Combining a grounding in music notation and theory concepts with a foundation in essential technologies, The Craft of Contemporary Commercial Music offers an innovative approach that addresses the needs of students preparing for music careers.

Introduction: The Contemporary Commercial Composer and the Digital Audio Workstation

I. Fundamentals of Music and Audio

Ia: Fundamentals of Music

Chapter 1: Introduction to Pitch

Chapter 2: Introduction to Rhythm

Chapter 3: Introduction to Harmony

Chapter 4: Melody and Counterpoint

Ib: Fundamentals of Audio Engineering and Sequencing

Chapter 5: Introduction to Audio and MIDI

Chapter 6: Manipulating Rhythm in the DAW Environment

Chapter 7: Introduction to Acoustics

Chapter 8: Melodic Sequencing

II. Music Production Essentials

IIa. Composition Essentials

Chapter 9: Functional Diatonic Harmony

Chapter 10: Expanding your Harmonic Vocabulary

Chapter 11: Form and Development

Chapter 12: Basic Orchestration

IIb. Audio Engineering Essentials

Chapter 13: Introduction to Mixing

Chapter 14: Recording and Editing Live Instruments

Chapter 15: Mixing and Processing

Chapter 16: Final Mix Considerations

Chapter 17: Scoring for Short-Form Media

Chapter 18:

IV. The Business of Music Composition

Chapter 19:

Glossary

Greg McCandless is an Associate Professor of Music Theory at Appalachian State University.

Daniel McIntyre is an Associate Professor of Contemporary Writing and Production at Berklee College of Music.