Music Theory: A Thorough and Fast-Paced Review of Theory I, II, III, and IV

© 2023 C. Floyd Richmond, published by musictheory.tech

Available for educational use by students and teachers at no cost as described here.   (Terms)

Derivative versions are allowed as described here.   (Terms)

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This book provides a fast-paced review of music theory from the fundamentals of diatonic harmony through advanced chromatic harmony and into post-tonal and contemporary music including jazz and popular music.

The videos below entitled "A Music Theory Minute" explain concepts from the book and correlate with each section.

The section below entitled "Theory Practice Activities" contains practice and assessment activities from musictheory.net, teoria.com, rhythmrandomizer.com, and floydrichmond.com/usetech/musicalflashcards/ which correlate with the book.

The book is free for use in educational settings as long as all terms and conditions found on the first page are observed. All versions must be free, copyright notices may not be removed, terms of distribution may not be changed, etc. See the book for more details.

Additional music theory resources are found further below.
This YouTube video has a fast-paced review of the most basic fundamentals of music:  Music Theory in 16 Minutes

A Music Theory Minute
by Floyd Richmond
A review of essential topics in music theory which correlate with the book.
These videos review theory from the most basic to advanced concepts.


Theory Practice Activities and Assessments
assembled by Floyd Richmond
Assessment activities of essential topics in music theory which correlate with the book.

The following activities are from musictheory.net, teoria.com, https://www.rhythmrandomizer.com/, and Floyd Richmond UseTech Musical FlashCards
Follow these instructions to save your score.

To complete musictheory.net activities, click the link shown.
  • Click the start challenge
  • When done answering questions, you’ll get a score report.
  • On that report, click the view report
  • Type your name and click the sign report
  • Copy the link and submit it to your teacher to record your grade.
To complete teoria.com activities, click the link shown.
  • Click the link shown. Sign-in. Answer questions.
  • Click End and See Score. Screen capture the score and submit to your teacher.
  • (If you don’t have an account, Go to this page. Enter your email. Click I don't have a password. Create account.)
To complete rhythmrandomizer.com activities, click the link shown.
Have a friend grade you as shown and submit your grade to your teacher.

To complete UseTech Musical FlashCards activities, click the link shown.
Complete the on-screen activity and print/save the score report. Submit your grade to your teacher.

Notes, Staves, Clefs
musictheory.net
Identify 10 notes on the treble clef.
Identify 10 notes on the bass clef.
Identify 10 notes on the alto clef.
Identify 10 notes on the tenor clef.
Identify 10 notes on a keyboard.
Identify 20 notes on the treble, bass, alto and tenor clefs with ledger lines.
Place 10 notes on the treble clef staff.
Place 10 notes on the bass clef staff.
Place 10 notes on the alto clef staff.
Place 10 notes on the tenor clef staff.
Place 10 notes on a keyboard.
Place 20 notes on the treble, bass, alto and tenor clefs with ledger lines
Notes, Staves, Clefs
https://www.floydrichmond.com/usetech/musicalflashcards/
Identify 13 notes on the treble clef.
Identify 13 notes on the bass clef.
Identify 13 notes on the alto clef.
Identify 13 notes on the tenor clef.
Rhythms
https://www.rhythmrandomizer.com/
Click the link below. Click New Rhythm. Click Start Playback. Clap the rhythm. Have a friend grade you: (1 error = A, 2 = B, 3 = C, etc.). If you do multiple problems, times that number of problems (example – do 5 problems A= 5 or less = 8, 10 or less = B, etc.) Submit your grade to your teacher. All problems have a 4 beat count-off.
Level 1 – 4/4 (Q, QR, EE, E.S) Q=96 (2 bars)
Level 2 – 4/4 (Add: SSSS, SSE, ESS, SES, TTT) Q=88 (2 bars)
Level 3 – 4/4 (Add: Dotted Note Combinations) Q = 88 (2 bars)
Level 4 – 4/4 (Add: Eight Rest Combinations and EQE) Q = 80 (2 bars)
Level 5 – 4/4 (Add: Quarter and eighth tuplets) Q = 80 (2 bars)
Level 6 – 4/4 (Most everything reasonable) Q = 80 (4 bars)
Level 7 – 6/8 (Basic 6/8 rhythms) Q = 88 (4 bars)
Level 8 – 6/8 (Add: SE combinations) Q = 72 (4 bars)
Level 9 – 6/8 (Add duplets and other SE combinations) Q = 72 (4 bars)
Level 10 – 6/8 (Most everything reasonable) Q = 72 (4 bars)
Key Signatures
musictheory.net
Identify 10 - major key signatures.
Identify 15 - number of sharps and flats - major.
Identify 10 – minor key signatures
Identify 15 – number of sharps and flats – minor
Identify 15 – major or minor key signatures
Identify 15 – number of sharps and flats – major or minor
Key Signatures
https://www.floydrichmond.com/usetech/musicalflashcards/
Identify 15 - major key signatures.
Identify 15 – minor key signatures
Identify 30 – major and minor key signatures
Key Signatures
teoria.com
Identify 15 major key signatures
Identify 15 major and minor key signatures
Scales
musictheory.net
Identify 10 Mm scales.
Identify 10 modes
Listen and identify 10 Mm scales.
Listen and identify 10 modes.
Construct 10 Mm scales
Construct 10 modes.
Intervals
musictheory.net
(Intervals – No Quality)
Major and Perfect Intervals
Maj, Min, Dim, Aug
Identify 15
Identify 15
Identify 15
Construct 10
Construct 10 Staff
Construct 10 Staff

Identify 10 Keyboard
Identify 10 Keyboard

Listen and identify 10 Staff
Listen and identify 10 Staff
Chords
musictheory.net
Identify 10 Chords Mm°+
Listen and Identify 10 Mm°+
Build 10 Chords Mm°+
with inversions
with inversions
with inversions
Seventh Chords
musictheory.net
Identify 10 Seventh Chords, with inversions
Listen and Identify 10, with inversions
Build 10 Chords, with inversions

Only M7, Mm7, m7
Only Æ7, °7

Check out these additional sites of interest:

Theory Practice Sites
At musictheory.net, you can find tutorials
and practice quizzes on numerous topics in diatonic and chromatic theory.
There are also ear training activities.

At teoria.com, you can find tutorials and
practice quizzes on numerous topics in diatonic and chromatic theory.
There are also ear training activities.

Information from Zvony Nagy and Sam Zerin

Flip Grid
This allows a teacher to post a written prompt, and then students upload video
responses. You can set a time limit on the responses, so that the video cuts
off after, say, 2 minutes. But the really great thing about FlipGrid is that it
turns your classroom into a social network: students can watch, like, AND REPLY
to their classmates' videos, and since it's all video-based, students actually
see each other. In my own classroom teaching, I've used FlipGrid in lieu of
weekly response papers, but I could also see it being used more frequently, in
real-time, during an online class.

Noteflight.com
This is a free online music notation tool. Teachers can pay for an educator
subscription, which allows you to create music theory assignments, assign them
to your students, view their completed work, offer feedback by editing their
work in a different color, and more. With the teacher subscription, all of your
students get a free premium subscription to the website, so that they can
create unlimited scores with any of dozens of musical instruments. The teacher
subscription also comes with a library of pre-existing worksheets and
assignments, in case you don't have time to create your own.

Trainer.ThetaMusic.com
Online music theory computer games. This is my favorite of the various such
websites, for a number of reasons. First, you can create a teacher studio
account in order to assign games/levels and track your students' progress.
Second, instead of just plunking everything out on a piano, it uses a wide
variety of instrumental timbres AND ensembles, often using musical examples
that actually sound like real music. Third, there are tons of engaging and educational games
to choose from, organized by skill/topic.

YouTube channels -- there are so many of them, but if you're new to this, I
would recommend that you browse through the following very well-done and
popular channels. You can assign some of these videos to your students as
homework, watch them during class to spark discussion, ask your students to
create their own response videos, etc:

  • Nahre Sol (musical genre studies, from Chopin to funk)
  • Dr. Sekula (lectures covering Music Theory I, II, and III)
  • MusicTheoryStudio (brief lectures on atonal music theory)
  • Early Music Sources (medieval and Renaissance music history/theory)
  • Aural Skills Guru and Ear Training/Gehörbildung (ear training exercises)
  • PianoTV (lessons on how to play the piano)
  • Rick Beato (jazz theory and film orchestration)
  • 8-Bit Music Theory (video game music)
  • Adam Neely (assorted concepts in music history/theory)
  • 12-tone (assorted concepts in music history/theory)
  • Sideways (film music)

Blogs and Podcasts -- similarly, there are many blogs and podcasts that can be
helpful. Here are just a few; again, as with YouTube, e-mail me if you'd like
more specific recommendations:


  • Dissect Podcast (analyzing rap lyrics)
  • Composer Code (interviews with anyone involved in creating video game music, from composers to producers)
  • ForScore (interviews with Disney composers)
  • Song Appeal (intersection of music theory and music psychology)

Kind regards from Rhode Island,

Sam Zerin

P.S.
I’d recommend checking out Artusi’s excellent theory software.
For more info, go to https://www.artusi.xyz/

Other Resources by Floyd Richmond>
Free Saxophone Fingering Program
Javascript Quiz Templates - for those wising to create their own interactive online materials.


©2023, C. Floyd Richmond, All Rights Reserved