The first bullet point on the cover of "The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Composition" states that reading the book will "help you create popular songs, classically structured pieces, film and television scores, and more." This statement is a bit misleading since aside from one section on orchestration the book doesn’t delve into great detail on specific musical genres.
But the fundamentals of composing a tune – whether its destination is an unaccompanied voice or an entire orchestra – are in their essence the same and it is this essence which Miller’s book covers in an exhaustive but completely readable fashion. For instance, the third section entitled, "Melodic Composition" includes chapters such as "Shaping a Melody," "Building Tension and Release," "Harmonizing (and Reharmonizing a Melody)" – concepts which are indispensable to the composition of any musical genre.
Miller’s methodical approach of building melody might surprise some who think that a tune is mysteriously pulled out of the air. Some composers, such as the technically untrained Irving Berlin – who absorbed rather than learned musical principals – actually did just that. But it is obvious that classically trained composers such as Cole Porter and George Gershwin benefitted greatly from their understanding of composition, the same ones which are laid out so clearly in Miller’s book.
No matter if one is more akin to Berlin, Gershwin or somewhere in between – after reading the clear text and utilizing the challenging exercises at the end of each chapter, the dedicated reader of "The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Composition" will at the very least find the whole process of tunesmithing completely demystified and at most be able to compose music.
The above review was contributed by: Kathryn Atwood: Kathryn's poetry, reviews and essays have appeared in numerous online and print journals, including "The Aurora Review,", "Afterimage," "Void Magazine," "Wild Violet," and "PopMatters." When she's not writing or driving her three kids around somewhere, Kathryn is usually teaching at a local music studio or givng vocal performances with her husband on the subject of American song.Click Here To View More Of Kathryn's Reviews.
To find out more about the Complete Idiot's Guide: Music Composition Click Image Below: (Note: May not work with all browsers)
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Theory
Click Here To Purchase From Amazon The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music TheoryAuthor: Michael Miller ISBN: 1-59257-437-8 One might postulate that any study of theory is only as meaningful as the action it precedes. A basic knowledge of notes, clefs and rhythm, for instance, usually enables the beginning piano student to play simple songs. The music theory provided in Michael Miller’s "The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Theory" is pointed in a decidedly compositional direction. It is...
(No rating)
12-11-2007
Views: 3110
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Economics
Author: Tom GormanPublisher: ALPHA (Penguin)ISBN: 0-02-864492-1This economics installment of the Idiot’s series is 338 pages in length. The 21 chapters are organized into 6 parts in this softbound book, followed by an appendix (resources for the economically inclined and index). Having taught micro and macro economics (introductory) courses at the university level, more than a dozen times, I was looking forward to seeing just how the Idiot’s series dealt with the variety of topics dealt...
(No rating)
2-19-2007
Views: 3745
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing a Novel
Author: Tom MonteleoneISBN: 1-59257-172-7 Novelist Tom Montelone is such an entertaining writer that it is quite possible readers without writerly aspirations would enjoy his “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing a Novel.” Monteleone is that funny! In the chapter dealing with plot, he claims that writers who allow their antagonists to triumph at story
(No rating)
4-28-2007
Views: 7492
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Astronomy
Authors: Christopher De Pree and Alan AxelrodISBN: 1-59257-219-7The following review was contributed by: Greg Lewis: There is nothing more fundamentally mind-blowing and mind-blowingly fundamental than humankind’s attempt to understand its place in the universe.
(No rating)
9-3-2006
Views: 6047
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Statistics
Author: Robert A. Donnelly Jr., Ph.D.Publisher: ALPHA (Penguin);ISBN: 1-59257-199-9This statistics installment of the Idiot’s series is 377 pages in length. The 20 chapters are organized into 4 parts in this softbound book, followed by an appendix (solutions to “your turn,” statistical tables, glossary, and index).Having taught introductory courses in business statistics at the university level, more than a half-dozen times, I was looking forward to seeing just how the Idiot’s series dealt...
(No rating)
2-19-2007
Views: 3520
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Accounting (2nd Edition)
Authors: Lita Epstein, MBA & Shellie Moore, CPAPublisher: ALPHA (Penguin); ISBN: 1-59257-530-7This accounting installment of the Idiot’s series is 331 pages in length. The 26 chapters are organized into 6 parts in this softbound book, followed by an appendix (glossary, key business forms and small business tax and form calendar index). The first question, when reading the title and cover of the book, is what is meant by the title. Does “accounting” mean financial...
(No rating)
2-19-2007
Views: 4198
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to World Conflicts
Author: Steven D StraussISBN: 1-59257-511-0A cartoon near the front of Steven D Strauss’ fascinating The Complete Idiot’s Guide to World Conflicts shows two children at bedtime.
(No rating)
1-3-2007
Views: 3080
The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Critical Reading
Authors: Amy Wall and Regina WallISBN: 1592573401 The following review was contributed by: NORM GOLDMAN: Editor of Bookpleasures. CLICK TO VIEW Norm Goldman's Reviews How often have we heard the statement that someone is a prolific reader or that he or she is well-read?At first this may impress us, however, when you think about it, you have to ask how much these individuals retain and what are they getting out of their reading? As Amy Wall and Regina Wall point out in The Complete...
(No rating)
6-7-2006
Views: 6255
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Finance for Small Business Owners
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Finance for Small Business OwnersAuthor: Ken LittlePublisher: ALPHA (Penguin)ISBN: 1-59257-479-3This finance for small business owners installment of the Idiot’s series is 318 pages in length. The 25 chapters are organized into 5 parts in this softbound book, followed by an appendix (glossary, resources, different legal structures and index).Having taught introductory courses in corporate finance at the university level, a half-dozen times, I was looking...
(No rating)
2-19-2007
Views: 4217
Glossary
Contact Us
FAST TRACK, PRIORITY AND QUICK REVIEW SERVICE
Books Reviewed by Individual Reviewers
Email
Print