I'm a complete beginner/non-musician, and am finding music theory confusing.
What's the chance that I can become really good at this?
Many people
find music theory mystifying at first! It's not because you are "just not the
creative type"! Every high-quality musician
(who is being honest) will tell you the same thing—that
creativity is 99% a matter of knowing your skills, and
there is no reason you can't attain the same level as
anyone else. If you have already tried learning music
theory using other books, take a second look at these books
and see if they fall into either of these categorie
(1) They ARE intended
for the beginner. These books walk you through the basics
of scales, intervals, and chords, but from there do not explain what it all has to do with making
music.
(2) They ARE NOT intended
for the beginner. These books have the distinctive appearance
of an academic textbook, and are replete with terminology
that can only be found in such books. If the basics are
covered, they are hastily addressed in a lingo that only
an experienced musician—who knows the material
already—will follow.
In short, some music theory
books cover the ABC's of music theory, while others cover
the XYZ's. This is why this book was written. Drafting lessons and exercises based on the needs of students
was the first step toward creating
teaching materials that seamlessly covered the material that students really needed. And the ultimate goal
remained the same throughout the process: to build a clearly-presented and enjoyable
music theory method from A to Z.
How is "Harmony and Composition"
organized?
Harmony and Composition
contains twenty-three lessons that are separated into
three levels: Basics, Beginner, and Intermediate. Each
lesson introduces one concept and then expands into several
areas of that concept. Drills and exercises are interspersed
throughout each lesson, providing students with material
to practice every step of the way.
Lessons also include sections devoted exclusively
to keyboard skills. "Rhythm and Reading" (R&R)
sections introduce rhythmic and sight reading elements
at a challenging yet comfortable pace. "Progressions"
sections present frequently-seen progressions that will
strengthen your harmonic palette.
Each lesson closes with
a summary page that encapsulates the key points of that
lesson. It clarifies what should be memorized, what
should continue to be practiced for optimal results, and
any new vocabulary that was introduced. These summaries will help you locate whatever may have slipped by after your
initial reading and give it additional attention before
moving ahead. In addition, after you have read all of Harmony and Composition,
you again can return to these summary pages to quickly
identify any areas that may need further review.
Reviews are
interspersed at regular intervals. For a two-year (four-semester)
curriculum, reviews appear mid-semester and at the end
of each semester. Ongoing reviews are important because
students ordinarily learn by short-term memory. They grasp
elements as they are explained, but often forget portions
of them as they move on to other elements. Since every
skilled musician needs a strong foundation, prior elements
must be maintained, and the reviews help to
ensure that these elements will stick.
How can this approach
be appropriate for beginners as well as non-beginners?
Nearly all
non-beginners (music majors included) have considerable
loopholes in their theoretical knowledge that prohibit
them from advancing to a higher level of composition until
they address these issues. While students with prior skills entering these classes at an intermediate level are at times able to keep up with
the class, few are able to produce the quality that is
comparable to those who begin this method from the absolute
basics.
Suppose you are a pianist
who already knows the major scales. Can you play, write, and recognize all twelve of them on the page and keyboard with equal fluency? Can
you subdivide the half steps into whole tone scales, diminished
seventh chords, augmented triads, and tritones? Can you
sight read with equal ease in treble and bass clefs with
tonal and rhythmic accuracy? Unless you can answer an
unequivocal "yes" to ALL of the above questions,
it is to your benefit to start from the beginning. Keep in
mind that the Basics level is only a 3- to 4-month segment,
and is well worth the time.
Anyone
who tells you that you can learn the same amount of material
in half the amount of time is not being truthful with
you. If you want to GET quality results, you have to PUT
IN quality work.
Which is better for me, "Harmony and Composition" or the "Music Theory Step By Step" series?
If you are age fifteen or older, and are taking a class such as high school AP Music Theory or music theory at the college or conservatory level, "Harmony and Composition" is a good choice. The DVD provided for the non-keyboardists, the throroughness and the slightly accelerated pace makes it an ideal texbook for the settings described above. If you are younger than high school, especially if you have no musical training as of yet, "Music Theory Step By Step" is for you. The pace is more leisurely and there are consideably more drills and exercises, giving you plenty of time to become comfortable with each new element. But "Music Theory Step By Step" is not only helpful for the younger students! These volumes are equally suitable for adults who prefer to learn at a more relaxed pace. If you still have questions about your level, you can always e-mail them to djamini@deborahjamini.com.
Is this approach easy
to understand?
Yes! The style is direct
and unpretentious, and concepts are presented with numerous illustrations for optimal comprehension. But none of the excellent students' works
presented in this text would exist had these students
not actually reviewed on their own what was presented
to them here. These students' exemplary works are the
result of motivation by those who made the very most of
what was taught to them. They took their time
and enjoyed the ride every step of the way. And, as you
will see, these students demonstrate that beautiful compositions
are possible at all levels—even in the earliest
stages of writing harmony. So is this approach easy? Yes.
But you still have to practice!
