Theory for Today's Musician Textbook

by Ralph Turek, Daniel McCarthy

Overview

Theory for Today’s Musician, Fourth Edition, recasts the scope of the traditional music theory course to meet the demands of the professional music world, in a style that speaks directly and engagingly to today’s music student. It uses classical, folk, popular, and jazz repertoires with clear explanations that link music theory to musical applications. The authors help prepare students by not only exploring how music theory works in art music, but how it functions within modern music, and why this knowledge will help them become better composers, music teachers, performers, and recording engineers.

This broadly comprehensive text merges traditional topics such as part-writing and harmony (diatonic, chromatic, neo-tonal, and atonal), through literature-based analysis that is practical and accessible to students and instructors. It also covers less traditional topics such as counterpoint and musical process, and includes the non-traditional topics of popular music songwriting, jazz harmony, and the blues. The accompanying companion website provides audio recordings and exercises that allow students to practice foundational theory skills. Written by experienced authors, both active classroom teachers for many years, Theory for Today’s Musician is the complete and ideal theory text to enable today’s student to accomplish their musical goals tomorrow.

Updated and corrected throughout, the Fourth Edition includes:

• Replacement of “Assorted Preliminaries” with “Pitch, Rhythm, Scales, and Keys” as new Chapter 1
• Revised coverage of atonality
• Interactive text features simplified to a single type: “Concept Checks”
• Answers to Concept Checks now provided (Appendix B)
• More women and minority composers represented
• Charts, illustrations, and musical examples revised and clarified
• Audio of musical examples improved and provided through the companion website

The accompanying Workbook offers exercises and assignments to accompany each chapter in the book. Online Instructor and Student Resources also support the textbook and workbook, including:

• For students: online tutorials with drills of basic concepts, as well as audio recordings of the musical examples.
• For instructors: An Instructor’s Manual with answer keys and guides to using the textbook and workbook in a course.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032519951
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/10/2025
Edition description:	4th ed.
Pages:	660
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Ralph Turek is a theorist, composer, author, jazz pianist, Professor Emeritus at the University of Akron, and a veteran of 35 years of teaching in the music theory classroom.

Daniel McCarthy is a familiar name in contemporary American music. As a composer, he has received distinguished faculty research/creativity awards at Indiana State University and the University of Akron, where he is Chair of the Composition and Theory Section in the School of Music. He also has extensive experience as a studio composer/arranger for TV, radio, and film.

Table of Contents

PART ONE: FUNDAMENTALS / 1 Pitch, Rhythm, Scales, and Keys / 2 Intervals / PART TWO: DIATONIC HARMONY / 3 Basic Harmonic Structures /4 Musical Shorthand: Lead Sheets and Figured Bass / 5 Harmonies of the Major and Minor Scales / 6 Cadences/Harmonic Rhythm / PART THREE: MELODY / 7 Melodic Pitch and Rhythm /8 Embellishing Tones / 9 Melodic Form PART FOUR: VOICE LEADING / 10 Melodic Principles of Part Writing/The Outer Voice Framework / 11 Voicing and Connecting Chords / 12 Part Writing with Root-Position Triads/13 Part Writing with Triads in Inversion / 14 Part Writing Seventh Chords / PART FIVE: BASIC CHROMATIC HARMONY / 15 Secondary Function I / 16 Secondary Function II / 17 Modulation I / PART SIX: COUNTERPOINT / 18 The Art of Countermelody /19 The Fugue PART SEVEN: ADVANCED CHROMATIC HARMONY /20 Mixing Modes / 21 Altered Pre-Dominants / 22 Other Chromatic Harmonies /23 Modulation II /24 Harmonic Extensions and Chromatic Techniques / PART EIGHT: FORM / 25 Binary and Ternary Forms /26 Sonata Form /27 The Rondo / PART NINE: MUSIC IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AND BEYOND / 28 Post-Tonal Music: Syntax and Vocabulary / 29 New Tonal Methods / 30 Non-Serial Atonality / 31 Serial Atonality /32 Harmonic Principles in Jazz / 33 The Blues / 34 Shaping a Song/ Appendix A: Facts of Interest/ Appendix B: Concept Check Answers/ Appendix C: Lead-Sheet Symbols / Appendix D: Part Writing Guidelines

Editorial Reviews

Theory for Today’s Musician is indeed apropos for today’s music student. The book offers a logical and thorough presentation of music theory concepts, leaving no stone unturned. Musical examples are drawn not only from the standard classical repertoire, but from musical theater, popular music, traditional tunes, and jazz, so the book is relevant for any musician, regardless of specialization.

—Eric Alexander, University of Northern Colorado

 

Theory for Today’s Musician by Ralph Turek and Daniel McCarthy is a clearly-written, easy-to-follow textbook for students. The authors’ use of creative analogies and musical examples taken from a variety of genres and styles, combined with a bit of humor, will undoubtedly help students connect with a subject that too often seems distant and difficult to them.

—Vicki Curry, James Madison University

 

I have found that this textbook helps students understand important musical concepts by making connections between classical, jazz, and popular music. The authors use familiar sounds to help the students grasp traditional principles. This textbook has been especially helpful for our music education majors who must pass a state-wide standardized exam that includes jazz and popular music. The integration of lead sheet symbols with traditional figured bass symbols has given our students the skills they need to succeed in today's musical environment.

—Randy Earles, Idaho State University

 

Theory for Today’s Musician’s carefully considered musical examples, drawn proportionately from “classical” and popular genres, clearly demonstrates the theoretical concepts students struggle to understand. Turek and McCarthy’s entertaining writing encourages even the most reluctant student to read the text. The text encourages students to think creatively and actively. As a result, students learn to use their ears and then understand the “rules” of music theory. This should be the standard among theory textbooks.

—David Hanan, University of Central Oklahoma

 

Theory for Today’s Musician will be popular with both students and teachers. The writing style is clear and direct, the musical examples are selected from standard “classical” repertoire as well as popular tunes, and the student exercises are varied, creative, and well thought out. The chapters on songwriting and jazz will help to create a well-rounded student with a solid foundation in music theory. The Turek and McCarthy text will be a great addition to the theory classroom. 

—Leslie Odom, University of Florida

 

Ralph Turek and Daniel McCarthy hone Theory for Today’s Musician for the 21^st-century student by using straightforward and concise writing, new and clear examples from classics to jazz and beyond, combined with abundant drills and exercises for student mastery throughout the text and the workbook.

—Elaine Rendler, George Mason University

 

Theory for Today’s Musician’s engaging writing style sparks the imagination and curiosity of students and encourages them to read on their own. It approaches music theory in such a way that the concepts and terminology covered may be applied equally well across a wide range of musical styles, and its well-placed examples demonstrate over and over again how useful these concepts can be to understanding and performing music, regardless of whether that music is by Bach, Beethoven, Bartók, or Brubeck.

—Matt Santa, Texas Tech University

From the Publisher