Le Livre de la Theorie Du Jazz

by Mark Levine

"Le Livre de la Theorie du Jazz" by Mark Levine is one of the most comprehensive studies of jazz harmony and theory ever written. It takes the student from the most basic jazz concepts through bebop and pentatonic scales, playing outside the changes, playing salsa / Latin jazz, and a study of reharmonization. French Language Edition.

Ouvrage de reference dans le monde du Jazz, Mark Levine vous propose un voyage au coeur de cette musique. De la theorie pure comme les gammes ou les tonalites jusqu'a la reharmonisation des themes, des milliers de references discographique. Le livre de chevet de tous les jazzmen du monde.

Genres: Music, Jazz, Nonfiction, Reference, Art, Theory, Textbooks

466 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1995

Reviews

[Sandy Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic "what" book (https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/oPEWy...) for learning jazz. It walks you through what tons of things /sound/ like, and goes on and on about how to derive and play scales.

What it doesn't do very well is prepare you to actually play this stuff. For example, the book takes 245 pages before it gets to "how should you be practicing what we've been talking about so far?" If you're like me and generally just dive into books at the front, this is NOT A PARTICULARLY GOOD STRATEGY. This is part of a more general flaw in the book, which is that it's disorganized. There are 16 chapters total which are organized more by theme than usefulness or skill progression. If I were to rework it, I'd suggest reading the chapters in the following order: 1, 4, 2, 3, 5, 12, 6---that's the order I wish I had approached them.

[Craig Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a seminal work on Jazz Theory. I know that some music programs use this as a textbook. I love this book. I really enjoy that Mr. Levine defines examples of Jazz Theory concepts using actual Jazz Standards. He will take a musical line from a particular Jazz Standard piece and demonstrate that as his example. I specifically liked how he used "Stella by Starlight." and developed a discussion of using non tonic chord tones in order to develop improvisational ideas. This is the book for the intermediate Jazz Student. This is essential reading. You can carry this into the practice room with you. I will mention that you have to be able to read standard musical notation, and you should have a decent theory background before you pick up the book. He also has an excellent chapter on the "Art of Practicing." He also has a great chapter on Chord Substitutions and "Coltrane Changes." or "Giant Step Changes." He explains these concepts very well. Love this Book.

[Georgina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have long relationship with this book. (Going on ten years now.) Whenever I pick it up I always learn something new and something old "clicks" into place. Today it's lead sheets (and correcting errors) and memorization tips for chord changes. Tomorrow it will be tinkering with established melodies and creating heads. It's an amazing book and I highly recommend it.

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

as a music theory teacher, I am constantly on the lookout for good theory books, there are very very few of them. this one, however is excellent. the simplified piano reductions are incredibly valuable and the discussion of the technicalities surrounding issues of taste is unique.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the many books I have on the subject The Jazz Theory Book (and The Jazz Piano Book) are the ones that have given me the most useful and applicable information. It is my desert island jazz - and even just plain music -theory book. It may not be for someone with zero background in music/jazz theory. But once someone is ready for it The Jazz Theory Book makes an indispensable reference. In my personal journey towards being a "jazz keyboard player" there are 2 distinct periods in my development - the period before and the period after acquiring the Jazz Theory Book. As a keyboard player I also have Mark's Drop Two and How to Voice Standards for the Piano and find them to be excellent extensions to his broader theory books.

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely essential reading for anyone interested in jazz specifically or composition generally. Having a background in classical theory and no experience playing jazz, this book has done a lot already to reconfigure my understanding of harmony. Levine's writing is a breeze to read - simple and accessible without at all being condescending.

The ebook I read had numerous issues with typesetting and layout, but I'd hope a hard copy would be a little better presented to do justice to the content.

[Adrian Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've just bought the ebook version of this so I have a reference on my ereader. I did read it a while back, but as with any good music theory book, it's important to keep going back, as there's always stuff you need to keep revisiting. It's quite a weighty tome on paper, so it's the sort of thing that's perfect in ebook form.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm only on Chapter 3 at this time but I have learnt a lot already and can't wait to read more. This is a big book though and requires quite a lot of thought. I'll be "background reading" this one for quite some time to come.

[gekko100 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have enjoyed giving this a light reading. It's an extremely well-written and comprehensive resource -- with plenty of examples for all of the theoretical concepts. A lot of it hasn't fully sunk in -- and won't without a lot of practice -- but I think it's useful to have let the ideas wash over me. I expect to be coming back to this much more later. Would love to see a multi-media version of the book with audio for each of the examples.

[Darko · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very thorough jazz theory book. Highly recommended.

[Owen Timmerman]

The Jazz Theory book by Mark LeVine is probably the best book you could read if you want to be a successful jazz musician. It tells you about everything, from the circle of 4ths and 5ths to the art of improvisation. Everything in this book helps you whether you play the trumpet, saxophone, piano, or even bass. If you had questions about chords, this book answers your question. If you were wondering what scales are what, the book has that too.
I personally really enjoyed this book and will continue to use it to answer all the questions I have. I can definitely say that this book helped me become a better musician. I learned a few new scales and I understand chords and chord tones more. I also helped me with my improvisation. I went from quarter notes and a few eighth notes to triplets and 16th note runs. If you don't know music, that's a very big step.
I would recommend this book to anybody who wants to become a jazz musician, anybody who is already a jazz musician and wants to become better, and even professionals who want to refresh on their playing skills. I believe this book can help any jazz musician become better at what they do. No matter how good they are this book is definitely a go-to place for jazz questions and better learning and understanding.

[H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

với nền tảng tự học thì cuốn này chỉ ra khá nhiều lỗ hổng lý thuyết của mình, giúp mình hiểu khá nhiều thứ mà một thời gian dài chỉ chơi theo đôi tai và cảm xúc :)) (thực ra chơi theo đôi tai cũng k bao giờ là tệ nha, nhưng có thêm kiến thức thì hiểu hơn). Đọc xong khá khâm phục bản thân vì đã dành nhiều thời gian như thế: 7 8 tháng :)) để vừa học vừa thực hành thực sự nghiêm túc. Thực sự thay đổi cách mình chơi nhạc khá nhiều heehe. Ai chơi nhạc nên đọc nha, mà cũng phải có những kiến thức căn bản r mới đọc nữa

[Michael G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic and Deep

I can see why this is a classic book on jazz theory, but to me it's not very "readable." More of a reference book when things come up. Also, just a tab bit deep for my current level. I preferred the book Jazzology. Great list of songs and albums that must be listened to!

[Timo Talvio · Rating 2 out of 5]

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[Kyla Squires]

This is not something I read cover to cover as jazz is not my genre, but I do refer to it with some regularity when composing. The theory explanations are very clearly presented and I would go so far as to call it a must have for any studio library.

[Teemu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic theory book, I would say it's a must for non-jazz players as well. Definitely in my top 10 books. Spiral cover is convenient for practicing, however I would love to have a hard-cover copy as well.

[Gladys Landing-Corretjer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is an excellent book! It helped me build some background knowledge I lacked. Thank you!

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best £30 my girlfriend has ever spent

[Kees · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, very clear and inspirational book for if you like to learn how jazz theory works, and very practical if it comes to learning how to improvise with this theory.

[Lauren Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was years ago - brilliant book which was so helpful and useful with jazz theory that my brother nicked it.

[Lake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for me. If you wanna learn a bunch of dusty old songs and get modes modes modes pounded into you, then go for this one.

I prefer Jamey Aebersold's 'Jazz Handbook'. To me, it's much more approachable.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good.

[Matty Demont · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best resource for learning jazz, based on scales. The author teaches how it is easier to think in terms of scales instead of chords. Highly recommended.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not being a jazz expert I can't certify that the theory presented here is correct, complete or comprehensive, but for sure it's clearly presented, well organized, and covers all the basic aspects of jazz I'm aware of. Don't expect to read this straight through: It's a workbook and a reference, so you will want to go through it slowly with your instrument at least once, and then refer back to specific areas as you need them. I've read a couple of criticisms of the book, and they're accurate - the book is geared primarily to pianists, and the wealth of examples leans very heavily on a couple of Levine's favorite musicians, such as Woody Shaw and Freddie Hubbard - but ultimately unimportant, because 1) theory really is easier to illustrate with piano notation, which is one reason musicians should all be able to play at least a litle piano; and 2) the examples ably illustrate the points he's making, and if you want to hear how John Gilmore or Jane Ira Bloom or Eric Dolphy have played pentatonic scales over a G7alt, you're encouraged to do your own listening and transcribing.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm perpetually reading and re-reading sections of this book. So much practical information. The only improvement I ask is that I wish he created a CD containing some of the musical excerpts. I own or have at least heard many of the recordings but not all of them, and I'm currently lacking a piano friend to play the accompanying portions.

[Indran · Rating 5 out of 5]

just the right balance between succinctness and detail. At first you might think, ¨ I´ll just skim this, obviously, it would be overkill to read it cover to cover,¨ but you probably will end up reading it cover to cover . . . I definitely want to buy this just to have around, and if that requires selling 30 books to afford it, no problem...

[Amanda]

This one was either borrowed or given to me in middle school by Mr. Barrera's youngest daughter who received her master's degree at Manhattan School of Music or a required book for one of the jazz music courses I enrolled in but didn't complete at Cal.

[Morris Nelms · Rating 4 out of 5]

I prefer his book on Jazz Piano. It covers most of the same material and it's more personal, since the piano is his instrument.

[Colin Masso · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly what it sounds like.

[Van]

"...start thing of chord symbols as scale symbols." YES!