Edly's Music Theory for Practical People
by Ed Roseman, with illustrations by Peter Reynolds
“A light-hearted yet no-nonsense approach to a subject that often plagues the music hobbyist and professional alike. The book proves that music theory doesn't have to be a hair-pulling, nail-biting experience; it can actually be fun!”
—Sheet Music Magazine
“Edly's Music Theory for Practical People has accomplished the near-impossible: a book that makes you giggle while giving you an absolutely solid foundation in music theory.
“Edly's explanations of tricky concepts—from scales and modes, to secondary dominants, to improvisation—are some of the clearest I've ever encountered. Last summer, when my Sightsinging for Scaredy-Cats students in Maine were bombarding me with music theory questions, I went straight to Edly. He teaches theory so that you can understand it, remember it, and use it, right away. His humorous, conversational writing style, combined with an enthusiasm for all kinds of music from blues to Gustav Holst, will keep you reading, learning, and making music with intelligence and imagination.”
— Anna Dembska
“So unusual and fun, even an ex-grad student can get excited … could make all the difference to the student whose eyes glaze over at the mention of theory.”
— Ernie Rideout, Keyboard Magazine
Prelude
Edly’s Quick Guide to Notation
- The Musical Alphabets: Natural & Chromatic
- The Major Scale
- Major Keys & Key Signatures
- Diatonic Intervals
- Chords: Triads
- Diatonic Harmony
- Chord Inversion
- Chromatic Intervals
- I, IV, V & The Twelve Bar Blues
- iim, iiim, vim, & vii°
- Minor Scales & Keys
- The Circle of Fifths (& Fourths)
- Chords: 7ths (& 6ths)
- Diatonic Chords & Functions
- Interval Inversion
- Intervals for Ear-Training
- Secondary Chords
- Transposition
- Cadences
- Tritone Substitution
- Natural Modes
- Pentatonic & Blues Scales
- More Scales
- Chords: 9ths, 11ths, & 13ths
- Chords: Summary & Exceptions
- Diatonic Modal Chords
- Blues Structure Part 2
- Some Other Common Song Forms
- Improvisation Ideas
- By Ear
Prelude to the Remaining Chapters
- Choosing Extensions & Alterations
- Ingredients of Voicings
- Categories of Voicings
- Voice Leading
- Harmonizing a Melody
- Analyzing Chord Progressions
- Reharmonization
Coda
Answers
Glossary and Index
Here are some sample pages from Edly's Music Theory for Practical People, copyright © 1997 by Ed Roseman, Musical EdVentures. Download them if you like, show your friends, but don't replicate and pass them around to your students, fellow students, or bandmates. To do so would be a violation of copyright laws. Thanks.
