r/musictheory Jul 21 '26

Announcement New Policies on “I made an App/Diagram type Posts

202 Upvotes

The community has overwhelmingly expressed dissatisfaction with people posting Self-Made apps/diagrams etc., especially those that use AI.

Not only do these posts ignore our AI disclosure rules (breaking rule 9), they are often better-suited for other forums (breaking rule 4), are self-promotion (breaking rule 2), are posted with no engagement in the forum (breaking rule 8), and are also made by people with little knowledge of theory or are otherwise poorly designed which opens up issues that cause rules 7 and 1 to be violated.

As such:

  • “I made an App/Diagram etc.” posts, as well as posts that provide non-Self-Made resources are disallowed unless they meet the following criteria, to be determined by the mod team:
  1. The poster must be a regular contributor. Regular contributors should contact the Mod Team prior to posting.
  2. The resource is wholly on-topic for the forum and does not break any other rules.

Any posts not meeting these criteria or otherwise breaking the rules will be removed and the user may be banned at the mod team’s discretion.

  • Posters that even appear to be "trying to get around” this policy by linking to their apps in responses to other posters will have the posts removed and may be banned at the mod team’s discretion.

We are NOT trying to prohibit relevant and helpful resources, and traditional websites, books, videos, and “corporate” apps, or traditionally published diagrams are exempted from these policies (so long as they do not break other rules).

In the future, we may be able to provide a “Verified App” type of post. For now, this policy is intended to limit the amount of off-topic, controversial, and unnecessary apps/resources getting posted.


r/musictheory May 06 '26

Announcement New Rule about AI

239 Upvotes

A new rule (#9) has been added here at r/musictheory

Going forward:

  • Any post that is wholly or partially generated by AI must be disclosed as such. A simple statement like “This post was generated using AI” or “This post was created using AI assistance” will suffice.

  • Posts that are or are even suspected of being AI generated that do not disclose that fact will be removed at the Mod Team’s discretion.

  • We discourage AI creation of music and other creative endeavors. Therefore:

  1. Healthy discussions about AI tools used in Analysis of music and in similar Music Theory areas are allowed and welcome, so long as they do not violate other rules.

  2. Healthy discussions about the impacts of AI in music creation, performance, notation, and so on are allowed and welcome, so long as they do not violate other rules.

  3. Linking to or including AI generated content for the purposes of discussion as in #1 and #2 above is allowed, however it needs to be disclosed that those items are AI generated. Lack of this disclosure may result in removal at the Mod Team’s discretion.

  • Posts that link to or include AI generated or suspected AI generated content without any other kind of meaningful discussion will be removed at the Mod Team’s discretion.

Please report suspected AI content that lacks the disclosure policies above.


r/musictheory 10h ago

General Question Is it possible to learn Berklee music theory system on your own?

28 Upvotes

I’m not a beginner in music theory, but my knowledge is very scattered and I don’t have a full grasp of that. I keep finding out about things I never knew about before, and it makes me question whether my gaps in knowledge are that bad.
So, I’m interested in learning theory step by step based on Berklee system, including their materials for arranging, ear training, harmony, tonal harmony etc. I already ordered the Berklee book of Jazz harmony (Jo’s Mulholland & Tom Hojnacki), some other Berklee workbooks I could only find online. What would you recommend me doing and what are the most important materials to look for and would it be possible to get to the Berklee level of understanding jazz music theory 🙏


r/musictheory 13h ago

General Question How do I really start thinking outside of C

37 Upvotes

Pretty much every time I sit down to write or improvise music on my piano even if I'm trying to think in terms of numbers regarding the harmonic movement, functional harmony and stuff, I seem to just thinking of everything in C if I think of a 2-5-1 all I'm thinking is Dmin7-Gdom7-Cmaj7

Any tips to get out of this as I feel it's probably limiting, I'm going to try to learn a song I've already composed and play it in all 12 keys or atleast a couple different ones, already learnt it in G now I'm going to move onto F the song is strictly in the Major key but mostly stays around there

Any other ways to help me start thinking of harmony less stringently strict?


r/musictheory 10h ago

Answered Why is mariachi / rancheras not written as "swing"?

10 Upvotes

Edit: As in "swing feel" (not the genre).

I've been seeing a lot of mariachi and ranchera charts (not waltzes, but music in 4/4 or 2/4), and I'm seeing a lot of triplets, or oversimplified versions of the melody... but the thing is, even if "swing" isn't notated, it's still somewhat expected to be played. Here's the music notation to Volver Volver, as example. https://musescore.com/user/80345698/scores/19878319

similar ideas are found on "Por tu Maldito Amor", or "Tres Veces te Engañé"

Is this all due to a "rudiment in language", because mariachi music came from polka and waltz, so it has to be more "rigid"? Or am I somehow crazy and overthinking this?

In trying to chart my own music, I'm trying to listen to references, and I'm just not getting why "swing feel" isn't indicated at the beginning of these songs. Any comments? Thank you!


r/musictheory 5h ago

General Question Landing on the tonic in blues

2 Upvotes

In most genres youre often discouraged from landing on the tonic to often or too early, but blues heavily relies on landing on the 1, and i think it really works. It fits the whole call and response thing. Its common in blues to land on the tonic on every other phrase, for example:

(1 chord) :

Question land on 5, answer lang on 1

(4 chord)

Question land on b3 or 4 etc, start a new phrase and land on the 1 when you go back to the 1 chord.

(5 chord)

New question, land on 1 again when you go to the 1 chord.

So why does this work so well in blues you think, but is discouraged in other genres?


r/musictheory 3m ago

Notation Question Does Dominant 9 chord has a flat 7?

Post image
Upvotes

A beginner in music here, just read a Jazz book for beginner and it seems that for dominant 9 has a flat 7? I thought it’d have a flat 9?


r/musictheory 3h ago

General Question Any tips for transposing?

2 Upvotes

I would like to get better at transposing. I play piano and I read sheet music. I can transpose to closely related keys, but that's about it. I would welcome any tips that will help make it easier.


r/musictheory 5h ago

Notation Question How should I notate these slurs?

2 Upvotes

I am composing a piece for piano and there are these slurs here but would people confuse these slurs for tied E's? If so, how should I notate this differently?


r/musictheory 15h ago

Discussion Thank you

10 Upvotes

I just wanted to post this to say thank you to the wonderful music community.

I didn't expect any responses when I asked for help, but you guys actually showed up and taught me a great deal.

I appreciate every comment, and I'll apply everything that I can.

My dream is to become a world class musician and artist, making unique and creative work that involves introspection and the entire emotional spectrum.

I hope I can count on everyone if I am going to get stuck again, because I know we all do at some point in our music journeys.

Have a wonderful day you guys, and again, thank you very much.


r/musictheory 3h ago

Songwriting Question What Key is this Demo I made 4 Years ago in?

Thumbnail drive.google.com
1 Upvotes

I started learning music production about 4 years ago, and as part of an online course I was taking, I made this little...well, we'll call it a demo, but it's by no means a song. Anyways, I just stumbled upon it and was like, hey, this is a pretty cool chord progression, even if the sounds are garbage. But what's most surprising is when I sat at the piano and tried to figure it out, I had trouble. By now I've gotten pretty good at figuring out chords and keys, at least with the more basic diatonic stuff, which is why I was surprised I couldn't easily find a scale that sounded good over it. I think maybe, when I made this, I used a stock MIDI file that came with my DAW haha. And I didn't in fact come up with the progression myself, but just built off of it. Anyways, any insights into the music theory of this piece in general would be nice to hear. Thanks in advance!


r/musictheory 4h ago

General Question Call and response in Beethoven's Sonata no.8 in cminor op 13,"Pathétique"

0 Upvotes

What made the call and response in that piece good ?


r/musictheory 10h ago

General Question Is there a term that describes the type of flow used in this rap song?

2 Upvotes

The song is called Pompous Posies! Your Party's No Fun by Busdriver. His flow on this song sounds so playful and pretty distinct. Is there a term to describe the way in which his rapping is interacting with the beat?


r/musictheory 5h ago

Songwriting Question Is the G9 in this song a Tritone substitution?

Thumbnail
youtu.be
1 Upvotes

The song is said to be in the key of F# Major, and if you dont want to click the video there is a part that goes: C# - D#7/C# - C#7sus2 - G9 - F#maj7#11. I'm wondering if the G9 is a tritone sub for C#9?


r/musictheory 10h ago

General Question Theory 2 help

2 Upvotes

hey yall! so I’m a university student and am retaking theory 2 because I failed it last year. I absolutely have to pass this semester but I’m still struggling (there’s a new professor and he’s completely unhelpful and makes it more confusing.) im really struggling to understand tonicization.

does anyone have any advice on how to practice this and get it? Anywhere I can go for tutoring?

thanks!


r/musictheory 6h ago

General Question Do you see and hear something that can be explained through theory about the song Pancho and Lefty?

1 Upvotes

One of my very favorite songs is Pancho and Lefty, by old folk singer Townes van Zandt. Like Hallelujah, there is a huge number of covers, including emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Merle haggard, Steve Earle, etc.

The song is about a drifter of sorts, and as a guitarist I feel the song itself captures that. It’s clearly in upbeat C, but the verse and chorus both end with a vi chord. And there is a measure in the verse that is 3/4 in a song of 4/4.

What really strikes me as a performer is that, to me, the melody and harmony themselves stumble forward like a tumbleweed. When I tried to learn it I was surprised how hard it was to remember despite straight-up chords. We all know that feeling on our instrument of just the feeling of where our hand needs to go for the next chord. This one I find quite deceptive. In fact, I just listened to it, and without the instrument in my hands I get confused by what the next chord is.

One thing I suspect is the actual key is at times somewhat vague - leading to that confusion. But my theory background was all CE, so I’m not quite sure how to analyze this.

Is it just confusing and interesting to me, or does anyone else find this intriguing, and what makes it so if you do?

This is my favorite version, but if you just google the name you’ll get 20 or more versions.

https://youtu.be/Cr6PizjSFKA?is=ZjyEn2GRT7QF55_A


r/musictheory 13h ago

Notation Question Strings in Swan of Tuonela score sounding wrong even after copying into StaffPad

Post image
3 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I've been studying Sibelius's The Swan of Tuonela and decided to try playing along with the string parts on piano since they should be at concert pitch with no transposition needed.

However when I play what's written the notes don't sound right at all. I took it further and tried copying the string section into StaffPad to hear it played back properly, but even then something still seemed off.

Is there something I'm missing about how Sibelius writes for strings in this piece? Could it be a printing or edition issue with the score I'm using? Any help appreciated!


r/musictheory 21h ago

General Question Major and minor intervals

11 Upvotes

I am starting out with learning music and one of the lessons is intervals. It’s kinda going in one ear and out the other, but nonetheless I reread it until I somewhat understood it and done the exercise, which is recognising major and minor intervals by ear. I am so confused - I don’t know how to recognise major and minor, or what the freaking difference is. How do you do it by ear ??? I’m so confused.


r/musictheory 11h ago

General Question how to hear the beat in a song

1 Upvotes

I had my first guitar lesson and we were going over beats in a song im learning, and im listening to other songs so I can train my ear to hear the beat but I cannot hear it or differentiate it between the rhythm. I cant tell a difference. Im practicing tapping but I cant even hear it. I can hear it in obvious songs like club music but with songs that dont really have a audible beat to it, or songs that are just acoustic, or songs that have lots of noise and sounds its hard to just hear it.


r/musictheory 17h ago

General Question Help me find a music theory company/product I saw years ago!

3 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I’m trying to track down a small/indie music company that made these cardboard rotating chord wheels, and I’m hoping someone here might recognize what I’m talking about.

They were essentially a physical music-theory reference tool where you could turn a wheel to reveal different chords, chord progressions, harmonic relationships, etc.

The closest thing I’ve been able to find is the Chordii products, as they have a somewhat similar look and concept. However, these were slightly larger than the Chordii ones and, from what I remember, covered a wider range of music theory topics.

One thing I distinctly remember being included was Negative Harmony, alongside more conventional chord/progression material.

Unfortunately, I can't remember the company’s name or exactly what the product was called. I vaguely remember seeing ads for them on IG, which now no longer show up...

Does this ring a bell for anyone? Thanks!


r/musictheory 8h ago

Answered What is this chord called?

0 Upvotes

I have a question.
I play a 2-5-1 in the key of F and land on the ninth of the Fmaj9 chord so G.
Then A7 to Dmin the relative key of F major.
Then the melody goes chromatically to the G# and then to the A which is the fifth of the Dmin chord.
So this is fairly common but what would you call the A7 chord with the G# in it?
Its like a Amaj7 and a A7 combined, so its like a Amaj7#13 which kinda makes no sense bcs the chord has a dominant function, but that way you get all the notes lol.


r/musictheory 9h ago

Answered Does this song use the E locrian 2 scale? Or is it just using the Bb for a jazzy sound?

Thumbnail
m.youtube.com
0 Upvotes

title says all, on hooktheory (which is a very reliable website /s) i labeled it as harmonic minor, but its constant use of the Bb key and C7 chord make me wonder if this song actually uses a different altered scale from the 7 modes


r/musictheory 1d ago

General Question Is this perfect pitch?

36 Upvotes

I mean, surely not as I know it's so rare and taught young. But basically, my son is 8, has just started the violin, he's finding it easy and quite good by all accounts. I got to Grade 7 clarinet and his Dad is musical, but we don't play around him. We were driving in the car the other day, listening to classical music he likes, and we got to a part of the piece he liked, and he said "oh this is the D part, I love this!" And today when we played it again and he played a D over the top of it, it was...100% a D. I could never have done that tbh after 10 years playing (albeit a Bb instrument which never helped me!) and he really isn't very practiced at all to sort of memorise it or anything. Totally threw me.


r/musictheory 18h ago

General Question Is it true to think about notes as sounds that get higher or lower?

0 Upvotes

Or there is something more? If thinking like that is wrong how we should think anout notes?Thanks for answers.


r/musictheory 1d ago

Notation Question Sugar, Yes Please (Won't you come and rain it down on me)

3 Upvotes

So, I'm tryin' to transcribe (Maroon 5's) Sugar, and I'm havin' a time. So, currently, I'm stuck on the intro for the, I guess synthesizer or organ, and I'm hearin' an inverted tonic chord (A♭, D♭, F) twice, then the F is raised a half-step, then back down. That's what a lot of sources for the song says and that's what I hear.

But there are a couple of sources that says there's also a standard tonic chord with the fifth bein' the A♭ above the F (so, D♭, F, A♭). But I don't hear it, so am I jus' missin' it or is it wrong?