Beginner Music Theory

Introduces fundamental music concepts, including time signatures, note values, scales, and others, emphasizing practical application in playing.

Audio examples on compact discs cover techniques for improving music skills.

Short frequent sessions balance new material with revision experimentation and metronome use.

The musical alphabet, treble clef, and staff are introduced, covering pitch and note placement concepts.

The treble staff's fundamental principles are explained, along with note-reading techniques for effective recognition.

Identifies notes on treble clef staves, covering the musical alphabet, note values, and staff notation.

Bass note reading skills are developed through understanding staff notation, leger lines, and note direction.

Notes are written in both bass and treble clef, with introduction to ledger lines included.

The grand staff is introduced as a combined treble and bass stave used for piano and keyboard music notation.

Common note values and their time lengths are covered, including equivalent rests representing silence.

Bar lines divide music into sections and mark the end of a piece or section, providing structure and organization.

Introduces the basics of time signatures, covering recognition and application of beat patterns and note durations.

Recognizes quarter, half, and whole rests, as well as eighth notes and rests, in music notation.

Time signatures are applied to notate music accurately, with equivalent notes and rests written on treble and bass staffs.

Reads and counts dotted notes, covers 3/4 and 2/4 time signatures.

Introduces techniques for grouping eighth notes in various time signatures.

Introduces techniques for notating and resting in various time signatures.

Introduces the notation of musical barlines, covering quarter notes, eighth notes, rests, and time signatures.

Extends staff notation with leger lines for higher and lower notes, referencing middle C.

Recognizes and distinguishes note names within various musical patterns and structures.

Introduces lead-in notes and first-second endings, examining unusual bar structures in music.

Covers the technique of creating smooth connections between notes using curved lines, known as slurs.

Staccato articulation is introduced, covering how to play short and separate notes.

Tying notes together to create rhythmic interest is explored through techniques and strategies.

Corrects and clarifies musical notation by editing notes and markings for precision.

Introduces concepts of dynamics and Italian notation in music.

Control of dynamics and accents is introduced, enabling the manipulation of music's volume, intensity, and emotional impact.

Italian tempo markings and their corresponding music speeds are introduced, including adagio and presto.

Tempo changes are introduced through markings like accelerando, ritenuto, rallentando, and a tempo.

Identifies matching and non-matching definitions through line drawing.

Introduces the concept of semitones as the smallest interval in western music, highlighting relationships between B-C, E-F, and other natural notes.

Introduces techniques for increasing a note's pitch by one semitone with sharp signs.

Covers the chromatic scale, including its construction and application.

Introduces the concept of flats, which lower a note's pitch by one semitone, and their relationship to sharps in enharmonic notes.

Notates ascending chromatic scales and explains interval manipulation techniques.

The major scale's structure, distinctive sound, and distinct intervals are examined.

Examines the harmonic relationships among notes in an octave, highlighting the unique property of matching starting and ending points.

Assigns numbers to each note in a major scale, introducing fundamental concepts of scale degrees.

Introduces the C major scale across four octaves, with practical application in a musical setting, exemplified through the piece Lavender's Blue.

Builds major scales on any note using patterns of tones and semitones.

The G Major Scale's distinctive tone and semitone arrangement are analyzed for maintaining its characteristic major sound.

The F major scale pattern is covered, including its tone and semitone sequence.

Introduces the concept of constructing major scales starting on any chromatic note through patterns of tones and semitones.

Introduces the principles of writing major scales on the treble staff, focusing on scale degrees, tone and semitone patterns.

Introduces fundamental music theory concepts: key signatures, major scale construction, and tonal center relationships.

Introduces the concept of the key cycle, a circular arrangement of 12 keys, enabling equal proficiency in playing music in all keys.

Major scales across all keys covered.

Transposing music: covers techniques for changing keys, including scale and melody manipulation.

Introduces techniques for incorporating outside notes from the chromatic scale into musical compositions.

Introduces the concept of chromatic scales and transposition techniques for melody manipulation.

Introduces techniques for reading and playing 16th note rhythms and their variations.

Notates rest values, groupings, and fills in missing bar lines.

Introduces concepts of simple and compound time signatures in music.

Unique musical pulse characterized by six eighth-note beats per bar perceived as two rhythmic pulses.

Grouping eighth notes in compound time signatures: Correct and incorrect note grouping patterns are explained.

Notates time signatures and bar lines, with emphasis on 2-beat and 3-note-per-bar rhythms.

Introduces the concepts of counting and playing rhythms in 12/8 time signature, including triplets and subdivided eighth notes.

Covers the basics of music notation, including adding counting numbers, triplet signs, and stems to musical notes.

Intervals are measured by counting the number of letter names between musical notes, encompassing unison, 2nds to 7ths, and octaves within a range.

Perfect, augmented, and diminished intervals are distinguished by their relationship to a chromatic scale.

Interval distances are covered, featuring common intervals and their semitone measurements, along with practical examples and exercises.

Covers harmonic interval construction, identification, and naming through hands-on practice.

Introduces techniques for developing ear skills through the recognition of melodic and harmonic intervals via repetitive practice.

Covers fundamental concepts in chords, focusing on triads, chord formulas, and the construction and inversions of the C major chord.

Constructs chords using major and minor thirds, emphasizing triads including major, minor, augmented, and diminished.

Double sharps and double flats are introduced as part of enharmonic notes, expanding musical notation abilities.

Introduces chord symbol notation and its application in music.

Triads' shapes are created through note duplication and reordering, encompassing root position and first inversion chord forms.

G chord inversions are covered, including applications for creating smooth harmonically rich progressions.

Covers the basics of chord theory, including identifying and writing various chord types and inversions.

Introduces the concept of breaking down chords into individual notes and examines their practical applications.

Minor keys and scales are introduced, covering their natural, harmonic, and melodic forms.

Introduces formulas and patterns for creating minor scales in all keys, covering natural, harmonic, and melodic minor scales.

Covers relationships between major and minor keys, introducing relative keys and their shared properties.

Covers chord inversions, intervals, and rhythmic melodies in different keys.

Music theory and notation basics are covered, including the essentials of reading and writing sheet music.