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Music Theory

Understand the building blocks of music — notation, harmony, and rhythm

No reviews yet20hFlexibleAll Levels
$50 USD/hr
20h of instructionFlexible formatAll Levels

What you’ll learn

  • Read and write standard music notation
  • Understand scales, key signatures, and intervals
  • Learn the basics of chords and harmony
  • Apply music theory to your own playing or composition

    • About this course

    This all levels music & instruments course offers 20 hours of instruction. By the end, you'll be able to read and write standard music notation; understand scales, key signatures, and intervals; learn the basics of chords and harmony; apply music theory to your own playing or composition. Every course on TutorA is reviewed by our team before it's published, and every request is matched by a person — not an open marketplace where anyone can pitch you.

    Structured to work for both newcomers and learners with prior experience in music & instruments.

    What this course covers

    • intervals, scales, and chord construction basics
    • harmony and voice leading judgment
    • ear training: identifying intervals and chords by ear
    • ABRSM theory grades: figured bass, four-part harmony

    Music theory tends to feel abstract right up until it's applied to something you're actually playing or writing, which is why a lot of self-taught study stalls out around the point where intervals and key signatures start piling up without an obvious use. The core vocabulary, intervals, scale construction across major and the various minor forms, and how chords are built from stacking thirds, is fairly mechanical and can genuinely be learned from a book or website.

    Where a tutor tends to add the most is in showing how that vocabulary explains something you're already hearing: why a particular chord change in a song you like sounds surprising, or why a cadence at the end of a phrase feels resolved and another one doesn't. Harmony and voice leading, how chords move from one to the next in ways that sound smooth versus abrupt, is usually where theory starts requiring real judgment rather than just correct answers, and that's easier to develop through discussion and example than through worksheets alone.

    Ear training is a parallel track that's often underweighted in self-study: being able to identify an interval or chord quality by ear, not just name it on paper, is a separate skill from written theory and one a tutor can drill directly by playing and asking you to identify what you're hearing. For students working toward a specific exam board's theory requirements, ABRSM theory grades are a common reference point, sessions can be structured around that syllabus's specific expectations, including things like figured bass or four-part harmony writing that vary by board.

    Why a TutorA tutor

    Music theory has decent free coverage online — YouTube explainers, dedicated theory sites, and structured Coursera courses. They're fine for learning the rules in isolation, but applying theory to your own playing or composition is where a fixed course tends to fall short. A TutorA music theory tutor works with you live, 1:1, connecting concepts to the instrument or music you're actually working on. Every tutor is reviewed before being matched, with pricing shown before you book.

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    Music Theory tutoring FAQ

    Not necessarily — let your tutor know your background and goals, whether you're a beginner or want to apply theory to an instrument you already play.

    Yes — live 1:1 sessions can be matched to your actual playing or composing rather than generic theory exercises.

    Yes — sessions can be matched to a specific curriculum or exam you're studying for.

    Those sites offer fixed, generic exercises; a tutor connects theory concepts to your specific questions and musical goals.

    No — TutorA courses are live tutoring, not self-paced video lessons, so there's no certificate of completion.

    Both, generally — ear training, identifying intervals, chords, and progressions by listening, is treated as a separate but related skill from written theory, and a tutor can work on it directly during sessions rather than leaving it to self-study. This kind of live judgment call is hard to get right from written guidance alone.

    Yes — mention that you're interested in applying theory to your own writing when requesting a tutor, since sessions can lean toward composition and harmony rather than purely analytical exercises focused on identifying existing pieces. This kind of live judgment call is hard to get right from written guidance alone.