Series: School of Theory

Intro to Music Theory

This entry is part 1 of 7 in the series School of Theory  Intro to music theory … Do you want to know more about music? Are you learning to play a musical instrument and having a bit of trouble understanding music terminology?… Read the rest

Lesson 1: Naming The Musical Notes

This entry is part 2 of 7 in the series School of TheoryFrom that day I had a short lesson with Madame Gaillard every Thursday at three. We began with a slim book bearing the title Les 7 Notes, and [ naming the musical notes ] was as arcane, and as deeply satisfying, as deciphering a runic system might be for an archaeologist.… Read the rest

Lesson 2: Sharps, Flats, and Naturals

This entry is part 3 of 7 in the series School of TheorySharps, Flats, and Naturals – In the previous lesson, we learned that the natural notes have names corresponding to the first seven letters of the alphabet. We saw where to find them on a few musical instruments.… Read the rest

Lesson 3: The Major Scale

This entry is part 4 of 7 in the series School of TheoryIn previous lessons, we’ve learned about the names of musical notes and the intervals between them. In this lesson, we begin to apply what we’ve learned in order to understand scales.… Read the rest

Lesson 4: Major Chords

This entry is part 5 of 7 in the series School of TheoryMajor Chords – In an earlier lesson, I likened the musical notes to simple bricks with which all kinds of musical architecture could be built. (Hey, maybe that’s why hitting a sour note is like the sonic equivalent of a brick falling on my toe!)… Read the rest

Lesson 5: Musical Intervals

This entry is part 6 of 7 in the series School of TheoryIn previous lessons, I’ve been guilty of the exaggeration that “intervals are everything in music theory.” An exaggeration, but it underscores the value of intervals. This lesson will be dedicated to a fuller introduction to musical intervals.… Read the rest

Lesson 6: The Minor Scale

This entry is part 7 of 7 in the series School of TheoryIn a previous lesson, we noted that the two most common diatonic, seven-note scales are called the major scale and the minor scale. The major scale was discussed in lesson three.… Read the rest