Music Theory: Books for Studying Music Theory (Grades 1 - 8)

Hi everyone,

In todays post I'm going to talk about the books you need to study and help you to work towards your Music Theory Exams.

For Grades 1 - 5

First Steps in Music Theory (ABRSM)

This is a lovely little book to enable you start gaining some basic music theory knowledge, but without it being too overwhelming. Each grade has sections clearly laid out at the beginning of each chapter. If your unsure on where to start with music theory reading material I would highly recommend starting with this book, as its really approachable and makes it easy for the reading to gain a basic understanding of music theory.

AB Guide Book 1 (ABRSM)

This works in a similar way to 'First Steps in Music Theory', but it goes into a lot more detail. It also works alongside the 'First Steps in Music Theory', as there's footnotes referencing the 'First Steps in Music Theory' throughout the 'AB Guide Book 1'. This is ideal if you want to expand on your music theory knowledge whilst still using your 'First Steps in Music Theory' book.

Take Five & Pass First Time by Christopher Dunn

This is an excellent Grade 5 music theory book by Christopher Dunn, and its laid out in an easy and accessible way. It's also laid out in a way to make it easy to understand. It gives you hints and tips on how best to pass your Grade 5 Music Theory exam, and there's quite a few formulas to help you to get the best possible mark.

For Grades 6 - 8

AB Guide Book 2 (ABRSM)

This follows on from the AB Guide Book 1, but it's for the more advanced music theory grades. The AB Guide Book 2 goes into detail to give you an understanding and knowledge of what is needed for the Grades 6 - 8 music theory exams, and each section is broken down into manageable chunks to make it somewhat approachable for the reader.