About this course: This course will introduce students to the theory of music, providing them with the skills needed to read and write Western music notation, as well as to understand, analyse, and listen informedly. It will cover material such as pitches and scales, intervals, clefs, rhythm, form, meter, phrases and cadences, and basic harmony. This course covers the fundamentals of Western music theory, from the absolute basics to some more advanced concepts and, as such, is the perfect course for beginners and more experienced musicians alike. Follow us on twitter @musictheorymooc #edmusictheory
Created by: The University of Edinburgh
Taught by: Dr Michael Edwards
Reid School of Music, ECA
Taught by: Dr Zack Moir, Teaching Fellow
Reid School of Music, Edinburgh College of Art
Taught by: Richard Worth
Edinburgh College of Art
Taught by: Dr Nikki Moran
Reid School of Music, ECA
Taught by: Dr John Philip Kitchen, MA BMus PhD FRCO LRAM
Reid School of Music
| Level | Beginner |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Pitches, Scales, Modes and Chords
6 videos, 6 readings
- Reading: Meet the Team
- Video: Musical Notes
- Reading: Musical Notes
- Video: Octaves
- Reading: Octaves
- Video: More on Scales
- Reading: More on Scales
- Video: Introduction to Chords
- Reading: Introduction to Chords
- Video: Primary Chords
- Reading: Primary Chords
Graded: Lecture One
WEEK 2
Keys, Minor Scales, Intervals and Clefs
6 videos, 5 readings
- Video: Sharps & Flats
- Reading: Sharps and Flats
- Video: Keys and Key Signatures
- Reading: Keys and Key Signatures
- Video: Minor Keys
- Reading: Minor Keys
- Video: Intervals
- Reading: Intervals
- Video: Ledger Lines and Clefs
- Reading: Ledger Lines and Clefs
Graded: Lecture Two
WEEK 3
Rhythm and Form
7 videos, 6 readings
- Video: Rhythmic Duration
- Reading: Rhythmic Duration
- Video: Tuplets
- Reading: Tuplets
- Video: Ties & Dots
- Reading: Ties and Dots
- Video: Meter
- Reading: Meter
- Video: Anacrusis, Phrases and Structure
- Reading: Anacrusis, Phrases, and Structure
- Video: Form
- Reading: Form
Graded: Lecture Three
WEEK 4
Harmony 1: Functional Harmony
6 videos, 5 readings
- Video: Listening
- Reading: Listening to Triads and Hearing the Key Note
- Video: Elaborating
- Reading: Elaborating
- Video: Building
- Reading: Building Triads
- Video: Harmonising
- Reading: Harmonising
- Video: Summary
- Reading: Summary
Graded: Lecture Four
WEEK 5
Harmony 2: Inversions, Cadences and Sequences
7 videos, 5 readings
- Video: Chord Inversions
- Reading: Chord Inversions
- Video: Cadence
- Reading: Cadence
- Video: Chord Names
- Reading: Chord Names
- Video: Common
- Reading: Common Chord Progressions
- Video: Modulation
- Video: Modulations II
- Reading: Modulation
Graded: Five
WEEK 6
Final Exam
1 reading
- Reading: Final Exam *** INSTRUCTIONS and link to music ***
Graded: Final Exam (Part 1)
Graded: Final Exam (Part 2)
FAQs
How It Works
Coursework
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
Help from Your Peers
Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.
Certificates
Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.
Creators
The University of Edinburgh
Influencing the world since 1583, The University of Edinburgh is consistently ranked as one of the world's top 50 universities. Today, we are an established and global leader in online learning, providing degree-level education to 3,000 online students in addition to 36,000 students on-campus. We also offer a wide range of free online courses in a variety of subjects. To find out more about studying for one of our online degrees, search for ‘Edinburgh online’ or visit www.ed.ac.uk/studying/online-learning/postgraduate
Ratings and Reviews
Excellent course
It's quite good, and everything that was asked in the exams was explained. But I feel it could have been a lot better if they exaplained everything in a more explicit way. Personally, i learn more when things are shown with examples and several concepts than just with listening about the topic, and I know I'm not the only one who learns that way
TQ
Coursera provides universal access to the world’s best education,
partnering with top universities and organizations to offer courses online.
© 2018 Coursera Inc. All rights reserved.
RC
This has been a really great way for me to learn much of the basics of music theory!
The instructors have made a great job in explaining quite complex ideas in a way that is easy to understand, however some in-depth seeking will be needed from the students as well.