The Best Music Theory Book for Beginners 1: A Guide for Everyone: How to Read, Write, and Understand Music (The Best Music Theory Books for Beginners)

I picked up "The Best Music Theory Book for Beginners" to evaluate it for my students, and I was pleasantly surprised. It presents music theory in a way that’s clear, engaging, and approachable, making it just as effective as many long-standing music theory books.The book breaks down rhythm, melody, harmony, and notation into simple, digestible lessons, with plenty of real-world applications. The included video examples and flashcards are a great touch, reinforcing concepts in a way that feels interactive and practical.What I appreciate most is the logical progression—it starts with the basics and builds confidence before moving into more advanced topics. It’s structured in a way that keeps students motivated, making learning both effective and enjoyable.This is a practical and well-structured music theory book that delivers solid results, it’s an excellent resource for beginners!

I used to play in the band when I was in middle/high school. Now as an adult I’ve kept wishing that I would have stuck with it. I started taking cello lessons a few months back and love it. Although the method books teach a little bit about music theory I’ve been searching for a book that goes deeper. This is probably the 10th beginners book I’ve bought in the past year and I must say that it has been the best one yet. All of the other books seem unorganized and jump around making it hard to follow along with. This book is AMAZING! It slowly builds on previously covered concepts and is laid out in a way that even someone who has never looked at a piece of sheet music can follow. Even though I feel confident on some of the stuff in the beginning I still find myself reading it and learning. It’s not only exciting that there are THREE books in this series but also that each book has a workbook that follows along! The work book is not required but it’s definitely fun. Every new concept in the book directly correlates with an exercise in the workbook so you can put your new knowledge to work. I do wish this book was available using bass cleft instead of treble but that’s just me being picky. It didn’t change how any of the concepts work and is super easy to “translate” to bass cleft. Even if you’ve been playing an instrument for years I’m sure this book has something to teach you. I have recommended this book to all of my friends that have talked about wanting to learn how to play an instrument. This book doesn’t teach you an instrument but knowing this stuff before taking lessons will make learning an instrument a million times more rewarding. Or if you’re like me and have an interest in composing music this book is the best place to start. Easily the new gold standard in learning music.

Wow, super impressed with this book! I got it for my 13-year-old daughter, who’s been playing violin for years but never had a structured music theory course. Her violin teacher even gave the thumbs up, and said the price is very fair compared to the books she had to buy. Even though my daughter is not a total beginner, she really appreciates the simple, step-by-step approach. The included online instruction is a huge bonus—interactive, easy to follow, and makes learning even more engaging. The lessons are broken down into bite-sized pieces, making it super manageable. The layout is beautiful, and she absolutely loves it. We haven’t gotten the workbook yet, but so far, using a blank staff notebook is working fine. Highly recommend for anyone wanting a thorough, well-organized intro to music theory. So glad we found this! We homeschool, and this was definitely not something I could teach her effectively. This is so well put together and laid out, any self directed teen could easily learn.

"The Best Music Theory Book" is a solid introduction to basic musical concepts, making it a great starting point for beginners. It helps readers understand how to read and write music at a very basic level.One of the highlights of the book is its nice and colorful layout, which makes learning more engaging. It also includes QR codes linking to both free and paid materials for further study. However, don’t expect to be able to play music just by reading this book—it’s more about grasping fundamental concepts rather than hands-on practice.Overall, it’s a well-presented and helpful resource for absolute beginners, but those looking for more practical instruction may need additional materials.

This is an excellent reference book- organized, colorful, color coded throughout, fully of diagrams/pictures/charts, concepts explained in short and clear sentences that are easy to understand, everything presented in a gentle tone and in an engaging way with examples/samples/relevant and well-known songs . Also has links to workbooks, video demos, full Music course etc. great value for anyone trying to learn about music theory

I picked up this book because I’ve always wanted to really understand how music works, but every time I tried learning theory before, it felt overwhelming and complicated. This book makes it so much easier. It breaks things down in a way that actually makes sense, even if you’ve never touched an instrument before.What I loved most was how practical it is. Rather than just dumping a bunch of terms on you, it shows why they matter and how to actually use them. The included video examples and flashcards are a huge bonus because they help you connect what you’re reading to real music.