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Online Resources for Basic Music Theory (4th ed.)

Here are links to printable PDFs: 

• printable staff paper (be sure to check it before printing)
• piano keyboard, quiz cover, and other guides
• scales
• scale practice checklist
• practice journal template

 
Free printable Quiz Packet for teachers can be found here.

Chapter 1: A Brief History of Music Notation

• Biology of hearing here
• Parts of the ear
• Talking Drum
• Ancient bone flute
• Sumer is Icumen In: free example to hear; buy it on CD, or as an mp3
• The Guidonian Hand
• Gregorian Chant/Plain chant: build a FREE station on Pandora, or buy a CD, or mp3.
• John Cage: information; video of his composition, Water Walk
• Exploratorium site that explores listening

Chapter 2: Lines, Lines, Everywhere There's Lines

• free printable blank staff paper here.

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Chapter 3: More Lines

• free printable blank staff paper here.
• More about Listening Maps, and a site with lots of examples (including vids)

Chapter 4: Where's the Beat?

• free printable blank staff paper here.
• A good explanation of "the beat" is over at EarSketch.

Chapter 6: Meter

• 3/4 Time: Coltrane's version of My Favorite Things:
  • free on Spotify, 
  • or, if it's still up, a live version YouTube. Coltrane has to stop to tune at the beginning.
  • buy the CD,
  • many different versions on mp3 .

Chapter 7: Down for the Count

• Chris Smither, songwriting master, foot percussion guru 
  

Chapter 10: Triplets

• Examples of quarter note triplets:
  • video: several examples on the drum set. Gives you a great idea of how this rhythm sounds.

Interlude, Chapter 11: The Practice of Practice

• Short, to the point practice advice, and fun illustrations: 
  • Get Better Faster
• The Practice of Practice, in all formats.
• My blog about practice.
• Practice Journal (printable PDF)
• Scales (printable PDF)
• Scale practice checklist (printable PDF)
• Metronomes
• Tuners
• Music stands
• Instrument stands
• Recording Equipment
  • Audacity: free recording software (this is HIGHLY recommended)
  • • The Audacity WIKI page to help with all aspects of the program. Simple and easy to follow. Includes tutorials and tips.
    • video tutorials from me on:
      • Getting and installing Audacity (did I mention it's FREE?)
      • Overview of Audacity
      • Label track, cut section
      • Change tempo
      • Noise removal
      • Change pitch
      • Louder and softer
  • Handheld recording devices (mp3 and other formats). General list of devices.
    • Highly recommended recording devices (I've tested many but use these)
      • Zoom H4
      • LiveScribe Pen: this is a fantastic tool. I use it for all lessons, whether I'm taking the lesson or giving it. Written notes are linked to the audio. Perfect for students and teachers. It's expensive but SO worth it.
  • Old Skool (tape recorders. Cheap and effective)

Chapter 14: Going Over the Clef

• Treble Clef Note Identification: test your knowledge of note names in treble clef.
• Bass Clef Note Identification: test your knowledge of note names in bass clef.
• Tenor Clef Note Identification: test your knowledge of note names in tenor clef.
• Alto Clef Note Identification: test your knowledge of note names in alto clef

Chapter 15: No Trouble with Treble

• Treble Clef Note Identification: test your knowledge of note names in treble clef.

Chapter 19: Accidentals on Purpose

• Accidental Calculator: Find what any accidental looks like in any key or clef.

Chapter 20: The Piano Keyboard

• The printable keyboard (and other guides) from the back of the book.

• Pop-up piano keyboard. Choose "mark" to save a note.
• Keyboard note-name Identification: test your knowledge of note names on the piano.

Chapter 21: Major Scales

• Listen to a bunch of major scales on computer-generated piano, flute, oboe, clarinet, or bassoon
• Play a major scale on this piano.
• Print off the major scales here.
• scales checklist to keep track of the scales you need to learn.

Chapter 22: Unlock the Secret of Key Signatures

• Identify Key Signatures: Test your knowledge of key signatures: treble clef, bass clef, all clefs.
• Circle of Fifths/Circle of Fourths
  • Wikipedia
  • Interactive Circle of Fifths by Randy Scullard (info)
  • Whole website dedicated to The Circle of Fifths (with video)

Chapter 23: The Guitar Fretboard

• Fretboard Note Name Identification
  • right-handed: 1st 5 Frets, Entire Fretboard
  • left-handed: 1st 5 Frets, Entire Fretboard

Chapter 24: Interval Training

• Generic Interval Identification: test your knowledge of written generic intervals (number only)
• Specific Interval Identification: test your knowledge of the quality and type of interval
• Interval Ear Training: Identifying an interval by sight is different from identifying it by listening. Test your hearing of intervals:
  • Perfect Intervals: ascending/harmonic, descending/harmonic, harmonic only
  • Major Intervals: ascending/harmonic, descending/harmonic, harmonic only
  • Minor Intervals: ascending/harmonic, descending/harmonic, harmonic only
  • All Intervals (including tri-tone): many different ways: ascending/descending, etc.
• ​Hearing and Writing Music by RonGorow.

Chapter 27: Blues

• Fantastic video in which Bobby McFerrin demonstrates the pentatonic scale, which you know even if you don't know you know it. Brilliant.

Interlude, Chapter 28: How to Conduct Yourself
Documentary: The Art of Conducting: Legendary Conductors of a Golden Era.

• Conductors:
  • Sir George Solti: Wiki, CD, mp3, Solti's Memoir, video is here.
  • Marin Alsop : Wiki, CD, mp3, video from the book is here.
  • Seiji Ozawa: Wiki, CD, mp3, video from the book is here.
  • George Szell: Wiki, CD, mp3, video from the book is here.
  • Leonard Bernstein: Wiki, CD, mp3, video from the book is here.
  • Claudio Abbado: Wiki, CD, mp3, video from the book is here.
  • Kurt Masur: Wiki, CD, mp3, video from the book is here.
  • Daniel Barenboim: Wiki, CD, mp3, video from the book is here.
  • Zubin Mehta: Wiki, CD, mp3, video similar to the one in the book is here.
  • Leonard Slatkin: Wiki, CD, mp3, video similar to the one in the book is here.
  • Michael Tilson Thomas: Wiki, CD, mp3, video similar to the one in the book is here.
  • Herbert von Karajan : Wiki, CD, mp3, video similar to the one in the book is here.
  • Xian Zhang: Wiki, video from the book is here.
  • Mei-Ann Chen: Wiki, video from the book is here. 

Chapter 33: The Faster and the Slower

• Conlon Nancarrow and black MIDI video here.

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