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In a Noteshell

Introduction

Course Plan

This course will be designed to be a comprehensive introduction to music theory. It will cover the following topics:

Notation Learn the basics of music notation, including staff, clefs, and note values.
Major & Minor Scales Understand the structure and patterns of major and minor scales.
Other Modes Explore different musical modes beyond major and minor scales.
Intervals Learn about the distances between notes and how they are classified.
Chords Discover how chords are built and how they function in music.
Cadence & Melody Writing Study the principles of creating melodies and cadences.
Time Understand rhythm, meter, and time signatures in music.
Naming Keys & Transpositions Learn how to name keys and transpose music to different keys.

Files

How to Read Music Notation I created this google slides Document to give my students who are just starting to read music. It contains links to exercises I've created.

Resources

You might find some of those resources helpful:

  • Harmonie I & II by Philippe Béland, University of Montreal, 2012
  • L’oeil qui entend, l’oreille qui voit, a theoretical model and tools for analyzing the tonal harmonic discourse from Bach to Wagner, by Luce Beaudet, University proffessor at the University of Montreal.
  • Voice Leading & Harmony by Edward Aldwell (Author), Carl Schachter (Author), Allen Cadwallader (Author)
  • Open Music Theory, an open source online music theory textbook y Kris Shaffer, Bryn Hughes, and Brian Moseley
  • Integrated Musicianship, an open source interactive online textbook for college level music courses (theory and aural skills) by Sean Butterfield and Miranda Wilson
  • MusicTheory.net, a resource with interactive exercises and tools to learn basic music theory.
  • Elementary Rudiments of Music, an exercise book for learning basic music theory by Barbara Wharram (book)