music theroy tutorials

[nennmichwieduwillst]

i´m looking for good music theroy tutorials. not so basic like what is a scale/progression. a LITTLE bit advanced, with focus on praxis-use, like this a melody and this is the melody in the bridge and they fits together because ???? and stuff like this.

any links?
thx!

[pablorotter]

i´m looking for good music theroy tutorials. not so basic like what is a scale/progression. a LITTLE bit advanced, with focus on praxis-use, like this a melody and this is the melody in the bridge and they fits together because ???? and stuff like this.

any links?
thx!

Music theory and songwriting are unfortunately two different disciplines. Theory is based on the observations of composers from the baroque to the modern era and is a set of "rules" that aren't really rules but are conventions that have become western habits and pleasing to western ears.

Thats with regard to more technicaly aspects, but the basics of scales and modes are based in fact and can be easily learned.

I am perplexed why so many people who are neither professional mix engineers or composers will buy DAW software and think they can make music.

The best way to learn theory IMHO is to take some basic piano lessons cheaply from a college music major (or masters student preferably). The piano is nice to learn theory on because its so visual, you can picture a keyboard in your head for example.

You will also quickly find out how good your ear is. You may have a naturally good ear if you find that you can soon pick out pop melodies or chords on the piano.

I would highly recommend investing in yourself and learn theory the quickest most solid way possible. A good teacher should have you up and running with less than half a dozen lessons at which point a good book can take you the rest of the way as long as you play with the technique you've been taught.

I believe if you jumped into songwriting or theory tutorials without this background you would be wasting your time and not thoroughly relating concepts so that they can become intuitive. You may find you have a great ear and can pick out tunes on piano (or my fave sample based, NI's vienna grand w/overtones)

At this point any theory website should be helpful and you will have the background to know what is BS and what is not.

I'd have to also highly recommend against songwriting books. I bought several thinking to improve my understanding of complex harmony but I didn't find any to be helpful.

A key thing to learn is when in a particular scale or mode, which chords like to go to which other chords. This will allow you to fit pleasing harmonies under your melodies, and give you many options. These tendencies, which seem to be cultural, have been the most helpful thing I learned in four years of university thery, and it was one day and one page in the course book.

I think the best thing for teaching yourself ear training, recognizing and duplicating chords and notes, is to listen to 70s reggae which is mostly using the I-IV-V chords or i-iv-v/V in minor. Not Bob Marley as he was more of singer songwriter, but the classics like abbysinians, any roots reggae. After struggling to transpose complex classical theory this was my approach and how I broke my ear in, providing a major breakthrough.

You could probably find a teacher, tell them what you want, and get access to them very cheaply. If you want to skip technique just tell them exactly what you want to know and just one hour with someone showing you on a piano will help things click.

If you didn't have that background I don't believe any amount of web tutorials could help.

As a teacher I highly recommend this approach, if you are very clear what you need and tell them you don't want to learn fingering for scales but theory you should only need a few lessons at most before you can begin self educating.

Best of luck!

-pAugustus

[3osc]

I agree with everything above. No one is going to be able to tell you how to understand music. Once you have your basic vocabulary, you really need to play music in order to understand it.

That said, here's a tutorial you should go through. Play these, don't just read it. Instrument doesn't matter.

http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/mus ... s-piano-1/

I know it seems like an expensive pain in the ass, but a good teacher is the way to go. Take the time to do it right - the longer you dick around, the less time you spend making music.

[nennmichwieduwillst]

thx guys.
well, i´m with you, that intensiv learning would be the best way. EVRYtime!
for now i prefer stuff like: use the triads in your bassline; sync they with your kick or put they exact not to the kick; use small steps in melodys, try call and response....

the term "quintcircle" is one of the most hated words i have! thats only theory wich has maybe an praxis-relation -EVRYtime! but for now i have my c-major and a-minor (and i know the difference), i know what an inversion and a I IV V I or the axis of awesome kadenz is and thats enough pure "therory" without praxis-relation.

i´m loooking more for how- to- do -songwriting, than for dry musictheory.
if i in near or away future want to write a song in myxolydian or aeolic, with 9thchords - than i came back to pure theroy.

i have found a good teaching-series: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cWZCk4Co-s