Fundamentals of Music Theory

Pitch and Notation

  • Staff, Clefs, and Note Names
  • Ledger Lines
  • Accidentals (Sharps, Flats, and Naturals)

Rhythm and Meter

  • Note Values (Whole, Half, Quarter, etc.)
  • Time Signatures
  • Simple, Compound, and Complex Meter
  • Syncopation and Polyrhythms

Scales and Modes

  • Major and Minor Scales
  • Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic Minor Scales
  • Pentatonic and Blues Scales
  • Church Modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, etc.)
  • Whole Tone and Chromatic Scales

Intervals

  • Perfect, Major, Minor, Augmented, and Diminished Intervals
  • Interval Inversion

Harmony and Chord Structures

Triads and Seventh Chords

  • Major, Minor, Diminished, and Augmented Triads
  • Major 7th, Dominant 7th, Minor 7th, Half-Diminished 7th, Fully Diminished 7th

Extended and Altered Chords

  • 9th, 11th, and 13th Chords
  • Altered Dominant Chords

Chord Functions and Progressions

  • Diatonic Harmony (Tonic, Dominant, Subdominant)
  • Common Chord Progressions (e.g., ii-V-I, I-IV-V)
  • Secondary Dominants and Leading-Tone Chords
  • Modulation and Key Relationships

Counterpoint

Species Counterpoint

  • First to Fifth Species

Fugues and Canons

  • Fugue Structure (Exposition, Development, etc.)
  • Canon Techniques

Form and Analysis

Musical Forms

  • Binary, Ternary, Rondo, and Sonata-Allegro Forms
  • Theme and Variations
  • Through-Composed Form

Phrase Structure

  • Periods, Phrases, and Cadences
  • Antecedent and Consequent Phrases

Advanced Concepts

Modulation and Key Relationships

  • Common and Uncommon Modulation Techniques
  • Pivot Chords
  • Enharmonic Modulation

Circle of Fifths

  • Key Signatures and Relationships
  • Relative and Parallel Keys
  • Enharmonic Keys

Chromaticism and Non-Diatonic Scales

  • Chromatic Scale
  • Whole Tone Scale
  • Octatonic (Diminished) Scale

Jazz Harmony and Voicings

  • Jazz Chord Symbols and Nomenclature
  • Voicing Techniques (Drop 2, Quartal Voicing, etc.)
  • Improvisation and Scale Choices (Modes, Blues Scale, etc.)

Orchestration and Instrumentation

  • Instrument Ranges and Characteristics
  • Writing for Different Ensembles
    • String Quartet, Wind Quintet, Brass Ensemble
    • Full Orchestra, Big Band

Atonal and Serial Music

Twelve-Tone Technique Set Theory

Contemporary Music Theory

Minimalism and Post-Minimalism Electronic and Computer Music Theory

Ethnomusicology

Study of Non-Western Music Theories

  • Indian Raga and Tala
  • African Rhythmic Structures
  • Gamelan Scales and Forms

Suggested Reading List

  • "Tonal Harmony" by Stefan Kostka and Dorothy Payne
  • "The Complete Musician" by Steven G. Laitz
  • "Counterpoint" by Fux (translated by Alfred Mann)
  • "Harmony" by Walter Piston
  • "Jazz Theory Book" by Mark Levine
  • "The Study of Orchestration" by Samuel Adler
  • "A New Approach to Jazz Improvisation" by Jamey Aebersold
  • "Twentieth-Century Harmony" by Vincent Persichetti
  • "Materials and Techniques of Twentieth-Century Music" by Stefan Kostka
  • "Ethnomusicology: A Contemporary Reader" edited by Jennifer C. Post