Music Theory: From Beginner to Expert - The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide to Understanding and Learning Music Theory Effortlessly

by Nicolas Carter

This book also features the links to audio examples (hosted on external website). These examples allow you to hear the relevant music theory concepts and understand them better!











But...


If you find yourself in any of this, then this book is the answer you’ve been looking for. It covers pretty much everything that anyone who plays or wants to play music should know. It is the book to have if you want to become a better musician, and have by your side as an immensely useful reference of knowledge.
This book is structured in a way that makes it very easy to follow, digest and internalize all important concepts that constitute music theory. What's great is that you don't have to be a college musician in order to understand and use any of this – anyone can do it, even a total newbie. It also doesn't matter what instrument(s) you play, nor your current level of knowledge and playing ability, because music theory is universal and all about what sounds good together! Anyone can benefit from it. It explains the WHY and HOW, and it is your roadmap - a skill and a tool, guided by your ears, for creating your best music.
This is the most comprehensive and evergreen book on music theory that you can find – a book you'll wish to study and refer to often, and keep it forever. You’ll also wish to gift it your friends and discuss about its content with other musicians.
It will give you what is necessary to become an expert in music theory without frustration and feeling overwhelmed in the process, and this in-turn will have immense benefits to your playing and musicianship!
But don’t take my word for it, use the Look Inside feature by clicking on the book cover to get a preview of what you'll find inside.
Get this book now and solve all your problems with music theory!

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Reference, Unfinished, Science

245 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a Nutshell: Informative but certainly not for beginners. It will scare them away from music theory.

The book begins with explanation on basic musical components such as tones, notes, scales, and intervals and gradually builds its way up the musical ladder with octaves, scales, chords, modes, key signatures, time signatures and a whole lot more. It stops just shy of the topic of reading music, as this is to be covered in the second volume of this series.

On the pro side, the book is quite comprehensive for every single topic and subtopic. Chords for instance covers not just the basic triads and tetrads but go all the way to thirteenth chords and even their inversions. The author clearly has a lot of musical expertise and it shows in the content.
Furthermore, there are Soundcloud links for audio examples for certain tricky concepts. While this idea was a flop on my Kindle (I was too lazy to type out the site address on my comp/phone just to hear the audio! 😁), I am sure it would make a ton of difference to those reading the book on their Kindle for PC or their phone Kindle apps.

As a self-taught musician, I was looking for a way to add theory to the musical understanding I already have. I did enjoy some of the content: the explanation of octavial differences in the same note, the method why musical scales are realigned to fit in a stave as much as possible, the details about scale formations, musical intervals and their harmony/dissonance... But my existing familiarity with music helped tremendously. I am sure I would have felt lost had I been a newbie.

The title makes it sound like the book takes you from beginner level to expert level; in other words, that it is aimed at beginners. This is true only if you are a beginner with an innate aptitude for music. If you are a dabbler seeking to learn music theory at a basic level, this book will scare the heck out of you and you might not even want to attempt to understand music theory some other way. For example, the topic on notes includes extensive mathematical calculations about note frequencies. Why was this needed? Why would a beginner need to know modal reduction or thirteenth chords or the phrygian mode or chromaticism? Easier bits such as scales and chords come later in the book but by then, many readers would surely be frightened out of their wits or bored out of their minds. There’s a difference between practical music theory and technical music theory. Some topics are better left to experts. Beginners need a more accessible, user-friendly approach towards learning.

The book also becomes somewhat repetitive in its content. The approach is akin to reading a Wikipedia page on the topic, with everything under the sun covered per chapter, making it overwhelming.

There has undoubtedly been a lot of hard work put behind this book. However, I wish the stress had been more on the practical than the expert-level theory. Technical music experts will find joy in this book. Beginners, no.

I had assumed that reading music would be a part of this book itself, but as it wasn’t, I am still going to give a try to the second book, How To Read Music: For Beginners - A Simple and Effective Guide to Understanding and Reading Music with Ease. Let’s hope it is more layperson-friendly.

3 stars.

Do note that the book uses American music terminology. No semibreves and minims and crotchets but whole notes and half notes and quarter notes in the content.

The book is available on Amazon Prime.



ETA: The second book did go much better. To check out my review on "How to Read Music", click HERE.



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[Bart Moffett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so Beginner

This book is filled with information and covers basics and advanced topics. I found it difficult to keep up with the fast pace of adding more and more complex topics. The subject matter would probably be easier to digest in different tiers of difficulty books with more time spent on each level. The material is there, it’s just hard to digest in this format.

[Anne (In Search of Wonder) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think beginners would get much out of this book... it seems to be geared towards people with at least the ability to play an instrument who want to have a deeper understanding of the music they play and/or developing their ability to arrange, improvise, and compose.

I also don't know about expert... I learned some things, but I think that, like all other music skills, practice is required in order to be proficient.

It's organized pretty well and I think would make a handy resource.

[Salvodaze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very effective intro to music theory. A few concepts weren't too clear or detailed without some research, but all in all the book provided a solid introduction to many complicated concepts in the theory, especially regarding scales and modes.

I read this book after attempting to read an upper level book on music theory and feeling lost at certain concepts. I believe I am now ready to read it next thanks to this quick read. I recommend the book to anyone who wants to delve into music theory at their own pace.

I'd like to note that I think the cheat sheet at the end has one error in it. In the graph named Major scale in all keys, the 7th note of the D# major scale should be C## instead of C#. I also remember seeing a typo, nothing important or big, just letting the writer know.

[Amin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a Piano beginner for 30 years. A combination of reading this book and watching YouTube tutorials about chords lit up lightbulbs in my head. The book unravels the lessons masterfully from simple all the way to complex, letting you choose how far to go in the journey without hitting a wall. It delivers what the title promises.

One of the best random topics I’ve chosen to read on recently.

[Eric Moran · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book, Music Theory From Absolute Beginner to Expert by Nicolas Carter, explains many in depth concepts that relate to music theory. He starts off by dedicating a section of the book to explaining the importance of music theory and how the ability to read music(i.e. Sheet music) is helpful but not a necessity. He then delves straight into the basics, such as notes and intervals, of music theory in the first official section of the book. The second section starts to kick into a higher gear and explains the scales and modes in depth; this includes everything from pentatonic to the different modes of the harmonic and melodic minor scales. Part three is all about explaining everything that chords have to offer, whether it be minor dyads or suspended diminished quadads. The fourth section talks about rhythm, and the final few sections build upon the information that is learned from the previous parts of the book.
This book is, overall, very informative and in depth. Even though I already have a good knowledge base in music theory, this book has been able to increase my understanding of certain concepts and even teach me about new ones. It truly instills an all new bar in terms of understanding the base behind music. In addition to this, it provides the information in a crystal clear format, which allows for a solid foundation for the knowledge that is present in the book. The only problem I have with it is that there are some typos present in the text, but this isn’t the biggest problem in the world, and it doesn’t take away from the teachings in the book. Overall, I totally recommend this book as both a start to the journey in learning music theory and as a tool for intermediates and experts to use in updating their knowledge and understanding.

[marsha prock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost died a few years ago from a TBI received in an auto accident. I lived, but I went through a couple of years of brain rewiring. When my neurologist told me about six months in I was doing as expected, I asked if he thought I would ever play the piano again. This piqued his interest. He sent me home to cry at the keyboard as I tried to make my fingers agree with my brain. I went back to simple songs, and the neurologist said I cut my recovery time in half. This books for someone who probably will not want to play in concert again is helpful, but does not entirely live up to its title. Theory for beginner? It is fine, but if you move much beyond that you better plan on lessons and more information from another expert. Still I think for those of us who struggle, Carter has written a good, if not comprehensive book.

[Distorted Memories (Sunny) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a lot helpful for someone who is actually planning or learning a instrument (keyboard).
Honestly, this has some hard on topics and good explanation but as for me, I am Ableton Live user who just wants to compose music on a DAW. This book definitely has a lot more in depth theory and I was in a rush to finish this book and grasp or pick up information I need to make certain music on a DAW but I am most definitely gonna keep referring this book, because at end there were so many concepts that went above my head I need to sit and read one one topic again and practice & experiment a-lot to truly every understand Music Theory but thanks for this book it was easy to understand certain concepts which I need/ confused about.

[Tracie Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this, narrated by Bryan Howard. I'm sure I'd have rated it higher had I not listened to it while driving. One needs a keyboard to assist in understanding intervals and what not. I'm guessing if one has spent more time than I staring at a keyboard, that mightn't be necessary. Also, the title is wrong here--It's Music Theory: From ABSOLUTE Beginner to Expert-etc., so I thought, "This is for me!" Well, I think the idea is that you might be a fabulous musician and still be an absolute beginner to formal music theory. Still, I did learn stuff. :-)

[Jose Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Qué libro tan bien escrito.

Cuando el alumno es ta listo aparece el maestro. La semana pasada decidí ponerme serio con apreder y practicar la lectura de musica sin ver el teclado del piano para ejecutar mejor los jazz standard que tanto me gustan. Despues de revisar multiples opciones en Amazon me decidi por "How To Read Music: For Beginners - A Simple and Effective Guide to Understanding and Reading Music with Ease (Essential Learning Tools for Musicians Book 2) " de Nicolas Carter.

Sin embargo, al empezar a leer el autor inivita a revisar este Libro "Book 1", yo que siempre quiero ver qué mas aprendo decidí revisarlo y finalmemte leerlo, que grata sorpresa ver tan estructuraada explicacion de los temas Escala y Armonía. Y lo que mas me encantó del estilo es que cuando es necesario el autor vuelve a explicar conceptos en el nuevo contexto con excelente referencia a lo ya explicado.

In summary, by far this is the best music theory book for my selftraining in music.

Thanks Nicolas

[Steven Wilbur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too be fair, I haven't read the entire book yet but am plowing through it. I am almost entirely self taught but have a vast understanding of music. The key to understanding music is understanding its structure and it's structure is based on patterns. That is the core of this book. Understanding patterns, what the patterns are named and how the patterns inter relate. It can be challenging comprehending the material but just remember he is explaining patterns. I find it incredibly valuable as a musician. The reason for the deduction of a star in the rating? The audio examples he sites in the book no longer exist. This really hampers the reader's ability to fully comprehend what he's talking about. A big disappointment for someone like me who doesn't want to bother breaking away from reading to go to the piano and sounding out his examples.

[Zachary Dial · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Bit Too Deep, but Worth the Money

I gave 4 stars because a few sentences could have been worded better, some of the punctuation was weird, and the scope of the book goes a little bit too far in my personal opinion.

I skipped over a lot of it, but it's definitely worth getting for the price.

I'd have preferred more quizzes to gauge my understanding of the topics as well.

Overall though, the concepts are explained well and succinctly even with a couple sentences needing some tweaking. It definitely helped solidify what I knew, and inspired me to learn a bit more and keep going with my music education.

It was so good that I'll probably pick up his book about reading sheet music as well.

[Traci Styner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t get through this book. The author’s writing style is obtuse. I saw other reviews saying that the book was over the reader’s head. I don’t think the subject matter is that difficult, but the writing style makes it more difficult than it needs to be.

I read several passages to my husband, who is a professional musician. Every time he responded “what he’s trying to say is...” and then rephrased the idea using about 1/4 of the words.

There are better ways to learn music theory than slogging through this text.

[Remco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive explanation of music theory

I’m a music theory nerd and have read this book to see whether there were gaps in my knowledge. I found the book very helpful and complete in its coverage.

The book is relatively condensed and makes quick steps that it then subsequently builds on. So I think it will be quite challenging if you are a beginner and not familiar with music theory.

I think its sweet spot will be for musicians that have some basic knowledge, but want to expand their knowledge.

[Mell Aguiar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a good enough foundation in basic music theory but when the more complex topics came in towards the end I found myself wanting a lot more. An excellent introduction, though! This book definitely changed the way I see improvisation and so that was probably my most significant takeaway (basically abandoning the idea of chords as a map and instead focusing on the larger harmonic picture, ie scales).

[Netpilot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, so many questions answered.

While trying to learn to play an instrument I kept asking what we were doing and why. The answer I got was always “it will make sense later.” That’s not how I learn. I should have read this book long ago. Now I understand chord progression, relative minors, scales, improvising backup, etc. Now comes the finger training but all the why’s have been answered. Excellent book. Very clearly written. I highly recommend it.

[Thomas Fulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Adult Music Book

This is absolutely everything you need to get started, however, the title can be deceiving this is not a book to give beginner kids to learn music theory. This is for that older beginner who is just interested by music in general. This is a great read and very thorough, but because it is thorough it could be a bit daunting for the reader who is not a musician to begin with.

[Vovka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began this book as a music theory novice. Several hours later, I am no expert, but I don't blame the book for that. This is a tough topic and the author suggests many exercises that I've not yet attempted, so that's on me. I'm going to have to try some of the exercises and report back, but can say that I do feel far more knowledgeable in this realm than I was before reading the book.

Still searching for a true beginner's guide to music theory -- please comment if you know of a great one.

[Marek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have learned a great deal. I love that this book covers even the fundamentals of sound, and goes all the way up to atonal music.

I had some trouble understanding series substitutions but I think I've finally understood modal substitutions and modal interchange. I've also learned a lot of new scales such as the altered scale or the Phrygian dominant scale. What you can do with all this theory in practice is quite literally endless.

[Joanne Mayo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really helpful

I have been focused on reading music for years and it is an important skill, but...my understanding of chords and keys was neglected. This book has been so helpful! I recommend this to anyone and everyone who plays and enjoys music. You will enjoy it much more and with better understanding.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm about to call time of death on this book.

I was hoping to be enlightened on how to calculate scales and chords, which I was to a degree.

The rest? Whoosh! Over my head.

I have come to the conclusion that music is really a foreign language, which not everyone can comprehend, read or execute. Thankfully, you don't have to understand it to appreciate it or mimic it.

[Mouhammad Ayyad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about music theory, yet not a so easy one to understand. I had to consult other resources to understand some of the topics. The progress of the book is not so gradual. It advances too fast to areas that are challenging for beginners. Part 7 of the book is where the author has completely lost me.

[Edgardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helps understand some "obscure" terms and origin of scales if you have some initial understanding of music theory.

This book helped me fill some voids I had in my theory understanding. It is not an in depth theory book, but if you like watching Adam Neely, Rick Beato or other music theory videos, this will help to grasp the concepts better.

[John J Kochiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I now understand more of what I hear musically.

A good read for anyone that wants to increase their knowledge of music and the structure that serves to define it. In the digital format there are aural examples to help understand certain concepts. I will continue with the "How to Read Music" next.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gets into the nitty-gritty about why and how things are called in music theory. And if that is what you need, then I believe this is *your"* book. But if you are searching for how to teach or self-learn music theory, skip. Very little actual music staffs are shown. Almost all is in text. I've yet to have a student who understand (which means they can explain to others) what is an interval, etc. just by reading about it. I ranked as 3 stars only due to the lack of musical examples..

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers just about everything, and speaks in plain language. I would have liked a lot more piano-key diagrams showing the many scales, chords, modes, etc.--then I'd give it 5 stars. There are a few diagrams in the early chapters, but none for the more advanced stuff. Diagrams help us 'civilian-level' players visualize intervals and scale sequences, regardless of the instrument we play.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro but gets heavy

I wanted to learn music theory so I picked this book up. I'm a cellist, not a guitarist, and I felt like this book was really geared towards guitarists. However I learned a ton and I will definitely be rereading it to continue to understand and make sense of the pretty heavy content.

[Remus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good intro in the world of music theory and is full of valuable information explained plainly.
The information does definitely not reach the level of "expert" the title claims, but it does solidly present the foundations of music theory, and I'd say it's a great tool for someone starting their journey into learning it.

[Charley M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book to get started on music theory. For a quick surface level read I'd recommend it. If you're looking for something might get into more nitty-gritty and details of the recording process, this book only really skims the surface.

[Pedro Causa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent reference material, very well explained.

Excellent reference material, very well explained and good source of information both for a beginner and more advanced playersand composers