Studying Music Theory? (For a performance major)

College Majors Music Major
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<p>Hey! </p>

<p>Some of you may recognize me from some of my other threads; I'm a flutist going into college this fall as a performance major and hopefully double majoring in something else. </p>

<p>My new question is this: What books or methods are best for studying music theory on your own? I tried googling it, but all I found were AP music theory things. I was thinking maybe they are similar, but I think sometimes AP books are geared more to just learn the material on the test rather than an all around subject (right? That was just my impression- correct me if I'm wrong!) And even if that wasn't so, I wouldn't know where to start. I'm a total beginner, except for the very basics like major and minor scales and arpeggios. I want to study this summer a bit to get ahead so that when I get to the actual class, I'll have an easier time. I'm trying to stay away from taking an actual class because I'd rather study on my own time to save money. Any recommendations? </p>

<p>Thank you for your time!</p>

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<p>From what I understand, Tonal Harmony by Kostka and Payne is the standard. You can pick up an older version pretty cheap on ebay, half.com, amazon, etc…</p>

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<p>If you go on the bookstore’s website at wherever you’re enrolling in the fall, you may be able to find which specific textbook they use…and also save some money by picking one up online over the summer.</p>

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<p>Harmony and Voice-Leading by Aldwell & Schachter </p>

<p>This is the one we use in our theory sequence at the University of Chicago.</p>