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That being said, it's definitely written without self-teaching in mind. From Hindemith's mindset, and that of many pedagogues both living and deceased, the idea of teaching oneself musicianship is about as nuts as teaching oneself surgery or carpentry. Even if it were possible, the same results could be achieved with less time and effort through proper instruction, which Hindemith sought to facilitate with this text. So if you're looking for a self-teaching text, look elsewhere - you are outside the scope of this book.
My only concern about this book, and this could be simply the edition I have, is that it's in desperate need of a facelift. Taking advantage of computer layout techniques could make the exercises easier to read and the pages easier to navigate. Other than that, it's a teacher's dream for working on the nuts and bolts of musicianship.


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Where he gets a bit cranky is explaining the American musical education establishment and the bad habits of performers. He's also very unforgiving to popular music and music made in totalitarian states (e.g. Shostakovich and music written for fascist regimes). But his comments about the shortcomings of American musical education are salient today and his critique of mass-marketing of music is also still relevant.

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Skelton wrote a book on Hindemith and while that's great these selected letters seem to be missing a lot, a possibility suggested when Skelton says he didn't include material he considered of too personal a nature. I don't know if the Hindemith institute asked this or not but excerpts of some of the most interesting letters are missing, particularly the "moral conquest" letter he sent enclosed with Ludus Tonalis (which you can get in the Urtext edition); there he wrote scathing remarks about the Leningrad symphony and the American policy of promoting Russian music over German or italian music during the war years. The read is so dry I haven't even finished it yet and I get the strong sense that you wouldn't learn much more from this book than Skelton's earlier book. I've read A Composer's World and other books by Hindemith and can't shake the suspicion that Hindemith's letters were dull or, at least as likely, Skelton and co. wouldn't let us see the most readable parts.



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As I got to know my musician friends better, I could see that what made them good had little to do with the torturous training in this turgid tome. I suspect that the same is true of Hindemith, who probably wrote his music with his right brain, and wrote this book with his left. I think he secretly penned this particular monument to obtuseness to dumbfound his professor peers, as if to say, "You see? This is what is 'elementary' to a genius like me."
You probably won't take to this book unless you happen to have perfect pitch and an appetite for unmusical exercises. Even if the latter description fits you, you would probably find the layout boring and confusing, a relic from the pre-War era, when pools of type swam in undifferentiated masses on the page. In this case, the pools are notes. The type enshrines an authorial voice that is professorial and pedantic. There is little sympathy on Hindemith's part for the "beginner's mind" -- yours, presumably -- so if you are really a beginner at music, seek your elementary training elsewhere. I would suggest going to the bookstore of a major university and seeing what is available now in music fundamentals. Avoid all texts that do not have at least one accompanying CD. Why be cruel to yourself? Your progress will be easier and faster if you can hear what the symbols mean.
One other recommendation: David Lucas Burge's Relative Pitch Ear Training Course (I have no financial interest in Burge's courses). Burge seems to be a bit of a showman, but this course is indeed meticulously worked out. I think there are some drawbacks to it, but it is truly Elementary Training for Musicians, and it will serve you well for a lifetime. As for his Perfect Pitch course, there may be something to it, but I haven't seen (or heard) any confirmation.
Good luck!