Introduction and Getting Started.

What you will learn on this course.
NB: This is not a complete course of music theory. There are web sites available which dedicate themselves to exactly that, so do not expect to follow these lessons and become Andrew Lloyd Weber! What you will be able to do however, is understand basic music theory. After studying these tutorials you will be able to:-

• Name notes from a 12 note chromatic scale.
• Know how these notes relate to the lines and spaces of the two main Clefs (Treble and Bass).
• Understand note length.
• Know what a measure (bar) is.
• Understand time signatures.
• Learn abut basic rhythm.
• Know what leger lines are.
• Learn the composition of the Major and minor Scales.
• Understand intervals
• Understand basic chord theory and it's relationship to Key Signatures.
• And lots more...

Understanding the above will give you a grounding in basic music theory, and will prepare you, should you wish, to continue to a more advanced level (which could one day be a subject within this web site!)

What do you need to start with?
Obviously the first requirement is the want to learn music. Since you are reading this page, it is assumed that this first basic requirement already exists. It would be useful, though not essential, if you have access to a musical instrument (preferably a keyboard of some kind.) Of course everyone has access to a musical instrument at any time - the voice! Many people are unaware that the voice is a musical instrument, but it is the most natural instrument known to man. We all have one and it's always with us, we just need to know how to use it. That bit comes later; first we will learn the basics of written music theory!

System Requirements

• Apple Quicktime player.
• Flash media player.
• Javascript enabled.

Your system and Apple Quicktime player.
First of all we need to establish that your set up can play midi files. If you now click the play button on the Apple player below you should hear a note. Note: Some browsers will, when you hover over the player, tell you to click on the control to activate it. When you have done this the control will function as expected.

Click play button.

If after clicking on the play button you heard nothing you may have to check the following:

• Your hardware can play sounds and that it is configured to do so.
• Your browser can support the Apple quicktime player.
• If you do not have the Quicktime player installed you can download it here.
• Ensure you have the sound turned up loud enough to hear it.
• You will also require the Macromedia Flash player or another player capable of playing flash movies as there are quite a few examples which are demonstrated in a flash movie. Don't worry if you do not have the flash player installed on your machine as the first time you need to use it you will be greeted with a popup box asking if you wish to download it.
• I have tried to ensure that anyone who does not have javascript enabled on their machine will be catered for in other ways, but to get the full benefit of the tutorials you would be better to have javascript enabled and popups allowed in your browser.
• Occasionally when using the internet there can be interruptions which can cause all different sorts of problems, one of which is that a page may not load fully. If at any time you are listening to one of the example pages and the music finishes before it reaches the end, it is worth trying to reload the page again as this is the most likely cause of the problem.

How often should I practice?
How long you decide to spend on a learning session is entirely up to you. I recommend that you find your optimum practice/learning time and stick loosely to that. For most people this will probably be about half an hour on a daily basis, but, that will be different for each individual and will depend on various conditions. For example, if you are unemployed or retired you will probably be able to devote more time to your studies, whereas a person in full employment will obviously have much less time available. It is also important that you do not try to do too much at once. These lessons have been designed as individual studies, and it is important that you understand every aspect of a lesson before moving on to the next one. Some people may be able to study one lesson per day, others only one a week. Since I do not know you or your learning capabilities, then only you will be able to make that decision.

Some final thoughts
A few other things to note before we get down to business: If you feel tired when practicing then cut your lesson time down. You can always take up from where you left off when you re-commence and you will find the learning process more efficient and rewarding. Trying to do too much in one session will only tire and frustrate you, and could even cause you to give up before you have given yourself a 'fair crack of the whip.' However, do try to spend at least a short time daily learning or revising. It is better to do a little often than to try to endure a marathon session.

Okay, lets get down to business and on to Lesson 1