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BerkleeX: Introduction To Music Theory

4.6 stars
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Learn key concepts and approaches needed to understand, create, and perform contemporary music.

6 weeks
3–5 hours per week
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
Free
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Introduction To Music Theory

About this course

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Do you have a passion for music and want to learn more about how it works? Are you a musician who learned by ear and has no formal training? Would you like to study music but are unsure of where to begin? Then this music theory course is for you. This course includes six lessons that will give you the knowledge and skills you need to understand basic music theory. You’ll learn from Berklee College of Music professor George W. Russell, Jr. and from Berklee students who share their musical journey and offer advice for those wanting to study music. Above all, the course is designed to impart the joy of creating music and sharing it with others.

At a glance

  • Institution: BerkleeX
  • Subject: Humanities
  • Level: Introductory
  • Prerequisites:

    The ability to play an instrument is helpful but not required. You should have a passion for music and a strong interest in developing your understanding of music and ability to create it.

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English
  • Associated skills:Music Theory

What you'll learn

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  • How to construct major and minor scales
  • How to identify, analyze, and sing intervals
  • How to identify the tonal center of a song
  • How to build basic major, minor, and dominant seventh chords
  • How to create a common chord progression - the I IV V
  • How to recognize blues and AABA song forms

Syllabus

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Lesson 1: Major Scale Defining Harmony, Ear Training, and Intervals Constructing and Singing the Major Scale Major 2nd and Major 3rd Intervals Finding the Tonal Center

Lesson 2: Major and Minor Triads Review from Lesson 1 Perfect 4th and Perfect 5th Intervals Building Major and Minor Triads The I IV V Chord Progression

Lesson 3: Pentatonic Scale Review from Lesson 2 Major 6th and Major 7th Intervals Building and Singing the Minor Pentatonic Scale

Lesson 4: Major and Dominant Seventh Chords Review from Lesson 3 Building Major and Dominant Seventh Chords Blues Progression

Lesson 5: Song Form Review from Lesson 4 7-3-5 Chord Voicings 4/4 and 3/4 Time Signatures Blues and AABA Song Forms Chord Sheets

Lesson 6: Review Review of All Material Composing a Blues Riff Tune Using the Minor Pentatonic Scale

Ways to take this course

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Certificate

Free

Price

$59 USD

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Limited

Expires on Jan 1, 2025

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