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I took a year-long course in music theory as an undergrad; I loved it, and learned a great deal! I recommend sitting in on a university music theory course if

I took a year-long course in music theory as an undergrad; I loved it, and learned a great deal! I recommend sitting in on a university music theory course if it all possible. But, if not, I can at least recommend the textbook we used: Kostka and Payne's Tonal Harmony. If you want to learn slowly, from the beginning, it's a great resource. Our instructor told us that, by the end of the first semester, we would be writing four-part chorales and that we'd sound like Bach. That sounded thoroughly ridiculous and I thought he was full of shit. But, no, he was right -- after a semester I was able to do precisely this.

zozbot234 7y ago
Kostka and Payne is not usually recommended. Knowledgeable experts tend to prefer texts by Laitz, or Aldwell (previously, Aldwell & Schachter). Bear in mind though that the latter authors do require some 'intellectual' effort, but this will hopefully pay off in understanding. Kostka and Payne is the sort of textbook that's preferred by instructors at a music dept, where the students don't actually care that much about theory - it tends to emphasize unhelpful trivia, not what's most relevant.
- impendia 7y ago
  My impression was that Kostka and Payne is fairly light going, with lots of examples of how the concepts are used in actual (classical) music. There is an accompanying workbook, and as far as learning went that was where the real action is. Don't know the other books you mentioned; perhaps they are better still.
- pgbluster 7y ago
  I taught music theory for 8 years, and we used Laitz. It's a solid textbook. The book I learned from myself was Walter Piston (!) which is extremely old-fashioned, but unlike Laitz, Piston worked from a defined 'canon' of classical music within which his theory was consistent. Laitz tries to incorporate many different kinds of music, and then he often reaches quite simplistic conclusions. Kostka and Payne is absolutely fine, though, if you want to know 'enough' and the pedagogical style is excellent.

zozbot234 7y ago

Kostka and Payne is not usually recommended. Knowledgeable experts tend to prefer texts by Laitz, or Aldwell (previously, Aldwell & Schachter). Bear in mind though that the latter authors do require some 'intellectual' effort, but this will hopefully pay off in understanding. Kostka and Payne is the sort of textbook that's preferred by instructors at a music dept, where the students don't actually care that much about theory - it tends to emphasize unhelpful trivia, not what's most relevant.

impendia 7y ago
My impression was that Kostka and Payne is fairly light going, with lots of examples of how the concepts are used in actual (classical) music. There is an accompanying workbook, and as far as learning went that was where the real action is. Don't know the other books you mentioned; perhaps they are better still.
pgbluster 7y ago
I taught music theory for 8 years, and we used Laitz. It's a solid textbook. The book I learned from myself was Walter Piston (!) which is extremely old-fashioned, but unlike Laitz, Piston worked from a defined 'canon' of classical music within which his theory was consistent. Laitz tries to incorporate many different kinds of music, and then he often reaches quite simplistic conclusions. Kostka and Payne is absolutely fine, though, if you want to know 'enough' and the pedagogical style is excellent.