Jake Lizzio

The WORST Part of Music Theory, Made Easy! (Patreon)

Published:

2024-08-27 15:37:59

Imported:

2026-06

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Content

I love music theory because once you learn a concept, you can immediately start writing music with it. That can help you get out of a rut a

I love music theory because once you learn a concept, you can immediately start writing music with it. That can help you get out of a rut as a songwriter or improvisor, and can also help you appreciate music when you hear it as you recognize those concepts in the wild.

Sadly, the most efficient way to absorb all of those concepts is to first learn the arcane syntax from which the entire language of Western theory was crafted. In my opinion, this stuff is not intuitive, and is in fact frustratingly convoluted. If we invented music theory today, than surely it would look and sound different.

Fortunately though you really only need to learn these concepts once! If you learn them correctly, you can figure out intervals all on your own and make much better sense of other concepts where this stuff applies. I'll be the first to admit that I went about learning these exact same names, but never learned their "origin," which led to much enharmonic confusion when discussing advanced topics with other musicians. In retrospect, I really wish I had just sat through a lesson like this early on in my studies.

I know this lesson isn't terribly FUN, so to balance things out, I'll be doing a live composing stream on Thursday night with a focus on compound rhythms. That should hopefully alleviate the anger you feel from having to learn about doubly augmented unisons. Then next week we'll do a live Q+A before the next video comes out (which will be analyzing a section from a specific song).

See you on Thursday! Oh, and please let me know if you find any mistakes in this video. It's unlisted right now but I plan on releasing it to the rest of the world tomorrow, barring any egrigious errors.

Files

Previews only

Explaining Musical Intervals As CLEARLY As I Possibly Can [MUSIC THEORY FUNDAMENTALS]

Read the entire chapter for free here (from the Chord Progression Codex): https://signalsmusicstudio.com/lessons/chapter-2-music-theory-fundamentals/ If you want the printable PDF instead, just ask me over at my Patreon page! www.patreon.com/signalsmusicstudio This lesson is about the absolute fundamentals of western music theory: naming musical intervals. It's not the most exciting topic, I admit, but honestly you'll need to learn most of this stuff at least once. If you do it correctly, it will make your future studies MUCH EASIER and will help you avoid stupid internet arguments about augmented seconds versus minor thirds. I designed this lesson to quickly teach intervals as quickly as possible, so if you're taking classes on the topic (and are regretting your decisions), you'll be able to use this video and the linked chapter as a reference. But also, if you're self taught, just keep in mind this is the kind of stuff they start music students with, so do pity them when you see them! Just note - this is the kind of lesson I feel obligated to make because it's the kind of lesson I wish someone had sat me down and made me watch. But trust me that it's not what I consider to be "fun theory". SORRY! Hope it's helpful regardless. Also note - most everyday musicians won't be aware of the stuff after 6:54, and you probably won't really need to know those things unless you plan on doing some serious academic study into theory or are taking classes on the subject. 00:00 Intro 01:00 Intervals that EVERYONE should know 03:09 Letter Classes and Major/Minor Intervals 05:14 Perfect Intervals 06:54 Diminished and Augmented Intervals 08:47 Rare Intervals 09:55 What You Should Learn Next