Playable BooksContinue reading
A NEW WAY INTO MUSIC BOOKS
What if you could press play on a music textbook?
Read classic music books. Hear the examples. Follow every note on the original page.
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Find your next idea.
Fifteen books to read, hear, and return to.
Free to explore. No account needed.
Ready
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Counterpoint
Analysis of J. S. Bach’s Forty-Eight Fugues
Follow Prout through all 48 fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier, every example playable.
Verified 112 of 112 examples playable
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Harmony
Guide to the Practical Study of Harmony
Tchaikovsky’s Moscow Conservatory harmony course, with playable examples.
Verified 366 of 366 examples playable
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Harmony
Supplement to the Theory of Modulation
Explore Reger’s modulation method with 100 analyses and 102 playable examples.
Verified 102 of 102 examples playable
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Jazz
Arrival
Build jazz lines that land, with 30 original playable examples.
Verified 30 of 30 examples playable
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Rhythm
Complete Method for Rhythmical Articulation
Practice rhythm through 120 graded studies, with playable notation and original scans.
Verified 126 of 126 examples playable
Open book
In progress
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Counterpoint
Gradus ad Parnassum
Learn how independent voices work together, one species at a time.
In review 389 of 436 examples playable
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Counterpoint
Exercises in Elementary Counterpoint
Build independent melodies through graded exercises, with 471 recorded examples.
In review 471 of 471 examples playable
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Counterpoint
Counterpoint Applied
Study imitation, canon, and fugue with 393 recorded examples.
In review 393 of 393 examples playable
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Harmony
Treatise on Harmony
Explore the foundations of harmony, composition, and accompaniment.
In review 408 of 409 examples playable
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Harmony
Practical Manual of Harmony
The classic harmony course, newly translated from the 1910 French edition, with all 640 examples playable.
In review 640 of 640 examples playable
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Harmony
Partimenti
Six books of partimenti, with playable basses, contrapuntal exercises, and bilingual rules.
In review 260 of 260 examples playable
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Harmony
Theory of Harmony
Read all 22 chapters, with the original German beside a new English translation.
In review 618 of 637 examples playable
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Orchestration
Principles of Orchestration
Discover instrumental colors through scores and orchestral recordings.
In review 407 of 407 examples playable
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Orchestration
Orchestration
A witty, thorough guide to every orchestral instrument, with the original pages.
In review 3 of 800 examples playable
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Orchestration
Treatise on Instrumentation
Berlioz’s treatise on the orchestra, revised by Richard Strauss, with the original pages.
In review 1 of 977 examples playable
Open book
Verified Every example plays, and the edition has been checked against the original.In review Readable now; examples are still being transcribed or checked against the original.Text only The text with its original notation; no example plays yet.
Read with clarity
Choose a reading that works for you, and compare it with the original text.
Listen as you learn
Play musical examples and slow them down to hear how the parts fit together.
Stay close to the source
Compare rendered notation with the printed music, and open the original page scans.
WHY I’M MAKING THIS
Music books shouldn’t
feel out of reach.
For a long time, I felt blocked from learning through music textbooks. I wanted to hear what the pages were trying to teach me.
With William Caplin’s permission, I built the companion app for Analyzing Classical Form. Playable Books grows from that same desire: to help more people learn from these books.
Mayank Sanganeria ↗WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN?
Your next book
could be a playable book.
I’m taking requests for future conversions. Tell me the title you have in mind, and I’ll get in touch.