In this lesson, we get an overview of the music theory course about to be presented. Daniel Lelchuk, Cello Lead at tonebase, gives us an overview of the course and explains why piano is the fundamental instrument with which to approach concepts of music theory.

In this course overview, Ben Laude sets the stage for an investigation into the remarkable system of tonality, especially music composed in major and minor keys. Using the keyboard as a convenient tool for visualizing tonal relationships, Laude emphasizes the importance of transposition in internalizing the basic concepts of music theory and putting them to practical use.

Whole and half steps are the building blocks of scales, which in turn generate the vast universe of tonal possibilities. In this lesson, Laude reveals the whole and half steps at play in “Happy Birthday” and other famous tunes, before showing the three simplest ways to step across an octave. In studying the chromatic, whole tone, and octatonic scales, Laude brings into relief the special properties of the major scale, the topic of the next lesson.

In this lesson, Daniel Lelchuk teaches us about the chromatic scale fingerings for cello. We also learn about the finger shape and distances the left hand fingers need to properly differentiate between whole and half steps.

In this lesson, we learn about the fingerings for major scales. We also learn how useful it can be to think about intonation in relation to the open strings.

Continue exploring the Major Scale with these further practice tips.

While the major scale has given rise to a rich variety of music, it contains within itself an even greater genetic potential. In this lesson, Ben Laude takes you on a tour of the many colorful modes you can spin out of the major scale, culminating in the rich and complex minor scale.

In this lesson, we explore possibilities of "expressive intonation" via the various minor scales. Unlike the piano, string players have the ability to bend pitches based on the context and phrase, and Lelchuk encourages us to explore these expressive possibilities.

While studying whole and half-step patterns reveals how all major scales are fundamentally similar and transposable, the question remains how all these different scales overlap and interweave. In this lesson, Ben Laude shows how a given major scale shares segments with neighboring major scales. Using “tetrachords” and the principle of enharmonic equivalence, Laude shows you how to circumnavigate the circle of fifths through every major and minor key.

The power of music lies not in individual tones but the distances between them, also known as “intervals.” In this lesson, Ben Laude derives all the intervals between unison and octave from pairs of scale degrees in major and minor, measuring the size of each using chains of whole and half steps. Venturing into the world of ear training, Laude shows how you can begin recognizing intervals in familiar melodies.

In this lesson, we learn about interval and the possibilities of a string instrument when it comes to intervals and their expressive range. What is so moving about a song like Maria from West Side Story? The answer lies in the power of the interval...

Drawing on your knowledge of steps, scales, keys, and intervals, you’re finally ready to begin building chords. In this lesson, Ben Laude shows you how to construct triads, spread them around the keyboard, and extend them into colorful seventh chords. Arriving at the all-important dominant seventh chord, the groundwork is laid for a thorough study of harmony.

Without harmony, the emotional content of music as we know it would be all but lost. In this lesson, Ben Laude shows you how chords can work together using just the diatonic notes of a key to make meaningful progressions. After dissecting the pivotal connection between dominant and tonic, Laude teaches you the most common cadences and basic chord progressions found in music across history and genre.

In this lesson, we learn what is perhaps the most fundamental principle of music theory: that it exists to serve and help us understand great music. Lelchuk explains that music theory does not live in a vacuum, and that we can best utilize the lessons from this course as we look to deepen our relationship with the music we love.