Intro to Music Theory

Music theory might sound like a fancy term, but it’s really just the rules and patterns that make music work. Think of it like the secret sauce behind your favorite songs. It’s all about understanding why certain notes sound good together and how rhythms can make you want to dance or chill out. Just like learning the basics of a language helps you communicate better, knowing a bit of music theory can help you make sense of what you’re hearing and even create your own tunes.

Picture your favorite song. Ever wondered why it makes you feel a certain way or why you can’t get that melody out of your head? That’s music theory in action. It’s about things like chords, scales, and rhythms that musicians use to craft those amazing sounds. When you start to recognize these elements, you’ll see why some songs just click and others don’t. Plus, it can make listening to music even more fun because you’ll start noticing the cool tricks your favorite artists use.

Intro Video#

The following video is a 1/2 hour intro by Andrew Huang. It covers all of the basics, and is a good visual introduction.

Further Learning#

• Ableton has a website dedicated to learning music theory - check out https://learningmusic.ableton.com.
  • It is interactive, and serves as a great step-by-step guide for everything.
• EDMProd has an excellent article that covers a whole swag of concepts
  • Worth a watch: 6 Types of Chords (YouTube)
  • Worth a watch: 10 Ways to Write Better Melodies (YouTube)
  • Worth a watch: 9 Killer Tips for Writing Better Bass Lines (YouTube)
    • Tip 1. Add some rhythm to your bass notes.
    • Tip 2. Add Syncopation (means, set your some of your note offbeat)
    • Tip 3. Play notes other than the root.
    • Tip 4. Add octave jump to you bass line
    • Tip 5. Rhythm and Timing (Move your notes a little to add some movements)
    • Tip 6. Amp + Filter envelope. ( Change Amp and filter envelope knobs to get some interesting effects)
    • Tip 7. Play with note lengths. (combine short and long notes. Don’t do them all same length)
    • Tip 8. Introduce melodic Fills (Like drum fills, but bass fills. Add some fill at the end of your melodic phrase)
    • Tip 9. Variation (instead of just repeat you 2 or 4 bar loop, add some variation on your second half part )