Learn Music Theory

Learn Music Theory

Give your musical instinct a vocabulary.

Accessible music theory for songwriters. Chords, scales, chord progressions, diatonic and non-diatonic harmony — explained for guitar, bass, keyboard, and DAW users who want to skip the sheet music and get straight to creating.

What Is Music Theory? — Turning Feel into a Recipe

Once you have the recipe, you can recreate, remix, and share

What Are Intervals? (Beginner Level)

Understanding the distance between notes makes it easier to recreate and expand musical ideas

What Are Chords?

Learn how combinations of notes create mood and movement

Understand music's gravity to see the flow of progressions

What Are Scales?

The map that guides your melodies and improvisation

What Is Diatonic?

The chord 'team' born from stacking scale notes

The Science of Ear Training

Use theory as a weapon, and ear copying gets much easier

Learning Chord Progressions

How to give your chord sequence a sense of drama

What Are Cadences? — The 4 Endings That Punctuate Your Progressions

Cadences are the punctuation of music — periods, commas, and plot twists for your chord progressions

Expanding Your Chord Palette

7ths, sus, and add chords — same progressions, richer sound

Dress Up Your Progressions with Substitute Chords

Same drama, different expression — swapping teammates on the field

Non-Diatonic Chords — Calling in Reinforcements from Outside the Team

Just 3 spice chords from "outside" the diatonic world

Slash Chords Explained: How One Bass Note Transforms Your Progressions

Pave the path beneath your chords and they instantly sound more professional

Melody & Scales: Your Melody's Safe Zone

Stay in the scale and you stay in tune. Land on a chord tone and you land with intention.

The Pentatonic Scale: 5 Notes, Infinite Possibilities

Cut 2 notes from the scale and suddenly everything sounds better

Tension Chords: Adding Color with 9ths, 11ths & 13ths

One extra note on top of a 7th chord and everything sounds more sophisticated

Chord Voicing Explained: Why the Same Chord Can Sound Completely Different

Rearrange the notes and a plain C major wears a whole new face

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🎹Chord Progression Builder 🔍Find Chords 💰Pricing ❓FAQ

Ready to hear theory in action?

Build real chord progressions with OtoTheory AI, 19 grooves (4/4 + 6/8 + 12/8 time signatures on iOS), and MIDI/audio export.

Download on the App Store

Free to start · Pro with free trial