Best online place to learn music theory?

thetrap

New member
Hi all

I have been producing beats (Hip hop + trap). And recently i have been getting very bad 'beat block' so i feel like i need to improve my music theory and would like to to do this asap. I'm looking for some online courses i can take, any reccomendations? I don't mind paying if they are worth it. I really struggle with playing chords and creating melodies. Any reccomendations would be great
thanks
 
Hey there,

First of all. I'd like to throw it out there that I once had a creative block that lasted over 2 years, so you're not alone in getting that feeling sometimes. I eventually overcame it, it just took me letting it go completely so I could come back to it fresh. I do feel bad about "wasting" two years of time, but it's what needed to happen in order for me to get to a place where I can produce consistently now.

There are a number of ways you could learn music theory, but I'm afraid most of them cost money. You can get a private teacher in your area, or hire one that you meet with over Skype. I actually personally do this, I have over ten years of performance and about 7 or 8 years of theory. Admittedly, I haven't taught in a while, but if you're interested, let me know. You can also get a performance teacher, and learn to play that way, and it will help you equally as much as learning theory. You can take some basic courses online, I know, just search "beginner music theory courses". I know Berklee School of Music has many courses, for example, but they cost about $1300 a pop.

The other way would be to buy some textbooks and work through them yourself. Having a small keyboard, even just a MIDI keyboard would help you immensely, with both the beat-making and the theory training. One thing you have to know about this, though, is that it is, for most, painstaking and tedious work that you absolutely despise as you're doing it.

Another method would be to learn by ear, if you have a good ear. If you have a MIDI keyboard, you can listen to songs that you like from YouTube or whatever and learn to play along with the simpler melodies based on what you hear. The more you do this, the more you will be able to recreate or even just knock off melodies with slight variations in order to make new beats. It's not glamorous but it works. You should also know that in order to create more complex beats, you will actually need to train yourself in music theory or even just performance, where you learn your technique (scales, basic melodic movements, etc.)

Good luck, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.
 
I quite like 12 tone's videos, also looking up chord sequences for your favourite songs on ultimate guitar or hooktheory
 
The absolute best resource on the internet for learning music theory is Hooktheory 1 and 2 any other answer is wrong. These 2 cover pretty much everything you need to know in a modern and practical way that other places just don't do, It advanced my knowledge from pretty much nothing to easily being able to borrow chords from other modes and add colour to my progressions in a methodical and easy to understand way. it's like $40 for both but it'll be the best $40 you'll ever spend and you won't have to waste countless hours scouring through badly made guides and amateur videos that don't give you the full picture and aren't easy to understand.
 
Back
Top