INTRODUCTION
Progressive Music Theory assumes you have no prior knowledge of music or any particular instrument. However, the book will also be a valuable asset to any student who already plays an instrument but doesn’t know much theory. All subjects in the book are closely linked with playing an instrument or singing to encourage the student to relate the theory to actual playing.
Music is often referred to as a language. A good musician can "read" a piece of music as others may read a book. Simply by looking at the music on the page, the musician can imagine the sounds of the instruments, and knows not only what each is doing, but also why. This is an invaluable skill for any musician and just like reading, it can be learned. All you have to do is take it step by step, follow the lessons in the book, complete the exercises and if you play an instrument, practice them until you can use them in your playing as easily as you use words when speaking.
The book covers all the essential elements of basic music theory, using both treble and bass clef, along with the grand staff. Subjects include time signatures, note values, sharps, flats, chord construction, major, minor and chromatic scales, and musical terms relating to tempo and volume. You will also learn all the notes used in western music, enabling you to play in all major and minor keys on your instrument. This theory is essential to help you understand the music you play and can be applied to solve practical problems, hence speeding up your progress. In conjunction with this book you can use other books in the Progressive series to learn individual instruments including guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, harmonica, saxophone, clarinet, flute and trumpet as well as Progressive Beginner Singing for aspiring singers. These books are all available from LearnToPlayMusic.com.
