Komuso
705 posts
Jul 19, 2017
3:30 PM
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"I complain a lot on this blog about the traditional teaching of music theory. Fortunately, a better alternative exists: Everyday Tonality by Philip Tagg. Don’t be put off by the DIY look of the web site; the book is the single best explanation I know of for how harmony works across a broad spectrum of the world’s music."
Philip Tagg’s Everyday Tonality
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Learn Harmonica Faster
Komuso's Music Website
Last Edited by Komuso on Jul 19, 2017 3:30 PM
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mr_so&so
1068 posts
Jul 19, 2017
3:50 PM
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Thanks for the link!
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kudzurunner
6301 posts
Jul 19, 2017
4:52 PM
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I haven't looked at the stuff behind the link, but Philip Tagg is a real heavyweight in the world of academic musicology. A very, very big name. So it's worth taking him seriously.
Revised to add: That is f--king awesome! I'm going to share, reread, share, reread....
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Jul 19, 2017 4:58 PM
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dougharps
1506 posts
Jul 19, 2017
10:10 PM
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@Komuso
Very cool stuff! A significantly different perspective from which to look at music, different from using the usual European classical music theory to analyze non-European music that just doesn't fit very well in that theory.
The framework we choose to study a subject cannot help but shape the outcome of the analysis.
And just think, a link to this article was right on the same blog page I posted in another thread. However, I didn't fully explore the blog to check it out,and you did!
Thank you for posting this link!
Ethnomusicologists have very interesting perspectives on music.
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Doug S.
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Komuso
706 posts
Jul 19, 2017
10:39 PM
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@dougharps re "And just think, a link to this article was right on the same blog page I posted in another thread. However, I didn't fully explore the blog to check it out,and you did!"
Nah. I follow Ethan Hein on twitter and he posted the article today. He has a really interesting blog that dovetails with a lot of my music visualization interests. Worth reading all his stuff if you gets some time.
What was your link about?
edit: ah, I see this one http://www.ethanhein.com/wp/2014/participatory-music-vs-presentational-music/ Yes, that was a great read too.
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Learn Harmonica Faster
Komuso's Music Website
Last Edited by Komuso on Jul 19, 2017 10:41 PM
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Honkin On Bobo
1432 posts
Jul 20, 2017
4:55 AM
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A quick question. Is this a book for those with little or no understanding of music theory, or for someone who already understands theory (i.e. offers a different perspective for those who already have a basic understanding)
i am struggling mightily with understanding theory. I've looked at the table of contents and read part of a sample chapter and can't decide whether this would be helpful to me or not.
Either way thanks for the post.
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timeistight
2152 posts
Jul 20, 2017
9:19 AM
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I haven't read the book, but from what's on his website, i would say this isn't meant for a raw beginner, despite Komuso's thread title.
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Tommy the Hat
606 posts
Jul 20, 2017
2:33 PM
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I'm not much into theory but do keep resources available for occasional glimpses. I came across a beginners book that many people claimed was a very simple book on theory making it easy to learn. I purchased it but have only read one chapter thus far after having it for a couple of months already. It is rather fun and easy but again, I'm not much into this stuff. I think it's great for beginners and probably good for anyone else as well.
The book is "Edly's Music Theory for Practical People, 2nd Edition" by Ed Roseman
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Tommy
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Komuso
707 posts
Jul 20, 2017
3:40 PM
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You'll need some understanding of how harmony and chords work to get what he's talking about. It's easy in context of that, but yes it's not designed to teach music theory from scratch. It's more about approaching higher level understanding from a non-classical music perspective which is more suited to roots and modern music styles.
My goto book to learn/understand modern music theory has always been:
How Music Really Works
Hooktheory is also a fantastic interactive approach to understanding all this.
At its simplistic core music is just basic maths formulas. Making it touch the soul is the art.
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Learn Harmonica Faster
Komuso's Music Website
Last Edited by Komuso on Jul 20, 2017 3:41 PM
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EthanTeachesMusic
1 post
Jul 20, 2017
6:55 PM
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Hi guys. I wrote the blog post mentioned above about Philip Tagg, and I'm delighted to see it being discussed here. I do recommend the Tagg book for beginner students of theory, as long as you supplement it with Wikipedia and the like. Tagg moves fast and covers a lot of ground, so don't expect to absorb the book quickly. But if you hang in there, it'll be well worth your while.
I have some theory resources that you might find useful as well. Here's a discussion I wrote in the spirit of Tagg on the music theory implications of blues harmonica.
Here's a study of blues harmony.
Finally, I teach some online courses about theory that are aimed at creators of rock, hip-hop, electronic dance music, and other groove-based contemporary forms. They presume no music reading or prior knowledge. You can learn more here.
I'm also happy to answer whatever questions people have. Thanks for all the blog traffic!
Last Edited by EthanTeachesMusic on Jul 21, 2017 7:28 AM
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Komuso
708 posts
Jul 20, 2017
7:45 PM
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Hey Ethan,
Thanks for dropping by and the links, more interesting things to read!
Unfortunately this site does not auto parse URL's so you need to hand edit them with some html anchor text.
<a href="Your YouTube Page URL Here">What You Want To Call The Link Here</a>
and then they will show up nicely hyperlinked as in my sig
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Learn Harmonica Faster
Komuso's Music Website
Last Edited by Komuso on Jul 21, 2017 6:28 AM
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Honkin On Bobo
1437 posts
Jul 21, 2017
4:59 AM
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Komuso, Ethan thanks for those links.
Edited to add: Komuso (Paul). Special thanks to you for that link on your go to theory book How Music Really Works. I have read a couple of the free on-line chapters and it might just do the trick for me. He has many side-bars in it which he anticipates where people starting out might get confused. They mainly deal with how one term is often used to mean two different things or are used in diferent contexts. It was the light bulb kind of moment for me. I knew all along that all I needed was the info being presented in the right way. It was never about math for me (excelled at that through Calculus). It just seemed like I couldn't get my arms around what the various terms actually meant, and how it all connected in the big picture. Once again many thanks. Full speed ahead.
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Last Edited by Honkin On Bobo on Jul 21, 2017 7:28 AM
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EthanTeachesMusic
3 posts
Jul 21, 2017
7:29 AM
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I fixed my links, thanks for the tip.
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Komuso
709 posts
Jul 21, 2017
7:37 AM
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@Honkin Great! Damn the harpedos!
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Learn Harmonica Faster
Komuso's Music Website
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