First Steps in Music Theory: Grades 1 to 5 - Eric Taylor

Over the years, The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (now ABRSM) has produced a number of books to support their Theory of Music graded examinations; these have included 'Music Theory in Practice', 'Theory Workbooks', 'The AB Guide to Music Theory' and this book by Eric Taylor, 'First Steps in Music Theory' which first appeared in 1999. The book is not quite pocket sized but is sufficiently small to be carried around in a bag or satchel. Personally I find the text rather small and one can't help but feel that the book seems a little cluttered in places. It covers all the material needed for the graded examinations up to Grade 5. There ...  Read the complete review

Being a student studying for a National Diploma in Music Technology, I needed to make sure i was aware of the basic music theory. I originally looked at the grade by grade books from 1 to 5, however the price for each of these went up and up. I also wanted something a bit more smaller. After reading reviews about this book, I read it was small meaning I could carry it in my bag for college, however I was surprised as to how small it really was. It is a good pocket size however for anyone looking to travel occasionally with it. It has a very good layout from a well known author for music theory. It is in a basic step by step form going from grade to ...  Read the complete review

First Steps in Music Theory Grades 1-5 Eric Taylor This book is published by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. This is one of the leading examining Boards in the UK. It is a small, almost (not quite) pocket sized book which I keep by my bedside. No I am not a saddo, it is just that I am very bad at reading up on music theory (as a lot of saxophonists are) and by keeping it there I can 'dip in' one or two pages at a time. 147 pages including index is not a lot to cover 5 grades, but it manages to do this well. Each chapter of the book is set out to follow the grade requirements of grades ...  Read the complete review