Hooktheory I

Embark on a musical journey! Follow the Hooktheory Book Series in a smart, fun, skill-building journey. Learn how to craft melodies and chord progressions like professional musicians, and discover an intuitive and deep understanding of how music works. Validated by over 30,000 hobby and pro musicians like you, the Hooktheory Book Series is the best-selling how-to series for musicians around the world for a reason.

Hooktheory I isn’t like other music theory books.

Hooktheory teaches with an easy-to-understand music format that emphasizes chord and melody function. Rich audiovisual animations play along as you learn. We dissect popular songs and show you how the pros do it. Immediately practice concepts and tactics with our companion musical sketchpad, Hookpad. There is nothing else like it!

Fun to read. Easy to understand. Full of practical knowledge.

Learn from 41 interactive exercises and 88 audiovisual examples from artists like The Beatles, Journey, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Adele, Coldplay, Billy Joel, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Maroon 5, and more!

In Hooktheory I, you’ll learn the following skills:

• Composing music based on a scale.
• Understanding the six basic chords that underlie all great chord progressions.
• Writing chord progressions based on function (understanding which chords go together and which ones don’t)
• Making melodies “chord aware” - learn why certain melodies sound good with a chord progression and why others don't
• Controlling the natural tension and release in melodies over a chord progression

Benefits:

• Simple piano roll notation (sheet music knowledge not required)
• Every concept + technique demonstrated through an actual song
• 88 audiovisual examples from artists like The Beatles, Journey, and Taylor Swift
• Reinforce learning at every step with 41 exercises
• Designed to be used with Hookpad Music Making Software. Hookpad lets you practice every concept and tactic you learn in the books immediately

To sum it up, Hooktheory I will teach you the essential basic techniques for crafting effective and compelling chord progressions and melodies.  

Reading Hooktheory I doesn’t require any previous music knowledge or the ability to read sheet music. On average, it takes about five hours to read so it isn't a huge time commitment. Dedicate only a few hours to reading this book and gain a lifetime of skills that will give your music that professional edge.