Music theory

Where to start

• Never read theory before?

  Start with the twenty lessons instead of picking a section. They are built for exactly this moment, and you can take them in any order.

• Never studied theory before?

  Take chords, then scales, then progressions, in that order. Those three answer most of what people actually want to know: why a song sounds happy or sad, which notes fit over it, and why the same four chords keep coming back.

• Want the basic idea first?

  Start with the question itself: what is a chord, what is a scale, what is an interval, what is rhythm, what is harmony, what is a melody, what is sheet music and how chord progressions work.

• Already play an instrument?

  Go to intervals and harmony. You know the sounds already; those two give them names and show why they behave the way they do.

• Came here with one specific question?

  The glossary is faster than the index. Every entry has a definition and a sound, and links to the page that goes deeper.

• ScalesLearn major, minor, pentatonic, modal, chromatic and symmetric scales in a clear order. Compare formulas, characteristic degrees and chord uses.
• Chord ProgressionsLearn chord progressions with playable examples and clear Roman numerals. Start with function, then explore pop, jazz, blues and modal loops.
• IntervalsEvery interval from unison to octave with its semitones, its inversion and a song that starts with it, plus a full listening guide for each.

• HarmonyStart here to hear harmony work: play the chords, follow the pull from tension to rest, and pick the topic you need, from cadences to voice leading.
• RhythmLearn rhythm from pulse and note values through meter, syncopation, swing, polyrhythm, hypermeter and metric modulation with playable patterns.
• Melody and FormLearn melody and musical form through guided exercises. Write motifs, connect notes to chords, map song sections and analyze complete pieces.

• Playing and ImprovisingStart improvising with fewer notes and rhythm first, then follow the path from your first four bars to soloing over changing harmony.
• Reading MusicLearn staff notes, rhythm, dynamics, lead sheets, chord charts and transposition in a clear order, with playable examples for every stage.
• SongwritingPick your way in: a title, a chord loop, a hook, a beat. Every idea here comes with sound, so you can test a choice by ear before you keep it.
• StylesEvery style on one map. Hear the grooves, chords, and scales that make each genre its own, and play the pieces they share.

• Sound and HearingStart with the physics: hear how a vibration becomes a note, why two tones clash, and what your ears add. Play every example as you read.
• Production and ArrangingStart with who plays what and in which register, then follow those choices into the mix. The arranging side is playable, the mixing side is explained.

• ChordsLearn how chords are built, then compare major, minor, seventh, suspended, sixth, diminished and extended chord types with playable examples.
• Music Theory GlossaryLook up any music theory term, read a plain definition, and press play to hear it. Each entry links to the page going deeper.
• Music Theory From NothingNever read theory before? Twenty short lessons, each one something you press rather than read, ending with a song you built yourself.

Keep going

• Practice