-
By Instrumentation
Books on Music
-
-
-
Accessories
|
|
|
|
| 
 enlarge | Author: Michael Miller
Publisher: Alpha
Category: Book
List Price: $18.95
Buy New: $10.38
You Save: $8.57 (45%)
New (42) Used (14) from $8.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 6512
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 10.7 x 8.5 x 0.7
ISBN: 1592574033
Dewey Decimal Number: 781.3
EAN: 9781592574032
ASIN: 1592574033
Publication Date: October 4, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Brand New !!! Has Very Small Remainder Mark
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Extremely Helpful book on Composing/Writing Music January 22, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a very useful and informative book. I already had a solid grounding and understanding of music theory, chords, scales and the like. But felt i needed help synthesizing the information into a more useable form when it came to composing music. So i looked into this book for help. I agree the first half of the book is sort of a rehash of information from the idiots guide to music theory but its still very helpful. The book does a great job of explaining the core concepts of music composition such as melodic phrasing, orchestration, setting a melody to a chord progression (and vice versa) ect.
I would recommend you have a solid understanding of music theory and notation before diving into this book since the author assumes you do and the musical examples are presented using written notation. I feel the goal of this book was to present you with the essentional knowledge needed to become a good composer and feel it delivered. If you expect in-depth information on non-traditional topics (atonality, minimalism ect.)then you might want to look elsewhere. But if your looking for a book that'll help you grasp the essentials of writing or composing music...then this is the book to get.
 A useful reference. Well written, well organized January 19, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a very readable guide on how to choose chords for a progression and notes for a melody. The author clearly outlines the conventions of Western music composition and opens the door to deviating from those conventions to surprise listeners and keep compositions fresh. This book won't make you an instant Beethoven or Stravinsky. But it's a good foundation for songwriters in any genre.
If the author had more to say about rhythm, the book would merit 5 stars.
excellent book October 19, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
It is an excellent guide for beginners and self-taught people. For those who start in the subject I recommend to buy it together with another book of the same author: 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory'. The author writes in a concise language, and makes clear concepts that are difficult to understand in other books. It is a comprehensive guide.
Will Definately help you write music June 28, 2006
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
This is undoubtedly the best book i've ever read on music composition. Be warned though, if you do not have a background in basic music theory the concepts in the book may be a little confusing. However, if you read Miller's other book the guide to music theory first you should have no problem picking up the concepts in this book. I cant say enough good things about Miller. This book is full of so many great things and yet he writes in such a way that even someone with just a basic background in music can understand him. If you follow what he says you will definately be able to write your own compositions
O.K. follow-up to Music Theory March 5, 2006
36 out of 36 found this review helpful
This is a very good book. It elaborates on the Idiot's guide to music theory specefically in the area of composition. My only gripe is that the first half is very redundant with the previous book. Many paragraphs are identical. I would have been much happier if they had been embellished, or if the two books would have been combined into one larger volume. The book does go into much more detail later on, with topics such as rhythmic patterns etc. Still the first half doesn't even feel like a review as much as it feels like Deja Vu.
|
|
|
| |
