You play by ear and want to know why
Your hands know it and your head does not.
Courses
Start with three things you can do today
How to understand music theory using songs you know
Hear why the songs you love work.
A course in music theory for listeners and players who learned by ear. It covers scales, keys, chords and rhythm as things you can hear, how progressions create tension and release, and why certain songs feel the way they do, using music you already know as the examples.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.
Type this when Cadence asks what you want to learn
I want to understand music theory well enough to know why songs work. Explain keys, chords, scales and rhythm through music I already know rather than exercises.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
Start today
Three things you can do before the course exists.
Useful on their own. The course is for when you want the whole skill, not just the first move.
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Find the home note of a song you love
Hum along and notice the note the melody keeps settling on. That is the key, and hearing it is the first piece of theory.
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Learn the four-chord pattern and spot it everywhere
One, five, six, four. Dozens of hits share it. Once you know its sound you will hear it on the radio within a day.
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Count the beats in a bar out loud
Most pop is in four. Count along, feel where the snare falls, and rhythm stops being a mystery.
- Best for
- Art & music
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons, sized to your goal
- Lesson pace
- About 10 minutes a day
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store, with early features and Android testing access
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- Do you play an instrument or sing, or is this for listening?
- What music do you know best, so the examples can come from it?
- What do you most want to understand: chords, keys, rhythm, or how songs are built?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
Theory books lose you on page two
Notation, terms, and no music.
You want to write or understand songs
Why this chord after that one, and what makes a chorus lift.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06Notes and scales
The twelve notes, the major scale, and why it sounds like home.
Keys and the feeling of home
Tonic, tension and resolution.
Building chords
Triads, sevenths, and what colour each adds.
Progressions
The patterns behind a thousand songs.
Rhythm and metre
Beats, bars, groove, and why some rhythms make you move.
Song structure
Verse, chorus, bridge, and why the chorus lifts.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Hear scales and keys
Major, minor and the feeling of home.
Understand chords
How they are built and why they pull toward each other.
Follow a progression
The handful of chord patterns behind most popular music.
Feel rhythm and structure
Beats, bars, and how a song is put together.
Ideas this course corrects
You need to read music to learn theory
Theory is about sound. Notation is one way to write it down, and it can wait.
Theory kills feel
Theory names what feel already knows. Players who know both have more choices.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
How to understand music theory using songs you know: what can I do today?
Find the home note of a song you love. Hum along and notice the note the melody keeps settling on. That is the key, and hearing it is the first piece of theory. Learn the four-chord pattern and spot it everywhere. One, five, six, four. Dozens of hits share it. Once you know its sound you will hear it on the radio within a day. Count the beats in a bar out loud. Most pop is in four. Count along, feel where the snare falls, and rhythm stops being a mystery.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
A course in music theory for listeners and players who learned by ear. It covers scales, keys, chords and rhythm as things you can hear, how progressions create tension and release, and why certain songs feel the way they do, using music you already know as the examples. It sits under Art & music in the Ideas & discovery part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Courses run 7 to 30 lessons of about 10 minutes, sized to what you asked for. One lesson a day is the intended pace, and you can go faster. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
The sentence to type
I want to understand music theory well enough to know why songs work. Explain keys, chords, scales and rhythm through music I already know rather than exercises.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.