Rating: 
Summary: finally something that everyone can understand
Review: after trying various books on the market to master my skill of music theory, i finally found this book. after reading it cover to cover i feel ten times more comfortable with the basic concepts of theory all the way up to the more advanced techniques. this book is a must buy.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Review
Review: After years and years of lessons, I could play just about anything, but I couldn't have told you exactly WHAT I was doing. My teachers never spent much time on theory. I could play all the scales, but had never figured out how they worked together.
When I started to teach piano on the side, I wanted to make sure my students didn't suffer from that knowledge gap. I went to find a quick overview, and this book fit the bill.
This book is CLEAR, CONCISE, and ENLIGHTENING as to how chords and scales and transposing all work together.
Most importantly, the book is well designed so it's easy to find what I'm looking for when I have a specific question. The layout is clean and uncluttered, which is a nice change from all the books that seem to delight in visual clutter.
A+. Money well spent!
Rating:
Summary: Despite what Snuffy Wuffles says...
Review: As a self-taught guitar player who was absolutely clueless about theory for 10 of the 11 years i've been playing, i found this book invaluable in giving the beginner a great introduction to music theory.
Just about every basic music concept IS adequately explained except modes. and if "natural" or "ear" musicians have trouble adapting to music theory it's only because they don't practice the practical application of the concepts and musical language taught in this book enough--just like one would suck if one didn't practice their instrument.
if you've been playing an instrument for any length of time, then you already inherently know many of the concepts covered in this book. the Idiot's Guide simply gives musicians a language for what their ears have been hearing for years and that language gives them the ability to effectively communicate with other musicians.
i read this text independently the week of i started classical guitar lessons. my teacher went from daunting the task of teaching me BASIC theory to being pleasantly surprised (and relieved) one week later when i could speak to him about musical concepts in a language that he--as a professionally trained musician--had been speaking all his life.
invaluable text--just practice using the language as often as possible.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: As someone wrote already, this book was really needed. Instructive, easy to learn from, defines most common musical terms, situations, ideas, and theories. A good all-around general introduction - definitely recommended. It has the simplest (and best) explanations of keys and scales I've seen in a text on harmony.
Rating: 
Summary: Sometimes helpful, mostly confusing
Review: First, I'll just say that I have been playing musical instruments for 12 years (self taught on guitar, bass, and later piano and drums), and never recieved any formal musical training.
I have heard several times that "ear" or "natural" musicians (ie those who never received education or are self taught) have trouble adapting to and understanding theory. I was worried about this myself, but I figured, an "Idiot's Guide" on the subject should be pretty easy to understand. And for the first chapter, it was.
First, "Music Theory" is an odd bird -- music is one of those "ethereal" things in humanity that can't honestly be explained. It's like trying to explain what love is and why one feels it for another. It can be appreciated, adored, and even understood, but never *really* explained. Music Theory is an attempt to explain music. I've noticed that Theory seems to be written in case the reader has "never" heard music before in his or her life. So, for these reasons, naturally, Music Theory -- and this book -- is filled with a lot of redundant, extemperaneous and unnecessary terms, definitions and explanations -- mostly for things that a musician of any experience would look at and say "well duh."
This is cute and all, but it can REALLY throw you off and complicate your own learning process.
The problem with this book in particular is probably the author -- the first chapter is very helpful and insightful, but that "user" friendliness ends at about chapter 2. The author breezes through slightly more complicated things (like intervals, major/minor scales, etc), which is fine, but if you're like me (and I know I am...), you can learn "complicated" things as long as you know the WHYs behind it...for instance: yes, "fourths, fifths, and octaves," are all perfect intervals...but WHY? Maybe I'm idiot (which is why I picked up the book) but things like this are never ADEQUATELY explained. Also, diagrams, graphics and scales are laid out several times. We're never told what to do with them -- are they supposed to be used as a reference or should we memorize them? Two chapters later you'll realize you were supposed to memorize one of them. It's a big pain in the butt.
I gave this book three stars despite my negative comments, because there actually IS quite a bit of useful information here, and half the time the author does a decent job with the material. I will say, on the up side, that I HAVE learned to understand the rudiments of sheet music (but only the rudiments, I'm still not done with book and am having trouble with some of the more complicated aspects of sheet reading), and if you can grasp these concepts (you may have to read a few of the chapters OVER AND OVER again...) the book is a helpful reference.
All in all, I'd recommend buying the book, as it is in honesty a useful reference...just be aware, it's not as easy as it sounds...but neither is Music Theory, after all.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for begginers
Review: I bought this book to refresh some concepts that I studied 10 years ago. But what is seemed like a simple and basic book turned out to be a confusing and frustated explanation of music theory. The book repeats too much things that are not very well explained and it assumed that you know already music theory. I do not recommend this book to someone with no previous music knowledge period, but to the experience musician that wants to refresh his stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Well Done!
Review: I have bought many books on Amazon but have reviewed them very rarely. I had to review this one though because I think it fills such a significant void. I have struggled with learning music theory for quite a long time and have used standard texts such as Walter Piston's famous book "Harmony". I've always felt very disoriented and have never failed to lose the forest for the trees...until I bought "Music Theory, The Complete Idiot's Guide". It breaks you in very slowly. In fact, it assumes that you don't even know how to read music. This may make for a few wasted chapters for those who already do such as myself however even these chapters have some useful, not frequently taught information. The rest of the book (the vast majority) is incredibly useful and GENTLE! Miller doesn't give you too much information, just enough to get you going, to familiarize yourself with the language of melody, chords, chord progressions, voicing and rhythm. The book is clearly geared to people who wish to compose or write arrangements and will get you started at these endeavors very quickly without a lot of overly complicated theory. If it's a detailed, exhaustive textbook you're looking for, forget it. You'll be extremely disappointed. But if it's a quick, user-friendly introduction to this very complex business then you should definitely check this out. Having read it, I feel much more willing and able to look at more advanced books. Considering the objectives Miller has for his book, I'd definitely give it five stars for achieving those objectives.
Rating:
Summary: Where has this book been all my life?
Review: I recently have begun to get back into music and I was really disappointed in the music theory books out there -- I don't remember it being this hard. But then I found The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory! Mike Miller breaks it down and makes it easy to keep up. Thanks, Mr. Miller for this much needed book!
Rating:
Summary: Great Theory Basics Book!
Review: Mr. Miller has done a great job presenting music theory in a way that many people who are not college music students may enjoy and understand the concepts better. There are a few incorrect explanations in atleast one area: rhythms. On p. 59 a commmon mistake of "four quarter note rests" is mentioned. Either you can have four quarter notes OR four quarter rests; not both. The other is on p. 68 where the "Eighth-Note Time Signatures" show 'beats per measure' incorrectly. EX: In 6/8 time, there are 2 beats per bar, not 6. This is a common misconception among some students due to the fact that compound meter is more difficult to grasp, being subdivision of 3 instead of 2. Overall, I feel this is a good book and presented in a friendly and not "so dry" a manner as many texts on the subject are presented. Miller's use of musical examples in popular music and classical are quite nice as well. Great job!
Rating:
Summary: Great Theory Basics Book!
Review: Mr. Miller has done a great job presenting music theory in a way that many people who are not college music students may enjoy and understand the concepts better. There are a few incorrect explanations in atleast one area: rhythms. On p. 59 a commmon mistake of "four quarter note rests" is mentioned. Either you can have four quarter notes OR four quarter rests; not both. The other is on p. 68 where the "Eighth-Note Time Signatures" show 'beats per measure' incorrectly. EX: In 6/8 time, there are 2 beats per bar, not 6. This is a common misconception among some students due to the fact that compound meter is more difficult to grasp, being subdivision of 3 instead of 2. Overall, I feel this is a good book and presented in a friendly and not "so dry" a manner as many texts on the subject are presented. Miller's use of musical examples in popular music and classical are quite nice as well. Great job!
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