An introduction to music theory

Gain an understanding of the basic building blocks of musical theory and notation. This free course, An introduction to music theory, will introduce you to music staves, clefs, rhythmic and pitch values, rhythmic metre and time signatures. This OpenLearn course provides an introduction to music theory pitched at a level equivalent to Grades 1–3 of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music theory exams. You can test your understanding as you proceed by completing simple multiple-choice questions.

• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• 1 The content
• 1 The content
• 1.1 Working through the course
• 2 The basics
• 2 The basics
• 2.1 The staff
• 2.2 Clefs
• 2.3 The great staff
• 2.4 Middle C and ledger lines
• 2.5 Writing notes
• 2.6 Reading notes
• 2.7 Review 1
• Group 1: writing notes
• Group 2: identifying note names on the treble staff
• Group 3: identifying note names on the bass staff
• Group 4: identifying clefs for notes on both the treble and bass staves
• Group 5: identifying note names of notes with ledger lines
• Group 6: identifying more note names of notes with ledger lines
• 3 Rhythm and metre
• 3 Rhythm and metre
• 3.1 Time values
• 3.2 Triplets
• 3.3 Time signatures
• 3.4 Review 2
• Group 1: time values
• Group 2: identifying omitted time value(s)
• 3.5 Dots and ties
• 3.6 Grouping and beaming notes
• 3.7 Review 3
• Group 1: identifying time signatures
• 3.8 More time signatures: compound time
• 3.9 Grouping and beaming notes in compound time
• 3.10 Review 4
• Group 1: identifying compound time signatures
• Group 2: identifying simple and compound time signatures
• Group 3: identifying omitted time values in compound time
• 4 Rests
• 4 Rests
• 4.1 Values and dots
• 4.2 Grouping rests
• 4.3 Grouping rests in compound time
• 4.4 More on grouping rests
• 4.5 Review 5
• Group 1: identifying a single omitted rest in simple time
• Group 2: identifying two single omitted rests in either compound or simple time
• Group 3: identifying three single omitted rests in either simple or compound time
• 5 Pitch
• 5 Pitch
• 5.1 Notes of the bass and treble staves: a reminder
• 5.2 Semitones and tones, and the scale of C major
• 5.3 Semitones and tones, and the scale of G major
• 5.4 Major scales having key signatures with sharps
• 5.5 Semitones and tones and the scale of F major
• 5.6 Major scales having key signatures with flats
• 5.7 Review 6
• Group 1: identifying key signatures of up to four sharps or four flats
• Group 2: identifying major scales with key signatures of up to four sharps and four flats
• 5.8 Minor scales: the natural form
• 5.9 Minor scales: the melodic and harmonic forms
• 5.10 Relative minor and relative major
• 5.11 Review 7
• Group 1: identifying minor key signatures of up to four sharps or four flats
• Group 2: identifying minor scales with key signatures of up to four sharps and four flats
• 6 Accidentals, degrees of the scale and intervals
• 6 Accidentals, degrees of the scale and intervals
• 6.1 Accidentals
• 6.2 Accidentals in practice
• 6.3 Identifying the degrees of the scale
• 6.4 Intervals
• 6.5 The perfect fifth, the minor third and the circle of fifths
• 7 Harmony: the triad
• 7 Harmony: the triad
• 8 Scores: performance directions
• 8 Scores: performance directions
• 8.1 A selected list of performance directions
• 8.2 Following piano scores
• 8.3 Following piano scores in practice
• 9 Review
• 9 Review
• Group 1: identifying various different elements
• Group 2: identifying various different elements
• Group 3: identifying various different elements
• Group 4: identifying triads in major keys
• 10 Trainers for eye and ear
• 10 Trainers for eye and ear
• 10.1 How to use trainers
• 10.2 Where to find trainers and recommended reading
• Conclusion
• References
• Acknowledgements