[saxdude48]

Hey
I am interested in ordering this book for myself, but am wondering if it will teach me anything. I am a senior in high school, have been playing sax since 5th grade, and have just completed AP music theory.
I have come across many thoery books that are pretty beginner orientated. Will I be wasting my money if I buy this book, or will it be worth it?
Thanks for the help

 

[rambert]

I think it will be very much worth it.
It's more a sort of encyclopedia that's suited for all levels, including very experienced players. It covers all the aspects of jazz-theory that you can think of.

 

[joelsp]

Yeah, as I found out, Jazz theory is almost a different world from traditional harmony.

 

[littlemanbighorn]

I would consider it pretty advanced for most High School Seniors. (but broad enough and well written enough that you'll be able to work your way through it.)

 

[Reedsplinter]

Go to Amazon.com and check out the reader reviews of this book; that will give you a good idea of its scope and range.

 

[gary]

I don't know about jazz and traditional theory being so different. I think it just depends on what degree you know either/or. But some jazzers (Berklee in particular) seem to want to impose their own system on top of what's already there so it just confuses things. Be that as it may, if you've got a good grounding in traditional theory and want to know more about its application to jazz, the Levine book is great. There may be a thing or two in it that is controversial but that shouldn't detract you one bit. Highly recommended.

 

[asaxman]

With your history on the horn, and theory, this book should be perfect for you. It covers everything you need to know. Good luck!

 

[hgiles]

As long as you're aware that the theory is just a matter of grouping pitch classes together it (theory) is the same whether it be classical or jazz. There may exist different terminology for the same thing.

By the time I got around to reading through the 'Levine' I already had a bachelor's degree in music theory. Still it was a tough read. I read it through at least once more since and I have an understanding of what he presents, but it wasn't easy. When I read through it, I made a point to understand everything he was saying.

Now I refer to it whenever I have a question about something. It's a good book, not quite comprehensive, but the best I've found. The problem I have with it is it assumes you want to be playing in a modern style. You go playing that way to your friends and they're going to think you're crazy.

 

[Scott Ramminger]

Go For It

The book you mentioned is one you can refer to for years. The first few chapters are pretty basic. This book offers one of the clearest, easiest to grasp explanations of chord/scale theory I have ever seen.

It takes you as deep as you want to go -- but one step at a time.

Scott

 

[ralph lh]

Highly recommended but you can't tell some HS seniors anything - just kidding.

IMO, this is the kind of reference that I keep going back to. Useful to beginner and experienced player alike. Lots of stuff to digest depending on whether you can take a big bite or small nibbles and then shed the material.

But, it doesn't matter how many people reply here and tell you that it's the greatest thing since half dim chords or not, since we really don't know your level of knowledge relative to ours.

Find a copy of the book in a music store and have a look before you buy, and then buy it.

 

[saxdude48]

Thanks everyone for the help.

 

[jazzpianoonline]

it is definitely worth having. some of it is for beginners other parts are more advanced but the biggest problem is that it is not organized very well (same goes for the jazz piano book). It is always worth having a good reference book around so that as you discover new things and wonder about others you will have a source to go to.

 

[Pete Thomas]

It's a great book but not a beginner's book. I found it started quite simple but moved on much too quickly. However depending on how much you already know, it will probably quite quickly not seem to be a waste of money. just remember though that there is more than one way to look at jazz theory, this book has lots in it but it's no bible if you get my meaning.