I love music theory. Every adult piano student I’ve had the pleasure of teaching has asked me the same question: “do you teach piano theory?” piano theory, more accurately called music theory, explains why music works the way it does. For those curious souls, learning to play the piano would be an incomplete education without music theory.
Music theory is a very important aspect of learning to play the piano. imagine trying to learn a foreign language without learning any vocabulary. learning to play any instrument without learning music theory would be similar. Playing the piano is so much easier when you understand how and why everything works the way it does and how the musical elements relate to each other. learning music theory helps it all fit together.
You are reading: Piano music theory books
There are hundreds of thousands of theory resources online. but if you’re like me, you like to have physical pages of paper to study and write on. writing down the things you learn helps the brain encode the information. Using the things you learn on the piano further helps incorporate those bits of information into your brain.
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the best piano theory books
Let’s look at seven really good music theory books and what they offer a beginning or continuing student. here is the list:
- alfred’s all-in-one course for adults, by amanda vick lethco and morton manus
- the jazz piano book by mark levine
- Accelerated Piano Adventures for Older Beginners: Theory Book, by nancy faber and randall faber
- Alfred’s Foundations of Music Theory: Complete, by Andrew Surmani, Karen Farnum Surmani, and Morton Manus
- berklee music theory: book 1, by paul schmeling
- Music Theory, 3e (Idiot’s Guides) 3rd Edition
- 5200 chords: explained, illustrated and arranged alphabetically, by albert gamse
alfred’s all-in-one course for adults
I have used this course more for my adult piano students. this book is actually three books combined into one volume: a lesson book, a theory book, and a technique (technique) book. save money by combining them into a spiral bound volume and keep the books together too.
i like this book, written by amanda vick lethco and morton manus, because it presents the material uncomplicated and in a very linear way. It starts with note names, quickly introduces the important theoretical explanations of intervals, and then introduces chords for the adult learner.
This combination of books is fairly fast-paced without making the student feel rushed.
The book includes a lot of theory and also includes many familiar songs that an adult would enjoy listening to and learning to play. there’s a mix of pop, folk, and light classical material, as well as some bluesy pieces to grab a beginner’s attention.
One drawback, however, is that there are no answers to the theoretical material provided in this volume. it’s ideal for the beginning student who sees a piano teacher once a week, or if the student has someone more advanced who can help them process the material should they run into difficulties.
the jazz piano book
“Am I not going to learn jazz theory at the same time I learn piano theory?” you can ask. the simple answer is: yes and no. Jazz piano uses much of the music theory concepts that you would learn in any of these music theory books, plus additional information that jazz musicians need to know. Mark Levine’s Jazz Piano Book is based on basic piano theory and quickly introduces important elements of jazz music that a jazz pianist must know to play jazz music.
Using so-called “jazz chords” gives a piece of music a noticeable texture and color tone. this book introduces these jazz chords, such as seventh and ninth chords and all their variations. suspended chords get a good explanation, as well as how to use these interesting and “spicy” chords. tritones and tritone substitutions get their share of mention and explanation using excerpts from well-known jazz pieces.
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If jazz is your thing and you want to learn how to play it, seriously consider this book.
Accelerated Piano Adventures for Older Beginners: Theory Book
Nancy Faber and Randall Faber wrote this theory book to complement their series of accelerated piano adventure books, which includes the theory book, a lesson book, a technique and art book, and a piano repertoire book. pieces that incorporate the concepts of coordinate theory presented in the lesson and theory books.
This is not your mother’s faber collection. This series of books, published in 1998, features updated illustrations and, as the title says, accelerated materials for an older beginner. Colorful enough for a tween and challenging enough for an adult beginner, this book guides the student through the basics of music theory. As you progress from level to level, the theory offers more complex ideas alongside the increasingly challenging musical materials in the lesson book.
some teachers prefer this series of books to alfred all-in-one complete. i like the quick presentation of chords in alfred, but i also think this faber series would lend itself better to a student trying to teach himself.
alfred’s fundamentals of music theory: complete
We’re back to the alfred editor again! This book consists only of music theory with practical applications in a combination of three volumes of theory. these three volumes are spiral bound and cover a great deal of theory.
Alfred’s Fundamentals of Music Theory: A Complete Handbook, written by Andrew Surmani, Karen Farnum Surmani, and Morton Manus, presents many theoretical concepts in ways I really like and recommend. some of these concepts include whole steps and semitones, how to build major scales using a tetrachord formula, chord structures, understanding the circle of fifths and why it’s so important to become a solid musician, inverted chords, 12 bar blues progressions and so many other important and fascinating theoretical concepts.
finding a book that covers so many varied music theory concepts helps save money. this particular book retails for around $35, which might seem like a great deal. however, it is three volumes bound together, saving the student money and keeping everything in one place.
This book is pure theory and receives very positive reviews. I’m not sure how it would lend itself to a student trying to learn theory on their own. but even if a beginner bought it as a reference book, it would be worth it and could be an excellent resource, even for someone hiring a piano teacher.
berklee music theory: book 1
berklee college of music is one of the best music education institutions in the united states. This textbook, Berklee Music Theory: Book 1, by Paul Schmeling, is a surprisingly affordable music theory book written for the Berklee Music 101 course. The course is available online, so it stands to reason that the textbook was written for the course. however, I have never seen a textbook of course material sold for such a reasonable price!
The course itself is quite expensive: $1,250 for a non-credit course and $1,497 for 3 credits. This theory text is considered by some authorities to be one of the best music theory texts out there, selling for less than $16 through Amazon. I suspect it would cost considerably more in the school bookstore, so if this music theory text interests you, do some research before you buy.
This book is level 1, but keep in mind that it is a college text. so it moves pretty fast through materials. A CD comes with this text, presenting lessons and examples to listen to.
If you want theoretical materials to be presented at a college level, this may be the text for you. at $16, it could be a valuable addition to your music library.
Music Theory, 3e (Idiot’s Guides) 3rd Edition
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Published by the folks who publish “idiot’s guide” books, this book also gets good reviews for its clarity of language and presentation of music theory concepts. Music Theory, 3e (Guides For Idiots) 3rd Edition, by Michael Miller, starts with the most basic musical concepts and explains them precisely, then proceeds to layer the theoretical concepts in the most logical way.
If a student wants to learn how to arrange or compose music, this book provides information and examples on those topics. music theory 3e is suitable for beginning or experienced musicians trying to update and improve their skills, or even trying out a new skill.
michael miller began composing and arranging music at the age of 14. he has written over 150 non-fiction books, many on music and composing and arranging for multiple instruments.
He was accepted to the prestigious Indiana University School of Music, which is not an easy program to get accepted to. Although this text is not intended to be associated with the Indiana University School of Music, I believe that a graduate of their program and their Jazz Studies program could help any musician perfect the art/craft of music.
This book retails for around $25, which is a steal, especially if you want to learn arranging and composing. This book offers music theory exercises with answers in an appendix and guides a budding musician/composer through the processes of preparing a composition for performance by an orchestra or other musical ensemble.
5200 chords: explained, illustrated and alphabetized
5200 chords: explained, illustrated and alphabetized, by albert gamse, is not exactly a theory book. You won’t find exercises or simple background information in this reference book. however, it is the biggest and best reference book I have ever seen when it comes to chords. not just piano chords, either; this book also includes chords for guitar and ukulele.
published in 1965, I believe this book is no longer in print. you can still find it online, but be warned: the lowest price I’ve found is $69. the most expensive price? believe it or not, $1,600. (don’t pay $1600 for this book!) I bought my copy around 1975 or so. it is bound with a plastic “claw” that allows the book to lay flat.
Of all the theory books I’ve seen or used, I think I’ve used this book more than any other. my favorite section of this book allows the user to string together random notes and look them up in one of the indexes. the book names the chord produced by those random notes. amazing!
I had never seen a book so full of theoretical material (useful and practical theoretical material) for a working musician. As someone who reads music, reads sheet music with chords, and plays by ear, this has been by far the most helpful music book I’ve owned during the 55 years I’ve been a musician.
if you want to learn about chords, how to play them, how to use them in relation to each other, this is a must have text. It can be expensive, but if you buy it, you’ll be glad you did!
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