Hooktheory I

This is a very fast read, but full of really great foundational theory. My only wish is that the the software used the resistor color codes for scale degrees. 1 Brown 2 Red 3 Orange 4 Yellow 5 Green 6 Blue 7 Violet My kids alreadyhave that one down.

A very thorough review of the basics of music theory and knowledge. Just what i was looking for to give me an overview of the keys to understanding the basics and more. Well done. Great to have audio examples throughout to demonstrate the lessons.

First of all, this was worth the $15 I paid for it because I have a much better grasp of harmonic theory now and I’ve never even finished any of the other music theory books I’ve read. The interactive examples are great and they explain the concepts very clearly. That said, I wish it was longer as it doesnt even touch on augments, suspended and other advanced chord types. It’s great but don’t expect to learn anything beyond inversions. I’m sure the next book in the series will tackle advanced topics and I’ll definitely be buying it.

This is a great book that has filled a gap for me. (a gap I had not been fully aware of). I played in lots of bands in HS and was always curious about how music progressions worked but never took any music theory. I always had a nagging feeling I was missing something important - after reading this book I realized I was right! Fortunately the basics of the theory are much easier than I had thought so the material is just great for me. I love how this system abstracts the chord progressions into intervals - previously I’d gotten tangled up in the actual keys, key signatures etc so I had not seen the forest for the trees. If I think back, I think my various (HS) band & music instructors probably said a lot of this stuff back in the day but I wasn’t listening to them at this level. Anyway this book comes at just the right time for me and already I’m beginning to analyze songs as I hear them on the radio and at dances!

This is a tremendous example of an interactive EPUB3 book that provides a superior music teaching text than can be obtained by conventional paper books. It makes excellent use of color and sound and interactive questions to help the reader to quickly read and learn the material. Highly recommended!

I have been looking for a book that would explain music theory in a clear and concise way; I have read many books and have taken a few classes on music theory , etc... but I have never come across a book that explains it so clearly and effortlessly. The information in this book is strategic and focused ; it will teach you how to formulate chord progressions that sound good, and how to develop melodies that will complement those progressions. I love this book, is there another one coming ? I can't wait.

This interactive book presents the material well. I feel good about it and would recommend it, but I still have a few complaints. First, for the price, the book is rather short. In the final chapter, the authors admit that this book only scratches the surface. We need a Hooktheory II. I liked the little interactive quiz questions that I could use to ascertain that I understood the material. However, suggestions guiding the reader through some small explorations on the HookTheory site would have been helpful. The publication date on the book is 2012 and it is now 2014. The book's title Hooktheory I implies that there is perhaps a Hooktheory II for folks who would like to go deeper ... but not yet. The Hooktheory web site seems to work but is apparently a beta release. In short, I enjoyed the book and would like to continue learning ... but I'm not sure how long these guys are going to be around for. The latest blog post on their site is June 2013. I'm hoping they are making progress on extending this work ... but it doesn't look that way to me. So, if you find this stuff intriguing as I did and want to learn some songwriting theory, get started now!

Props to the authors for a very easy to follow explanation of the basics of chord progressions. The text and graphics and audio make it very engaging. I only have two gripes. First there are some parts of the text that are very difficult to see (particularly some of the subscripts for inversions) and some of the graphical representations of notes. Some parts of the text can be zoomed but others cannot. Second, I was expecting a lot more for the price I paid. I read the text and followed the exercises and completed it in less than two hours. I really want to continue the series but not at that price.

This is a great compliment to Music Theory for Computer Musicians. I look forward to subsequent volumes in this series.

A great explanation of music theory, and the relationship between melody and chord progressions. Having the video/audio examples built-in makes this book really stand apart from others I have read. I wish all music books were made this way!