Fundamentals of Music Theory
Ends soon! Keep adding new skills with 10,000+ programs for $239 (usually $399). Save now.
Fundamentals of Music Theory
402,078 already enrolled
Included with
Ask Coursera
1,857 reviews
Recommended experience
1,857 reviews
Recommended experience
Skills you'll gain
Details to know
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
There are 6 modules in this course
This course, revised in 2022, will introduce you to the theory of music, providing you 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, metre and time signatures, phrases and cadences, and basic harmony. This course covers the fundamentals of Western music theory, from the absolute basics to some more advanced concepts. As such, it delivers material for beginners and offers much to experienced musicians alike. Learners can apply for Financial Aid directly with Coursera to assist with the cost of accessing the full course and gaining a certificate for successfully completing the course.
What's included
7 videos10 readings1 assignment
7 videos•Total 50 minutes
- Introduction to Week 1•2 minutes
- Musical Notes•10 minutes
- Octaves•11 minutes
- More on Scales•6 minutes
- Introduction to Chords•9 minutes
- Primary Chords•4 minutes
- Rudiments of Duration Notation•8 minutes
10 readings•Total 67 minutes
- Licence Statement•1 minute
- Music Theory in Critical and Global Context•11 minutes
- Meet the Team•5 minutes
- Introduce yourself•10 minutes
- Musical Notes•5 minutes
- Octaves•5 minutes
- More on Scales•10 minutes
- Introduction to Chords•5 minutes
- Primary Chords•10 minutes
- Rudiments of Duration Notation•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Week 1•30 minutes
What's included
6 videos5 readings1 assignment
6 videos•Total 41 minutes
- Introduction to Week 2•1 minute
- Sharps & Flats•6 minutes
- Keys and Key Signatures•13 minutes
- Minor Keys•10 minutes
- Intervals•6 minutes
- Ledger Lines and Clefs•5 minutes
5 readings•Total 60 minutes
- Sharps and Flats•5 minutes
- Keys and Key Signatures•15 minutes
- Minor Keys and Minor Scales•15 minutes
- Intervals•15 minutes
- Ledger Lines and Clefs•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Week 2•30 minutes
What's included
8 videos6 readings1 assignment
8 videos•Total 33 minutes
- Introduction to Week 3•1 minute
- Musical Time: How We Feel It•6 minutes
- Musical Time: Some Concepts•5 minutes
- Notating Rhythm•4 minutes
- Counting with Subdivisions•3 minutes
- Dots and Ties•3 minutes
- Metre and Time Signatures•10 minutes
- Phrase and Form•3 minutes
6 readings•Total 28 minutes
- Introduction to Musical Time•1 minute
- Notating Rhythm•1 minute
- Counting with Subdivisions•1 minute
- Dots and Ties•5 minutes
- Metre and Time Signatures•10 minutes
- Phrase and Form•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Week 3•30 minutes
What's included
6 videos5 readings1 assignment
6 videos•Total 41 minutes
- Introduction to Week 4•1 minute
- Listening to triads•6 minutes
- Elaborating Key: Triads and Scales•6 minutes
- Building Triads•7 minutes
- Harmonising a Melody•13 minutes
- Seventh Chords•7 minutes
5 readings•Total 15 minutes
- Listening to Triads•5 minutes
- Perfect and Imperfect Cadences•5 minutes
- Building Triads•2 minutes
- Harmonising•1 minute
- Seventh Chords•2 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Week 4•30 minutes
What's included
6 videos5 readings1 assignment
6 videos•Total 33 minutes
- Introduction to Week 5•1 minute
- Chord Inversions•6 minutes
- Cadences•5 minutes
- Chord Names•4 minutes
- Common Chord Progressions•7 minutes
- Modulation•10 minutes
5 readings•Total 50 minutes
- Chord Inversions•10 minutes
- Cadences•10 minutes
- Chord Names•5 minutes
- Common Chord Progressions•15 minutes
- Modulation•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Week 5•30 minutes
What's included
4 readings1 assignment1 peer review
4 readings•Total 55 minutes
- Harmonic Analysis - Bach Prelude in C Major•30 minutes
- Glossary•10 minutes
- Final Exam: Instructions•5 minutes
- Post-Course Survey•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Final Exam (Part 1)•30 minutes
1 peer review•Total 60 minutes
- Final Exam (Part 2)•60 minutes
Instructors
Offered by
Explore more from Music and Art
- Status: Free Trial
Course
- M
Michigan State University
Course
- Status: PreviewC
California Institute of the Arts
Course
- Status: Free TrialB
Berklee
Specialization
Why people choose Coursera for their career
Learner reviews
- 5 stars
71.85%
- 4 stars
17.38%
- 3 stars
4.79%
- 2 stars
3.22%
- 1 star
2.74%
Showing 3 of 1857
Reviewed on Jan 28, 2021
One of the first stepping stones to becoming a skilled musician! Helped me analyse and study music in a broader and better way. Highly recommended for gaining a grasp over the fundamentals.
Reviewed on Apr 24, 2020
I learnt a lot from this course. Not only does it give you a lot of insight into music theory it changes the way you look at music and leads one to appreciate music as a whole more.
Reviewed on Jan 21, 2024
Difficult but very thorough, I feel my understanding of music to much deeper now. I definitely found rereading and rewatching the course material super helpful to complete the course. Thank you!
Frequently asked questions
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
More questions
Financial aid available,
¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.