How Can I Learn the Basics of Music Theory?

To access an online keyboard: click here.

Melody:

Melody happens when you play notes in succession one after the other.

One of the most basic areas of music theory is the study of music notes on a scale:

• Look at the keyboard diagram above, and you’ll see that the white keys (the naturals) are named for the first seven letters of the alphabet.
• Originally, those were the only music notes on the scale.
• Then, the mediaeval music theorists realized that they needed more music notes for their scale. (This is where the black keys, or accidentals, came from.)

The next theory concept is that an interval is a distance between music notes. Let’s start with the white key intervals:

• C to D is a second
• C to E is a third
• C to F is a fourth
• And so on until you get to C to C, which we call an octave.
• The octave spans eight notes on the keyboard.
• This works for any pair of white keys.
• You’re just counting the white keys on the keyboard.

However, when the music theorists realized they needed more music notes for the scale, they also realized that they needed to break the keyboard into smaller intervals:

• For a full list of intervals: click here.

Melodies, modes, and scales music theory links:

Scales of Music:

• C Major Scale
• G Major Scale

Modes of Music:

• Why Do Minor Keys Sound Sad?
• What’s a Parallel Mode?

The Degrees of the Music Scale:

• Music Scale Degree

Writing Melodies:

• How to Extract a Melody from Your Lyrics
• Ten Ways to Spice Up Your Melodies with Melodic Variation
• Writing Great Songs Using Rhythmic Motifs

Accidentals:

• What Purpose Do Accidentals Serve?