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Rating: 
Summary: Must have some background in music or it's gibberish
Review: Duckworth is not a very good writer of educational texts. I was able to follow it fairly well, but this was a textbook for an introductory class, and much of the material is poorly explained, with an assumption that the reader, whom he seems to intend to be a beginner, knows more than they probably do. I found this textbook to be needlessly challenging for the wrong reasons. It is fairly useful, but my professor even hated using this book for an introductory course (the department selected it for her). If you are in step with a lot of music fundamentals, it should help you advance much farther; however, if you are not,, this book will seriously confuse you.
Rating:
Summary: Must have some background in music or it's gibberish
Review: Duckworth is not a very good writer of educational texts. I was able to follow it fairly well, but this was a textbook for an introductory class, and much of the material is poorly explained, with an assumption that the reader, whom he seems to intend to be a beginner, knows more than they probably do. I found this textbook to be needlessly challenging for the wrong reasons. It is fairly useful, but my professor even hated using this book for an introductory course (the department selected it for her). If you are in step with a lot of music fundamentals, it should help you advance much farther; however, if you are not,, this book will seriously confuse you.
Rating: 
Summary: A beginner's approach to music theory
Review: I hope that no one was scared away by my use of the word theory. Most people seem to fear and laothe music theory but this book offers a simple and easy way to learn the basic elements of theory. William Duckworth has explained everything with the utmost concern for the reader's comprehension of the material. Useful excercises are provided after each lesson. This book is structured like a textbook but it is also a useful learning tool for someone with mere interest.
Rating:
Summary: A great book on *all* the basics
Review: I thought this was a terrific book when I had it in college! That was way back and it was the 4th ed., but I doubt it's changed much (I need to buy it myself). This book covers all the "basics" of music. Now, I'm a little biased because I learned the very true basics of music through several years of band as a kid (notes, scales, basic time, etc), but there are still very many things I never learned from those kid days that are contained herein. It is concise and complete, covering many topics and makes it easy to understand everything very quickly. I was devastated when the last WEEK of the semester I left the book somewhere - and when I tried to find it in the likely places that day, it was gone. Some other engineering student (I was taking this as an extra class) probably picked it up and realized what a great source it was. I liked it so much I went back to the school store during the next-semester sale to buy one - only to see the department had given it up for another book! Bummer!
Rating:
Summary: A great book on *all* the basics
Review: I thought this was a terrific book when I had it in college! That was way back and it was the 4th ed., but I doubt it's changed much (I need to buy it myself). This book covers all the "basics" of music. Now, I'm a little biased because I learned the very true basics of music through several years of band as a kid (notes, scales, basic time, etc), but there are still very many things I never learned from those kid days that are contained herein. It is concise and complete, covering many topics and makes it easy to understand everything very quickly. I was devastated when the last WEEK of the semester I left the book somewhere - and when I tried to find it in the likely places that day, it was gone. Some other engineering student (I was taking this as an extra class) probably picked it up and realized what a great source it was. I liked it so much I went back to the school store during the next-semester sale to buy one - only to see the department had given it up for another book! Bummer!
Rating:
Summary: The best basic theory text available
Review: Of all the basic theory texts out there, this is the only one that invites the student into a musical exploration of theory. Unlike other basic texts (Damschroder, Conley/Clough, Harder/Steinke), Duckworth's book connects theory with music through numerous musical games and activities. While it is designed for use in a college classroom--many of the activities require an instructor--it can be used for individual study by an advanced beginner. (Someone who has some experience playing an instrument or singing in choirs, for instance.)I highly recommend this book--for beginners, or for teachers who, like myself, are always looking for a way to bring basic material to life. Duckworth does so marvelously.
Rating:
Summary: The best basic theory text available
Review: Of all the basic theory texts out there, this is the only one that invites the student into a musical exploration of theory. Unlike other basic texts (Damschroder, Conley/Clough, Harder/Steinke), Duckworth's book connects theory with music through numerous musical games and activities. While it is designed for use in a college classroom--many of the activities require an instructor--it can be used for individual study by an advanced beginner. (Someone who has some experience playing an instrument or singing in choirs, for instance.) I highly recommend this book--for beginners, or for teachers who, like myself, are always looking for a way to bring basic material to life. Duckworth does so marvelously.
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