Course curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome!

    • Welcome (Read This First)

    • Printable Blank Music Paper

    • Download the Answers

    • Why "Music Theory in 30 Days"?
  • 2

    Day 1: The Ingredients of Our Favorite Songs

    • Lesson Introduction: The Elements of Music

    • Listening Suggestion: Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 3

    Day 2: Musician, Meet Your Notes!

    • Lesson Introduction: The Sounds of Music

    • Suggested Listening: Do Re Mi

    • Answers to the Exercises

    • Resource: The Musical Alphabet on the Piano & the Guitar
  • 4

    Day 3: A Crash Course in Rhythm

    • Lesson Introduction: Musical Duration

    • Audio Examples for Day 3

    • Answers to the Exercises

    • Checking In
  • 5

    Day 4: How Music Notation Works

    • Lesson Introduction: The Musical Staff

    • Listening Suggestion: Bach's Invention Number 1

    • Answers to the Exercises

    • Supplement: What Note is that Exactly?
  • 6

    Day 5: Tonality - How Music Takes Us On A Journey

    • Lesson Introduction: The Common Language of Music

    • Audio Examples for Day 5

    • Listening Suggestion: Chopin's Prelude in E minor

    • Answers to the Exercises

    • Additional Reading: What is Tonality in Music? And Why Does It Matter?
  • 7

    Day 6: Scales and Why They're So Important

    • Lesson Introduction: The Major Scale

    • Audio Examples for Day 6

    • Supplement: How do composers and songwriters choose a scale?

    • Answers to the Exercises

    • PDF Resource: All the Major Scales
  • 8

    Listening Experience #1: The Sound the Major Scale

    • Step-by-step Practice of the Major Scale
  • 9

    Day 7: The Modes - Same Notes, Different Home

    • Lesson Introduction: The Modes

    • Audio Examples for Day 7

    • Supplement: Why do the Modes Have Such Strange Names?

    • Supplement: Analyzing the Modes

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 10

    Day 8: Understanding the Minor Scale

    • Lesson Introduction: The Minor Scale

    • Audio Examples for Day 8

    • Answers to the Exercises

    • Further Reading: Is Major Really Happy and Minor Sad?

    • PDF Resource: All Minor Scales
  • 11

    Listening Experience #2: The Sound of the Minor Scale

    • Step-by-step Practice of the Minor Scale
  • 12

    Day 9: The Technical Names (And Why We Need Them)

    • Lesson Introduction: New Terms

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 13

    Day 10: Key Signatures Explained - The Sharp Side

    • Lesson Introduction: Sharp Keys Signatures

    • Audio Examples for Day 10

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 14

    Day 11: Key Signatures Explained - The Flat Side

    • Lesson Introduction: Key Signatures Explained - The Flat Side

    • Audio Examples for Day 11

    • Answers to the Exercises

    • PDF Download: Complete Table of Key Signatures
  • 15

    Day 12: The Circle of Fifths (and Fourths)

    • Lesson Introduction: A Beautiful Diagram

    • Listening Suggestion: Around the Circle of Fifths

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 16

    Day 13: Counting Skips and Leaps

    • Lesson Introduction: Counting Musical Intervals

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 17

    Day 14: Naming Skips and Leaps (Part 1)

    • Lesson Introduction: Perfect Intervals and Major Intervals

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 18

    Listening Experience #3: Hearing Major and Perfect Intervals

    • Practicing Intervals by Ear
  • 19

    Day 15: Naming Skips and Leaps (Part 2)

    • Lesson Introduction: Minor Intervals, Diminished Intervals, Augmented Intervals

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 20

    Listening Experience #4: Hearing Minor and Diminished Intervals

    • Practicing Intervals by Ear
  • 21

    Day 16: Inversions

    • Lesson Introduction: Upside Down and Downside Up

    • Audio Examples

    • Listening Suggestion: Comparing Consonances and Dissonances

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 22

    Day 17: Triads and Chords - An Introduction to Harmony

    • Lesson Introduction: What is a Triad?

    • Day 17 Audio Examples

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 23

    Day 18: The Four Types of Triads You Must Know

    • Lesson Introduction: Four Basic Chord Types

    • Day 18 Audio Examples

    • Supplement: It Only Takes One Note!

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 24

    Listening Experience #5: Hearing Triads

    • Practicing Triads by Ear
  • 25

    Day 19: Chord Inversions

    • Lesson Introduction: Inside Out and Outside In

    • Day 19 Audio Examples

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 26

    Day 20: Roman Numerals

    • Lesson Introduction: Ancient Numbers for Modern Chords

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 27

    Day 21: Seeing Chords in Action

    • Lesson Introduction: Blocks vs. Arpeggios

    • Day 21 Audio Examples

    • Listening Suggestion: Comparing Block Chords and Arpeggios

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 28

    Day 22: How to Build 7th Chords

    • Lesson Introduction: Extending a Triad with a 7th

    • Day 22 Audio Examples

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 29

    Day 23: 7th Chord Inversions & How to Identify Them

    • Lesson Introduction: Identifying 7th Chords Inversion

    • Day 23 Audio Examples

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 30

    Day 24: Beyond 7th Chords

    • Lesson Introduction: The Art of Mixing Notes

    • Day 24 Audio Examples

    • Supplement: Why No 15th Chords?

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 31

    Day 25: How to Read Chord Symbols

    • Lesson Introduction: Understanding Chord Symbols

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 32

    Day 26: Moving Home with Transposition

    • Lesson Introduction: What is Transposition?

    • Day 26 Audio Examples

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 33

    Day 27: Musical Form

    • Lesson Introduction: Understanding Musical Form

    • Our 8 Suggested Listenings

  • 34

    Day 28: Beyond Tonality

    • Lesson Introduction: Music in the 20th and 21st Centuries

    • Day 28 Audio Examples

    • Listening Suggestion: Boulez' Incises

    • Answers to the Exercises
  • 35

    Day 29: How to Analyze Music (for a Lifetime of Lessons)

    • Music Lessons are Everywhere!

    • What we Learn from Musical Analysis
  • 36

    Day 30: Your Music Theory Test

    • Introduction to Day 30

    • Answers to the Test