The AB Guide to Music Theory, Part 1

AB Guide to Music Theory #1

by Eric Taylor

AB-Guide-to-Music-Theory-Part-I

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Reference, Education, Textbooks

126 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Eric^^Taylor, musicology.

Reviews

[Jessy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm having my paino test soon and i haveta strengthen up on my music theory. my piano tacher reco. this bk to me so i guess i just read it....

[Aliyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrilling stuff!

[Belle Kennard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is my go to for music theory help and I would recommend it to any needing help with their music theory - I barely understood anything and this helped me understand. Some of the knowledge is unnecessary in this book but apart from that it is very good and very helpful.

[Mark Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best music theory book ive read, concise asf

[Quiver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent first part of the two-part ABRSM introduction to the practice of writing, reading, and playing the western musical idiom. A good balance of detail and generalisation; footnotes are few and used only where necessary.

[Mauro Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Le doy 5 estrellas porque es completísimo. Su lectura es muy valiosa, pero tiene más valor como libro de consulta, pues no se puede asimilar tanta información.

[Yules · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must have for music students. If you're learning an instrument it's well and fine to learn by ear but you HAVE to have somewhat of a grasp on the fundamentals of music theory. It will make your life so much easier.

'Oh, it's not if you can read the music, Robert. It's if you can hear the music' blah blah. Okay, but you should at least know the alphabet if you want to do anything more than watching a Synthesia midi or GOD FORBID a 'tutorial' where they stick numbers on the keys and align them with your fingers. Are you kidding me? You want to be able to say 'oh, I play a little ' when anybody asks but a 'little' is about the same as a white person says they can speak 'a little' Japanese because they watched 300 episodes of One Piece and hentai enough to know that 'yamete' means 'Stop'.

You don't even need a teacher. If you're learning from Youtube tutorials then at the very LEAST you can invest a fiver into Amazon and get this book because Taylor is so good at explaining this stuff. Even me, I'm stupid but it made sense to me so it'll make sense to you. Read this, learn what the difference between a treble and bass clef are, maybe memorise a couple notes and ledger lines and ascend to stealing sheet music off of Musescore instead of midis. (Sheet music is fucking expensive, don't do it.)

(Also if you're using Musescore download the google extension that lets you download the pieces for free because the subscription is stupid. If you can't do that then just take screenshots and print them off individually, okay? I love you.)

[An Te · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming as a complete newbie to the music theory fray, I didn't know what to expect from this book. I was pleasantly surprised. To aid my learning of a new instrument and appreciation of musical contours, I must say this book has done a splendid job to help me to read sheet music and its 'arcane' notation. Though there are some concepts like the circle of fifths I felt at first were explanatorily lax or that I was quite thick in the head, I came to appreciate music theory serves the expression and communication not vice versa. Music theory could I guess be studied but music theory must be for the music. And I ceased my questioning. No need for a foray in acoustics and the like, at least not yet.

Taylor explains the foundations well, I feel, and builds gradually to help the reader appreciate music more. Thankful for a clear and sensible expositor of his trade.

[Rory Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great overview of the basics of music theory.
A lot of this information can be found only but it is either too advanced or misses out on things. This wee book on the otherhand lays it all out.
It does require the reader to have a decent competency with sheet music in order to understand the music examples and the explanations themselves could be a little difficult to grasp without at least doing a little online reading beforehand.

[Hrishikesh · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the official books for ABRSM's theory exams and covers the earlier grades (pre-5th if I remember correctly).

It's one of the most convoluted and dense books on western music theory that I've read. It covers all the concepts but is stingy when it comes to clarity. The chapters are lists of terms, concepts, and awkward explanations rather than attempts to teach.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, easily understandable discussion of music theory basics. I had Music Theory classes in high school & University. That was decades ago. Now that I’m retired & I have the time & interest, I’m back to playing the piano. This book, which I will follow by reading Part II next, is refreshing all those long ago learned details. Highly recommend.

[Alannah Purslow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, very helpful for general knowledge brush ups and music theory exam revision!

[Welien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great guide for Music theory. I refer back a lot.

[Thara Ravishanker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for novices. It covers the foundation of music theory in extensive detail. I highly recommend it.

[Avesta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thorough guide to music theory - using it for my grade 5 music theory exam and it's very useful.

[Jenny Mitcham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well it was pretty boring but kind of useful too! I guess it does what it says on the tin, thus 4 stars.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clear and straightforward

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative. I hope i pass my music theory exam !

[Mikey James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect accompaniment to the ABRSM grade 1-5 books

[Gabriel Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not long but decidedly dense. Compact and compacted. Invaluable summary if you’re doing ABRSM theory grade 5.

[Rareș Lukács · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fundamental.

[Fanglin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coverage is good in terms of breath, not lacking some depth in parts like the diatonic scale, chords, cadences, etc.

[Jack Caulfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clear and accessible, no nonsense.

[Nizam Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book (Part 1), has helped me a lot with my music theory studies when I was a kid (I'm still using it now too). This book is for those who are taking the grade 1-5 of the ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London, UK) theory exams.
Even though it is for lower grades, I still use it to refresh my memory about something that I forgot. Especially in understanding the cadences, articulation etc etc.
I really highly recommend this book (including the Part 2, which is for higher grades) to anyone who is studying music or those who want to know more about Music Theory. May it be a student studying music in a University/Music Conservatory or to teachers out there.
A must have for those who are serious into music and how music really function.
Available at Amazon, Sheetmusicplus.com etc etc

[Jessica Courter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This set (volumes 1 and 2) has provided an excellent comprehensive yet quick reference for nearly all my theory needs. Really love it.

[Kayleigh Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, however I would suggest following with the workbooks and having a tutor on stand by because it can get very complex and quite hard on the old thinking cap!

[Catherine]

This book was a really helpful way of improving my grasp of theory, and I felt the mixture of diagrams and clear explanations would help in the process of improving musical understanding.

[Saurabh]

music book

[Ahmad Al-jawadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect