Music theory doesn’t need to be complicated, and this guide will show you how to make it simple.
Idiot's Guides: Music Theory, Third Edition, is a concise and clear guide that teaches any budding musician or experienced musician how to read musical notation by navigating the basics of reading and composing music. Here’s what you’ll find:
• The basics of tones, including pitches, clefs, scales, intervals, and major and minor keys
• The building blocks of rhythm, including note values, basic notation, time signatures, and tempo, dynamics, and navigation
• How tunes are created, starting with melodies, chords, chord progressions, and phrases and forms
• The basics of accompaniment, including transcribing, accompanying melodies, and transposing to other keys
• Composing and arranging, including coverage of musical genres and forms, how to compose your own music, arranging for voices and instruments, working with lead sheets and scores, and performing your music
• Helpful reference appendixes, including a glossary, chord charts, and instrument ranges
• Expanded online ear-training and transcribing exercise content, including exercises at the end of each chapter and an answer key appendix
Music theory doesn’t need to be complicated, and this guide will show you how to make it simple.
Idiot's Guides: Music Theory, Third Edition, is a concise and clear guide that teaches any budding musician or experienced musician how to read musical notation by navigating the basics of reading and composing music. Here’s what you’ll find:
• The basics of tones, including pitches, clefs, scales, intervals, and major and minor keys
• The building blocks of rhythm, including note values, basic notation, time signatures, and tempo, dynamics, and navigation
• How tunes are created, starting with melodies, chords, chord progressions, and phrases and forms
• The basics of accompaniment, including transcribing, accompanying melodies, and transposing to other keys
• Composing and arranging, including coverage of musical genres and forms, how to compose your own music, arranging for voices and instruments, working with lead sheets and scores, and performing your music
• Helpful reference appendixes, including a glossary, chord charts, and instrument ranges
• Expanded online ear-training and transcribing exercise content, including exercises at the end of each chapter and an answer key appendix
In celebration of Caribbean American Heritage Month in June, we are sharing a collection of books by Caribbean American and Caribbean authors that includes fiction, memoir, non-fiction, and history. Find a full collection of titles here.
On Monday, May 5, three Penguin Random House authors were honored with a Pulitzer Prize. Established in 1917, the Pulitzer Prizes are the most prestigious awards in American letters. To date, PRH has 143 Pulitzer Prize winners, including William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Josh Steinbeck, Ron Chernow, Anne Applebaum, Colson Whitehead, and many more. Take a look at our 2025 Pulitzer Prize
In June, we celebrate Black Music Appreciation month and the influential Black musicians and artists who have brought entertainment to their communities and beyond, and inspired others to make their own art. Collection of titles for Black Music Appreciation Month
In June we celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual + (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month, which honors the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. Pride Month is a time to both celebrate the accomplishments of those in the LGBTQ+ community and recognize the ongoing struggles faced by many across the world who wish to live
