The Practice of Popular Music

The Practice of Popular Music is a music theory and musicianship textbook devoted to explaining the organization of contemporary popular music styles such as pop, rock, R&B, rap, and country.

The Practice of Popular Music is a music theory and musicianship textbook devoted to explaining the organization of contemporary popular music styles such as pop, rock, R&B, rap, and country. Rooted in recent research showing that the structure of popular music differs from classical music in important ways, this textbook offers an approach to teaching music theory that is fully oriented around popular and commercial genres.

Beginning with fundamentals and requiring no previous training in music theory or notation, this book eventually guides the reader through a range of advanced topics, including chromatic mixture, secondary chord function, complex time signatures, and phrase organization. Each chapter develops concepts in tandem with aural comprehension, and the included exercises balance written tasks with listening activities. A companion website provides links to playlists of the music discussed in the book.

With an innovative approach designed to broaden the reach of music theory coursework to a wide range of students, including non-majors and those in modern music degree programs such as audio engineering, songwriting, and music business, this textbook enables readers to gain a deep understanding of music theory in the context of popular music.

Autorentext

Trevor de Clercq is a Professor in the Department of Recording Industry at Middle Tennessee State University.

Klappentext

The Practice of Popular Music is a music theory and musicianship textbook devoted to explaining the organization of contemporary popular music styles such as pop, rock, R&B, rap, and country.

Inhalt

1. Musical Domains
   1.1 The Rhythm Domain
   1.2 The Pitch Domain
   1.3 Song Form
   1.4 Other Domains
2. Major Frameworks
   2.1 Major Scales
   2.2 Small Intervals
   2.3 Beat Divisions
   2.4 Transitions in Form
   2.5 Key Signatures
3. Essential Structures
   3.1 Perfect Intervals
   3.2 Syncopation
   3.3 Triads
   3.4 Harmonic Rhythm
   3.5 Triads in a Key
4. Context Matters
   4.1 Chord Progressions in Major Keys
   4.2 Melodic Organization
   4.3 Drum Feels in 4/4
   4.4 Triple Divisions
5. Alternative Frameworks
   5.1 Compound Meter
   5.2 Shuffle and Swing
   5.3 Relative Minor Keys
   5.4 Chord Progressions in Minor Keys
6. Relevant Connections
   6.1 Supertonic and Mediant
   6.2 Triple Meters
   6.3 Melodic Embellishments
7. Expanded Elements
   7.1 Sixteenth Notes
   7.2 Larger Intervals
   7.3 Seventh Chords
8. Core Endings
   8.1 Formal Suffixes
   8.2 Swung Sixteenth Notes
   8.3 Chord Inversion
9. New Perspectives
   9.1 Parallel Minor Keys
   9.2 Syncopated Sixteenth Notes
   9.3 Phrase Organizations
10. Missing Pieces
    10.1 Partial Bars and Hyperbars
    10.2 Atonic Tonics
    10.3 AABA form
11. Colorful Combinations
    11.1 The Blues
    11.2 Harmonic Mixture
    11.3 Cross Rhythms
12. Additions and Deletions
    12.1 Add and Sus Chords
    12.2 Modes
    12.3 Quintuple Meters
13. Level Explorations
    13.1 Secondary Dominants
    13.2 Half-time and Double-time Outside 4/4
    13.3 Syncopated Sixteenth Notes in 6/8
14. Further Extensions
    14.1 Harmonic-Bass Divorce
    14.2 Extended Chords
    14.3 Other Applied Chords
    14.4 Septuple Meters
15. Some Substitutions
    15.1 Inverted Secondary Dominants
    15.2 Diminished Seventh Chords
    15.3 Tritone Substitutions
16. Significant Shifts
    16.1 Tonal Modulation Strategies
    16.2 Metric Modulation