Music Theory Resources
Music Theory Resources is your free directory of recommended music theory references. Learn fundamental and core music theory and explore deeper topics like emotion, meaning, and form. Resources include online courses, websites, books, social media, and online interactive tools.
Have fun exploring, and let me know if there’s a topic you’re curious about. I’ll add resources on it to the directory!
Table of Contents
Core Music Theory Resources
(Fundamentals–Core Undergraduate)
Music for the 21st Century Classroom
Free music theory website by Robert Hutchinson Music for the 21st Century Classroom is a free music theory site that
Open Music Theory Version 2
Open Music Theory Version 2 (OMT2) is another free, interactive online text book, the 2nd iteration of Open Music Theory
Music Theory Dot Net
musictheory.net is a completely free and interactive site It has lessons and exercises for learning to read sheet music as
12tone
12tone is an online education channel that covers all sorts of musical topics, like harmony, arranging, and composition. He publishes
Beyond Core Music Theory Resources
(Emotion, Meaning, Form, and More)
Music by Women
Music by Women is a database of music theory examples by women composers in history from antiquity to the present.
Expanding the Music Theory Canon
Expanding the Music Theory Canon is home to musical examples by women and people of color, a historically underrepresented group
Music Theory Examples in Video Game Music
Music Theory Examples in Video Game Music goes from basic music intervals to functional chords, modalities, substitutions, and more. Visit
Musical Interval Examples
Musical interval examples are one of two helpful ways to remember musical intervals: using solfeggio or by remembering them through
Is Music Theory a Science?
Is music theory a science? Many arguments across the internet are, at their roots, arguments about whether music theory is an objective science, or if it is just people’s interpretations of music.
Black Friday Deals for Pianists of All Levels
If you’re looking for Black Friday deals for pianists of any level that are actually relevant to you, you’re in the right place!
8 Passive Income Streams for Musicians
Passive income for musicians has emerged over the last decade as a transformative way for artists to find financial stability
Metric Dissonance and Expression in “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls
“Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls: what makes this song so good? In this post, I explore how the band uses metric dissonance techniques to create an expressive sense of yearning
Sonata Forms
Sonata Forms Charles Rosen Description “Nobody writes better about music …. again and again, unerring insight into just the features
Classical Form: A Theory of Formal Functions for the Instrumental Music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven
Classical Form: A Theory of Formal Functions for the Instrumental Music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven William E. Caplin Description
Elements of Sonata Theory
Elements of Sonata Theory: Norms, Types, and Deformations in the Late-Eighteenth-Century Sonata James HepokoskiWarren Darcy Description Elements of Sonata Theory
On Repeat: How Music Plays the Mind
Description Winner of the Wallace Berry Award, Society for Music TheoryWinner of the Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award, ASCAP What is
2-D Emotion Wheel
A 2-d emotion wheel is a way of categorizing emotions based on their action-tendencies (rest/movement) and their valences (pleasant/unpleasant). Music
Sweet Anticipation: Music and the Psychology of Expectation
Sweet Anticipation: Music and the Psychology of Expectation David Huron Description The psychological theory of expectation that David Huron proposes
r/MusicTheory
r/MusicTheory is a subreddit (forum community) on Reddit dedicated to Music Theory discussions r/MusicTheory is a subreddit (community forum) dedicated
Sideways
Sideways is a music analysis Youtube channel, focused mostly on film music. If you love film music and want to
12tone
12tone is an online education channel that covers all sorts of musical topics, like harmony, arranging, and composition. He publishes
Adam Neely
Adam Neely is an American YouTuber, bassist, and composer. His YouTube channel is described as containing “music theory, music cognition, jazz improvisation, musical performance
