Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom
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A free online textbook covering music theory fundamentals through popular music form.
This open educational resource by Robert Hutchinson covers music theory from basic concepts like pitch and notation through harmonic progression, melodic analysis, and form in popular music. Chapters include major and minor scales, intervals, triads, seventh chords, Roman numeral analysis, cadences, non-chord tones, phrase structures, and accompanimental textures. The book covers verse-chorus form, AABA, ABAC, and 12-bar blues. Each chapter includes practice exercises. The site also hosts homework assignments for self-study.
What commenters are saying
Commenters debated the necessity and optimality of traditional music notation. One camp argued notation is unnecessarily hard and that theory can be learned faster via MIDI editors or interval-based systems. Others defended notation as a dense, two-dimensional 'programming language' that handles time and pitch relationships better than alternatives. Specific corrections noted that the guide linked by one commenter contained inaccuracies and oversimplifications. A commenter noted that historical Byzantine and Indian systems use relative intervals, not absolute pitches. The thread also discussed how the piano's layout and notation both default to C major, making other keys more complex.