Explorations in Music Theory: Harmony, Musicianship, Improvisation

by Dariusz Terefenko, Benjamin Wadsworth

Overview

Explorations in Music Theory: Harmony, Musicianship, Improvisation offers an innovative learning approach to music theory, centered on instrumental skills, improvisation, and composition. Providing a comprehensive textbook to support music theory curricula, along with an accompanying workbook, it includes extensive performance-based exercises in each chapter, alongside written theory and analysis. This book teaches harmony as a series of historical practices, each with different advantages and disadvantages. Classes are empowered to critically compare these practices and adopt those that they find most effective. Designed to support multiple learning modalities, and incorporating repertoire from a diverse array of composers, this book offers instructors and students a comprehensive and engaging foundation in music theory.

Features of this book include:

• Modular lessons centered on inquiry-driven pedagogy, offering flexibility
• Lesson difficulty is marked to allow instructors to easily organize their course
• A wide variety of exercises and practice tasks incorporated throughout the chapters
• Improvisation Labs allow students to practice concepts through improvisation
• Historical Minutes introduce students to historical theorists and enable them to understand music theory as a living practice
• Composer Spotlights highlight the stories of composers whose work is featured in the chapter, bringing forward underrepresented composers
• Explore Online features provide additional exercises and coverage of advanced topics through an accompanying online resource

A flexible, modular organization allows the book to be used in a variety of course structures, accommodating a wide variety of schools. Enhancing improvisation and composition skills, introducing historical perspectives, incorporating diverse repertoire, and enabling students to better connect theory concepts with practical applications, this text provides a new and effective way to teach harmony.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367488239
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/16/2024
Pages:	856
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dariusz Terefenko is Professor of Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media and Affiliate Professor of Music Theory at Eastman School of Music, where he teaches courses in jazz and music theory. He is the author of Jazz Theory: From Basic to Advanced Study and Jazz Theory Workbook.

Benjamin Wadsworth is Professor of Music Theory at Kennesaw State University, where he oversees the Music Theory area.

Table of Contents

Part I: Fundamentals

1. Music Notation

2. Rhythm and Meter

3. Major Scales

4. Minor Scales

5. Intervals

6. Triads

7. Seventh Chords

8. Non-Chord Tones

9. Root-Position Triads

10. First-Inversion Triads

11. Putting Together Unit I

Part II: Diatonic Harmony

12. Composing with V7

13. Non-Dominant Sevenths

14. viio7 and viiø7

15. 6/4 Chords

16. Microform

17. Applied Chords

18. Diatonic Modulation

19. Small Forms

20. Putting Together Unit II

Part III: Chromaticism

21. Diatonic Sequences

22. Mixture

23. The Neapolitan

24. Topic Theory

25. Augmented Sixths

26. Chromatic Chords

27. Chromatic Modulation

28. Chromatic Progressions

29. Putting Together Unit III

Part IV: Advanced Harmony

30. Rondo and Composite Forms

31. Sonata-Allegro Form

32. Concerto Forms

33. The Cadenza

34. Fugue

Part V: Advanced Topics

35. Modes and Collections

36. Free Atonality and Serialism

37. Centricity and Neoclassicism

38. Jazz Improvisation

39. Three 20^th-Century Composers

40. Putting Together Units IV and V