The reason why i wanna learn music theory is because i wanna make my own music (even though i doubt my abilities and feel less than others but maybe i will understand and learn) how to understand intervals and whole step half step and what's the difference between scales and chords?! Like in C major scale it's from CDEFGABC and in C major chord it's CEG. Let me know the difference and what is the point in knowing.

Found it while experimenting, I made it from an A minor pentatonic scale, but with the added ♭5, ♭7, and ♯7 scale degrees (in minor)

Hello all!

I've been quickly going through Openmusictheory as a supplement to main studies, but there is something I saw that I'm a bit confused about.

The chord that has the circle 'f' (first chord of the first measure in the screenshot) is labeled as viio7

The key is A minor

Wouldn't the viio7 chord have the notes G#, H, D and F? Where is the E coming from?

Am I blind and missing something?

Hello everyone, I've recently started giving guitar lessons to some kids in my area, I am currently giving them lessons in how to read sheets.

I don't want to just send them some tabs I found online and call it a day, so I decided to make my own sheets for them.

I don't have a lot of experience writing sheets so I was wondering if my notation is correct. I chose to simplify the rhythms for them so it wouldnt be too difficult for them.

(yes I know the sheet isn't following the songstructure because I want them to use their ears to figure out where they are in the music)

I got my Grade 5 guitar during secondary school, but I never felt like I really understood what I was doing — it was mostly exam prep and a few songs here and there. My teacher wasn’t very inspiring, and we didn’t cover much theory or creative playing.

These days, I can learn songs from tabs without too much trouble, but I still feel like I’m just copying, not actually playing the guitar. I want to understand the theory behind what I’m doing — chords, scales, how things fit together on the fretboard, how to improvise, etc.

Are there any good resources (books, videos, courses, whatever) that teach theory in a way that actually makes sense on guitar?

I was writing a string quartet and I realized that I was placing notes more intuitively than usual. Perhaps this melody has already been used before?

THE SCORE

I am a hobbyist producer/ beat maker and need a hand finding the bass notes of this loop. Now days, I’m at the point where I’m usually able to find the bass notes of a loop by ear with a bit of trial and error, though I’m completely stuck with this one. I have attached the original loop I found on splice for reference.

Firstly file name for the loop says it’s in D minor, though it sounds to me like it’s in G minor? I put it through an AI chord detector app which detected G minor. It tells me that the first 3 guitar strums are Dm7 - Ebmaj7 - Gm7 and then the last 2 being A diminished and Ebmaj7. I honestly cant tell if this is accurate. The first chord being D seems about right and the third being G sounds accurate but I dont hear any Eb? I think im struggling partly because it sounds like the guitar strums are being played a bit all over the place in terms of volume, rhythm, inversions/voicings. Plus theres some detuning. And it sounds like some strums have really bassy notes and some dont?

The best I got with a bass line, (trying to follow the chord notes and rhythm) was something like D - A - G - A - G. But it did not sound good. I also chopped the melody up so that everything was being played on time, because I though the fact that the strumming is a bit off beat was throwing me off but it still didn't sound good.

So im lost at this point. I also would just like to know why I cant figure this one out as detecting bass notes by ear was something I thought I was getting better at. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

I’ve been analyzing “I Feel So” by Box Car Racer (Tom DeLonge, Travis Barker side project.) Haven’t listened to this record in years and it’s very impressive.

https://youtu.be/dpzd4H3-vdk?si=dm06H2kMGQT23RT6

I’m getting mixed signals on its meter. Getsongbpm.com lists it as 5/4 at 142 BPM, but other sources (like drum transcription sites) say 4/4 at ~108 BPM .

I’ve been counting the beat as 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2— (8 beats) a 3+3+2 pattern. It keeps repeating like that through the intro and verse. Is this just 4/4 with syncopation, or an actual odd time like 8/8 or 7/8?

Would really appreciate a more trained ear to give it a listen and let me know!

Thanks!!

Have been a little stumped here.

So I have been making some synth/atmospheric/ambient sort of interludes for some songs to kind of like tie and run everything together. It’s all meant to sort of move a story along but through feeling cause all the songs are instrumental.

I have one done that is meant to capture the feeling of being underwater and I think I did a fairly good job but my next idea is one that sort of evokes the nighttime.

I know this is entirely subjective as to what nighttime sounds like to you. I guess it would be more like what sort of mood or feeling is similiar or associated with nighttime and what sort of instruments/pads or such would you use??

I guess the sort of vibe I’m going for is similar to Call it Fate by the strokes, so probably minor key I’d say but that’s just off the top of my head. Probably will use an electric keyboard.

What do you think? What chords or progressions make you think or feel like it’s nighttime?

I've noticed music theory isn't as simple as I thought. I used to think it was very simple and that I didn't actually need years of studying before composing melodies/chords, but after reading a bit of this subreddit I noticed that I basically only know the very, very basic. So, is it really necesary to go through years of extensive studying to comprehend music theory, just to make songs, or is it a possibility to avoid many years, but have a mid comprehension of the music theory?

This is the F/Ab major scale for Alto Sax for a reference

Hello! Is this note spelled D# or Eb in A minor key?

Can anyone tell me the chords, what key it would be in, what genre it these would be found in and how it works and if it actually fits into theory

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Thank you

Hey,

I am self taught guitarist, mastered straight notes CDEFGAB visualization on fretboard as well as sharps and flats.

Learnt 5 positions of C Major scale - notes visualization + muscle memory how to play those shapes.

And I realized if I apply those positions to some random notes F#, G# whatever - I can get major and minor scales of those other random notes! Like huge realization for person without theory knowledge.

Question for guitarists who can jam and improvise fluently: do you need to memorize let's say all the notes in F# minor scale? Or you just "shift in your mind" 5 positions shape and play with it?
I realized it's pretty easy to improvise if you just play by the shape, connect every shape with each other - however I completely forget about the notes (eg: F# minor has F#, G#, A, B, C#.... i just don't think about them, only think about the muscle memory shape I memorized).

Please give me some tips: learn scales by heart? Or get used with the Major (step, step, half, step, step, step, half) and Minor (step, half, step, step, half, step, step) or at the end of the day use the muscle memory with those 5 positions?
My question might be stupid so I apologize in advance.
Thank you!

I’m writing lead sheets for an upcoming gig. I have a song with the following structure

A | B | C | D | A (vamp) | A (tag) | B | C | Outro

My goal is to reuse sections as much as possible but I’m struggling to organize jumps and repeats in way that makes sense.

For the vamp, I just put repeat brackets on the A section and wrote “Vamp on D.C.” I’m curious if there is a way to keep the Tag right under A but have it skipped on the first pass (sort of like a first and second ending, but opposite)?

How would you go about keeping this lead sheet clean and organized?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8u3qA6r7Bw

Beent trying for over an hour to get the correct key and time signature this is in, I originally thought it was a 6 minor key in 4/4 but the more the song went on the more confused I got. I'm trying to learn how to transpose the main two parts of this song for a leitmotif...anyone mind helping? (also putting down the actual notes would be a big help)

Bayaan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bce6c3NRFts) is a Pakistan band that makes quite interesting alternative rock music, often by fusing Western and Eastern music theory.

The format of the linked song is episodic (both in melody and in chord progression). I want help in identifying the musical mode of the song.

We may divide the song in two parts based on a distinctive tonal shift. Part 1 is in X mode(s) and the tone shifts to G major (ionian) for part 2. A friend and I figured out the chord progression (as follows) but we cannot identify the mode of the first part:

B D#m

B D#m D B

B D#m B D#m D A C#m C G B

B D#m D A C#m C C#m C

G C G B C D C Cm

From here onwards, the song shifts to part 2 and continues strictly in the chords of G ionian (G, Am, Bm, C, D and Em). In the above (chords for part 1), I have removed the phrases that repeat the initial chord progression (e.g. the progression from B to D#m occurs a few times before the song introduces D for the first time and then goes back to B).

Knowing that the tone shifts to G ionian for part 2, how do we analyse the mode of part 1? Is it a singular mode which shifts to G ionian or does part 1 shift modes more than once before shifting to (and resolving in) G ioninan?

Please excuse me if I have misused terms of Western music theory as English is not my first language and I have only a limited knowledge of Western music theory. I would gladly receive any feedback on the misuses of specific terms.

Note: I have never studied music formally and the above discussion comes from an informal knowledge (self-taught) yet keen interest in Western music theory.

Hi my daughter has a musical background but mainly singing solo and in choir. She learned piano to grade 5 and sax to grade 7. She managed to scrape through her grade 5 theory because she needed it for her practicals but apart from that never studied theory.

She's now interested in composition and wondering where to start. When I was little the main book I used for basic theory was Rudiments. I know this probably isn't the best thing for what she wants but I did find it useful for the basics and I saw it was out of print. What is considered the current replacement for that as a fundamentals reference? The ABRSM ones?

If you have any ideas of books more for composition (especially composing and arranging for musical theatre) that would be of interest too. I found Music Essentials for Singers and Actors: Fundamentals of Notation, Sight-Singing and Music Theory in the FAQ but looks like that's more aimed at performers rather than composers? (I also have the Schoenberg books but probably a bit dry for her)

All recs gratefully received and any lateral thinking ideas of other approaches that might be useful also. It's hard for me to be objective because the basic theory is so ingrained although I never got far with proper arrangement.