About this course: After a tremendous response from learners on Coursera, Berklee Online has created a Developing Your Musicianship specialization, and this course is the second course in the series. If you have a basic knowledge of music theory or if you have completed Developing Your Musicianship I, this course will continue to help you understand key musical concepts, enabling you to create and perform contemporary music. Taught by Berklee College of Music professor George W. Russell, Jr., the course includes four lessons that delve into the next level of harmony and ear training. The course will introduce you to new key signatures, including minor tonalities, and how they are constructed. You will train your ear to hear minor intervals and 7th chords. You will learn how to build 7th chords, and how to build common chord progressions. You will also learn the major pentatonic scale and how to construct melodies using this scale. The course culminates with an assignment that asks you to compose and perform an 8-measure composition using popular chord progressions and the Major pentatonic scale. Just like Developing Your Musicianship I, the course is designed to impart the joy of creating music and sharing it with others.

Who is this class for: This course is for learners who wish to develop musical skills and gain a working knowledge of music theory and ear training. This course is designed as the second course in the "Developing Your Musicianship" specialization. We recommend completing Developing Your Musicianship before enrolling in this course.

Created by: Berklee College of Music

Taught by: George W. Russell, Jr., Professor
Harmony/Piano

Basic Info	Course 2 of 4 in the Developing Your Musicianship Specialization
Level	Intermediate
Commitment	4 weeks of study, 3-5 hours a week
Language	English, Subtitles: German
Hardware Req	You'll need a camera or scanner to upload images of your assignments.
How To Pass	Pass all graded assignments to complete the course.
User Ratings	4.9 stars Average User Rating 4.9See what learners said

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Welcome to Musicianship: Chord Charts, Diatonic Chords, and Minor Keys!

Welcome to Musicianship: Chord Charts, Diatonic Chords, and Minor Keys (also known as Developing Your Musicianship II)! Here we will cover all the details about the course and what you'll need to know to get the most out of your course experience.

1 video, 5 readings, 1 practice quiz

Reading: A Note From George
Reading: A Note From Your Teaching Assistant
Reading: Connect with Your Classmates
Practice Quiz: What Are Your Goals?
Reading: Course Resources
Discussion Prompt: Share Your Music Theory Resources
Reading: Earn A Course Certificate

Lesson 1

In this lesson, we will spend a little time reviewing the material from Developing Your Musicianship I. We will learn about the Key of F Major and its related minor key, D minor. We will also practice training our ears to hear minor 2nd and 3rd intervals and major and minor 7th chords.

5 videos, 2 readings

Reading: Lesson 1 Study Guide
Video: F Major and D minor
Video: Intervals and Chords - Part 1
Video: Lesson 1 Ear Training Practice
Video: Write and Practice in the Key of F Major and D minor
Peer Review: Write in the Key of F Major and D minor
Reading: Check Your Work: Write in the Key of F Major and D minor

Graded: Lesson 1

WEEK 2

Lesson 2

In this lesson, we will explore diatonic 7th chords in the key of G major and F major. We will learn four new popular chord progression using diatonic triads. We will continue to train our ears, reviewing the intervals and chords from the previous lesson while adding minor 6th and 7th intervals and the dominant 7th chord.

6 videos, 2 readings

Reading: Lesson 2 Study Guide
Video: Diatonic Triads and 7th Chords in F Major
Video: Popular Chord Progressions Using Diatonic Triads
Discussion Prompt: Popular Progressions
Video: Intervals and Chords - Part 2
Video: Lesson 2 Ear Training Practice
Video: Write and Practice the Popular Progressions
Peer Review: Write the Popular Progressions
Reading: Check Your Work: Write the Popular Progressions

Graded: Lesson 2

WEEK 3

Lesson 3

In this lesson, we will learn about the key of G major. We will play with the popular chord progressions from the last lesson by adding the 7th. We will continue to train our ears, reviewing the intervals and chords from the previous two lessons while adding the tritone and the half diminished (or the minor 7 flat 5) chord.

6 videos, 2 readings

Reading: Lesson 3 Study Guide
Video: The Key of G
Video: Popular Chord Progressions in the Key of G Using 7th Chords
Video: Intervals and Chords - Part 3
Video: Lesson 3 Ear Training Practice
Video: Write and Practice in the Key of G Major and E minor
Peer Review: Write in the Key of G Major and E minor
Reading: Check Your Work: Write in the Key of G Major and E minor

Graded: Lesson 3 Quiz

WEEK 4

Lesson 4

In this final lesson, we will explore the major pentatonic scale. We will also learn how to write a chord chart using the popular chord progressions from this course. We will continue to train our ears, reviewing all of the intervals and chords from the course.

7 videos, 3 readings

Reading: Lesson 4 Study Guide
Video: The Major Pentatonic Scale
Video: Chord Charts
Video: Lesson 4 Ear Training Practice
Video: Compose an 8-Measure Song
Video: Giving and Receiving Feedback
Reading: How to Record Yourself for Your Assignments
Reading: Advancing Your Knowledge and Skill
Video: Congratulations!

Graded: Lesson 4 Quiz

Graded: Compose An 8-Measure Song

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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

Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through the study and practice of contemporary music. For more than half a century, the college has evolved to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. Berklee serves distance learners worldwide through its award-winning online extension school, Berklee Online.

Pricing

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Access to graded materials	Available
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Earn a shareable Course Certificate	Available

Ratings and Reviews

Rated 4.9 out of 5 of 196 ratings

Great, enthusiastic instructor.

Great course. A little more work than the first course in this series, but still pretty comfortable in terms of time committed per week. The final project is fun, and really pulls together a lot of the concepts. Professor George Russell Jr. is fantastic. He's enthusiastic, and describes the material well. Plenty of repeating of material to make sure it sticks. Also, the onscreen visuals (scales, chords where appropriate) are well done.

I've grown so much musically thanks to this course and the professor.. I feel more confident reading sheet music and hearing musicians talk about music, chords, progressions, etc...

As someone getting into music writing and production I would recommend you use MuseScore to write your later note notation, to save time.

I am so grateful with the fantastic course offered by Berklee University. Thanks to Coursera platform for hosted such a great program. I really enjoyed learning with Professor George W. Russell, Jr. who can get the best out of his students, moreover, his actitud contagious the passion about music, and his way for communicate is clear and fresh, that make easy to understand the concepts. Ones again thanks all of you to made this possible.