Introduction to Music Theory (notes, intervals, scales, chords)

[peterkaminski]

YouTube culture – and thoughtful, well-organized, well-spoken experts – have given us amazing educational resources. This forum topic will focus on the fundamentals of music theory, which can be – has been – a thorny, difficult subject to approach.

But really, it’s fun!

Here are a couple very good “Music Theory 101” suggestions, each running ~30 minutes.

• Learn music theory in half an hour. (Andrew Huang)
• Music Theory in 16 Minutes (Guy Michelmore)
• Music Theory Everyone SHOULD KNOW | Chords, Progressions and Keys (Rick Beato)

And Music Theory 201 suggestions:

• Musician Explains One Concept in 5 Levels of Difficulty (Jacob Collier, Herbie Hancock, et al., WIRED)
• What is a chord? (Adam Neely)
• Music Theory and White Supremacy (Adam Neely)
• Why you should learn music theory (Prescriptivism vs Descriptivism) (Adam Neely)

[scottmoehring]

Great subject! I love Jacob Collier’s videos. His theory fluency makes me want to learn this because he has such fun with it. I never got over the hump. I can hum any tune, but I don’t know the notes or why they work together.

My favorite Collier video, where he attempts to express a semi-randomized list of 18 emotions that change in real time. Then he discusses why he did what he did.

Jacob Collier Plays the Same Song In 18 Increasingly Complex Emotions | WIRED

[lovolution]

wild lecture series, bernstein at harvard, i’ve barely dipped into https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5ClmaG2tnPPFveZLH5lRrzV-Ndc3_Nli