The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

Part 5: Embellishing
185
15
Harmony and Counterpoint 
187
Two Ways to Enhance a Melody ....................................................188
Living in Harmony ........................................................................189
Voicing and Inversions ..................................................................189

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The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Theory, Second Edition
x

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Contents
Good Keys and Bad Keys ................................................................232
Instrumental Ranges ....................................................................232
19
Lead Sheets and Scores 
241
Follow the Rules ............................................................................241
Take the Lead ..................................................................................242
Make It Simple ................................................................................243
Chord Sheets ................................................................................243
The Nashville Number System ......................................................243
Sing It Loud ....................................................................................243
Jazz It Up for Big Bands ................................................................247
Strike Up the (Concert) Band ........................................................248
Make the Big Score—for the Symphonic Orchestra ....................252
Use the Computer ..........................................................................252
20
Performing Your Music 
257
Preparing the Parts ........................................................................257
Rehearsal Routines ..........................................................................258
How to Conduct Yourself ..............................................................258
Conducting in Four ......................................................................259
Conducting in Two ........................................................................260
Conducting in Three ......................................................................260
Finding the Beat ..........................................................................261
Practicing in the Real World ..........................................................261
Coda ................................................................................................262
Appendixes
A
The Complete Idiot’s Music Glossary 
265
B
The Complete Idiot’s Chord Reference
275
C
Answers to Chapter Exercises
279
D
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Theory, Second Edition, 
Ear Training Course CD 
293
Index
305
xi

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Forewords
This is the book I wished I had in high school.
Then, along with choir and concert band, my primary outlet for music was a
rock band, and each of us would gather nightly in my garage, rehearsing, scheming,
and dreaming, trying to knock out our own music, but without a solid grasp of the
language and technical know-how. This book would have been such a big help
back then. It’s still a big help now! Music is a communicative art, and the first
persons the composer, arranger, or players must communicate with are other
musicians. To a beginner, or to the uninitiated, written music may seem like an
American trying to read Mandarin! If you wish to read and write music, this
book could be more than your first primer—it could be your Rosetta Stone.
In my own teaching, I often use