How do you learn music theory?

osunumberonefan: How do you learn music theory?
What I am looking for is a textbook to learn music theory but doesn’t assume you don’t know how to read music. I can read music but just want more information about chord structures and more advanced items than learning how to read music. Any ideas of a good textbook?

Answers and Views:

Answer by chchan00
I like this one- Scales, Intervals, Keys, Triads, Rhythm, and Meter: A Programmed Course in Elementary Music Theory, With an Introduction to Partwriting by John Clough, Joyce Conley, Boge Claire
It’s the best book I have seen so far. You have got to chck it out!

Answer by Differently-abled musician
You need to check a textbook store to a good music college. However, If you have not been to college – I recommend enrolling.

Once you get into using more complex chords like DbAug9th it can get complicated no matter what type of music you play or what instrument you play.

To learn music theory I found I needed to see it on a keyboard even though my instrument was guitar.

You can get into complex ways of using chords, counterpoint, analysis, more advanced scales, modes, theories of music from other cultures, arranging, composing, advanced meters and rhythms and many other things in college.

It is difficult to learn from a book.

Then if you play serialism you are dealing with a whole different type of knowledge. Some of the twenty-century type “classical” music gets heavily into mathematics.

Jazz, not only are the chords important but to know which scales, modes, arpeggios, etc you can use to play on top of the chords.

Try Harmony and Voice Leading by Edward Aldwell, Carl Schachter – which I have used.

Theories and Analyses of Twentieth-Century Music
James Kent Williams, J. Kent Williams – (which is on the Graduate School level at least in my school.)

Jazz Arranging – Norman David (The book I used is out of print.)

Look at those and see if you think you can use them.

Answer by guitargadfly
Well it’s hard to say where you’re at from what you describe. You say you can read, but not how well. Therefore, let me suggest Practical Beginning Theory, by Bruce Benward. I use it to teach students myself. In fact, I’m so darn nice that I’m going to include the link to the book on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0697106357/ref=olp_tab_used/102-7434167-3360950?ie=UTF8&condition=used
The second one down is a very good copy 😉

Answer by Dr. Rob
It sounds like you need to buy a book that includes musical fundamentals and then just skip over the stuff that you already know. Find a book that comes with computer software or an online resource for doing drills on chord identification. (One of these is Alfred’s Essentials of Music Theory). For the more advanced stuff, some good books are Clendinning & Marvin’s The Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis and Aldwell & Schachter’s Harmony and Voice Leading, although there are lots of other good books. Finally, there’s a great little easy-to-read book that teaches you some truths about music that you won’t find in other books, neat ways of looking at how music is put together, and reasons why people don’t always give you the straight answers when teaching you about music. The book is called Lies My Music Teacher Told Me by Gerald Eskelin. Remember that you should always listen to whatever you’re learning, or else you’re not really learning about music! Good luck and have fun!