MUSIC THEORY CD'S

[stzorfas]

I AM GOING BACK TO SCHOOL FOR PIANO PERFORMANCE!!!  I have a full time job and
will be taking written and aural theory classes, piano class, and individual lessons.
My commute is one hour each way.  Please recommend any music theory CD's that
I could listen to in the car so that I can learn while driving (especially sight-singing).  Two hours each day is a lot of precious time to waste! 

[leucippus]

The problem with most Music Theory CDs is that they will be computer programs, not audio lectures.

Your best bet would be to contact someone in library services to see if you can find a Music Theory book on audio "tape".   Then from there you might be able to either transfer it to a CD or find it in CD format.

It's just that most CDs you find today are going to be computer-oriented software rather than audio lectures.

Here's a page I found where you might find some audio music theory lectures.  Take any titles you find interesting to your local library and see if you can get them via interlibrary loan.  Then when you get them record them on CD so you can use them on your driving trips.

Kits and Audio-Visual Music Materials

[debussy symbolism]

Greetings.

The best way is of course via a pedagogue because you can ask questions that normally wouldn't be answered on a CD. I am taking a music theory class in college and it is a class where everyone asks questions that need more explaining. On a CD you can't do that, so confusion may arise.

These are just my thoughts on learning music theory. An instructional CD can't be bad, provided you ask question that can be answered on this forum.

[prometheus]

You can't lecture on music theory. The texts will always be stereotype textbooks. You have to practice that what you learned before you can progress by making the excersizes.

The Teaching Company has biographies on composers audiobooks.

[bernhard]

TheABRSM has a number of instructional CDs that may help you. You have to look at their website. I cannot remember any music theory CD, but they have a very good series of 3 CDs covering the material for Aural Training from grade 1 - 8.  I have listened and used them and they are excellent - exactly the kind of thng you are looking for. Since you mentioned Aural training in your query, I thought I would mention them.

There are also a number of theory boooks that come with accompanying CDs, but usually they are meant to be listened to while you read the text, which is no good for you.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[stzorfas]

Thank you everyone for your help. Bernhard- I looked at the ABRSM website and I agree
that these CD's would be most helpful.  However I could not find a distributor in the United States to sell these to me.  I've never ordered anything from England.
Do any companies in the United States sell these instructional CD's? Thanks,
STzorfas

[bernhard]

Thank you everyone for your help. Bernhard- I looked at the ABRSM website and I agree
that these CD's would be most helpful.  However I could not find a distributor in the United States to sell these to me.  I've never ordered anything from England.
Do any companies in the United States sell these instructional CD's? Thanks,
STzorfas

Try Burt & Co. (if you google them you get their website) - they have most ABRSM materials.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[stzorfas]

Thanks Bernhard for the info- I will order vol.1 today.  This really helps me out a lot.

[bernhard]

Thanks Bernhard for the info- I will order vol.1 today.  This really helps me out a lot.

You are welcome.

[jonslaughter]

Maybe the best way would simply be to listen to the masters? Not just listen but to think about it(which might also be dangerous while driving for some people).  If, say, your expecting an audio theory book on CD you probably won't find one. The audio theory cd's are almost always just real world examples of musical excerpts.  By just actively listening to music and trying to hear what the composer is doing and how he's doing it you will get a lot out of it. The "music theory" will then become easy because its mainly just learning "vocab" and a little "grammar". i.e., whats an augmented triad and how does it work? Well, you won't know but if you have been actively listening you will probably have heard it before. When in the theory class you go over the chord and how it functions you might say "Oh, thats what Mozart did there... thats why it sounded like that"... or you may not.. but next time you listen to that piece you will probably realize what it is and you'll say "Oh, he's using an augmented chord here".

Ofcourse it won't be that easy but if you can't find a musical instruction audio cd then this would be the next best thing(and it might actually be better). Just try to actively listen to music and train your ear. I am still in the process of working on it too. What I try to do is replay in my head what I just heard.. its sorta following along with the music but you do it activelly tryng to analyze whats going on. Trying to think about the harmony, the melody, how that moment is functioning to the phrase, section, part, or movement.  What this has done for me is increase my musical memory and allow me to see the larger picture(well, larger than what I could before).

Another thing you could do is practice singing and do ear trying. This might be the best thing if you do not have a good ear.  Learning to sing intervals and melodies will help you a great deal. If you can't do this it is very hard to progress.  Being able to recognize intervals leads to a whole bunch of important things you should be able to do and it would be easy to make a CD (or possibly find one) that would do this. i.e, make a CD of playing a scale and then sing the scale along with it. Then when your driving you try to sing in octaves, 5ths, 3rds, 6ths, 2nds, 7ths and then 4ths.  Then maybe try to sing different intervals as the scale progresses... sorta like making a counterpoint with the scale.  You could also record melodies to the CD and then sing along with them or sing them after the cd plays them(for musical memory). Lots of stuff you can do.

Anyways, just some ideas. You might already have a great ear and such so I'm just making suggestions incase you don't.

[squir_rel]

TheABRSM has a number of instructional CDs that may help you. You have to look at their website. I cannot remember any music theory CD, but they have a very good series of 3 CDs covering the material for Aural Training from grade 1 - 8.  I have listened and used them and they are excellent - exactly the kind of thng you are looking for. Since you mentioned Aural training in your query, I thought I would mention them.

I searched the whooooole website and just did't find these CDs  . Would somebody kindly post a link?