Music Theory Guide

Notes & The Musical Alphabet

Music uses just 7 letter names: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. After G, the pattern repeats starting from A again. These are called natural notes.

Sharps & Flats

Between most natural notes, there are additional notes:

Sharp (#) raises a note by one half step (e.g., C# is between C and D)
Flat (♭) lowers a note by one half step (e.g., D♭ is between C and D)
C# and D♭ are the same pitch — they're called enharmonic equivalents

Note: There's no sharp/flat between B-C and E-F (they're already a half step apart). Learn more in the Note Reading Tutorial.

Practice Note Reading

Intervals

An interval is the distance between two notes. Understanding intervals is key to understanding melody and harmony.

Interval	Half Steps	Sound	Example
Unison	0	Same note	C to C
Minor 2nd	1	Tense, close	C to D♭
Major 2nd	2	Whole step	C to D
Minor 3rd	3	Sad, dark	C to E♭
Major 3rd	4	Happy, bright	C to E
Perfect 4th	5	Strong, open	C to F
Tritone	6	Unstable, tense	C to F#
Perfect 5th	7	Powerful, stable	C to G
Octave	12	Same note, higher	C to C

For song-based references and detailed listening tips, see the Interval Training Tutorial.

Practice Intervals

Chords

A chord is three or more notes played together. The most basic chords are triads, built by stacking two intervals of a third.

The Four Basic Triads

Major

Root + Major 3rd + Perfect 5th

Happy, bright

Minor

Root + Minor 3rd + Perfect 5th

Sad, dark

Diminished

Root + Minor 3rd + Diminished 5th

Tense, unstable

Augmented

Root + Major 3rd + Augmented 5th

Dreamy, suspended

Seventh Chords

Adding a 4th note (a 7th above the root) creates richer harmonies used in jazz, pop, and classical music:

Major 7th (maj7) — Dreamy, sophisticated
Minor 7th (m7) — Mellow, jazzy
Dominant 7th (7) — Bluesy, wants to resolve
Diminished 7th (dim7) — Very tense, dramatic

Learn play styles, formulas, and tips in the Chord Identification Tutorial. Try building chords on the Synthesizer to hear how intervals combine.

Practice Chord Recognition

Scales

A scale is a sequence of notes in ascending or descending order. Scales form the foundation of melodies and harmonies.

Major Scale

The most common scale in Western music. It follows the pattern: W-W-H-W-W-W-H (W = whole step, H = half step)

Example: C Major = C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C

Minor Scales

Minor scales have a darker, more melancholic sound:

Natural Minor — W-H-W-W-H-W-W
Harmonic Minor — Raised 7th note for a dramatic sound
Melodic Minor — Different ascending and descending

Other Important Scales

Pentatonic — 5-note scale, very versatile
Blues Scale — Pentatonic + "blue note"
Chromatic — All 12 notes

For step formulas and listening tips, see the Scale Identification Tutorial.

Practice Scale Recognition

Tutorials & Resources

Dive deeper into each topic with our step-by-step tutorials:

Note Reading Tutorial — Learn to read treble and bass clef staves from scratch.
Interval Training Tutorial — Hear the distance between notes with song references.
Chord Identification Tutorial — Understand how triads and seventh chords are built and sound.
Scale Identification Tutorial — Learn scale step patterns and their moods.
Ear Training Tutorial — Develop pitch recognition skills by sound alone.
Synthesizer Tutorial — Explore concepts hands-on with the web keyboard.
Metronome Tutorial — Build rhythm and timing with our metronome tool.

Also check out our Practice Tips for effective learning strategies, our FAQ for common questions, and our 16-Week Lesson Plan for a structured learning path.