New Reference Books
How is a violin made? What are the different parts called? How do I keep it in good condition? What type of strings should I use? How do I choose a bow? You'll find the answer to all these questions in The Rough Guide to Violin and Viola (0002Pinksterboer, £5.99), a fascinating book full of useful facts and anecdotes about your instrument. It addresses many of the common questions asked by violinists and non-violinists alike, explaining why some violins are so expensive and others not, how to go about choosing an instrument and what makes a "good" violin. Complete with information on the different mutes, shoulder rests, strings and cases available, and tips on tuning and maintaining your instrument, this book is a great all-round introduction
The Rough Guide to Reading Music and Basic Theory (0003Pinksterboer, £6.99) provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of music theory. Assuming little or no previous knowledge, The Rough Guide begins by looking at the principles of pitch, rhythm and reading music; its clear layout and concise, straightforward language ensure minimum confusion! Once the essential principles are established the book takes a step-by-step approach to scales, keys, intervals and simple harmony; more complex rhythms and metres; markings, articulation and ornamentation. The latter sections of the book explore some more advanced theory such as transposition, modes and chromatic chords, and there is a chapter on the history of musical notation. Including a glossary of musical terms, The Rough Guide is ideal as a teaching aid or simply as a handy reference book.
The Form of Music (William Cole, ABRSM publishing, 0009Cole, £9.95) provides an introduction to the musical forms used by composers from the 17th century onwards. The comprehensive text is illustrated by extracts from various pieces of music. Cole covers Phrase and Cadence, Simple Binary and Ternary Forms, Ternary Form and its Simple Extensions, Rondo Form, The Concerto, The Overture, The Suite, The Early Sonata, The Early Contrapuntal Forms and Fugue and Air with Variations. Each is explained in its own separate chapter, which enables the reader to find the information required very easily. The book covers a broad range of information, making it useful to a wide audience. The language used is easily accessible to all musicians from 'A' Level students upward. A musician may find this book useful as an aid to analysis at Degree standard and possibly to help with composition as well.

Harmony in Practice (Anna Butterworth, 0002Butterworth, workbook £14.95, 0003Butterworth, answer book £9.95) serves as a useful source of information for most music students.  Butterworth endeavors to explore the main elements of tonal harmony, and writes that the book will serve as a vital aid in bridging the gap between grade 5 and grade 6 theory.  It is laid out in the form of a workbook, wherein a topic is first explained with examples and then tested in a number of exercises. Butterworth starts at  a basic level with chord labeling and follows in a natural progression to melodious and harmonic decoration, explaining each aspect in one of fifteen chapters.  She recommends the book for students preparing for Associated Board theory exams grades 6-8, 'A' Level music and Diploma examinations.  It would also be particularly helpful for any student taking the Harmony & Counterpoint option as part of the 'A' level course, as it explains the harmonisation of Bach Chorales.
The Essential Dictionary of Music (0006Harnsberger, £8.25) is a complete A-Z comprising four sections: the first, a comprehensive reference guide to all the most common musical terms, complete with foreign terms (and pronunciation), abbreviations and those relating to electronic music. It includes musical examples to help make definitions clear. A concise dictionary of composers follows with short descriptions of their dates, historical periods, compositional media and important works. The latter sections of the book consist of an 'in-a-nutshell' theory guide and a really useful section on instrumental and vocal ranges.
The Essential Dictionary of Orchestration (0002Black-Gerou, £8.25) is an invaluable resource for composers and arrangers which describes the main characteristics of orchestral and electronic instruments, including percussion and voice. It includes all necessary information on clefs, ranges, transposition, potential technical difficulties, use of  mutes or pedals and notation. General details are also provided on the dynamic and tonal capabilities of different registers, and scoring tips.
A useful companion to the orchestration guide, The Essential Dictionary of Notation (0002Gerou-Lusk, £8.25) presents the rules and guidelines for clear and successful musical notation in a concise and easy-to-use format: clefs, bar lines, key signatures, beaming, slurs, rests and performance directions are all discussed in detail. This book is highly recommended again for composers and arrangers, those studying music or simply the interested reader.

•Catherine Markall, Katie Brake