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 enlarge | Author: Randy Felts
Publisher: Berklee Press
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $18.50
You Save: $11.45 (38%)
New (26) Used (4) Collectible (1) from $18.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 54683
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 11.8 x 8.9 x 0.5
ISBN: 0634015850
Dewey Decimal Number: 781
UPC: 073999494969
EAN: 9780634015854
ASIN: 0634015850
Publication Date: September 1, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-9 of 9 | | « PREV | | |
 I would not recommend it ! January 21, 2007
2 out of 16 found this review helpful
There are some mistakes about harmony theory in the book which could make students confusing . Example: Page #46 - "B7 was included as Original Diatonic Chord in C Major" - No one could get this chord using the C Major scale bacause (Ab) does not exist in the scale . Therefore it is not an Original Diatonic Chord.
 OMG!! You'll be glad you bought this book!!! December 24, 2006
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I am totally in love with this book! It presents the ideas in a clear-cut, easy-to-follow way, and it explains things that once seemed more like rocket science. You can get alot of this same information in a jazz theory book, but this book is great because it puts it all in one place.
Yes, like the excellent review below stated, some basic knowledge of theory is needed, and prior knowledge of jazz chord notation and use of tension notes is helpful. Other than that, this book will give it all. I'll spare you the terminology, because if your eyeballing this book, it's safe to assume you problem don't know what all the terms would mean yet. After you buy this book, though, you will...and you'll have to restrain yourself from abusing the heck out of the tricks this book will teach you. You'll be able to turn "C, Am, F, G" into "C, Em7, F#min7(b5)-F#7, Bmin7(b5)" in no time. You'll be able to look at lead sheets for popular songs and know why specific chords were chosen.
This book is a high-powered, harmonic weapon. Buy it now, you'll be glad you did!
Harmony as an Expressive Tool April 12, 2006
17 out of 19 found this review helpful
Whether reworking fake book changes that just don't cut it, "recoloring" a chart to adapt to particular instrumentation or just putting your own harmonic stamp on a tune
(and understanding the how's and why's of it), "Reharmonization Techniques" by Randy Felts is an informed, well presented text that will help you construct your own "music toolkit" of
techniques to express yourself through jazz and popular harmony.
While the author doesn't explicitly call for it, I would strongly recommend readers be familiar with basic jazz harmony as used in standard tunes to get the maximum benefit from this book. You don't have to be an arranger or a composer but you
need to understand how jazz harmony "works" functionally in terms of key centers, modulation, use of non-root, passing and chromatic bass notes. You have to first understand how a tune is "harmonized" before you can appreciate how it may be "reharmonized".
The book begins with a chapter on "simple" chord substitution techniques: the author introduces three functional chord families (tonic, subdominant and dominant) and
demonstrates how substituting chords within the same family produces subtle reharmonization that can enhance the melody. The interaction of melody and harmony is explored,
specifically, avoiding unwanted dissonant intervals between melodies and chords.
A wide ranging survey of harmonic techniques is introduced is the succeeding chapters: the use of diatonic chords, tritone substitution, modal interchange. The techniques are described and demonstrated in depth with exercises in "lead sheet" form with chord symbols. The author assumes the player can for the most part derive their own voicings and work with the techniques in their particular instrumental/rhythmic context.
There is a chapter on basic keyboard voicings however for those without such a background.
More "contemporary" techniques such as hybrid chords and what other authors refer to as non-functional chord structures are also dealt with in later chapters.
There is no accompanying recording however the author provides possible answers to the exercises in the back of the book.
Personally I think the lack of a recording is a plus: this is a serious book for developing your own take on the jazz/pop harmonic vocabulary. It assumes you're bringing a sizeable listening background to the table and that you're far enough along in your development to have some sense of style and
taste, if not all the tools to express your thoughts musically. Providing the tools is the goal of this book and it will repay careful study.
Something New on Every Page February 2, 2005
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
I found every page of "Reharmonization Techniques" to be full of helpful tips to reharmonize any song. The book is written in such a universal wa that anyone can find the techniques it presents useful. The author, Randy Felts, has been a professor of jazz for over 25 years and his expertise is clearly evident from the first page onward. I highly recommend this book.
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