Music theory: music literacy course - free course from 4brain, training 30 days, date November 29, 2023.

Dear friends! Here is a short course on the basics of music theory and musical literacy. The very fact that you looked at this page suggests that you have already thought about the need to obtain some basic knowledge of the theoretical foundations of music.

Perhaps your musical or vocal skill has reached a level where intuition and movement by touch are no longer enough. Perhaps you wanted to study music theory before, but did not find a course that would compactly present the essentials. Or maybe you have already tried to delve into the intricacies of music theory, but found it too difficult for you.

Our course solves all these problems. You will only receive what can actually be put into practice, whether you want to learn on your own analyze piano pieces by notes or select melodies on the guitar, intend to sing in a choir, or even write a song.

Here is a course in musical literacy that allows you to master basic concepts. So to speak, the elementary theory of music “without water”. In general, music theory should not be afraid, because it was written by musicians for musicians. This is the language that musicians speak to each other. Knowledge of the basics of music theory opens up a wide field for musical experiments and allows you to translate creative ideas and sketches into a real melody that will delight listeners. Therefore, it is worth discovering these opportunities for yourself!

Music theory and basic musical literacy will help you convert emotions into music and share your rich inner world with others. And, who knows, maybe it is you, today, who are taking your first step towards great popularity. And in about 10 years, other aspiring musicians will be eager to get the notes of your song or the chords of your guitar composition to recreate and repeat the musical composition you created work.

Goals and objectives of the course

The goals and objectives of the course are generally clear from the title. However, it is worth clarifying a number of points so that it is clear what is meant by musical literacy.

Why do we need our course:

1. Learn to read music – notation on the stave is a common format for many genres of music and the only available option for introducing classical music. By learning to sight read, you will significantly expand your capabilities as a musician and vocalist.
2. Find your way around chords and tabs - these are the same notes, only recorded in a different format. Chords are made up of notes, and each icon in the tabs represents a particular note. By understanding the patterns of musical notation and interval structure of melodies, it will be easier for you to understand and interpret tabs and chords.
3. Accelerate mastery of a musical instrument – all practical exercises for training courses in playing the piano, guitar and other instruments are recorded on a musical staff or in the form of chords and tabs. You can use them and save time that you would otherwise spend searching for simpler formats of presentation “without notes.”
4. Start playing in a music group – to interact with other musicians you need to learn the language of music and understand the features of all musical instruments that are used in the group.
5. Make it easier to parse songs – preparation for a vocal competition or karaoke battle will go faster if you understand notes and chords. And having additionally worked on developing your hearing, you will easily hear the movement of a melody up or down, even if you only have chords at your disposal without indicating the octave range.
6. Start writing songs or music - it’s easier than you think, but for this you need to know the notes, hear intervals and understand what polyphony and the fifth-quart circle of tonalities are.
7. Take the first steps in mastering sound design and mixing tracks yourself - many modern Sound processing programs contain a built-in chord panel and the option to change files in notation editor And the actual mixing process will be easier if you work on your musical ear.

As you can see, music theory is useful for anyone who wants to sing or play a musical instrument, at least at an amateur level. And to everyone who somehow comes into contact with the magical world of sounds. Study music theory and you'll hear a lot more!

What is music theory?

Music theory studies the foundations and principles of constructing musical works, the patterns of formation of musical - singing and instrumental - sound combinations. Within the framework of music theory, musical notation is studied, which is, in fact, an analogue of the alphabet for any language. Since the phrase “language of music” is stable and often used, this analogy seems completely logical.

In addition, “Music Theory” is one of the special disciplines in music educational institutions. Music theory is closely interconnected with such concepts and disciplines as polyphony, harmony, solfeggio, instrumentation, those. detailed study of the design and sound of musical instruments, their classification according to different system-forming signs.

Who needs music theory?

Above we have already begun to say that music theory is useful to a fairly wide range of people who, one way or another, come into contact with music. In fact, this circle is much wider. But, let's start in order.

Who needs music theory:

1. Professional singers and musicians.
2. Amateur musicians.
3. Cover artists.
4. Members of musical groups.
5. Lovers of singing.
6. Participants in music and vocal competitions.
7. Composers and music writers.
8. Sound producers and sound designers.
9. Sound engineers.
10. Anyone who wants to develop harmoniously.

It has long been known that music develops memory, horizons and fine motor skills of the fingers of those who play at least one musical instrument.

Understanding the basics of music theory always stimulates you to write your own melodies and improvisations, and leads to new thoughts regarding improving playing techniques and performance techniques. I think this is quite a sufficient incentive to enthusiastically take up the study of music theory.

How to master music theory?

In the era of accessibility of almost any information, much of what you previously had to attend a music school or take private lessons can be learned on your own. Modern techniques allow you to do this much faster than in 5-7 years of music school. This is exactly why our course on the basics of music theory was developed.

This course will provide the basics of knowledge to both beginning musicians and those who have already tried their hand at the musical or vocal field and want to develop further. The lessons are designed in such a way that the material is understandable to absolutely everyone, including people who have never previously been interested in the theoretical foundations of music.

Our course is in no way a replacement for professional music education, but it is a very effective first step in mastering music theory. If there is a need for more in-depth knowledge on any topic, you can use the list of additional literature. The list contains additional materials on all topics covered by the course program.

How to take the course?

As mentioned above, the course lessons should be completed sequentially, without skipping any of them and paying attention to the illustrations and explanations of the illustrated material. Pictures visualize those nuances that are difficult to perceive simply by reading the text.

If you don't understand anything, re-read the lesson again. To more reliably consolidate the material in memory, it is recommended to return to the topics that are most difficult for you at the end of the course. Once you have mastered the material as a whole, it will be easier to understand the role of the various components of the course.