Basic Music Theory Part 2: Course Outline

Description

This course is part 2 of a two-part course in basic music theory and includes elements of notation and musicianship.

Part 2 is made up of 21 lessons of about 30 minutes duration. This amounts to one semester at one lesson per week or a 6-week course at one lesson every two days.

Although each lesson is self-contained, the lessons are designed to run in numerical order.

Lessons are grouped in modules of just a few lessons. You don’t need to commit to the full course; just work though one module at a time.

Requirements

Part 2 assumes that you have completed Part 1 of this course or have an equivalent understanding of the following:

  • basic music notation
  • counting in bars and beats
  • simple time
  • scales, keys and key signatures
  • major, minor and perfect intervals 

Although Part 2 includes music notation, like Part 1, musicians who play by ear are well catered for with plenty of audio, video, text and illustrations.

Recommended Additional Resources 

This is primarily a music theory course. The notation exercises included are far from comprehensive and may be supplemented by music reading, beginner music theory workbooks and transcription exercises.

The musicianship/ear training exercises in this course are also far from comprehensive. I have focused on the most generally useful skills for this course. There are a number of dedicated musicianship courses available to further develop these skills.

Outcomes

An Understanding Of The Following Musical Concepts

  • Syncopation in simple time
  • Compound time
  • Triplets in simple time
  • Swing notation
  • Anacrusis (upbeat)
  • Harmonic minor scale
  • Melodic minor scale
  • Augmented and diminished intervals
  • Inversion of intervals
  • Major and minor triads
  • Modal (open/power) chords
  • Inversions of triads
  • Doubling
  • Relative chord names
  • The chords of the major scale
  • Dominant 7th chords

Musicianship Skills

  • Tap or play syncopated rhythms in simple time down to semiquavers
  • Tap or play simple rhythms in compound time down to semiquavers
  • Count in for an anacrusis
  • Sing major and minor triads in all inversions
  • Recognise and name major and minor triads in all inversions
  • Recognise notes that belong to a major or minor chord and sing them in your octave

Notation

  • Triplets
  • Time signatures in compound time
  • Swing notation
  • Octave up/down
  • Anacrusis 
  • Basic chord symbols 
  • Relative chord names and symbols

START HERE

PART 2 CONTENTS