Jazzology – The Encyclopedia of Jazz Theory for All Musicians | Comprehensive Jazz Instruction and Music Theory | Essential Guide for Students and Professionals

by Robert Rawlins, Nor Eddine Bahha

(Jazz Instruction). A one-of-a-kind book encompassing a wide scope of jazz topics, for beginners and pros of any instrument. A three-pronged approach was envisioned with the creation of this comprehensive as an encyclopedia for ready reference, as a thorough methodology for the student, and as a workbook for the classroom, complete with ample exercises and conceptual discussion. Includes the basics of intervals, jazz harmony, scales and modes, ii-V-I cadences. For harmony, it harmonic analysis, piano voicings and voice leading; modulations and modal interchange, and reharmonization. For performance, it takes players jazz piano comping, jazz tune forms, arranging techniques, improvisation, traditional jazz fundamentals, practice techniques, and much more! Customer reviews on amazon.com for Jazzology average a glowing 5 stars! Here is a typical reader "The book's approach is so intuitive, it almost leads you by the hand into the world of jazz. Certainly jazz is freedom of expression, but you have to know what you're doing and this book is the tool for that ... (it) should be standard in every high school with a jazz program and every college lab band."

Genres: Music, Jazz, Nonfiction, Theory, Reference, Textbooks

272 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2005

Reviews

[Mesoscope · Rating 5 out of 5]

This outstanding book is somewhere between reference and instructional workbook. It provides a comprehensive general overview of jazz theory and practice, covering chords, scales, progressions, harmonic theory, song structure, and more. Although pitched "for any instrument," I think the piano player will get the most value out of it - the chord voicings are clearly piano voicings, and there is a chapter on piano comping.

As a novice, my strategy was to read once through it and to use it as a crash overview in jazz overall, and I will go back in the months ahead and go deeper into individual chapters and exercises as appropriate.

Jazzology is clearly-organized and written, and in a short time it dramatically deepened my understanding of, and appreciation for, jazz. Highly recommended.

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Another introduction to a meaty topic that somewhat falls short of spectacular. A lot of these "introductory" books should really be labeled as "second courses" in the subject, and Jazzology is no exception. It leaves nothing out, but I'm not really sure if that's to its benefit, as it has to cover everything from intervals to post-bebop improvisation. It starts off accessible to anyone who's had any amount of music theory before, but once it starts into jazz harmony, it moves extremely quickly, making it pretty painful for the beginner the book markets toward.

However, this book is truly encyclopedic---there was nothing in the vast realm of jazz that wasn't at least touched upon in some form---and I'd highly recommend to anyone willing to learn more about jazz and the theory behind it.

[Michael G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad at all....

Not a bad jazz theory book, but just a little too advanced for me on some of the topics. A very good reference.

[Sergei Kovac · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolute gem for anyone looking to dive into the world of jazz theory. It's like having a wise jazz mentor at your fingertips. The explanations are clear, the examples are spot-on, and it's a joy to learn from.

[Lalo González Téllez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource for learning more musical theory.

[Jorge Montenegro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo mejor en armonía. Un excelente libro que va de lo general a lo particular en el ámbito musical. Le doy las cinco estrellas.