Music Theory for Computer Musicians 1st Edition

This is a great book. I actually just bought it because it was suggested along with a textbook I was purchasing for school, and I thought it sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a shot. Turns out is was a worthwhile gamble!Hewitt takes a very interesting (and down-to-earth) approach to theory in this book. The premise seems to be that with the influx of computer musicians, not only is it easy to skate by without theory knowledge, it's also possible these days to not even be related to music in the form of sheet music and the printed staff. He therefore gives many of the examples throughout the book both in the form of notated music, but also in relation to the piano roll view that is common in so many music software programs (he uses Reason for examples in the book).For me, this was invaluable, since, for whatever reason, I had never done much to connect the two realms in my head. For me, I was always either reading and writing sheet music, or I was programming music (which I usually did by ear and not by considering the theory of it) and the two worlds existed independently of one another. This book caused me to work with them side by side, which bridged the gap and strengthened my ability in both areas in the process.It's a quick read if you're willing to work a bit (there are workbook style activities at the end of every chapter). There are indeed some typos and some strange mistakes in the answer key for the activities (which exists as a somewhat difficult-to-find pdf appendix downloadable from the publisher's website) to the extent that you might think you were crazy or didn't "get this theory thing after all" if you believed every answer in the answer key (there are only a handful of these types of mistakes, but they are confounding when you first encounter them). But those small grievances aside, this book has some really great content and is worth the trouble.

Holy crap this is unreal! I needed help with music theory, not being educated otherwise, and Im a computer composer so I figured this might at least help. I'm only on chapter 7 and I have learned way WAY more than I thought I would. The information is clearly presented and concise which is very appreciated cause I don't really like wordy explanations that just seem to be wordy to make the information seem more complex than it actually is, or make the author seem smarter than the reader... I know you're smarter than I am, thats why Im reading your book!!Then there are quizzes at the end of each chapter that really help drive key points home. When you get online to log into the answer keys you have to be careful though because I think on like 2 occasions so far one of the answers provided in the key was incorrect, but I think that has to do with the fact that the Answer keys are on a massive website that have lost of answer keys and maybe it got lost in translation, or its a new edition... whatever... Its no matter, it takes nothing away from the integrity of the information contained within or how it is being presented. SO in conclusion the book is incredible. From a dude that knew nothing about music theory I can say that this book is actively elevating my understanding of the musical language and how to implement it into my work.Many thanks to Michael Hewitt and the people that put this book together.

I've been composing music using a DAW of some sort for the better of seven years. I've been making music for ten years. My instrumentation skills and production/engineering skills are completely self-taught. Sound like you? BUY THIS BOOK! This book is phenomenal. I highly recommend it. It demystifies music theory, and now I look at music that I make and listen to in an entirely different way. Because I'm vigorously self-taught, the first seven or so chapters were just refreshers. The same kind of stuff you'd find in tutorials and music production magazines occupy the first half of the book. The pace starts at such a slow understandable rate that I would recommend Music Theory for Computer Musicians to someone that has only been using a DAW for a month, and that is all they know about music, period. For the rest of us, about halfway through is when the complexities start stacking, but as long as you've been paying attention, you can take it all in and digest it all. For anyone that doesn't really understand music, they just get by with what feels right (such as myself), this book certainly helps you look at everything that has sounded good musically and figure it all out. I am so glad I read this. The exams at the end of each chapter also are extremely helpful for gauging what you already know and what you are learning. Now I can talk theory, see theory and most importantly hear theory.