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Music Theory Education

Introduction To The Staff

Musical Alphabet

The musical alphabet is the fundamental building block of music theory and the foundation for reading music, scales, and intervals. In this video we explore the sequence of the seven natural notes (A through G), how they repeat in cycles, and their relationship to sharps and flats.

Enharmonic Equivalents

Introduction To The Staff

The musical staff provides the fundamental framework used to write and read music notation. This lesson explains the five lines and four spaces of the staff, how notes are placed on it, and the importance of clefs in defining pitch.

Basic Rhythm

Enharmonic Equivalents

Enharmonic equivalents can be thought of as two notes with the same pitch but different letter names and notations. Enharmonic equivalents are common in scales, chords, and key signatures, and are important for understanding harmonic context.

Eighth Notes

Basic Rhythm

This video covers the fundamentals of basic rhythm, an essential element in music that organizes sounds through time.

Sixteenth Notes

Eighth Notes

Eighth notes are a common rhythmic value that divides the beat into two equal parts and can be used to create more active and syncopated rhythms.

The Dot

Sixteenth Notes

A further subdivision of the quarter note, sixteenth notes divides the beat into four equal parts, creating fast and detailed rhythmic patterns in music.

The Tie

The Dot

The dot is a simple yet powerful musical notation symbol that increases a note’s duration by half its original value.

Intervals And Accidenals

The Tie

The tie is a curved line connecting two notes of the same pitch to combine their durations into one sustained sound.

Introduction To Intervals

Intervals And Accidentals

Accidentals—sharps, flats, and naturals—affect musical intervals by raising or lowering notes and altering their quality and sound.

Intervals of A Second

Introduction To Intervals

This lesson introduces you to musical intervals—the distance between two notes in pitch. The video explains how intervals are named, measured, and visually identified on the staff.

Intervals of A Third

Intervals of A Second

In this lesson we delve into the concept of musical intervals, focusing specifically on intervals of a second. An interval of a second occurs when two notes are one letter apart, such as D to E or B to C, spanning two positions on the staff.

Intervals of A Fourth

Intervals of A Third

In this lesson we focus specifically on intervals of a third. An interval of a third occurs when two notes are two letter names apart, such as A to C or G to B, spanning three positions on the staff.

Intervals of A Fifth

Perfect Fourths

Perfect fourths play a vital role in scale and chord construction. In this lesson we explore the concept of the Perfect fourth, one of the most common and stable intervals in Western music.

Intervals of A Sixth

Perfect Fifths

This lesson explores the perfect fifth—a foundational musical interval used in everything from classical harmony to modern pop. Spanning five letter names and covering seven half steps, the perfect fifth is one of the most stable and consonant intervals in music.

Intervals of A Seventh

Intervals of A Sixth

Used in chord construction and melodic phrasing, the interval of a sixth is a broad and expressive distance between two notes.

Intervals of An Eighth

Intervals of A Seventh

Important for understanding seventh chords and advanced music theory, the interval of a seventh is one of the widest and most dramatic intervals in music.

Diminished And Augmented Intervals

Perfect Eighths

Recognizable by its strong sense of resolution and unity, the perfect eighth (also known as the octave) is a foundational and highly consonant interval in music.

Interval Tips And Tricks

Diminished and Aug Intervals

Diminished and Augmented intervals are two essential but often misunderstood interval types. Building on Major, minor, and Perfect intervals, this video explains how these altered intervals are formed by decreasing or increasing half steps.

Ledger Lines

Intervals Tips And Tricks

This video offers helpful tips and tricks for quickly identifying musical intervals with confidence and accuracy.

Major Scales And Key Signatures

Ledger Lines

Ledger Lines are the short lines added above or below the staff for notes that exceed the boundaries of the standard five-line staff.

Ionian Mode

Major Scales And Key Signatures

Major scales and key signatures are fundamental concepts in music theory that establish the tonal center and set the sharps or flats used throughout a piece.

Dorian Mode

Ionian Mode

The foundation for tonal harmony and key structure, the Ionian mode, which is identical to the major scale and serves as the foundation of Western tonal music.

Phrygian Mode

Dorian Mode

Good for improvisation and alternative harmony, the Dorian mode is a minor-based scale with a unique, slightly brighter sound than the natural minor.

Lydian Mode

Phrygian Mode

Great for creating dark, intense musical moods, the Phrygian mode is known for its dark, exotic sound, often heard in Spanish, metal, modal jazz, and Middle Eastern-influenced music.

Mixolydian Mode

Lydian Mode

Ideal for composing bright, ethereal melodies, the Lydian mode is a bright and dreamy scale built from the fourth degree of the major scale.

Aeolian Mode

Mixolydian Mode

Popular for dominant-sounding harmonies and riffs, the Mixolydian mode is a scale that resembles the Major scale but features a lowered 7th degree, giving it a bluesy, dominant sound.

Locrian Mode

Aeolian Mode

Essential for minor key compositions, the Aeolian mode (more commonly known as the natural minor scale) is often used for conveying sadness, tension, or introspection.

Triads

Locrian Mode

Explored in experimental and modal music contexts, the Locrian mode is the most unstable and dissonant of the seven modes.

Chord Inversions

Triads

Triads are the fundamental three-note chords that form the building blocks of harmony in Western music.

Major 7th Chords

Chord Inversions

Chord inversions are variations of triads where different chord tones are placed in the bass position. Learning inversions is key for advanced harmony and arranging.

Minor 7th Chords

Major 7th Chords

Recognized for its rich and mellow tonal quality, Major seventh chords are four-note chords built from the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th scale degrees of a corresponding Major scale.

Dominant 7th Chords

Minor 7th Chords

Used extensively in jazz, soul, and R&B music, the Minor Seventh Chord is a warm and expressive four-note chord built from a minor triad and a minor seventh that conveys a moody, mellow, or soulful atmosphere.

Half Diminished 7th Chords

Dominant 7th Chords

Frequently used in blues, jazz, and classical cadences the Dominant seventh chord creates strong tension that resolves to the tonic and serves as a crucial harmonic tool in Western music.

Fully Diminished 7th Chords

Half Diminished 7th Chords

Common in minor key progressions and jazz harmony, the Half Diminished Seventh Chord is a complex yet essential harmony often used in jazz and classical music.

Musical Alphabet

Diminished 7th Chords

Common in classical, jazz, and film music for modulation, the diminished seventh chord is a dramatic and highly tense four-note chord built entirely from minor thirds.

Five Minute Mozart

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