Two Requests!

[tea]

My sister and I take off for the classical "youth backpacking around Europe trip" in (oh my God) 19 days, and I thought I'd make a very general request for useful/interesting books to read before then. We're going to be in Paris, Geneva, Cinque Terres, Rome, Florence, Salzburg, Prague, Berlin, and Amsterdam, FWIW. Be it your favourite travel guide, intro to a city, or travel book in general, hit me!

Second, I've been looking for a specific kind of non-fiction book about music theory: one that's written to be sat down and read, not a series of exercises or a textbook, preferably written with some sort of historical perspective. I can think of lots of science books written in this style, but I've never come across a music one.

Comments

Popular music theory

[cesy]

Response from my boyfriend, who studied music at uni:

Well, there's the Oxford "A Very Short Introduction to Music". That will give you a certain amount of history. What kind of theory did you mean? Analysis is easiest by buying CDs from Naxos and reading the sleeve notes. The best way to learn theory is actually by doing the exercises, so the analogy with popular science books doesn't actually quite work.

(I'd disagree with him there, actually, as the best way to learn science also includes actually doing some, but popular science books are not intended to teach you in the same way as you would for someone who actually wanted to learn properly.)

Re: Popular music theory

[tea]

Right, I don't really want to _learn_ music theory, so much as understand it as it developed over time. Sort of the way you wouldn't learn physics by reading a book about the atom, but you might have a greater perspective on it than you did before.

Re: Popular music theory

[cesy]

Ah, that makes more sense. I'll see if he has any ideas.

Re: Popular music theory

[tea]

Thanks! I appreciate it.