CONTEMPORARY MUSIC THEORY LEVEL ONE - AUTHOR'S FOREWORD and TABLE OF CONTENTS
For your information we have included below the Author's Foreword and Table of Contents from the Contemporary Music Theory Level One Book.
This web page contains excerpts from the Contemporary Music Theory Level One Book ©1995 Mark Harrison. All rights reserved.
CONTEMPORARY MUSIC THEORY LEVEL ONE - AUTHOR'S FOREWORD
Welcome to Contemporary Music Theory Level 1. I have personally taught these concepts to hundreds of students in Harmony classes held at the former Grove School of Music in Los Angeles. As such I know that this book represents a proven and 'battle-tested' approach to the subject matter! The internationally-acclaimed Grove School provided a unique learning experience for the contemporary musician, and in this exciting environment I was responsible for a significant amount of the school's musicianship instruction. During the years I was teaching Harmony & Theory at the Grove School to students from all over the world, I had the best possible opportunity to determine what the music theory needs of the contemporary musician were, and what the best method was to communicate these concepts! This process has now led to the creation of these Contemporary Music Theory Level One and Level Two methods - the most thorough music theory courses available for the pop and jazz musician!
Whether you are new to music theory, or are finding your 'classical theory' background inadequate for pop and jazz applications, this Level One course is an ideal starting point. In here we completely derive and explain major and minor scales, keys and key signatures, all intervals, triads and four-part chords, diatonic chords, modes, suspensions and altered chords. Everything is presented from the viewpoint of the contemporary musician and is information you can then use right away in your playing or composing/arranging! If you've ever labored through some college music theory course that looked like it was written in Greek (and which had zero relevance to your musical needs and aspirations) then I think you will especially appreciate the uniquely useful and practical approach contained in this book!
Today's pop and jazz styles are very 'ear-oriented' - in other words they tend to follow a set of rules and expectations that an 'educated ear' will understand. You may have already seen or used our Contemporary Eartraining courses (see page v), which were a fundamental component of the musicianship program at the Grove School. For music theory instruction to be of value to the contemporary musician, the concepts must be presented in a way that is consistent with how the ear works - this is the whole philosophy behind our Contemporary Music Theory courses. For students wishing to strengthen their overall musicianship, the combination of our Eartraining and Music Theory methods represents the most efficient and 'targeted' contemporary music program now available!
Each chapter in this book is divided into three main sections:-
Textbook, containing a complete explanation for each subject area addressed, with various examples of how to apply the theory concepts
Workbook Questions, containing written exercises for each subject area
Workbook Answers, containing answers for all of the written exercises.
This book is ideally suited for self-study, one-on-one music tutoring, and group classes. In a school classroom situation, I have typically covered this material in a ten-week class 'session', although of course the material can be covered at a slower pace or be adapted for use within different length semesters/courses, at the discretion of the teacher. There are hundreds of written exercises throughout the book, all with answers provided - a perfect way to cement your understanding of how today's music really works!
At the back of the book, I have provided appendices listing all major and minor scales (both with and without key signatures) and all diatonic triads and four-part chords in every key.
These are followed by a complete glossary of terms used in the book, for your reference and
convenience.
Good luck with your study of Contemporary Music Theory - and I hope it opens many doors for you as a musician!!
MARK HARRISON
Harrison Music Education Systems
Los Angeles, California
CONTEMPORARY MUSIC THEORY LEVEL ONE - TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Chapter One: | Notation basics, major scales and key signatures | Page 1 |
| Chapter Two: | Diatonic and chromatic intervals | Page 53 |
| Chapter Three: | Triads and inversions | Page 73 |
| Chapter Four: | Diatonic triads | Page 99 |
| Chapter Five: | Modal scales | Page 127 |
| Chapter Six: | Four-part chords and inversions | Page 155 |
| Chapter Seven: | Diatonic four-part chords | Page 177 |
| Chapter Eight: | Minor scales and key signatures | Page 201 |
| Chapter Nine: | More four-part chords, suspended chords, and altered chords | Page 223 |
| Appendix One: | Major and minor scales (with key signatures) | Page 257 |
| Appendix Two: | Major and minor scales (without key signatures) | Page 265 |
| Appendix Three: | Diatonic triads and four-part chords | Page 273 |
| Glossary: | Glossary of terms used in this book | Page 281 |
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