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The 8 Best music theory books of 2024

Are you trying to find music theory books among various brands on the market but aren’t sure where to begin? To assist you in finding the right one, we’ve put together a list of the 7 best to help you pick the perfect one!

We investigated and evaluated a number of the top-selling music theory books on the market in order to create our list of the best. Making a decision among the many options available is never simple. There are an infinite number of models available, each with a distinct price. And as you’ll find out, the best options aren’t usually the ones you imagine! This comparison is rich and relevant because of the numerous factors that were employed. You will find products featured in this ranking not only based on their pricing but also on their features and other customers reviews. To write this review, we completed 16 hours of research and did 58 music theory books tests. You won’t need to pick products at random any more. If you’re unsure of what to look for, browse our list and consult the buying guide!

An overview of our top picks

Table of contents

The best music theory books you can buy today

SaleNo. 1
Accelerated Piano Adventures for the Older Beginner - Theory Book 1
  • Softcover
  • 64 pages
  • Size: 12" x 9"
  • Composer: Randall Faber
  • ISBN: 1616772069
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 64 Pages - 01/01/1998 (Publication Date) - Faber Piano Adventures (Publisher)
SaleNo. 2
Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory, Complete (Lessons * Ear Training * Workbook)-------------- (CD's Not Included)
  • Designed For Students Of Any Age.
  • Provides A Better Understanding Of The Language Of Music.
  • Learn The Essentials With Lessons And Exercises.
  • Offers A Review Section At Each Ending To Test Your Knowledge.
  • Surmani, Andrew (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 120 Pages - 01/01/1998 (Publication Date) - Alfred Music (Publisher)
SaleNo. 3
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)
  • Spencer, Dan (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 140 Pages - 04/26/2022 (Publication Date) - Best Music Coach LLC (Publisher)
No. 4
Musicians’ Theory Wheel -15 Music Theory Books into Double-Sided Wheel. All Musical instruments. Condensed book on how to read music - Beginner to University.
  • Become a Better Musician. Many music books cover only basics. This music theory wheel has all crucial topics: circle of fifths wheel, major/minor chord progressions, chord and scale formulas, and modes.
  • Quickly Become a Master. Music theory from beginner to expert. Covers: essential elements theory to advanced. One-of-a-kind chord and scale matcher for music composition theory and improvisation.
  • Music Theory for the Self-Taught Musician. If you don't read and write music, this will help in understanding music. Popular music theory for piano, music theory for guitar. Rock, blues, classical.
  • Easily Expand or Refresh your Knowledge. This Modern music theory wheel is great for singers and songwriters. Quickly review topics and decide on areas needing more study. Popular chord wheel included.
  • Excellent for Teaching and Studying Guitar Theory and Piano. Resource tool for music composition theory and to help in reading music. Includes downloadable ebook, video instructions, and audio files.
SaleNo. 5
The Chord Wheel: The Ultimate Tool for All Musicians
  • The Chord Wheel
  • Master chord theory
  • in minutes! The Chord Wheel is a revolutionary device that puts the most essential and practical applications of chord theory into your hands
  • Fleser, Jim (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 12 Pages - 12/01/2000 (Publication Date) - Hal Leonard (Publisher)
No. 6
How to Read Music in 30 Days: Music Theory for Beginners - with Exercises & Online Audio (Practical Music Theory Book 1)
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Ellul, Matthew (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 355 Pages - 09/28/2020 (Publication Date) - SchoolofComposition.com (Publisher)
No. 7
L173 - Master Theory Book 1
  • KJOS Model#L173
  • Charles S. Peters (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 32 Pages - 06/01/1963 (Publication Date) - Kjos Music Company (Publisher)
SaleNo. 8
Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory, Bk 2
  • The most complete music theory course ever! This all-in-one series includes concise lessons with short exercises, ear training activities and reviews
  • Available in three separate volumes or as a complete set, Essentials of Music Theory also includes Ear Training CDs (performed by acoustic instruments), a Teacher's Answer Key Book, reproducible Teacher's Activity Kits, Bingo Games, Flash Cards and Computer Software
  • Additional Information Teacher Answer Key There are five reproducible Activities in each of the six Units, which correlate specifically to the six Units in Book 1 of "Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory
  • " The wide variety of Activities includes Music Crossword, Puzzles, Note Naming, Matching Games, Musical Math, Word Scrambles, and others for a total of 30 Activities in all
  • There is also one Test per Unit that covers all the theory concepts introduced in that Unit
  • Surmani, Andrew (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 40 Pages - 01/01/1998 (Publication Date) - Alfred Music (Publisher)
No. 9
Music Theory in 30 Days: The Beginner's Guide to How Music Works - With Online Companion Course (Practical Music Theory Book 2)
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Ellul, Matthew (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 183 Pages - 11/29/2021 (Publication Date) - SchoolofComposition.com (Publisher)
No. 10
Discovering Music Theory, The ABRSM Grade 1 Workbook (Theory workbooks (ABRSM))
  • Abrsm (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 10/08/2020 (Publication Date) - ABRSM (Publisher)

How to choose a good music theory books

Does the idea of finding a fantastic music theory books make you anxious? When it comes to purchasing this product, specifically when deciding which model to select, has your head been spinning between options? You are not alone if that is the case. We are aware of the pressure involved in the purchasing process!

Your presence here indicates that you are interested in music theory books. Before choosing which product would be the best for your needs after being inundated with information, locate a reliable source with genuine selections. You can get that information from a variety of sources, including buying guides and rating websites, word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family, online discussion forums where users can share their own experiences, product reviews that can be found all over the internet, and YouTube channels. You can only get the right product through exhaustive analysis. But you realize that’s not always simple. In order to ease your concerns, we have taken the time to develop a list of the top music theory books products available right now. You might be wondering how we came up with the list. How was this buying guide developed?

First, we used our algorithms to gather as much reliable data as we could about these products. To verify all the data gathered, we used both artificial intelligence and a lot of algorithms.
Then, our experts used criteria that are recognized in the business to evaluate them according to their quality to price ratio, allowing us to choose the top music theory books on the market right now!

The selection of the goods is not arbitrary. Before creating a list, we take into account a number of factors. Below are some of the criteria discussed:

Brand Value: What happens if you choose a dubious brand just because it appears to be a good deal? So the likelihood of receiving a product with a short shelf life increases. That is due to the fact that well-known brands have a reputation to uphold, while others do not. Top music theory books brands strive to provide some distinctive traits that set them apart from the competition. So, hopefully one or more of the items on our list will be perfect for you.

Features: Useful features are all you need, not tons of them. We consider the important aspects and select the top music theory books based on those.

Specifications: Numbers always help you measure the quality of a product in a quantitative way. We try to find products with higher specifications, but with the right balance.

Quality: A product’s quality may always be quantified with the aid of numbers. We look for goods with better standards that strike the proper balance. The best quality product that gets highly appreciated and recommended by experienced users.

Customer ratings:  Would it be accurate to suggest that the music theory books were used by hundreds of customers before you? Superior ratings indicate that many customers had better service.

Customer Reviews: Like ratings,  provide you with accurate and reliable information about the product from genuine customers. Customer ratings are very important to all of us because they contain accurate and reliable information about the customer service we received from several hundred customers.

Seller Rank: This is very intriguing! Not only do you need a good music theory books, you also need a product with rising sales that is trendy. It accomplishes two goals. First, the expanding user base proves the quality of the product. Second, given that number, producers must be able to offer greater quality and after-sales support.

Value: You get what you pay for, they say, so consider the value. Cheap isn’t always good and expensive isn’t always bad. However, that does not imply that spending a lot of money on a product that is flashy but underwhelming is a good idea. Before adding them to the list, we make an effort to evaluate how much value you can get for your money from your music theory books.

Durability: Durability and reliability are closely related concepts. You will benefit from a strong and long-lasting music theory books for months and years to come.

Product availability: Products come and go, and new ones replace the old ones. Most likely, a few new features and required changes were made. What use is it to use a supposedly good product if the maker no longer supports it? We make an effort to highlight products that are current and offered by one or more trustworthy sellers, if not more.

Negative Reviews: Yes, we do take that into account as well! The goods with the majority of bad reviews are filtered out and disregarded when we choose the best-rated one on the market.

These are the standards by which we selected our music theory books. Do we end our process there? Hell no. The most crucial fact about us that you should be aware of is that we regularly update our website with current and pertinent information. We have one more layer of filtration since we place the greatest importance on reader satisfaction. Please let us know if any product included here is incorrect, irrelevant, subpar, or simply out of date. We always value your opinions, and we’ll work hard to make any necessary corrections to our list in response to them.

Why should you believe us?

There are now thousands of possibilities for these products on Amazon, but choosing the best one can be difficult and time-consuming. And what music theory books should you purchase in 2022?

This guide is the result of more than 10 years of experience in researching, testing and writing about many topics. Each member of our team is an authority in their area. We read every article we could find online and every consumer review on every retail website for seven hours. Additionally, we discovered a ton of websites that offered helpful resources, including buying tips and thorough information on music theory books.