In my previous post I wrote about building a “reference library” and talked about several books which are wonderful sources for everything guitar related. This month I’ll continue on the same topic and discuss materials that are good resources for understanding music theory.
Everything You Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask
By Tom Kolb
One of my personal favorites and a book I believe every player should have in their library; Tom Kolb is one of those players who is also a wonderful teacher. The book is laid out quite well starting with Chapter 1: The Fretboard and makes it way through theory basics, intervals, harmonizing the major scale and even delves into complex subjects such as chord substitution and reharmonization.
A Journey Through Form and Analysis of Modern Harmony
By Ed Arkin
This book is no longer in print, but if you ever come across a used copy it is worth having in your library. It can get pretty “heady,” but covers topics like: Harmonizing the Major Scale, The Blues, Chromatic Alteration, Tritone Substitution and Quartal Harmony. There are some copies on Amazon, but the price tags are over the top.
By Gardner Read
Ok, not exactly “music theory,” but the book covers everything you ever wanted to know about music notation and then some! The book is 400+ pages devoted to everything regarding music notation and I have referred to it any number of times when I have come across something I did not recognize or understand.
