Hal Leonard The Path To Jazz Improvisation

I bought this book with the intention of learning some musical theory. It does its job, but does require some prior knowledge (which is stated on the back of the book: "in-depth analysis and lessons"). It is worth mentioning that I am not a professional musician, and that I have gotten most of my knowledge without formal teaching.

The style of the book is more of like a reference guide or a glossary than a teaching aid to me. It is not written to be easily digestible like the other literature I have in playing the piano and musical theory, where the difficulty is increased whilst moving forward in the books. Here, one chapter is devoted to one concept. The chapters end with a list of examples of well known songs that use the concepts presented in that chapter. The final chapter in the book ends like any of the other chapters.

The overall layout is fine to me. Each page is divided into two columns by a vertical line and there are pictures serving as a pedagogical aid to some concepts. The musical staffs are clear enough, although the overall design of them are a bit inconsistent (some are smaller, some are bigger). Sadly, a would be much welcome index at the back of the book is absent.

I would recommend this as a reference guide in musical theory, but for a beginner I would look for something easier to read.