Music Theory for Adults | Materials for Learning Piano

Music Scores - Shops & Websites

🎹 Sheet Music at Foyles

🎹 Chimes Music

🎹 Boosey & Hawkes

🎹 Presto Music

🎹 Stretta Music

🎹 Music Room

🎹 Sheet Music Plus

🎹 Schott Music

☎️ +44 (0) 7454766539
📮 contact@pianolessons-london.co.uk

🏆 LinkedIn
👍 Facebook Page
☀️ Twitter profile
📷 Instagram
📸 Flickr Profile

📖 ON ORIGINS OF MUSIC
"The single harmony produced by all the heavenly bodies singing and dancing together srpings from one source and ends by achieving one purpose, and rightly bestowed the name not of 'disordered' but of 'ordered universe' upon the whole."
Aristotle Metaphysics

📖 POEM
Water and Air he for the Tenor chose,
Earth made the Base, the Treble Flame arose,
To th'active Moon a quick brisk stroke he gave,
To Saturn's string a touch more soft and grave.
The motions Strait, and Round, and Swift, and Slow,
And Short and Long, were mixt and woven so,
Did in such artful Figures smoothly fall,
As made this decent measur'd Dance for All.
And this is Musick.
Abraham Cowley Davideis (1656)

📖 "The formation of scales and of the web of harmony is a product of artistic invention, and is in no way given by the natural structure or by the natural behaviour of our hearing, as used to be generally maintained hithero."
Hermann von Helmholtz Theory of Sound (1862)

📖 "Music is a secret and unconscious mathematical problem of the soul."
Gottfried Wilhelm fon Leibnitz the Monadology (1714)

📖 "No composer believes that there are any short cuts to the better appreciation of music. The only thing that one can do for the listener is to point out what actually exists in the music itself and reasonably to explain the wherefore and the why of the matter. The listener must do the rest."
Aaron Copland in What to Listen for in Music (1939)

Short Introductory Music Theory Videos

The Semibreve, Minim and Crotchet

Time Signatures, Bars and Barlines

The Treble Clef, Stave and Pitch

The Bass Clef

The Dotted Minim

Stem Direction

Dynamic Terms

7 Common Tempo Markings

Treble Stave : Ledger Lines and Spaces

Bass Stave : Ledger Lines and Spaces

Rests II : When to use them

What are Semitones and Tones?

Time Signatures II : That Bottom Number!

Sharps (♯) and Flats (♭)

Quavers!

Rests I : The Semibreve, Minim, and Crotchet Rests

The Dotted Crotchet

Scales : C Major and G Major

Upbeats

Accidentals, Keys and Key Signatures

Beginners Learning Piano - Materials for Adults - Music Theory

📖 "Theory and practice are like the two wires which carry electrical energy for light and heat. Take hold of either wire separately and it is dead. Seize both and there is activity. It is only when the two wires are placed in contact that the life or current becomes effective. And so it is with Theory and Practice. Paper work has its rightful place, but it must not be treated as a separate compartment."
Alec Rowley Practical Musicianship (1941)

🔔 Reload the page a few times if you see orange widgets instead of books and music.

I would recommend that grown-up pupils whose musical skills are fairly basic or who are completely new to classical music get the first two books on this list for an overview. They are very well written and it does not harm to have more than one type of explanation, including pictures and graphs. After this reading I would recommend to proceed with some written exercises. And if you are new to musical notation do not forget apps such as Musicopoulos, Rhythm Cat, Treble Cat, Bass Cat, Flash Note etc - they are hugely helpful and enjoyable and, contrary to any books in paper format, have sound.

For more advanced pupils I would recommend to continue studying music theory, analysis, harmony and improve aural skills. The choice of materials would there depend on the stage in a pupils development.

📖 "The ability to see and understand the harmonic implications in music is important for performers in at least two ways: (1) readers who quickly grasp the harmonies implied in a passage can use that information to facilitate their performance, and (2) readers who take harmonic implications into account can produce more musically meaningful performances. In fact, musically convincing and satisfying performances of tonal music depend heavily on performers' abilities to think and act harmonically. Performances without a sense of harmonic motion are lifeless and uninteresting, devoid of one of the most essential elements of tonality itself. Performances that incorporate the logic and emotions of harmonic change and progression are cohesive and compelling."
Gary S. Karpinski Aural Skills Acquisition. The Development of Listening, Reading, and Performing Skills in College-Level Musicians

Books on Music Theory for Adults

📚 Harnum, Jonathan Basic Music Theory

📚 Vorderman, Carole DK Help Your Kids with Music (Grades 1-5): A Unique Step-by-Step Visual Guide & Free Audio App (DK Help Your Kids With)

📚 Pilhofer, Michael and Day, Holly Music Theory For Dummies

📚 Surmani, Andrew and Farnum Surmani, Karen and Manus, Morton Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory Complete Self Study Guide: A Complete Self-study Course for All Musicians

📚 Taylor, Eric The AB Guide to Music Theory Vol 1

📚 Taylor, Eric The AB Guide to Music Theory Vol 2

📚 Ellul, Matthew How to Read Music in 30 Days: Music Theory for Beginners - with exercises & online audio

📚 Zeitlin, Poldi and Goldberger, David Understanding Music Theory

📚 Holst, Imogen and Britten, Benjamin An ABC of Music (Oxford Paperback Reference)

📚 Nickol, Peter Learning to Read Music: How to Make Sense of Those Mysterious Symbols and Bring Music to Life

📚 Richer, Margaret Understand Music Theory: Teach Yourself

📚 Damschroder, David Foundations of Music and Musicianship

📚 Piper Clendinning, Jane and West Marvin, Elizabeth The Musician's Guide to Theory and Analysis

📚 Piper Clendinning, Jane and West Marvin, Elizabeth The Musician's Guide to Theory and Analysis Workbook

📚 Piper Clendinning, Jane and West Marvin, Elizabeth The Musician's Guide to Theory and Analysis Anthology

📚 Alfred Music 89 Color-Coded Flash Cards

📚 Flashcardables Premium Music Flash Cards

📚 Shionakai Music Note Flash Cards（88 Note Cards & 12 Key Cards）

📚 Winter, Helen 5 Games for Studying Music: Do-Re-Mi Dominos, Bass Clef Dominos, Treble Clef Dominos, CDEF Note Game, Find a Pair Card Game

Music Theory Books in German

📚 Langford, Claire DK Allgemeine Musiklehre anschaulich erklärt

📚 Wolf, Erich ALLGEMEINE MUSIKLEHRE: Eine musikalische Grundausbildung für jeden Anfänger

📚 Ziegenrucker, Wieland ABC MUSIK - ALLGEMEINE MUSIKLEHRE: 446 Lehr- und Lernsätze

📚 Hempel, Christoph NEUE ALLGEMEINE MUSIKLEHRE

📚 Lang, Stefan Musiklehre am Klavier: Anschaulich erklärt

📚 Pilhofer, Michael and Day, Holly Musiktheorie für Dummies

📚 Fehn, Oliver Übungsbuch Musiktheorie für Dummies

Music Theory Books in French

📚 Casterede, Jacques Théorie de la Musique

📚 Dannhauser, A. and Farkas, I.J. Théorie de la musique: (Édition revue et corrigée)

📚 Ellul, Matthew Lire la musique en 30 jours: Théorie musicale pour les débutants - avec exercices et exemples audio en ligne

📚 Rouyer, Frédéric Petit livre - Le solfège en 5 minutes par jour

📚 Chailley, Jacques Théorie Complete de la Musique - Vol. 1

📚 Chailley, Jacques Théorie Complete de la Musique - Vol. 2

📚 Chailley, Jacques Expliquer l'harmonie