# Learning music theory - where to begin?



## Zhao Shen (Jun 11, 2016)

So though I've composed for years, you could say I'm musically impaired since I know very close to no music theory and compose pretty much based on experience and intuition. How might I start improve my theory skills to the level where it becomes useful in composition? Are there any good resources to study? Is learning keyboard/piano the best place to start? I will be composing on a university campus where I won't get to use a keyboard in my everyday workflow, so I've gotten quite good at composing without one. Would appreciate your thoughts


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## dannymc (Jun 11, 2016)

its worked for the likes of Hans forever why the sudden urge to feel you need the theory now? but i get ya, i feel like i'm some how winging it up to now with not much theory under my belt and no music college education.

Danny


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## Rodney Money (Jun 11, 2016)

1. Look at scores that you love.
2. Analyzed the chords, form, melodies, counter-melodies, timbre, and textures just by looking at the score noticing orchestration and idiomatic instrumental and voice writing.
3. Use the techniques you loved in your own scores.


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## wpc982 (Jun 11, 2016)

Hard to tell without knowing where you are already ... can you immediately identify at sight any note on treble and bass clefs? Can you immediately read rhythms? From there, notation. Can you identify melodies and intervals at first hearing? Chords? From there, ear training. Then get a traditional harmony book, the very old ones like Prout are fine and public domain, and work through it (DO THE EXERCISES!). Then counterpoint, though the options are far more limited for a good book (Jeppesen, maybe) Then something like William Caplin's Classical Form will stimulate new ideas, when you are ready.


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## airflamesred (Jun 11, 2016)

wpc982 said:


> when you are ready.


That is an intruiging quote Sir, Sounds like something Master Shifu might say!


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## ModalRealist (Jun 11, 2016)

I second Rodney. If you can't read notation, pick up a beginner's guide to music theory and a few exercise books and learn it - shouldn't take that long to pick up the basics, and from then on one is always getting more and more proficient (I mean, how many people can follow all the lines in a Tchaikovsky symphony in real-time on the score? - not me for sure, but I know people who can!). Then it's mainly a case of going and looking at scores of pieces you like, and tracing the logical construction of the music across time and harmony. If you find yourself stumped with questions, go and ask them - online, to someone in person, or so on - and potentially get further theory book recommendations on that basis.

So basically what Rodney said. But I have one more suggestion:

A lot of the music I enjoy, and perhaps the music you enjoy in turn, doesn't have scores available. So it can be equally rewarding to sit down and listen critically to that music. Transcription is good but time-consuming. I'm typically short on time, so I have to substitute activities. First, if I'm interested in "little bits" - chord progressions, melodic fragments, modulations, what's happening in that phrase? etc. - I just start repeating that twenty seconds or so of the piece and figure it out by ear at the piano. Second, if I'm interested in "big bits" - structure of the piece, orchestration and composition across phrases or through sections, larger scale aspects of melody, psychoacoustic effects, etc. - then I boot up MS Word and type out a short-hand analysis of the piece, from my listener's perspective. What's the structure? Where are the phrase breaks? What's their relation? How does the composer achieve the overall effect of the piece, in terms of orchestration and the juxtaposition of [composed] sections, or evolution of textures, or etc.? This obviously is a ridiculously long-haul exercise with a 20-minute symphony movement, but it's really good fun with cues of anywhere between 1 to 5 minutes, I find.


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## gsilbers (Jun 11, 2016)

maybe you can try the berklee books
https://online.berklee.edu/store/product?product_id=2780849&usca_p=t


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## Smikes77 (Jun 11, 2016)

I'd probably start with something easier like a pop song.


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## Udo (Jun 11, 2016)

... but what if you've got an inherent aversion towards anything that's unnecessarily complicated, like music notation ...

(no, I'm not posting this as an underhanded Klavarskribo promotion!)


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## KEnK (Jun 11, 2016)

Udo said:


> ... but what if you've got an inherent aversion towards anything that's unnecessarily complicated, like music notation ...


Music notation is less complicated than any written language.
Illiteracy is far more complicated than the alternative.

To Zhao Shen-
Since you already have some facility-
perhaps making a methodical assessment of the "modes" (and non- diatonic scales) would yield productive results.
These would get you into being able to purposefully decide on a "flavor".
Your mind will be in the driver's seat.
The rest will follow.

k


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## Udo (Jun 11, 2016)

KEnK said:


> Music notation is less complicated than any written language.
> Illiteracy is far more complicated than the alternative.


Should have added that I'm well up on music theory.


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## Baron Greuner (Jun 12, 2016)

Learning the piano is the best place to start.


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## Suganthan (Jun 12, 2016)

Some wise advise here, http://alanbelkinmusic.com/site/en/index.php/letter-to-a-young-composer/


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## AllanH (Jun 12, 2016)

I think a very good place to start is Tchaikovsky's book on Harmony. It has many of the "golden" rules and lots of explicit advice on which progressions work, which do not, and how to harmonize so things follow "his" rules.

EDIT: I tried to link the book, but the link is/was interpreted as a media file. Seach amazon for Tchaikovsky and Harmony. Should be about $9 in print.


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## Living Fossil (Jun 12, 2016)

The part of "theory" that's usually missing the most in self-taught musicians is the formal language.
How do you get from one point to another one, what are implications of your material, how do you combine different elements etc, etc.
That's a huge area and most of the literature sticks rather to "formalistic" aspects [that are selfexplaining].

The best way to improve is to analyse masterpieces by studying the scores and by playing the music.
(Sonatas from Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven to Schubert are great startings points.)
The interesting part in the formal language of the masters is the deviation of the formal models.
Of course, in order to detect these, it's necessary to get familiar with the models first.


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## doctornine (Jun 12, 2016)

Smikes77 said:


> I'd probably start with something easier like a pop song.



What ?


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## Smikes77 (Jun 12, 2016)

doctornine said:


> What ?



Pick a pop song, figure out the chords, inversions, what scale the melody is using, the harmonies, drum patterns, etc. There's loads you could learn from that.

Is that what you're asking?


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## Baron Greuner (Jun 13, 2016)

Zhao Shen said:


> Is learning keyboard/piano the best place to start?



Are you saying that you haven't had any piano lessons ever or any type of formal musical education?


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## Zhao Shen (Jun 13, 2016)

Baron Greuner said:


> Are you saying that you haven't had any piano lessons ever or any type of formal musical education?


Yep. I played trumpet for a stretch of my time in middle/high school but I never really got into it so I could read and play well but pretty much disregarded music theory things like circle of fifths, keys, chords. Needless to say I didn't do much jazz.


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## Baron Greuner (Jun 13, 2016)

All that circle of fifths stuff isn't really that important. Keys and relative keys etc and chords are handy to know about.
I would find a classical piano teacher and ask to be taught grade 1 practical and theory and get to grade 8 eventually.


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## SillyMidOn (Jun 14, 2016)

Zhao Shen said:


> So though I've composed for years, you could say I'm musically impaired since I know very close to no music theory and compose pretty much based on experience and intuition. How might I start improve my theory skills to the level where it becomes useful in composition? Are there any good resources to study? Is learning keyboard/piano the best place to start? I will be composing on a university campus where I won't get to use a keyboard in my everyday workflow, so I've gotten quite good at composing without one. Would appreciate your thoughts



This may be a starting point:



as well as this:

http://www.musictheory.net


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## C-Wave (Jun 14, 2016)

Of all the videos I watched or took a look at, the two "music theory for songwriters" courses by Vellard at Lynda.com are the best.. If video tutorials is your thing. He talks about and shows you the theory and applies it immediately at the piano.


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## sazema (Feb 20, 2017)

Try to start with this youtube channel (if you are still interested)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ8YJp_aCOrdw6rEHoBhKFQ
It's Karen Ramirez Cuneo music teacher. You will be pleased  You can find here everything from pure basics to advanced stuff. Circle of fifths, basic melody progressions, etc. I learnt a lot from here.


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