-Guitarists-Tom-Serb/dp/0972472304/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/103-6228959-5600635?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1177609311&sr=8-2 )

Or does anyone have a better (and still reasonably priced) suggestion?

M


   
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(@nirvgas)
Estimable Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 171
 

Hmmm, I would recommend the second one. That Tom Serb guy sure seems to know a lot about theory... :wink:

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(@frosk)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 42
Topic starter  

So they say (or so it seems from reading every possible article on this website)

But if we pretend to be unbiased: the other one has a higher rating... it wins by a whole star. So i was wondering if anyone had flipped through both in the bookstore, and thought "this one seems alot more understandable than the other".

Besides, - im a bit afraid that any theory book will expect me to know more beforehand than what I actually do. So if one used more baby language than the other, I'd get that one.

M


   
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(@fretsource)
Prominent Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 973
 

So they say (or so it seems from reading every possible article on this website)

But if we pretend to be unbiased: the other one has a higher rating... it wins by a whole star. So i was wondering if anyone had flipped through both in the bookstore, and thought "this one seems alot more understandable than the other".

Besides, - im a bit afraid that any theory book will expect me to know more beforehand than what I actually do. So if one used more baby language than the other, I'd get that one.

M

Don't compare books, compare authors. Is Tom Kolb a member of this forum? Is he ready and willing to explain in person any theory concepts at your level? Well Tom Serb/ NoteBoat is.


   
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(@coloradofenderbender)
Noble Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 1106
 

I would buy Tom's book --- then I would bug him for the next year, posting endless questions about the information in his book! :shock:


   
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(@fretsource)
Prominent Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 973
 

I would buy Tom's book --- then I would bug him for the next year, posting endless questions about the information in his book! :shock:

It's unfortunate that both authors are called Tom - But I think we all know who you mean :lol:


   
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(@causnorign)
Honorable Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 554
 

I used something called the "Complete Idiots Guide to Music Theory", saw it on the shelf and said "they must be talking about me". It pretty much explained things in an understandable way.


   
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(@slejhamer)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 3221
 

I had the Kolb book. It was a good reference, but I did not like the way it was laid out - it seemed encyclopedic and not very user friendly in my opinion. One plus is that it has a CD so you can hear (and play along with) some of the examples. It almost seemed like a theory supplement to the Hal Leonard method books, and would probably be a good teaching tool. For self-study, though, I didn't like it.

I'd buy our Tom's book and then hit him up with any questions you might have.

"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."


   
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(@hyperborea)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 827
 

I have Edly's Music Theory for Practical People and found it to be quite good and easy to follow. It gets 4.5 stars at Amazon. I worked through it last year and I understood it well enough but to make it really stick will require more drills and/or using that theory (transcribing, writing songs, etc.). That's going to be true of any theory work. You'll need to review it again as you use the bits that you learned earlier.
http://www.amazon.com/Edlys-Music-Theory-Practical-People/dp/0966161602

Pop music is about stealing pocket money from children. - Ian Anderson


   
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(@chris-c)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 3454
 

Hi,

Judging by the terrific posts that Tom Serb does here (as NoteBoat) I'd say that his book would be a good buy, and it's also focused on guitar.

If you want to work through a good free online course on Music Theory in general, I found these ones to be excellent. Take it slow, and try to do it in order instead of just jumping around. Use all the embedded links to check terms you're not sure of, and DO work through the exercises provided. It gives clear explanations and some good overviews as well. I ended up printing most of it out for working offline and ongoing reference (which they allow you to do).

Free Online Music Theory course by Catherine Schmidt-Jones

A more basic version from the same author. Perhaps try dipping into this first, but I went right through the larger version, and did all the exercises without cheating or skipping anything, and found it very useful indeed.

The Basic Elements of Music

Cheers,

Chris


   
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(@frosk)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 42
Topic starter  

oK. I'll buy "our tom"'s book on my next paycheck. And then if the language isn't basic enough, i'll pester him

sounds like a good plan

thanks for the opinions


   
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