Reading Notes
11-14 Minute Read | Laptop or Tablet Recommended
Topics and Themes
A humiliating first music theory moment; An effective learning strategy and plan for learning music theory from scratch.
Affiliate Note
When you make a purchase through links found on this site, we may earn commissions from Amazon, Perfect Circuit, and other retailers.
I promise you I will share the optimal way I’d learn music theory, if I were starting from scratch. Before I get there, I want to share a story where I got destroyed by not knowing it. Like, the carpet was totally and completely yanked out from underneath me. It makes me chuckle to think about it, to this day.
Getting Destroyed By Music Theory, Story #1 (of Thousands)
I didn’t take guitar lessons in high school, but I didn’t mind. I was having a blast learning to play music on my own. I’d find a random guitar tab, learn it, and move on to the next one. If I liked a song that didn't have a tablature online, I’d just jump in and transcribe it. I played guitar for at least two to three hours every day after school.
I learned guitar by ear, with a will to get better and better and better (I compared myself to an ideal, back then). I didn’t know music theory, but that didn't stop me. Learning on my own meant I didn’t have access to a teacher who could teach me the nuts and bolts of why music works the way it does. When I finally got to college, my first act as a college freshman involved approaching the guitar professor, Chris Buzzelli, and begging for guitar lessons.
Here’s the part of the story where the rug got yanked out from under me.
On a chalkboard with four permanently painted music staves, Chris scrawled four notes and asked me to play them. I couldn’t do it. I was mortified. I could transcribe a bunch of solos, play some impressive rock guitar, but I couldn't play four notes? Four simple notes on a treble staff?
Embarrassing.
Chris took pity on me. He recognized my eagerness to learn and my desire to improve. He arranged for me to take lessons with a graduate student, Jason Werkema, who taught me jazz guitar. I explored scales, arpeggios, and all sorts of 7th chords. I even memorized a couple of jazz standards. I was finally able to improvise over jazz, solo in a fairly concise way, and play four measly little notes on a music staff.
With that knowledge, I successfully auditioned for the guitar program at the end of my first semester. And damn, I was stoked to be there! Over the next four years, I basically hunkered down to learn guitar.
Getting curious about how to learn music theory
Since then, I dove deeper into my love of music theory. I uncovered more advanced topics that piqued my interest. I expanded on my foundation and developed a deeper appreciation for the lesser-known but super fun concepts of music theory.
As I began teaching, it also became essential for me to discuss music theory in a meaningful way. Some students had an intense curiosity about it. They would ask really good, insightful questions. This challenged me to provide equally good answers.
Over time, I experienced moments of clarity around music theory and how to teach it even better. I wanted to address the questions students had about learning the concepts with the least amount of intellectual baggage. How could I help them grasp the fundamentals quickly and easily? This led me to consider how I would tackle learning music theory if I had to start over.
I began to pinpoint the most important concepts and arrange them into a coherent, cumulative order. I focused on isolating the music theory concepts that truly made a difference in developing musicianship and artistry.
I’ve since guided many students through this approach to learning music theory, and it works. I want to share this overall path here so you can reap the rewards. This information could save you (or someone you know) a lot of time and prevent quite a few headaches.
Before I jump into it, keep in mind that I don’t talk about how to learn these concepts. There are countless ways to address each of them. And thank goodness for that! No single learning method will work for everyone. This blog post presents a cumulative order that builds upon mastery of the previous topic.
Let’s get started!
If I needed to learn music theory again, this is how I’d do it
Learn to play by ear and learn basic music notation.
I would start by learning how to figure out melodies by ear. This requires transcribing melodies and bringing them to life on any musical instrument. The specific instrument doesn’t matter. I used the guitar, but you could choose a piano, an oboe, or a hammered dulcimer if you’re a non-conformist.
Playing by ear helps you develop pitch recognition, which is essential for playing music. A heightened sense of pitch means your ears connect to your instrument. This connection creates a deeper musicality, and extension of yourself. You’re already learning how to express yourself musically before you know anything about music theory.
During this process of learning by ear, I would also recommend learning basic music notation.
Just as reading a book requires understanding written words, music theory relies on written notes to convey meaning. Learning basic music notation helps you get comfortable with how musicians communicate with each other. This includes understanding notes on a staff, clefs, key signatures, and all sorts of other fundamentals. I highly recommend Music Notation by Mark McGrain for getting familiar with this. I recently took about three months to work through that book. It sharpened my skills quite a bit.
Memorize Major Triads, Minor Triads, and Dominant 7th Chords
Once I feel somewhat comfortable transcribing and have a grasp on basic music notation, here’s my next move:
I would memorize the notes of every single major triad. For example, C-E-G, F-A-C, Eb-G-Bb, and so on. I wouldn’t stop until I can spell out each of these triads quickly and without hesitation.
I would tackle minor triads next by taking the third of the major triad and lowering it by a half step.
I would memorize dominant 7 chords last. I’d do this by taking a major triad, counting down two notes from the root, and calling that note the 7th.
Why do I recommend memorizing triads and dominant 7th chords? These chords form the foundation of harmony. Much of western music builds on major and minor triads, as well as dominant 7th chords. Being able to spell them quickly means you gain a significant advantage in understanding the nuts and bolts of music.
Memorize Key Signatures
Next, I’d flat-out memorize the key signatures.
Why? Key signatures are essential for playing in different keys. You do want to play in different keys, right??
Additionally, they engender greater familiarity with the written notes, enabling you to read music more fluently and perform with confidence.
Memorize Basic rhythm: Metric structure
After that, I’d totally commit basic rhythmic subdivision, often called metric structure, to memory.
Why? While the height position of a note on a staff represents pitch, the horizontal position of the note represents time and thus rhythm. Without understanding how notes are subdivided and how they fit into time horizontally, music wouldn’t be at all rhythmic. Simply put, without an ability to write rhythm, you don’t have a song you can tap your foot to.
Learning rhythmic subdivisions allows you to grasp the system of rhythm. Further, you can leverage it to your advantage when writing music.
Feel Solid With Roman Numeral Analysis
Next, I’d sink all of my focus into learning Roman numeral analysis.
Why Roman numeral analysis?
For starters, you’d unlock the underlying chords of most songs, instantly. You can use it to decipher why some songs sound really cool and why others sound kinda lame. Mastering Roman numeral analysis means you can create chord progressions that sound really good together. You'd get a cheat sheet to write a cool chord progression quickly.
Sight reading
Finally, I’d sight read on a daily basis. This book has served as a lifesaver for me to learn sight reading on the piano, and the author also offers a version for guitar.
Why sight reading? For one, it helps you become comfortable with the notes on the staff, the keys and the key signatures, and rhythmic subdivisions. Additionally, getting really solid at sight reading boosts your ability to perform, collaborate, and adapt to new musical challenges.
The process of learning music theory from start to finish
As a recap, here is the learning process for music theory fundamentals from start to finish:
Transcribe melodies by ear and learn music notation
Memorize the major triads
Memorize the minor triads
Memorize the dominant 7th chords
Memorize all the key signatures
Memorize basic rhythm: Metric structure
Get comfortable with Roman numeral analysis
Make a daily habit of sight reading
How Long Will This Take?
Okay, you might be wondering how much time this will take. Before you jump to conclusions, I want to remind you that the order I’ve laid out is cumulative. Each concept builds on the previous one. I do not recommend trying to approach all of them at once. Start with the first concept, right from the beginning. Once you feel comfortable and familiar with a concept, move onto the next.
As far as the time commitment, that depends on the amount of space available to work on it. Given my current schedule right now, it would take me a little less than a year to learn if I had to learn it all from scratch. If I had nothing else going on, give me about three months.
If that sounds discouraging, please check out my blog post on bare-minimum practice routines. I firmly believe that small amounts of practice can lead to big results. You should be aware that you can easily practice sustainably.
What do you get after you complete this basic process?
Here’s the great news: Any additional music theory concept you study after mastering these fundamentals will come easily.
For example, if I want to learn about arpeggios, I can easily dive in because I’ve already memorized the triads and dominant 7th chords.
If I want to write music in a specific key, it's straightforward because I have studied Roman numeral analysis, key signatures, and memorized the chords.
If I wanted to learn modes, I can jump right in because I already know the triads and am familiar with Roman numeral analysis. I can spell out the modes because I’m comfortable with the notes on a staff, key signatures, and metric structure.
Are you starting to see how beneficial learning music theory can be? I hope so.
In conclusion
Learning music theory doesn’t have to be difficult. You can approach it in a sustainable way, gradually, over time. Additionally, not all music theory provides the same amount of benefit to you. There’s tons of things I still don’t know (and that makes it fun).
Understanding which parts of music theory to focus on and in what order gives you a significant advantage.
Now, all you gotta do is roll up your sleeves and get on with it.