"How Music Really Works" book

Does anyone own this book? The first six chapters are available free online and it looks like a very interesting read. Covers many aspects of music theory.

How Music REALLY Works! (http://howmusicreallyworks.com/)

Never seen this book, though in glancing through it, I'm not sure what to make of it. When you say covers many aspects of theory, is that what you want? A theory book?

He seems to be trying to cover everything - theory, history, business, songwriting - which gives me doubts about how deep into theory (or any other individual subject) he gets, even if it is over 800 pages. In the sample chapters, it's not very deep at all theoretically yet - though very accessible in its explanations, like an "Idiot's Guide," and explaining things plainly that most people don't know, including your average garage band musician.

There are a lot of good theory books out there if that's what you're looking for, but it depends on what aspect you want. There's usually a curve: The deeper into theory a text goes, the more it tends to sound like complex calculus. A good text that splits the difference is Mark Levine's The Jazz Theory Book. Even if you don't like jazz, the theory behind it should be considered a tool, not beholden to any particular style. Jazz just so happens to be complex enough harmonically that its use of theory is extensive in all keys, but jazz has a surprisingly basic sense to it, so the theory is accessible to the general musician and that book is well-written for the layman.

Anyway, I'm sure this is a great book you've found if you want a general music book. I'm sort of interested in reading it myself, actually, just to see how far he goes.

It's highly possible I just used the word "theory" in a little too broad of a sense. Reading the first six chapters, I find the bits about "brain-friendly" tones to be very interesting.

Yes, a general music book might be what I'm looking for right now. I will take a glance at the book you suggested in the near future.

Not sure if I've spoken to you since before Christmas, but I ended up purchasing the casio px-120 with the sp-30 pedals. Thanks again for all of your guidance Alek (now and before when I was buying the digipiano), I can always count on you to chime in with good tips.

Happy to help where I can. I hope it turns out to be a good book for you. There are some questionable things, subjective means to approach an audience about rather ethereal topics, etcetera, but it's all pretty harmless so far if you see it for what it is.

I don't agree with chapter 4.4, table 21, for example, on the "emotional effects of intervals":

How Music REALLY Works!, Chapter 4: How Scales and Intervals REALLY Work (http://howmusicreallyworks.com/Pages_Chapter_4/4_4.html)

That's really slippery slope stuff, describing every interval as having a definite emotional quality that can be tantamount to actual emotions one would physically or psychologically experience. Music as literal language is tricky stuff on a philosophical level. The good composer can make those intervals have those qualities to various degrees, but I don't think they have them intrinsically. Chords matter more than independent floating intervals like this author is describing, but even then I'm always reminded of the joking Paul Simon quote to Steve Martin when I see stuff like this: "Steve, is it ever okay to write a sad song in a major key?" (It is, of course.)

It's highly possible I just used the word "theory" in a little too broad of a sense. Reading the first six chapters, I find the bits about "brain-friendly" tones to be very interesting.

Yes, a general music book might be what I'm looking for right now. I will take a glance at the book you suggested in the near future.

Not sure if I've spoken to you since before Christmas, but I ended up purchasing the casio px-120 with the sp-30 pedals. Thanks again for all of your guidance Alek (now and before when I was buying the digipiano), I can always count on you to chime in with good tips.

music is deeper than "brain friendly tones" whatever the hell that means. Its about math, the relationship of certain frequencies, and most importantly the context of the notes. I'd encourage anyone who is interested in playing music to learn as much theory as they can handle.

I don't agree with chapter 4.4, table 21, for example, on the "emotional effects of intervals":


i agree, thats bullshit.

I agree with Alek to a point. But I do beleive a songwriter, using a series of intervals can illicit certain emotional responses. I don't think a singal interval does.

music is deeper than "brain friendly tones" whatever the hell that means. Its about math, the relationship of certain frequencies, and most importantly the context of the notes. I'd encourage anyone who is interested in playing music to learn as much theory as they can handle.

The part of the book I was talking about goes into the certain frequencies of notes... I think the author labels them "brain friendly" just... because?

I also don't think anyone was saying that's "as deep as music gets". It was merely stated that the chapter covering that topic was interesting.

I agree with Alek to a point. But I do beleive a songwriter, using a series of intervals can illicit certain emotional responses. I don't think a singal interval does.

Well I just mean it's kind of weird to describe in the way he does - so concretely and all. There are so many ways to look at it that make the idea sort of preposterous or saying too much about something that words cannot describe.

Melody is a series of connected intervals, but I'm not listening to each note in a melody going "wistful, sad, devilish sinister tritone, pleasant longing, bouyancy/pathos, etcetera" from note to note. That's just ridiculous. In a scalar sense certain moods can be established, but I tend to think of them as self-referential, and as m00g00 pointed out, context is the most important thing.

The interval of a fourth, the "bouyant, pathos" interval, has a different contextual meaning and musical feeling when it's - say - the minor 7 and minor 3rd of an inverted minor chord (say, Bb and Eb of a c minor chord with the Eb on top) than it does when it's the tonic and sus fourth or tonic and 11th of a totally different chord (Bb and Eb again, but this time in context of something like a Bb minor 11 or Bb 11 chord), for example.

I'm okay with very general terms like that and all in a general way - "minor sounds sad, major happy, tritones and diminished scales/chords sound evil, augmented chords make me think of Bambi," etcetera, but even then I don't take that stuff too seriously, and I've certainly never done it much with intervals. The ones I do see that way are because of musical-mental cliches. I can see the "devil" thing in the tritone just because it's patterned in cartoons and such.

I haven't read any of that book, but if you are actually interested in the science behind the human perception of music I would suggest "This is your brain on music" by Daniel Levitin.
www.yourbrainonmusic.com
It touches a bit on the neural circuitry and how humans (and other animals) perceive intervals and pitch and all sorts of other things. I found it quite cool.

Thanks for the suggestion. I've read already a similar book (at least I assume they're similar), Jourdain's Music, the Brain, and Ecstacy, which was excellent.

Amazon.com: Music, The Brain, And Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our Imagination: Robert Jourdain: Books (http://www.amazon.com/Music-Brain-Ecstasy-Captures-Imagination/dp/038078209X)

I'll give the Levitin a try once I'm done with my current book.

I like Roedy Blacks approach, it has some merit, and it does work. especially for throwing together some basic, yet interesting chord changes to jam too.

I also have all three volumes by Carl Fischer ( guitar grimoire, series). Fantastic books for those of us that dont intend to be formally educated in music.

Grimoire "scales and modes", "chords and voicings", "progressions and improvisations" are (imo) a must have in the library of knowledge.

unless you are a music major of course.

another fine book is "Scales and Modes", by Ron Middlebrook

*edit* my bad on the author (Fischer), i was confusing myself lol

I like Roedy Blacks approach, it has some merit, and it does work. especially for throwing together some basic, yet interesting chord changes to jam too.

I also have all three volumes by Carl Fischer ( guitar grimoire, series). Fantastic books for those of us that dont intend to be formally educated in music.

Grimoire "scales and modes", "chords and voicings", "progressions and improvisations" are (imo) a must have in the library of knowledge.

unless you are a music major of course.

another fine book is "Scales and Modes", by Ron Middlebrook

*edit* my bad on the author (Fischer), i was confusing myself lol

The 3 grimoire books are a must have in any guitar players collection of knowledge. No other series puts as much in your hands in such an easy to use way. If you can master whats in those books you are pretty much set to explore and play any style of music you could ever want.