What is Music Theory?

Music theory is the study of harmony, melody, and rhythm and how they interact with one another to make the music you love. A thorough understanding of music theory can help you write better riffs, improvise with greater confidence, and deepen your appreciation for the music you listen to every day.

Why Study Music Theory?

Music theory is the language of music. And like any spoken language, you can learn to wield it like a whip or coddle it like a rose.  In short, the more you learn about music theory, the more accurately you can express your thoughts, impressions, and emotions in music.

Where Should You Start?

The musical alphabet is the foundation on which all of your musical knowledge will be constructed. As such, it’s a great place to start your journey towards music theory mastery. Once you understand the musical alphabet, you can build major scales, construct chords, and harmonize scales.

As you memorize the musical alphabet, remember this simple mnemonic device:

“There are no sharps or flats between BC, and there are no sharps or flats between EF.”

or

“Bernie Cohen and Ernie Frank are two close friends of mine.”

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