Music Theory Secrets: 94 Strategies for the Starting Musician

by Brent Coppenbarger

Overview

Modeled on the brilliant approach first formulated by distinguished professor of music and master clarinetist Michele Gingras in Clarinet Secrets and More Clarinet Secrets (both available from Rowman and Littlefield), Music Secrets is designed for instrumentalists, singers, conductors, composers, and other instructors and professionals seeking a quick set of pointers to improve their work as performers and producers of music. Easy to use, contributions to the Music Secrets series fill a niche for those who need quick and easy methods for learning what they need—from those just starting to the advanced musician in need of a refresher or new insights.

Rhythms, melodies, and harmonies are the building blocks of music. In Music Theory Secrets: 94 Strategies for the Starting Musician, Brent Coppenbarger offers a full range of methods to help musicians, not only grasp, but remember those key elements upon which the music they play is built: pitch, rhythm, scales, key signatures, and harmony. With over eighteen years of experience teaching music theory, Coppenbarger offers the various teaching and memory strategies he has designed to help musicians understand and retain what they need to know.

Coppenbarger covers critical information on how to determine pitch, the use of meter, and how to count rhythms in simple and compound meter; explains major scales and major key signatures, as well as minor scales and minor key signatures; surveys other types of scales (such as those used in jazz) and explains how modes work; presents necessary data on scale degree names and intervals; covers triads and various types of chords; touches upon Roman numeral analysis, inversions, and figured bass; presents non-chord tones and discusses solfege singing, including several pages of sight singing using various clefs and keys (strongly recommended for instrumentalists for practicing transpositions for the appropriate clef and range) demonstrates the different techniques musicians can use for transposing keys; and finally discusses more advanced concepts such as part-writing rules, the use of sequences, and form.

Music Theory Secrets: 94 Strategies for the Starting Musician is an indispensable resource for instrumental teachers wishing to incorporate music theory into lessons, classroom teachers, high school and college students, amateur musicians, those wanting to learn to read music, home-schooled students, and college bound music students.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442233232
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	08/20/2014
Series:	Music Secrets for the Starting Musician , #1
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	156
Product dimensions:	7.14(w) x 9.85(h) x 0.34(d)

About the Author

Brent Coppenbarger is professor of music at the Cline School of Music at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina where he has taught music theory and woodwinds since 1995. He has published in The Clarinet, NACWPI Journal, and The Instrumentalist. He is also a composer who works are available from Dorn Publications and Musica Rara.

Table of Contents

Quick Reference Guide to Helpful Tables Preface Acknowledgments Prelude Chapter 1: Pitch and Rhythm Basics Secret 1: Pitch Basics Secret 2: The Treble Clef or G Clef Secret 3: The Bass Clef or F Clef Secret 4: The Alto Clef & The Tenor Clef Secret 5: The Grand Staff Secret 6: Rhythm Secret 7: Time Signature Secret 8: Meter Secret 9: Simple Meter Secret 10: Compound Meter Secret 11: Asymmetrical Meter Secret 12: Counting in Simple Meter Secret 13: Counting in Compound Meter Secret 14: Practice Makes Perfect Chapter 2: Major Scales and Major Key Signatures Secret 15: The Scale Secret 16: The Major Scale Secret 17: The Major Tetrachord Secret 18: Key Signatures Secret 19: The Order of Flats Secret 20: The Order of Sharps Secret 21: The Sharp Key Signatures in Major Secret 22: The Flat Key Signatures in Major Chapter 3: Minor Scales and Minor Key Signatures Secret 23: Minor Scales Secret 24: Parallel Minor Secret 25: Relative Minor Secret 26: Natural Minor Form Secret 27: Harmonic Minor Form Secret 28: Melodic Minor Form Chapter 4: Other Scales Secret 29: The Chromatic Scale Secret 30: The Whole Tone Scale Secret 31: The Pentatonic Scale Secret 32: Dorian Mode Secret 33: Phrygian Mode Secret 34: Lydian Mode Secret 35: Mixolydian Mode Secret 36: The Seven Note Blues Scale Secret 37: The Bebop Scale Secret 38: Less Common Scales Chapter 5: Scale Degree Names and Intervals Secret 39: Scale Degree Names Secret 40: The Interval Secret 41: Major Intervals Secret 42: Perfect Intervals Secret 43: Minor Intervals Secret 44: Augmented Intervals Secret 45: Diminished Intervals Secret 46: The Tritone Chapter 6: Triads Secret 47: Major Triads Secret 48: Minor Triads Secret 49: Augmented Triads Secret 50: Diminished Triads Chapter 7: Chords Secret 51: The Major Seventh Chord Secret 52: The Major-Minor Seventh Chord Secret 53: The Minor Seventh Chord Secret 54: The Diminished Seventh Chord Secret 55: The Half-Diminished & Fully-Diminished Seventh Chord Secret 56: Other Chords Chapter 8: Roman Numeral Analysis Secret 57: Roman Numeral Quality Secret 58: Roman Numerals in Major Keys Secret 59: Roman Numerals in Minor Keys Secret 60: Four-Part Roman Numeral Analysis Chapter 9: Inversions of the Chord and Figured Bass Secret 61: The Root Position Triad Secret 62: The First Inversion Triad Secret 63: The Second Inversion Triad Secret 64: Figured Bass Secret 65: Root Position Figured Bass Secret 66: First Inversion Figured Bass Secret 67: Second Inversion Figured Bass Secret 68: Seventh Chord Figured Bass Secret 69: Lead Sheet Inversions Chapter 10: Non-Chord Tones Secret 70: Non-Chord Tones Defined Secret 71: The Passing Tone Secret 72: The Neighbor Tone Secret 73: The Escape Tone Secret 74: The Appoggiatura Secret 75: The Anticipation Secret 76: The Suspension Secret 77: The Pedal Tone Secret 78: Using Non-Chord Tones To Improvise Chapter 11: Singing with Solfège Syllables Secret 79: Sight Singing Secret 80: Solfège Syllables in Major Secret 81: Solfège Syllables in Natural Minor Secret 82: Solfège Syllables in Harmonic Minor Secret 83: Solfège Syllables in Melodic Minor Secret 84: Other Methods of Sight Singing Chapter 12: Transposition Secret 85: Concert Pitch Instruments Secret 86: Transposing Instruments Secret 87: Transposing Parts Secret 88: Transposing Using Solfege Syllables Secret 89: Transposing Keys Secret 90: The Transposition Table Chapter 13: Advanced Concepts Secret 91: Four Part Analysis Secret 92: Part-writing Rules Secret 93: The Sequence Secret 94: Form Appendix 1: Chorale Analysis Appendix 2: Suggested Further Reading About the Author Index

Editorial Reviews

Brent Coppenbarger has written a concise and valuable reference aid for musicians of any shape or size.. . .This book provides clear 'secrets' in theory concepts and answers for musicians working outside their comfort zone.. . .Music Theory Secrets. .. offers concise and thorough theory strategies for musicians from beginner to accomplished; the tables and illustrations are clear and the practice exercises (including answers) qualify this book for a valuable bookshelf tool.

American Music Teacher

This book was written for a number of audiences: high school students planning to study music in college, private music teachers wanting to incorporate some music theory into their lessons, adult amateur musicians who wish to understand music theory and construction much better, and for music teachers having to teach music theory as part of an overall classroom experience. As the author states, many college music majors struggle to understand music theory, and many of them drop out of the major because of this. This book attempts to fill both basic and advanced music theory challenges through various tricks, descriptions, explanations, and mnemonics. It starts out with very basic concepts such as pitch, rhythm, major and minor scales, scale degrees and chords, and Roman numeral analysis and chord inversions, and moves to more advanced concepts such as singing with solfege syllables, transposition, and four-part writing analysis. Having had major issues with music theory myself while obtaining my undergraduate music degree, I can say that this book is a wonderful addition and of practical help to anyone in the music profession dealing with various aspects of music theory.

American Reference Books Annual