17 Books Like The Study of Counterpoint

After learning counterpoint from the greatest, why not learn harmony from the genius who took it so far it unraveled? Before diving headfirst into atonality (a mistake), Schoenberg was a master of Harmony (with a capital H!), and this book is filled with nuggets of wisdom that I gobbled up hungrily, albeit in small bites because it’s so dense and profound. 

After filling my head with theories and practices, it was time for me to break everything down, which this book does brilliantly, and start writing my own melodies and harmonies.

Designed almost like a workbook, these very thoughtful and insightful steps helped me understand the fundamental process of writing. They started with exercises such as creating a simple five-note melody and built until I was crafting entire songs.

Something I didn’t realize as a young musician but quickly learned is that it’s called the business of music, and you need to spend as much time on the business side as the music side.

They call this book the music industry bible, and I agree—in its 11th edition, it’s up to date with the latest opportunities and challenges in music (streaming, various platforms). Great music can’t just live on your desk or computer; it needs to get out into the world to fulfill its function: emotionally connecting people. 

I found that once my brain was filled with enough information, I didn’t need more theories. I needed to dive headfirst into the greatest songs ever written and learn from them. A fake book doesn’t have any arrangements; it’s just the melody and chords, but that’s what a song is at its core. Along with recordings, I had everything I needed, and so will you. Feel free to swap in the Ultimate Jazz Fake Book or a classical fake book if you prefer. 

This encyclopedia is a brilliant, deeper dive into many instruments. There’s a selection of more unconventional ones from all over the world too. It includes a range of vocal voices and even the computer as an instrument!

Each instrument is given a gloriously characterful illustration of an animal playing it and is accompanied by a description and interesting facts alongside. You can even scan a QR code that links to a short video meaning you can hear the instrument too, so you can listen and learn at the same time. 

I love this book because it is a truly comprehensive textbook on contemporary film scoring, covering invaluable sections on musical techniques, the relation of music to film, the technology of film scoring, and the business and lifestyle of film composers. It features references to 150 films as well as interviews with many film composers.

The extensive practical information on musical techniques and technology, as well as the relation of music to picture and drama, are timeless and still valid in today’s world. I also love the way this book presents a wealth of information on the relation and interaction of the composer and filmmaker. 

My last choice is about a musical girl who finds a very different kind of “instrument” to play!

Twelve-year-old Emmy just moved from Wisconsin to San Francisco for her dad’s big break as a pianist. Emmy wants to be a musician, too, but can’t find the right instrument to play (I can relate!).

Notes and classical terms are in her head, but not her fingers in this novel-in-verse. Instead of music as an elective, Emmy ends up in computer science and makes friends with a quiet girl named Abigail.

Emmy learns java script, and the reader learns along with her. In the end, Emmy finds a way to make her own kind of music through computer coding.

I love this book because it provides not only specific techniques for film scoring but also an overview of the lifestyle and business considerations of the film composer. This book reads like a novel but still presents a multitude of valuable information in a well-organized and anecdotal manner. It’s not an exhaustive textbook, but is a great place to start to get a feel for what it means to be a film composer.

I read the whole thing (132 pages) on a 5-hour flight from LA to New York. I love the fact that there are appendices (film/music schools, professional societies, and organizations, suggested scores to study, suggested reading, and websites) as well as a glossary of technical terms.

I included this picture book because it was one of my daughter’s favorites. Through Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, the book introduces orchestral concepts such as “concertmaster,” “pitch,” and “dynamics” and teaches readers about the various sections that make up an orchestra. Newer books like How to Build an Orchestra by Mary Auld and illustrated by Elisa Paganelli, also do a wonderful and comprehensive job introducing all things orchestra-related, but what my daughter loved about Welcome to the Symphony was the button panel on the side of the book. With a push of a button, she could listen to the sound of different instruments playing snippets from Beethoven’s Fifth. Pair Welcome to the Symphony with classical music pieces like Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra or Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf for additional fun identifying musical instruments!

In fairness, I read this book hoping for insights into the identity of Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,” a mystery it certainly does not resolve. However, many other aspects make the book worthwhile reading, notwithstanding the large historical liberties the author takes.

Smith’s Beethoven has been unable to appreciate the love so many have had for him. Who better to enlighten him than Napoleon, to whom he originally dedicated his third symphony (“Eroica”), only to scratch out the dedication and write instead, “to the memory of a great man”? What better vehicles than powerful, dream-like scenes (since in a sense, the whole book is a deathbed dream)?

Above all, whether the author has used fantasies, ghosts, or spirits, he has provided an interesting technique to present the supernatural events the protagonist experiences.