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Music Theory for Computer Musicians
Many DJs, gigging musicians, and electronic music producers understand how to play their instruments or make music on the computer, but they lack the basic knowledge of music theory needed to take their music-making to the next level and compose truly professional tracks. Beneath all the enormously different styles of modern electronic music lie certain fundamentals of the musical language that are exactly the same no matter what kind of music you write. It is very important to acquire an understanding of these fundamentals if you are to develop as a musician and music producer. Put simply, you need to know what you are doing with regard to the music that you are writing. Music Theory for Computer Musicians explains these music theory fundamentals in the most simple and accessible way possible. Concepts are taught using the MIDI keyboard environment and today's computer composing and recording software. By reading this book and following the exercises contained within it, you, the aspiring music producer/computer musician, will find yourself making great progress toward understanding and using these fundamentals of the music language. The result will be a great improvement in your ability to write and produce your own original music
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 4, 2008
120 people are currently reading
1,230 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 17, 2009
Extremely well done! For a musical novice like me, who has not learned an instrument or studied music before, this book was a great help. The author does a solid job at making clear both the overall structure of music, western music and that of other cultures, and of explaining a lot of details in clear terms. I learned more even than I had hoped to learn. I'm looking forward to his book on composition for computer musicians, and believe I have a lot better chance of putting things together that make sense musically than if I hadn't read this.
January 27, 2019
Very useful book with basic music theory and more.
As I do have knowledge in music theory, I just wanted to revise some English terminology for things and did wish it was a bit more constructed and to the point. But that's just me.
As I do have knowledge in music theory, I just wanted to revise some English terminology for things and did wish it was a bit more constructed and to the point. But that's just me.
April 17, 2020
It's a very well written and organised book on music theory for beginners AND advanced musicians. It might be overwhelming at first, but a couple of passes through this book should get you to a clear understanding of what music theory is all about.
April 8, 2020
It was ok, a bit long. Other than that it really helped me understand the concept of music and the scales and stuff :/
September 10, 2023
w porzadku, ale moze wiecej mialoby to sensu, jakbym przeczytała to wczesniej. i przesluchala zalaczonej plytki, ktorej i tak nie miałam
November 27, 2017
Very good and clear introduction into the world of music theory! It will give you a great understanding of notes, intervals between them, how we use them form scales and chords. You go through all the popular scales in western music: major, minor, pentatonic & blues... and learn to form chord progressions with them. The book gives you a solid foundation to continue your musical journey.
July 19, 2020
Excellent for beginners looking to start making music in a Digital Audio Workstation.
July 2, 2024
I've been trying to finish this book for ages now (one month is just a tiny piece of the iceberg). I hugely regret though, for not taking notes or highlighting properly. Besides some specific details (like "this paragraph should be placed in the beginning of the chapter"), I can't see any major flaws with this book. Despite having numerous chapters, it manages to keep them short but packed with information. The concepts are exemplified not only with musical score format diagrams, but also with the keyboard views, occasionally guitar fretboard charts, song examples, and tracks in a CD that comes with the book. In short, the author, Michael Hewitt, does everything he can to help the reader understand these concepts. Each chapter ends with exercises, much like a textbook. With good companions like Youtube and GPT, I believe this book will solve all the music theory problems of a beginner musician, at least of a musician who is a better reader than me.
July 23, 2023
The books gives you a general overview of the main aspects of initial music theory that you need from scratch, major/minor keys, intervals, exotic scales, modes, pentatonic scales all within tightly packed chapters that doesn't take too long to read. The author seems to know really in depth about theory and thus the chapters are explained clearly and with authority on the subject.
The only thing is that this is more fitted to be read by someone who has either read a little about the subject and has a notion of the chapters or is willingly to supplement each chapter with either another book or youtube videos, since there are chapters that leave questions unanswered or sometimes not explained in such a clear way.
The only thing is that this is more fitted to be read by someone who has either read a little about the subject and has a notion of the chapters or is willingly to supplement each chapter with either another book or youtube videos, since there are chapters that leave questions unanswered or sometimes not explained in such a clear way.
September 17, 2020
Excellent book that works as a not very deep introduction into the topic it covers. It could use more exercises though. It's nice that the audio is available online.
March 17, 2021
It's a very very informative book that I've heard a lot about
March 21, 2024
Cool supplemental reading for a foundation of basic music theory
April 19, 2014
4 Stars
If you're a computer musician and want to learn more about the basic structures of music, this could be worth a read. If your not a computer musician, there's probably a better book out there for music theory.
If you're a computer musician and want to learn more about the basic structures of music, this could be worth a read. If your not a computer musician, there's probably a better book out there for music theory.
August 26, 2009
Great book! Perfect for a drummer/DJ turned into a Muscial Producer. Very clear and direct to the point.
(May be a little to basic for more advanced readers)
(May be a little to basic for more advanced readers)
March 13, 2017
This is a good foundational book. There is a lot of solid information in here. I did not listen to the cd.
Want to read
June 11, 2012Should be perfect for my EDM magazine for ELA.
Read
January 7, 2019It was insightful however nothing beats taking music theory in-class.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
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