Introduction

In 1725, Johann Joseph Fux wrote Gradus ad Parnassum (Steps to Parnassus), one of the first and most influential “music theory textbooks.” Parnassus is a mountain in Greece that is home to the Muses—the goddesses of literature, the sciences, and the arts. A number of well-known composers studied from Gradus ad Parnassum, including Mozart.

The title Steps to Music Theory has a double meaning. First, it is in homage to Fux’s Steps to Parnassus. Second, it refers to the steps students take to understand music theory. Steps to Music Theory breaks down each concept into step-by-step instructions. Whereas a paper version of a textbook is limited to page constraint due to price, the online format allows each idea to be explained in great depth. In addition to abstract musical examples, nearly every concept has real musical examples (many of which are by women composers), and many concepts show examples of common errors students make.

Steps to Music Theory can be extremely detailed for the student who prefers numerous examples; it can also be concise, with an overview box at the end of each section and a summary list at the end of each chapter. Students can pinpoint the exact question or problem and quickly refer to that section, since each chapter is divided into a number of sections.

The online format also allows students to listen to musical examples while they read. The greatest asset about Steps to Music Theory is the Practice Sections. Chapters are divided into sections and nearly every section has at least one (and as many as six) Practice Sections, where students can check to see if they understand the concepts from that section. In addition, every Practice Section has a video lecture that goes through the steps to arrive at the correct answer.