Rudiments of Music: A Concise Guide to Music Theory

Rudiments of Music: A Concise Guide to Music Theory is written for the beginner who has an interest in reading and writing music as well as the desire to understand the rudiments of tonal music theory. It will also be useful for the student who has experience of music notation and the desire for a stronger foundation in the rudiments of music. This book covers basic notation of pitch and rhythm, major and minor keys, intervals, triads, and the tonal context of harmony. Students will also learn how to compose short rhythm examples, melodies in major and minor keys, and a 24-measure piece for piano, exploring the principles of melody and harmony. This book is intended to supplement the classroom experience. The study of music theory requires two basic components: the study of theory and the application of theory through the listening experience. This book supplies the former, the basics of music theory. The application of theory through listening will be provided in the classroom. It is the hope of the author that the merely theoretical will be brought to life in the experience of music, and for this the work of the instructor in a beginning theory class is crucial. Understanding how chords, intervals, meters, key signatures, and melodies work can only be meaningful when they explicate the listening, performing, and composing experience of music. The study of theory is a desiccated endeavor when it does not answer questions about how we listen to, and experience, music.