Click here to start at the very beginning!
or...
Click on any feature in the following piece of music to get an explanation of it:

hear it!

• This is an attempt to structure information about the theory of music into a set of web pages
  • I started work on this in 1996, and am still hoping to work on it (when I have time!) in 2005.
  • There are currently 45 pages and 92 pictures on this website
  • If you find any factual errors, have any comments, or any other feedback, please mail me.

• Because work is on-going, there may be omissions or items left unfinished.
  • There are still a number of subjects I have not covered at all.
  • I am aware of gaps in some subjects.

• If you are a complete beginner, you could either start by
  • clicking here and following any path you like
  • or you could go through the index below, clicking on every link.

• If this is the first time you have visited here, please read my Copyright and Disclaimer page.

• The aim of the content and structure of these pages is to make each page short, concise and readable on one specific subject.
  • I have tried to make good use of hypertext links to create pages which can be browsed to the level necessary for the reader
  • If you need further information on any subject or don't understand a phrase, just click on it.
  • I have also used bullet points wherever possible to structure the information given.
  • I have tried to keep pages clean, with no unnecessary graphics or formatting (except perhaps the background!).

An index to Basic Music Theory pages

• Frequently Asked Questions:
  • What is music? - my definition
  • What is the theory of music? - what these pages can teach you
  • Why learn the theory of music? - I'm glad you asked!

• General musical topics that don't fit under headings below
  • The appreciation of music - I've never met anyone who truly disliked all music
  • History of notation - there is no ANSI standard!
  • Alternative names - e.g. differences between American and British musical terms
  • Dynamics - louds and softs in music
  • Ornaments - shorthand signs for decorations

• Frequency or pitch
  • A note has a specific pitch specified mainly by its vertical position on a stave, which can hold one or more parts of music.
  • A stave has a clef and an optional key signature at the beginning. This specifies the key of a piece of music and the notes used make up a scale.
  • The interval between two notes of a normal scale is diatonic, but accidentals can be applied to individual notes to make chromatic scales or intervals.
  • Notes can be put together to make a chord and the most common type of chord is a three-note triad.
  • Frequency or pitch can be used to build a scale from scratch.
  • Tonic sol fa is a naming method used to teach sight-singing - I have my own website for learning sight-singing.

• Rhythm and time
  • Music usually has a number of regular beats in each bar or measure, and the length and number of each is given by the time signature.
  • The length of a note is given by its shape plus appendages such as its stem, and one (or more than one) tail or beam.
  • Two or more notes of the same pitch sound like one extended note if there is a tie between them.
  • There are rules for how beams and ties are notated governing the groupings.
  • Silences are also important in music and are specified by a rest which has a certain length.
  • Both notes and rests can be made longer by the addition of a dot, which is then called a dotted note or dotted rest.
  • Another type of dot, a staccato, makes a note shorter than it looks.
  • The speed of a piece of music can be specified by a metronome marking and/or a speed indication, often in Italian.
  • A slur is used to show the music phrases or where to breath, how to fit in words, or how to use a violin bow.
  • Syncopation is a form of rhythm where the beat is offset, giving a jazzy feel.

• Music Theory Online (MTO) at the University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Part of the Society for Music Theory - advanced discussion on theory and musicology
• Harmony Central
• Dolmetsch Music Dictionary
• Dolmetsch Music Theory and History