The Great Scores Guide to Music in General

On these pages you will find information and many downloads that are designed to help with your understanding of music and theory of music in general. You will also find:

  • Our Great Scores Guide to How Music Works: this guide looks at all aspects of what is so dauntingly called theory, i.e. chords, scale structure, rhythm, time signatures, harmony, etc. It is designed to empower, not frighten you.

    • Our guide is different from others, as we take a very fresh look at how and why music actually works. We don't just present you with the theory, but explain it from a fresh angle, and show how you can use that knowledge in your own playing, writing or transcribing of music.

    This guide assumes basic knowledge of notation (treble and bass clef, note values). If you want to brush up on this first, there is a guide in preparation which explains the absolute basics of music.

The Great Scores Guide to How Music Works

Part One
Chapter One: Why are the black keys missing
Chapter Two: Putting notes together - intervals and chords
Chapter Three: Semitones
Great Scores Guide to How Music Works Part 1
 US$3.99 Sample
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Part Two
Chapter Four: How to build a major scale
Chapter Five: The circle of fifths
Chapter Six: Creating chords
Chapter Seven: The interval minefield
Great Scores Guide to How Music Works Part 2
 US$3.99 Sample
 Buy

Future chapters will include:

Time signatures
Putting chords together
How to work out a chord sequence from a record
Why so many famous tunes share the same chord sequences

Future guides will include:

Great Score Guide To Instruments
Great Scores Guide To Composing/Arranging