tutorpackSee prices
All courses

Music, art & photography · course 86 of 105

Music Theory From Note Names to Modes

All the theory a guitarist, pianist or songwriter uses, from note names and intervals to scales, keys, the circle of fifths, chords, Roman numerals and modes.

7 modules

Try a question

Not on sale yet. When sales open: $4.99 for this course, paid once, or every course for $9.99 a month. Prices

Preview

What it teaches

The theory a guitarist, pianist or songwriter actually uses: half and whole steps, note names and enharmonics, intervals (name them, build them, spell them right), major and minor scales, key signatures and the circle of fifths, relative keys, triads and 7th chords, inversions, the chords in a key with Roman numerals, common progressions and why they work, transposing and the capo. The AI asks 3 questions, places you, shows a short rule card per module, then drills you one item at a time and names the mistake (“right key, wrong name”, “you counted the starting note”, “that’s the parallel minor”).

How long

About 60-120 drill rounds (if you already know the basics, near 60; a beginner who misses 1 in 6 takes about 100), plus a 15-item final test. Plan on 4-6 sessions of 20-25 rounds. 287 questions in all (253 drill items, 34 concept questions). The tutor gives a one-line save code at the end of each session; paste it into a new chat to carry on.

The modules

7 modules, drilled one item at a time. The ones marked optional are offered along the way.

  1. M0

    Notes, half steps and whole steps

    Half/whole steps, note names, enharmonics, counting half steps

  2. M1

    Intervals

    Name intervals, build a note above, interval sizes

  3. M2

    Scales and keys

    Major/minor scales, key signatures, relative keys, degrees

  4. M3

    Chords

    Spell and name triads and 7th chords, inversions

  5. M4

    Chords in a key, progressions, transposing

    Diatonic chords, numerals, progressions, transposing, capo, minor keys

  6. M5

    Rhythm, time signatures and reading the staffoptional

    Note values, time signatures, filling a bar, staff notes as text

  7. M6

    Modes, melodic minor, pentatonic and blues scalesoptional

    The seven modes, melodic minor, major and minor pentatonic, the blues scale

Before it teaches, it asks

  1. 1
    What do you play (or want to play), and what do you want theory for: songwriting, jamming, reading charts, an exam, or just finally understanding it? Do you know the note names on your instrument?
    AI voice (ElevenLabs)
  2. 2
    How many half steps from C up to the next E?
  3. 3
    Name the interval from C up to Eb.

What’s exact, and what isn’t

Show

Straight from the course’s own notes.

Exact
Every drill answer (253 items), computed by script from letters and half steps, so spelling is exact (G# and Ab are different answers). The script re-checks every built interval by naming it back (except the 7th of a diminished seventh chord, which is spot-checked), checks all 15 major keys for one-letter-each and the W-W-H-W-W-W-H pattern, and spot-checks textbook spellings.
Convention, labeled
“V in a minor key” means the major V (harmonic minor), the way most songs and textbooks use it. Common chord-symbol variants (CM7, C-, Cø, C°) and guitar interval names (b3, b5) are accepted; the lists are in M1 and M3.
Not in it yet
Ear training (it’s text only: the tutor can’t play or hear sound), extended chords (9ths, 11ths, sus), voice leading, song analysis beyond why the common progressions work.