Garage Band Theory was conceived, written, proofed, edited and designed by living, breathing musicians, teachers, artists and writers.
For less than the price of a single lesson, Garage Band Theory offers a lifetime of learning.
It's a gift that keeps giving.
GBT covers everything you need to understand, play and make your own music!
• lets you listen to hundreds of examples for every instrument.
• combines the freedom of playing by ear and the strength of traditional music theory.
• assumes you know nothing about basic theory and is written in a conversational, easy to follow style.
GBT provides vocabulary that will let you ask your teacher questions you want answers to – and lets the teacher focus on dynamics, technique and applying these concepts to music you want to play
It's all in there, everything you ever wanted to know, but didn't know how to ask.
GBT is practical, useful theory for musicians who want to be able to think coherently about music in order to ask questions and understand answers about the music they want to play.
GBT is about understanding The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and The Grateful Dead.
It's NOT about analyzing Bach Fugues - but you'll be able to if you want to.
Whether you're a beginner, a professional, studying on your own or with a teacher, GBT has loads of useful stuff for you.
Here is a very brief recap of what you get when you order GBT
•Multi-genre approach – dozens of musical examples provide lots of variety, which makes you more well rounded musically.
•Chapter quizzes and an answer key allow students to measure progress.
•Learn to read music — with GBT examples + free software you develop reading skills without having to actually play an instrument.
•GBT has hundreds of tabs for banjo, bass, guitar, mandolin, ukulele and standard notation for keyboards and transposing instruments.
There are hundreds of exercises and examples using familiar songs and with the free downloads on the book's website you can watch and hear the notes play at any speed you choose.
The YouTube channel has over 250 videos so you can listen to every song used as an example.
"A full course of study under one cover, Garage Band Theory is impressively informed and informative. It's practical and insightful and should be considered an essential resource for any aspiring musician."James A Cox - Midwest Book Review - Publisher's Weekly
"Garage Band Theory is a must for any musician." Rodney Crowell - 2 time Grammy winner
"Don't be put off by this giant book - Duke's got the secrets of the universe in here. Quite simply, this is the most comprehensive book on music theory I've ever seen." - Bill Payne (Little Feat)
"Something for every musician at any level. Especially helpful is the tablature for a variety of instruments. This book inspires me to learn and practice more." Sam Bush - International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame
“A great resource for musicians young and old no matter what your training.
GBT is a veritable encyclopedia of useful tools and tips that lifts the lid off the “black box” of music theory and lets the light shine in and in a fun, practical way.
For less than the price of a single lesson, GBT offers a lifetime of learning.” Alasdair Fraser - Scotland's Premier Fiddle Ambassador
Raised in a rhythm loving California family, Duke Sharp always knew his career would include music, but never expected to write a book about music theory. After 30 years as a professional musician and a decade as a music teacher, Sharp was inspired to write the resource book he searched for but had never found. Garage Band Theory was created as a comprehensive, practical guide for beginning and experienced players alike. He plays and teaches several instruments, and wanted a book that was not restricted to just one instrument and that would be useful to teachers and students alike. He has produced five CDs of mostly original music ‘Yucca Pie, Duke Sharp and Friends’ described by one reviewer as “a unique blend of western, latin and jazz sounds,” ‘Two Grass Crew, Gavotte in A Minor’ a collection of duets with Mike Parsons, an outstanding musician playing mandolin and violin, ‘Pickin After Midnight In The Moonlight’ a solo project, ‘Bozeman All Stars, Contrafactually Yours’ a jazz-lite CD with some of Bozeman’s finest musicians, and ‘Matkatamiba’ – music inspired by Grand Canyon rafting trips. When he’s not gigging or teaching, you can find the ‘accidental’ author hiking backcountry trails, white-water rafting rivers of the west or riding his bicycle. He lives in Montana among guitars, mandolins, rivers and mountains.
