Music Theory - Hal Leonard Guitar Method by Tom Kolb | Step-by-Step Guitar Theory Guide for Beginners and Intermediate Players | Include 94 Audio Tracks | Learn Scales, Chords, Modes, and Ear Training

by Tom Kolb

(Guitar Method). Guitarists of all levels will find a wealth of practical music knowledge in this special book with online audio access. Veteran guitarist and author Tom Kolb dispels the mysteries of music theory using plain and simple terms and diagrams. The accompanying recordings provide 94 tracks of music examples, scales, modes, chords, ear training, and much more! To access audio www.halleonard.com/mylibrary

Genres: Music, Reference, Nonfiction, Theory

104 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

Tom Kolb graduated from Musicians Institute in 1989 as an honors graduate as well as “Student of the Year.” A veteran of over 4,000 gigs, Tom Kolb has worked in nearly every musical situation imaginable, from tours to sessions to his own funk/rock band the Gurus.
He has been a featured artist and musical director for Star Licks Videos and a regular contributor and columnist for Guitar One magazine, as well as the writer of Classic Rock Workshop (MI Press/Hal Leonard). His specialties are rock improvisation, melodic soloing, and rhythm guitar.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, most of it is clearly written and illustrated, including short exercises and quizzes that I think are effective. Towards the end it feels a little rushed and abrupt.

My biggest complaint can't be attributed to the book itself so much as the format. Much of the content really needs to be memorized via repetition and practice; the book isn't oriented towards getting everything into long-term memory. Few books are or can be. So plan on making flashcards or reviewing sections of the book many times, rather than only reading from front to back (as the author does mention).

Even better, if you have an iPad, look into apps such as Waay, Tenuto, and Earpeggio, which are extremely helpful for learning and memorizing theory, reading staff/notes, identifying intervals, and much more.

[Calvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got too advanced for what I was looking for, it's more of an educational workbook than something for casual players. Still, it was interesting and I can imagine it being very useful for someone willing to commit the time to go through and practice the drills/exercises. Learned a lot of stuff that I will forget in 2 days, but I can't fault the book for me not being 100% invested in becoming a musical theorist.

[Pawan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and eloquent.

A lot of newer inventions have come up that have been helpful.

Smartphones have all the required supplementary applications. I used to place a wristwatch near my ears to attune my mental metronome. I still tune relatively, by tuning one of the strings, and then use that strings' (fretboard) spectrum to tune the other strings. People also used a keyboard or xylophone while some had tuning forks and pad. More recently, I have seen a ready to play digital emulation plank.

It is important to learn sheet music from the top, because I learnt the operations first, which had me come up with my own method for representing music by drawing patterns on a long narrow paper spool (worked for both Indian Classical and Western). Since I was introduced to sheet music, I have been translating it into my own method before actually plucking (which is slower). Needless to say, one must strum or fingerstyle with the same hand that they use for writing.

There are no easy or difficult to play instruments - it's just that they have different limits on what professional musicians can do with them.

[Eric Susak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still working on it, but taking lessons to supplement the drudgery of learning music from a book.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using this and youtube as a supplement will help increase your understanding of music theory. A great book for any aspiring guitarist.

[Gus Venditto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done. The writing is clear and covers the basics very well. I refer to it over and over.

[Michael Heitmanek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read if you play guitar. Might actually help your sight reading.

[Matt Gile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd been playing guitar and thinking I understood music theory for years before I read this book. Music Theory for Guitarists set me straight and in a way that made sense in the context of the guitar.

[Nero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for learning Music theory, a bit boring though.