Never Mind the Bee S#arps

Never mind the Bee S#arps seeks to demystify the language and concepts of traditional music theory using an informal, good humoured approach and is an ideal text for all those musicians who learn 'by ear'. The book establishes a clear, step-by-step guide through the fundamentals of pitch, intervals, chords, keys, progressions, transpositions and modulations to explain why we talk about and notate music the way we do. Whether you are new to music theory or already have some prior knowledge, this book will help you to develop a more complete understanding of the 'dots' and the links between theory and practice.

Pop musicians learn by ear and there is no great tradition of reading music in pop and rock, much less writing it down. This is both a strength and a weakness. By learning aurally you tend to improve your practical skills quite rapidly and this will quickly outpace your theoretical understanding. Pop musicians are often critical of themselves in this regard – ‘I can play OK, but I don’t really know how I do it, or what I am doing.’ This is not an issue for many, nor should it be, but this book aims to bring theory and practice closer together by equipping you with the fundamental skills required to write your music down and to have greater confidence in your comprehension of musical terminology, harmony and how it relates to the music you write, record and perform.