Music+Theory+for+Songwriters

1. **Music Theory for Songwriters**: http://chordmaps.com/

2. AUTHORITY · The domain for this website is .com. I believe it is an appropriate domain, because although .com was originally used only for commercial websites, recently .com has been used for miscellaneous addresses that do not fit into another category. · The author of this site is Steve Mugglin. There is no information available on the website about Mr. Mugglin’s credentials.

3. INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT · The site was designed to help songwriters use music theory properly in their musical compositions. There are twelve sections of the site which are labeled as follows: · Although this source is not documented as well as some others, I do believe the information is reliable, and it is laid out in a manner that is easier for the readers to understand. · National Music Standards that could be addressed through this software o 5. Reading and notating music. o 6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music. · The Copyright is listed for 1999-2005, but there is no indication that the site has been updated since 2005. Near the bottom of the page, though, it says “this is an ongoing project,” so, there may be updates in the future.
 * 1) Scales, Note Numbers, Roman Numerals
 * I, IV, V chords, Keys, Chords in D
 * ii, iii, and vi chords, The Simple Map
 * 1) Chord Variation, Complex Chords
 * 2) Secondary Chords and The Big Map
 * 3) Major Scales – I (Concept – Half Steps and Whole Steps)
 * 4) Major Scales – II (Concept – Sharps and Flats)
 * 5) Major Scales – III (Concept – Major Scales with Sharps and Flats)
 * 6) The Circle of Fifths
 * 7) Understanding Modes
 * 8) Minor Keys – I (Basic Concepts)
 * 9) Minor Keys – II (More Advanced Concepts)

4. PURPOSE, VIEWPOINT · This site was created to assist amateur songwriters in utilizing music theory in their musical compositions. Its main purpose is to inform its readers about how music theory is used in composition. The information is fairly basic and could be used with beginners. · The website is sponsored solely by its author but is part of another site, authored by the same person, called MugglinWorks.com. · The site has several other links: Jeff Mallett’s Songwriter Site (http://www.lyricist.com/), Songs Of Love (http://www.songsoflove.org/), and a helpful place for web site submission, ADD ME! (http://www.addme.com/). The only bias that I discovered on this site was the link to Songs Of Love. The author calls this site “One of my favorite organizations…”

5. REPUTATION (Where cited?) · The most notable sites that link to Mr. Mugglin’s site are the Canadian Academy CourseForum (http://intranet1.canacad.ac.jp:3445/Middle/77?view=print), defining the site as “The information needed to overcome musical obstacles while writing music,” and The Morris Music Men Barbershop Chorus (http://www.morrismusicmen.org/links.htm), stating that the site includes “Good theory for writers, singers, and the just plain interested.”

6. OVERALL EVALUATION · This website was not exactly what I was expecting. I thought that it would be more advanced music theory than might be used with children or beginners, but it actuality, it is more of an introduction to music and how a musical song is written. It think a lot of great information can be used from this site to help students understand the idea of composition and how the elements of musical theory play into a good piece of music. The information is explained in a very unpretentious manner that is understandable by people at any level. Although I had planned to gain more knowledge for myself as a composer, which I did, I also stumbled upon a great resource for teaching students about composition. · Rating -- *** Good

7. REVIEWER Kathryn Smoker 4/9/2006