right, so how do i teach myself music theory?

The way I picked it up, you'd think that so long as the left hand was okay, it didn't matter what the right was doing.

So if you get sucked into the beauty of harmony, I'd temper that by making sure you learn the basics of rhythm. Start with 4/4, then 2/4, then 3/4, then 5/4. Then move to the 8s. And then latin rhythm patterns: salsa, flamenco etc. And thence to glitch and jazz. If music sites don't say where the stresses go, dance sites will.

Have fun!

p.s. Good books you could use to cross-reference theory to songs you know are Revolution In The Head and Inside Classic Rock Tracks. Of course, these are dealing with songs as recordings as well as pieces of sheet music.

thanks for all the advice and i anticipate more!!

A keyboard is not necessarily laid out more INTUITIVELY than a guitar; it depends. (I started on guitar and played bass for 20 years, so it's intuitive to me now.) But a keyboard is laid out in such a way that it's physically easier to reach a wide range of notes.

I can'tremember the name of my old college music-theory textbook, but if there's a college near you, go to their bookstore and see what you can find.

It's good you're open to learning an instrument, because playing (and listening) are invaluable for learning theory. When I first started teaching myself theory (though I wasn't really aware I was doing this at the time), it was by learning chords on the piano; what a minor chord was, what a dim chord was, half dim, etc. This became important for me later when I realized what functions chords (and by extension, harmony) had in music I was listening to.

And saying that, once you have a decent handle on how chords are formed (and how to describe them in terms of harmony - ie, "a dim chord is a dim chord because _______"), you should start trying to notate the music you listen to. Put on a song, teach yourself to identify chords by their sound, test it at your instrument and then write out a simple chart of the song. Notice how certain chords seem to lead to each other, both in sound and in function. Notice the kind of things that tend to happen to a song in, say, a major key. Notice things that almost never happen. Notice how the instruments tend to perform pretty specific roles, and how that can help you when analyzing music.

I guess what I'm saying is that the most important part about learning theory, to me, is to teach yourself to be very perceptive with your ears, eyes and hands. (Obv, being able to read music would be extremely helpful - if not a requirement - when you start notating things, and studying other peoples' notation.)

I'm using a piece of software for some ear-training exercises and for learning a bit of theory. It's called GNU Solfege: http://www.solfege.org/. I use it on Linux, but I think it also runs on Windows. Oh, and it's free ;).

the moonlight sonata! abridged!

but the version on the cd if i recall was about two-three minutes long. just enough to establish the familiar melody and a very few elaborations. (not that the first movement is notably elaborate, just that if anything it relies on slow repetition to really sink in.)

F that, dude, seriously.

There are lots of comprehensive-looking websites around, such as this one and this hipper one. I've used both on occasion to check things in a pinch and never run into trouble with them, although I haven't used either enough to really vouch for their reliability.

If you are interested in ear training, there is a very good computer program called MacGamut.

The problem with all these resources is that they are very dry, and I'm not aware of a single music theory text that's actually fun. (Maybe I'll write that book some day.) Perhaps there are some fun books about music theory in genres other than Western classical music, but I would think classical music would be most relevant to you in your work with film.

If you have any questions in your studies, feel free to write to me and ask. I teach music theory during the summer but not during the year, so I'd be glad if you'd send me questions so that I can keep my teaching skills sharp.

(I'm not sure how much of a help learning theory would be if I wanted to learn more about post-war classical music, which I listen to a lot these days but I'd def like to, I think I still have a keyboard here)

I got nailed on a parallel fifth once. Fortunately, it was only an exercise, not a final.

(And before anyone gets any bright ideas, yes, Parallel Fifth is an excellent name for a band, but it's been done.)

The tricky thing about contemporary music is that various composers are operating under such different theoretical guidelines. To study Xenakis, it would help to have a math background; if you want to learn about spectralism, you should check out Helmholtz' "On the Sensations of Tone"; and so on.

There are a couple of good general books about the nuts and bolts of contemporary music, however, such as David Cope's "Techniques of the Contemporary Composer" and Stefan Kostka's "Materials and Techniques of Twentieth Century Music." I think both books also have a primer about traditional harmony near the beginning.

I've never read "Music Theory for Dummies." Perhaps it's fun, but I wouldn't be inclined to trust anyone who assumes his or her readership consists of "dummies"!

otm. The only unified music theory that students learn about today is classic Western harmony and notation. Beyond that, you have lots and lots and lots of detours and personal theories (which is why it's almost always wrong to suggest anything in music is "right" or "wrong" - imo theory is best used to determine what "is" or "is not").

I'd say it's more like learning an advanced math. The same way mathematics can teach you to recognize a certain "type" of problem and know how to solve it, music theory is recognition of certain types of harmony, scales or whatever and what they actually "do." (I guess the most simple example is the one a lot of folks recognize... that a major chord sounds "bright" or "happy" and a minor chord is "sad" or whatever.)

I second or third whoever recommended taking a course instead of self-teaching. A lot of music theory is learned by listening critically, and it's much easier to learn with listening examples if you have a qualified instructor than if you have a CD that came in a pocket at the back of the book.

i am good at math but lazy--i'd like to imagine i'd be good at music theory too. but then there's the laziness again.

I'll check those bks out charlie.

3)my enjoyment (I like that part)

damn straight. I can't claim to know hardcore theory or anything but I'm real glad I took the time to learn an instrument. it does open up whole new vistas as a listener when you actually know a little about what the heck is going on structurally.

i wish i had that ability!

Yeah, identifying instrumentalists is a great parlor trick. I try to do it all the time when I listen to jazz radio and I don't know the track. Heck, I think it's the major component of what makes the music so fun! The whole point is that every player struggles to hew their own style...

Go here.