Music Theory for Producers

Siberius Jackson

May 2014 · Trap Door Publishing

About this ebook

 I wrote Music Theory for Producers because, as a producer, I didn’t feel that there were any books on music theory that were designed specifically for my needs.  Producers are an interesting group; they aren’t just musicians, and they aren’t just engineers.  They have to have a little bit of everything to get the job done.

This guide is a no-frills look at music theory that skips the less important details and goes straight to the essential information.  You’ll learn about rhythm, harmony, and melody, including building chord progressions and writing instrumental hooks.

The best part about this book is the song analyses.  For every section, there are several songs that are broken down in terms of the chapter topic.  With this guide, you’ll learn the theory behind:

Elevators – OutKast                             The Otherside – The Roots

Apache Rose Peacock – RHCP            Blow My High – Kendrick Lamar

Xxplosive – Dr. Dre                         Call Tyrone – Erykah Badu

Get Lucky – Daft Punk                        Let Me Watch – MF DOOM

Ms. Jackson – OutKast                     Poundcake – Drake

Hol’ Up – Kendrick Lamar          Pursuit of Happiness – Kid Cudi/Ratatat

Seventeen Years – Ratatat                   Big Poppa – Notorious B.I.G.

Stan – Eminem                                   Kids – MGMT

Breaking Away – Ratatat                      Girl – Destiny’s Child

Ratings and reviews

Stick with this when reading it. Circle of fifths might appear daunting but take some time on it and finish the book it really helps understand the basics. Will improve your production if you're just trying to work out how to make something musical, or even if you're familiar with the basics but not exactly a virtuoso already!

I like this book it help me understand how music works and gave great samples.

Really helpful! even gor someone that knows some of this already, ot does give you a lot of useful information!