Intro to theory book?

[charleyrich99]

I have been asked by one of my Jazz Appreciation class students to give her private lessons on music theory.

Can someone recommend a book I could use as the basis for a curriculum?

The student is an intermediate level pianist. I need help in how I would organize the flow of teaching materials beyond the obvious circle of 5ths, basic harmony and inversions.

Thanks for any suggestions.

-Charley

[TheGrandWazoo]

Jazz Keyboard Harmony by Lee Evans
Amazon.com

My daughter (18) asked me if I had a book on baseline/rudiments music theory and I handed her this book before she could finish her sentance. The first 50 pages are extremely thorough and approachable to anyone on the how and why of music theory.

[dconeill]

A book I use frequently is "The Jazz Theory Book" by Mark Levine. The webpage also shows the table of contents.

[rpjazzguitar]

A book I use frequently is "The Jazz Theory Book" by Mark Levine. The webpage also shows the table of contents.

Couldn't agree more. I think Jazz Theory is a terrific book. Elegantly written and absolutely clear. It helps to be able to play the examples on piano, but even if you can't do that, there's plenty to learn.

It's the best textbook I ever used, on any subject.

[Christian Miller]

I have been asked by one of my Jazz Appreciation class students to give her private lessons on music theory.

Can someone recommend a book I could use as the basis for a curriculum?

The student is an intermediate level pianist. I need help in how I would organize the flow of teaching materials beyond the obvious circle of 5ths, basic harmony and inversions.

Thanks for any suggestions.

-Charley

What’s the goal?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[charleyrich99]

What’s the goal?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very good question. The student's goals are to better understand the music she was playing and prepare her to play with others. Rather broad goals, of course as the student doesn't really know what music theory is.

[pamosmusic]

That's why I don't ask people what their goals are or listen to people who profess them. Even if they can think of something they very rarely have anything much to do with reality.

Your reality?

[Jimmy Smith]

Peter vs ragman.

[Christian Miller]

Very good question. The student's goals are to better understand the music she was playing and prepare her to play with others. Rather broad goals, of course as the student doesn't really know what music theory is.

Yeah…. I mean my recommendation would depend.

Pure theory - I had a student once who was looking to get in to jazz school. I taught her all the scale and modes, chord construction like it is in the Levine book and Berklee books because that’s the stuff they teach at those schools.

But that’s a rare case of a jazz student wanting theory specifically. Most times jazz musicians just want to explore ways to make music - so theory things are more like resources for that. More practical than theoretical imo. Theory just comes from labelling things. So I’d be recommending books on jazz improvisation, not theory per se.

The idea of ‘understanding music’ otoh sounds more like analysis. We generally do that in jazz for the goal of having things to play and ideas, but in classical music appreciation it can sort of be an end in itself.

(Otoh you have classical theory you have everything from how to add up beats in a bar and how to transpose for oboe through to realising figured bass and Schenkerian analysis.)

Even for basic chord construction etc, it again depends.If you use the Levine book and follow the approach of using seventh chords and 3-9 voicings etc, everything sounds post 1960 - so great if your student loves Bill Evans or Herbie, but it’s going to be a poor fit if she’s really into Fats Waller or Errol Garner. For example, you want to focus on more swing:bebop you’d prioritise more 6th chords and use of dim7’s like Barry Harris, and for early styles plain chords for early stuff, tenths, stride and NOLA ‘paddle’ styles and so on…

I think there’s too much theory to simply study theory. You could end up 90 and not having played a note. It has to depend on what the goal is.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Christian Miller]

A historical guide to jazz might be the sort of thing for a jazz appreciation course?

I don’t really know a book like that


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[charleyrich99]

Yeah…. I mean my recommendation would depend.

Pure theory - I had a student once who was looking to get in to jazz school. I taught her all the scale and modes, chord construction like it is in the Levine book and Berklee books because that’s the stuff they teach at those schools.

But that’s a rare case of a jazz student wanting theory specifically. Most times jazz musicians just want to explore ways to make music - so theory things are more like resources for that. More practical than theoretical imo. Theory just comes from labelling things. So I’d be recommending books on jazz improvisation, not theory per se.

The idea of ‘understanding music’ otoh sounds more like analysis. We generally do that in jazz for the goal of having things to play and ideas, but in classical music appreciation it can sort of be an end in itself.

(Otoh you have classical theory you have everything from how to add up beats in a bar and how to transpose for oboe through to realising figured bass and Schenkerian analysis.)

Even for basic chord construction etc, it again depends.If you use the Levine book and follow the approach of using seventh chords and 3-9 voicings etc, everything sounds post 1960 - so great if your student loves Bill Evans or Herbie, but it’s going to be a poor fit if she’s really into Fats Waller or Errol Garner. For example, you want to focus on more swing:bebop you’d prioritise more 6th chords and use of dim7’s like Barry Harris, and for early styles plain chords for early stuff, tenths, stride and NOLA ‘paddle’ styles and so on…

I think there’s too much theory to simply study theory. You could end up 90 and not having played a note. It has to depend on what the goal is.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you for the the detailed response. It gives me a lot to think about when I discuss it with the student.

[A. Kingstone]

A historical guide to jazz might be the sort of thing for a jazz appreciation course?

I don’t really know a book like that


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ahem.....

That's a good name for the book you will write. A Historical Guide To Harmony.

By Sir Toffee Tosspot

I'd buy it.

[Jimmy Smith]

To understand the classical music she's playing and how to make music in the future, she'll want to learn keys/tonal centers, chord construction, and melody construction/scales etc.

[Christian Miller]

I actually think a basic primer in classical style common practice harmony is actually pretty useful for understanding progressions in standards. Piston’s harmony has a long pedigree IIRC Reg and Jimmy Blue Note swear by it.

I just read the ABRSM (UK) textbook. It was pretty great and that kind of Roman numeral analysis and so on is a great fit for tin pan alley songs and the like. I found it really helpful.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pamosmusic]

Ahem.....

That's a good name for the book you will write. A Historical Guide To Harmony.

By Sir Toffee Tosspot

I'd buy it.

Snarky Theory Books By Cheeky Brits is a serious untapped market

[charleyrich99]

Now the challenge is figure out what to charge per hour???

[wolflen]

I have been asked by one of my Jazz Appreciation class students to give her private lessons on music theory.

Can someone recommend a book I could use as the basis for a curriculum?

The student is an intermediate level pianist. I need help in how I would organize the flow of teaching materials beyond the obvious circle of 5ths, basic harmony and inversions.

Thanks for any suggestions.

-Charley

Intermediate level--style--classical..Jazz ?

If its Jazz..does the student know any standards by some of the masters or influenced by some of them?

There are quite a few books today..even some good online materials.

Theory can be used with tunes to show how it applies in practice.

But it sounds from your request this may be a from the ground up situation..if so..diatonic harmony would be the place to begin.

A quick review of jazz history and several tunes of the past era and their analysis. Then a who influenced who mini history.

This helps to show where the music came from and where it moved to..something like tracing Miles Davis from playing with
Parker and the period before and after Kind of Blue..and some of those tunes on albums that can be used as teaching aids
along with the sheet music of the tunes for analysis of the harmonic and melodic structures. Use this type of study
in a theory context..how and why certain chords are used in these tunes and so on.

anyway..just a few thoughts

[GuyBoden]

Being able to hear how the Theory works in practice should be mandatory teaching IMHO.

Test that the Student can hear how the Theory works in practice.

[Christian Miller]

Snarky Theory Books By Cheeky Brits is a serious untapped market

I await a more complete understanding of Romantic and Impressionist harmony, and some better jokes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk