Customer Rating:  
Summary: Great for Jammers, and those intimidated by Jazz!
Comment: Like many a piano player, I learned to play by imitation, that is, imitating what my piano teacher taught me to do as a 9-year old. Ten years later, in my first `college band', I finally learned how to improvise and actually create music by taking a Jazz improvisation class. If you have time to take a class, do it...if not, buy this book. Perhaps this would be a bit complex for the complete novice, but if you're like me, (a person `classically trained' with little knowledge of how music is actually made) then this book is great.
If you're a pop composer and always wondering why you go from C to A-minor, to F, to G, then back to C, this ACTUALLY explains it! Even better, it explains what other chords you can play to make your progressions more interesting. Heck, you may even write a Jazz tune while you're at it.
A definite thumbs up.
Not 5 Star...
-A CD would be nice to accompany the various voicings of scales,etc
-Should have more variety of example songs besides `old susana'
-Could have gone deeper into music history, other than simply stating "most music is composed of the I, IV, and V chords."
Customer Rating:
Summary: I must be a Practical Person...
Comment: Studied music theory over the years and am finding this book very helpful in pulling it all together for me.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Don't try This at Home
Comment: Ed Roseman has written a charming book, but has provided the reader with an inadequate explanation of its subject matter. I had to ask my trumpet instructor more than once to explain what Mr. Roseman failed to provide in the way of information about the concepts presented here. The student either has to guess or find the information elsewhere in order to avoid getting lost. I definitely do not recommend this book for anyone new to the subject of music theory unless they have access to someone well versed on the subject, such as a music teacher.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Great Buy !
Comment: This takes most of the information in the "much thicker and formal" Music Theory books and condenses to something manageable, easy to understand, easy to read AND easy to learn. A good book for any musician to own !
Customer Rating:
Summary: Painless Music Theory
Comment: An interesting, logical, and understandable approach to Music Theory. Filled with enough examples, insights, and relationships to round out your unterstanding.
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