Learn Music Theory your way with a TakeLessons expert

The word harmony is derived from the Greek word Harmonia, the goddess of harmony and concord. As its Greek origins imply, harmony means concord, agreement, or a joining together, which happens when two or more notes sound together in a pleasing combination. Harmonia’s counterpart, Eris, was the goddess of strife and discord, whose parallel in music, dissonance, happens when two or more sounding notes clash. Much like the goddesses of Greek mythology, harmony and its related sister, tonalit

Welcome to part two in this series “Music Theory for Singers.” In this article we’ll cover how to read pitches. In part one of this series we learned how to read rhythms. Rhythm is how long or short you sustain a note. Pitches are how high or low the note you are singing will sound.  In music there are 7 natural notes (pitch names) and 5 accidental notes (pitch names). The musical alphabet goes from A to G, and then just repeats after G, back to A. It looks like this. A B C D E F

  Piano music doesn't have to be all classical, all the time! Here's what you need to know about getting started with jazz piano chord progressions, courtesy of St. Augustine, FL teacher Heather L... If you're interested in learning how to play jazz piano after starting off as a classical pianist, one of the first things you need to master are chord progressions. In this blog post, we'll take a look at some of the most common jazz piano chord progressions and how you can use them in y

Throughout history, plucked instruments have evolved and changed their string amounts and the way they are tuned. The guitar we know and love today evolved from the lutes of the Renaissance and Baroque Era, which had multiple pairs of strings as well as moveable frets made out of cattle gut. It wasn’t until the 1800’s when the Romantic Guitar decided on using only six strings, which allowed the guitarist to play melodic lines and chords more easily. The Romantic Guitar and Classical G

As you're learning to read music, you'll come across complex rhythms at some point. Here, Saint Augustine, FL music teacher Heather L. offers some helpful tips to help you get through the tricky parts...   Have you ever found yourself sitting in a big concert hall, or in your room, listening to a soloist play a practically perfect rhythm? Almost all of us have, and almost all of us have asked ourselves, "How do they do that?" Their secret is subdivision. You might be just beginn

Sure, music theory is complex -- but there's no need to fear it! Here, Jamaica Plain, MA teacher Noaa R. shares four steps to get you started...   Many students tend to avoid studying music theory and harmony. This can stem from a fear of compromising one’s creativity with rules and numbers, a failure to connect concepts with application, or from feeling overwhelmed by the perceived volume of material to be learned. However, when you approach theory as an exploratory process that helps

If you’ve been a piano student or performer for any length of time, you’ve probably come across the terms “sonata” and “sonatina”. But, have you ever wondered to yourself, what's the difference between sonatas vs. sonatinas? These musical forms have been around since the early 16th century, but even after over 400 years of existence, there is still no conclusive definition for either of them. Musical scholars and performers alike have debated what these terms truly mean, and their

As children, we learn to identify letters followed by simple words. We then gradually progress to reading a full sentence. The next step is learning how to read multiple clauses. Eventually, this turns into reading complex paragraphs, whole chapters, and more. We learn musical notation in similar stages, and our musical literacy becomes defined by our understanding of music theory. Like any language, it’s not enough to just read the words and symbols on the page. You have to understand what it

Are you wondering, "what are the most common chord progressions in pop music?" If so, you're in the right place.  Today, many pop songs are written by writing the chords first, and melody later. In fact, it would be fair to say that the backbone of the modern pop song is the chord progression. In this way, chord progressions are very important to make the song as memorable, catchy and enjoyable as possible. Pop music has existed at least since the 1950s, amassing a great catalog of music

Test your knowledge of music with this innovative music theory quiz - and then keep reading to find even more fun quizzes you can take! A knowledge of music theory is absolutely indispensable to musicians. For beginners, it can seem intimidating, but experienced musicians will attest that theory is well worth the effort needed to master it. While you can certainly acquire proficiency on an instrument without a knowledge of theory, you’ll miss out on the depth of understanding that