Theory books & materials.

[peterp]

Looking for suggestions for a music theory book, as a good learning aid/reference for a currently non-musician.

The local chapters, had things like the "Music Theory for Dummies" and "Complete idiots guide to Music theory" etc, none looked like very good books.

[SdC]

...., none looked like very good books.

Read everything your mind can handle. I find written music theory exceptionally hard to take in, but over the decades, slowly it is starting to make sense (I started classical guitar lessons at age 12-16, am now 40). It's like a connect-the-dots drawing, where each book/tutorial/lesson and each piece of music you learn to play is a dot.
It's very unlikely a single book will contain all the answers of the Music Universe.

[Flash Harry]

I was taught piano from an early age, part of this was the Royal College of Music Associate Board music theory.

I'm not sure if it's snobbishness among the 'Board' or if it's something else, but for 'Proper' musical instruments - by that I mean piano, woodwind and ochestral stringed instruments, there  seems to be a huge lack in musical theroy where guitars are concerned, particularly rock and blues.

For example I was taught 3 types of scale, major - straight forward Ionian scale, although no reference was made to the fact that it was Ionian, and two minor scales which are known as harmonic and melodic minors. These are not phrygian, dorian or anything like that.
This piano based theory was also applied to the woodwind lessons I had as a kid too.

Recently I have been taking guitar lessons and I have found the theory side fascinating. What I am told by the guy who is teaching me makes sense and I can apply to the theory I was taught as a kid, but it has made me realise that the 'Serious' side of music misses a huge amount of nuance and insight because of the view it takes over musical theory.

My suggestion is to get a piano theroy book, intermediate standard and try to apply the information to a guitar scenario. Get a guitar theory book and relate the information to the piano theory. Somewhere between the two, the same light that was lit for me may be lit for you.

[peterp]

Ha, actually it is not for me, though I could probably use it
Trying to get something for son so he might get a bit more out of that Strat pack he bought to use as a game controller.

Me, I actually took formal music courses way back in time, on the traps, but the theory there was mostly
whack, whack, thumpety thump whack bang crash.(while carefully ignoring what anyone else is doing)
Guitar has all been self taught, mostly just running a few scales (Major,minor, pentatonic) in various positions.
And using a CostCo chord book to find chords, someday might figure out how to build them myself  too