There are many benefits of learning music theory: It helps you read and play a wider variety of music, improvise more fluently, and compose your own music better and more efficiently. This page lists some of the best music theory books for beginners based on online reviews.
Learning music theory isn’t a linear path. Although there are many music theory books and methods designed to help you learn theory faster, there isn’t any one book that can teach it all. Becoming an expert in music theory takes many hours of repetition and practical application.
That said, the right book can help things click and save you tons of hours of trying to figure it all out on your own.
This post includes (click on the link to jump to that part of the article):
- 9 of the best music theory books for beginners to pros
- What is the best book to learn to read music?
- What’s the best way to learn music theory?
If you’re a new musician, you may also be interested in learning about the best piano methods and guitar methods for beginners.
Now here are some of the best music theory books for beginner through advanced musicians.
9 of the best music theory books for beginners to pros
The follow music theory method books and other theory-related references are suitable for complete beginners. Most of them are comprehensive in scope, covering progressively more advanced music theory concepts.
How to Read Music in 30 Days: Music Theory for Beginners (with Exercises & Online Audio)
Author: Matthew Ellul
Length: 293 pages
If you learn best by following a simple step-by-step system, you’ll enjoy this book, designed to teach you how to read and write standard musical notation in 30 days. By learning this valuable skill, you’ll gain access to a wider repertoire of music, and you’ll be able to communicate your own musical ideas with greater ease.
The book touches on key aspects of music notation and basic theory, including:
- Rhythm (pulse, tempo, meter, time signatures, beats, note durations, etc.)
- Pitch (whole and half steps, accidentals, notes on the staff, treble and bass clefs, alto and tenor clefs, etc.)
- Expression (dynamics, articulation, expression marks, etc.)
How to Read Music in 30 Days is concise and easy for beginners to follow. However, the book doesn’t get into chord theory or other more advanced concepts, so be aware of that if you’re looking for a more comprehensive treatment of music theory and harmony.
Music Theory: From Absolute Beginner to Expert: The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide to Understanding and Learning Music Theory Effortlessly
Author: Nicolas Carter
Length: 242 pages
One of the best music theory books for beginners according to Amazon users, Music Theory: From Beginner to Expert is a comprehensive guide for complete beginners as well as experienced musicians who want to fill the gaps in their understanding of theory and harmony. It covers more scope than typical beginner theory books, starting with the very basics and progressing to more advanced topics that you might expect to find in a jazz theory text.
Concepts covered include:
- Scales and modes, including minor pentatonic and diatonic modes
- Key signatures and the circle of fifths
- Chords, including suspended, extended, and altered chords
- Chord progressions and voice leading
- Rhythm, including complex time signatures, polyrhythms, and syncopation
- Advanced harmony and music composition topics such as chromaticism, polytonality, modal harmony, atonality, and free music
Music Theory: From Beginner to Expert includes plenty of clear illustrations and exercises to help solidify the concepts taught within. Reviewers say the book is well organized and easy to understand, written in a more conversational style than that of a college textbook. Rather than taking a dry approach to theory and harmony, the book focuses on real-life, practical applications such as music composition and improvisation.
Alfred’s Essentials of Music Theory: A Complete Self-Study Course for All Musicians (Book and 2 CDs)
Authors: Andrew Surmani, Karen Farnum Surmani, Morton Manus
Length: 152 pages
Alfred Music’s all-in-one music theory course is frequently used by music teachers for students of all ages. There are three method books included in the series – the version linked above includes all three books as well as the two supplementary ear training CDs. You can also purchase the books and CDs separately.
Lessons in the Alfred method are well organized and concise, following up with exercises to solidify the material. There’s a test at the end of each unit so you can review what you’ve learned.
Barron’s AP Music Theory (with 2 Practice Tests)
Author: Nancy Fuller Scoggin, B.M.E.
Length: 756 pages
Barron’s is a trusted publisher of AP test preparation guides containing realistic practice exams. Their AP Music Theory book contains an in-depth content review of all units of the AP Music Theory Exam, as well as accompanying exercises, online audio, and two full-length practice tests.
At 756 pages and 2.52 pounds, this book isn’t light reading. However, judging by the many positive Amazon reviews, many music students who purchased this book feel they got their money’s worth in terms of higher grades and a better understanding of music theory. Reviewers describe the book as comprehensive yet concise, saying it explains the “why” behind the content it teaches.
Berklee Music Theory, Book 1
Author: Paul Schmeling
Length: 120 pages
Other books in this series:
Berklee Music Theory, Book 2
The Berklee music theory method follows the author’s approach to teaching music theory developed over 40 years at the renowned Berklee College of Music. The two-part series applies music theory concepts to the modern styles of music Berklee is known for, including pop, jazz, and blues. It includes online audio examples and written exercises.
Book 1 covers basic music theory concepts appropriate for complete beginners. (Readers with a solid grounding in the fundamentals may wish to skip over this first volume.) Topics covered include rhythm, music notation, key signatures, scales (major, minor, harmonic, melodic), and intervals.
Book 2 jumps straight into triads, inversions, seventh chords, voice leading, and an introduction to melody as it relates to harmony.
Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers: The Producer’s Guide to Harmony, Chord Progressions, and Song Structure in the MIDI Grid
Author: J. Anthony Allen, PhD
Length: 262 pages
Unlike traditional theory texts, this book teaches music theory within the context of the MIDI grid in a DAW, using the language of the DJ and producer. The author has used this curriculum to teach music theory to over 50,000 online and university students.
One of the book’s most useful features is its analyses of songs by popular electronic music producers like Daft Punk, deadmau5, and Skrillex.
The goal of this book is to help electronic music producers understand and apply the concepts of melody and harmony – for example, key, chord progressions, and bass lines – to make better music. However, it should not be taken as a comprehensive guide to electronic music production. Reviewers note that it doesn’t focus on rhythm, different parts of a song, or digital audio techniques.
That said, it achieves its purpose as one of the best music theory books for beginners with a specific interest in music production.
Harmony and Theory: A Comprehensive Source for All Musicians
Authors: Keith Wyatt, Carl Schroeder
If you’ve struggled to follow other music theory books in the past, then this book is a good choice, as reviewers agree that it’s easy for beginners to understand. It also includes plenty of worksheets that you can fill in as you go along, plus an answer key, making it a useful tool for self teaching.
However, the book doesn’t venture very far into advanced music theory concepts and should be seen as an introduction to the basics rather than a comprehensive treatment of the subject.
The Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis
Length: 1,064 pages
Authors: Jane Piper Clendinning, Elizabeth West Marvin
Other books in this series:
The Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis Workbook
If you prefer your music theory served up in heavy college textbooks with a side of in-depth classical music analysis, this is the book for you. It provides comprehensive coverage of first- and second- year music theory for music majors, including topics like counterpoint, SATB writing, figured bass, cadences, and much more.
The textbook and its complementary workbook include many practical exercises and examples and are reviewed highly on Amazon and Reddit.
The Chord Wheel: The Ultimate Tool for All Musicians
Author: Jim Fleser
Length: 12 pages
The Chord Wheel is a highly popular reference tool and visual aid for musicians and composers of all kinds. Its front cover features a spinnable wheel based on the music theory concept of the circle of fifths. You can use The Chord Wheel to:
- Analyze the chord progressions in your favorite songs
- Improvise over chord progressions
- Quickly and easily transpose chord progressions into different keys
- Compose better music
The 12 pages of accompanying text provide an introduction on how to use the tool, including brief discussions of basic chord analysis, transposition, and composition. The booklet touches on concepts like modulation, substitutions, common chord types and functions, key signatures, major and minor scales, and modes.
The Chord Wheel will come in handy to composers of computer music who have little to no training in music theory – for example, for picking chords that sound good together or for spicing up basic progressions using seventh chords and other extensions. You don’t need to know how to read music to use it.
All in all, while not comprehensive enough to be a standalone music theory book, The Chord Wheel makes a useful supplement to other, more in-depth theory texts.
What is the best book to learn to read music?
If you just want to learn how to read music without being overwhelmed by extra information, then a book like How to Read Music in 30 Days is your best bet. If you’re a visual learner, you can take an online course like Music Theory Comprehensive: Part 1 – How to Read Music.
What’s the best way to learn music theory?
If you want to learn music theory on your own, the above music theory methods for beginners are a good starting point, since they teach you the fundamentals of music theory in a logical order. Nowadays you can also take music theory courses online from top universities and instructors, some of them for free.
Below are some top-rated online music theory courses:
- Introduction to Music Theory, Berklee College of Music (free, certificate with fee)
- Fundamentals of Music Theory, University of Edinburgh (free, certificate with fee)
- Getting Started with Music Theory, Michigan State University (free, certificate with fee)
- Music Theory Comprehensive, available on SkillShare
- Music Theory for Songwriters: The Fundamentals, available on LinkedIn Learning
What do you think is the best music theory book for beginners? Share it in the comments!