The Complete Idiot's Guide to
Music Theory
 

Corrections and Clarifications

As happens with any printed work, a few errors slipped into the initial printings of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory. The errors in the first edition have all been corrected in the second edition. The errors in the second edition will be corrected in subsequent printings.

This page lists all the mistakes or confusing passages I know about. If you happen to come across any other errors or confusing sections, please feel free to email me at books@molehillgroup.com. I appreciate your feedback!

Corrections to the Second Edition

• Chapter 1, p. 5: The frequency for middle C is actually 261Hz, not 256Hz -- and if you can hear that difference, you have golden ears! In addition, middle C on a guitar is the fifth fret of the G string, not the A string.

• Chapter 2, p. 21: The Note on perfect intervals is slightly misleading. Put more simply, the whole concept of perfect intervals has to do with the ratios between frequencies; perfect intervals sound so closely related because their frequencies are closely related. For example, a perfect octave has a ratio of 2:1 between the two frequencies -- the octave is twice the frequency of the starting pitch (which is called the fundamental). If the fundamental is 440Hz, the octave above is twice that frequency, or 880Hz. Similarly, a perfect fifth has a ratio of 3:2; you take the starting pitch and multiply it by 3/2 to get the perfect fifth above (660Hz for a 440Hz fundamental). A perfect fourth has a ratio of 4:3; multiply the fundamental by 4/3 to get the perfect fourth (586Hz for a 440Hz fundamental). Other intervals have more complex ratios, which make them less perfect.  For example, a perfect third has a ratio of 5:4, not quite as simple as 2:1, 3:2, or 4:3. Put into a series, each increasingly complex interval/ratio forms what is called a harmonic series, and the individual intervals/ratios (in order) are called harmonics. But try not to get hung up on all the math; what's important is that you know what the perfect intervals are, not necessarily how they came to be.

• Chapter 3, p. 30: The C-flat Major scale displayed here is incorrect. (The table actually shows the A-sharp minor scale, for some reason.) The correct notes for the C-flat Major scale are as follows: C-flat (B natural), D-flat, E-flat, F-flat (E natural), G-flat, A-flat, B-flat, C-flat again.

• Chapter 3, p. 31: In the Natural Minor section, second paragraph, third sentence, it should read "up FIVE or down two" -- that is, you move up five steps or down two steps to get to the sixth of the scale.

• Chapter 5, p. 61: In the third paragraph, second sentence, it states that flags "can be replaced with horizontal stems at the end of the normal horizontal stems." The second "horizontal" should say "vertical," instead.

• Chapter 9, p. 115: In the Augmented Chords section, at the end of the first paragraph, the augmented chord should be notated 1-3-#5.

• Chapter 9, p. 118: In the Minor Seventh Chords chart at the top of the page, several chords -- while enharmonically correct -- are labeled incorrectly. In particular, the D-flat min7 should be labeled C#min7; the G-flat min7 should be labeled F#min7; and the A-flat min7 should be labeled G#min7.

• Chapter 9, p. 118: In the Other Sevenths section, it states that a "minor seventh on top of a diminished triad creates a diminished seventh chord." Actually, it creates a half-diminished seventh chord. A true diminished seventh chord has a double-flatted seventh -- in the case of C dim 7, the notes would be C, E-flat, G-flat, and B-double-flat (A natural).

• Chapter 9, p. 120, in the discussion about eleventh and higher chords, note that it's the thirteenth chord that's about the highest you'll find; a fifteenth chord is actually two octaves up from the root.

• Chapter 10, p. 133: On the third line, the choices leading to the ii chord should be I, iii, and vi -- not the IV. (Although, of course, all rules are meant to be broken!)

• Chapter 12, p. 160: The example for the minor sixth interval, ascending, is incorrect. The minor sixth actually occurs between the first and the third words of the musical phrase, "IS this THE little girl..."

• Chapter 14, p. 181: In the second paragraph, second line, it should read "the original key-of-D melody."

• Chapter 17, p. 219: The heading "Glissandos" should actually be "Glissandi."

• Appendix A, p. 265: The word andante is misspelled as "adante." also, the word andantino is misspelled as "adantino."

• Appendix B, p. 275: The C#9 chord is annotated incorrectly. The seventh of this chord should be a B-natural, not a B#.

• Appendix B, pp. 275-277: Regarding the guitar tabs, several of the tabs for Major 9 chords (in particular, the CM9, D-flat M9, DM9, E-flat M9, EM9, FM9, G-flat M9, GM9, A-flat M9, AM9, B-flat M9, and BM9) are inexplicably blank. I apologize for this error. (I recommend you check out the interactive guitar chords chart at 8Notes.com for a very complete listing of guitar chords in many different variations.)

• Appendix C, p. 280: Exercise 1-5, the fourth clef is the tenor clef, not the soprano clef

• Appendix C, p. 286: Exercise 9-2, the second-to-last chord (Eb minor) is enharmonically the same as D# minor, but a heck of a lot easier to notate and play

• Appendix C, p. 289: Exercise 16-1, the fifth chord, A/D, should use the notes (bottom to top): D, A, C#, E

• Appendix D, p. 297: Interval exercise 53, the interval is a minor ninth (an octave and a minor second)

Corrections to the First Edition

• Foreword: Third paragraph, second sentence, should read "...Michael mentions in Chapter 6."

• Chapter 1, p. 5: Middle C (256Hz) on a guitar is actually the third fret of the A string. That's because music for guitar is written an octave higher than the actual pitch. While some guitarists might call the first fret on the B string "middle C" -- because that's what it looks like on the guitarist's staff -- that note actually plays an octave above middle C. (Kind of confusing, isn't it? Check out the Guitar Theory Resources page for a more in-depth explanation.)

• Chapter 1, p. 14: In Exercise 1-5, I ask you to draw several different clefs. One of the clefs I ask you to draw is the soprano clef, which isn't mentioned in the text. Oops! Just ignore this clef in the exercise, if you would. Sorry!

• Chapter 2, p. 18: In the third paragraph, the final sentence should read "Whenever you have two notes that describe the same pitch -- C-sharp being the same as D-flat -- the notes are enharmonic."

• Chapter 2, p. 19: In the fourth paragraph, final sentence, seven half-steps above middle C is actually a G, not an A.

• Chapter 2, p. 23: In the Mod-12 System section, next-to-last paragraph, the last line should read "play the major third, fifth, and major seventh."

• Chapter 3, p. 28: The second musical example is actually the A chromatic scale, not the C chromatic scale.

• Chapter 3, p. 29: The example for the E Major scale is incorrect. The fourth degree should be an A natural, not an A sharp.

• Chapter 3, p. 29: The example for the G-flat Major scale is incorrect. The fourth degree should be a C-flat, not a C natural.

• Chapter 3, p. 39: For the Aeolian mode, the seventh interval should be 2 half-steps, not 1. (The notes for this mode, on the following page, are correct.)

• Chapter 6, p. 67: The following passage should read "When the eighth note is the beat, half a beat... will be a sixteenth note."

• Chapter 6, p. 72: In Exercise 6-7 (and in the answer on p. 261), there aren't enough notes in what should be the second measure. The ninth note of the exercise (an eighth note that is tied to a second eighth note) should actually be a quarter note (still tied to the next eighth note.)

• Chapter 8, p. 91: In the Note box, first sentence, it should read "...the first four measures", not notes

• Chapter 8, p. 94: In the second Tip box, the end of the first sentence should read "...play strictly on the black keys."

• Chapter 8, p. 94: In the "Use the Big Five" section, second paragraph, last sentence, the words in the parentheses should be "the fourth and the seventh"

• Chapter 12, p. 151: In the Hearing Rhythms section, the third paragraph, the last part of the final sentence should read "or two quarters and four eighths, or whatever."

• Chapter 17, p. 202: The example for the trill is incorrect. The trill should start on a D and alternate with the main note C (and end on the C, as well).

• Chapter 18, p. 213. The discussion of how different instruments transpose is, admittedly, a little confusing. (Transposition is a tricky subject!) In the bullet points at the bottom of the page, you should note that when you play a C on an instrument, it sounds the specified interval below (or above) the C. So if a Bb instrument (like the trumpet) plays a C, it comes out Bb in concert pitch. If an Eb instrument (like the alto sax) plays a C, it comes out Eb in concert pitch. And if an F instrument (like the French horn) plays a C, it comes out F in concert pitch.

• Appendix C, p. 260: In Exercise 2-6, the minor third interval, the second note should be an Eb, not an E.

• Appendix C, p. 262: In Exercise 9-5, the next-to-last answer (Dbm7) should actually be C#m7.