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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Getting Started With Music Theory by Michigan State University

4.5
stars
731 ratings

About the Course

This course is a brief introduction to the elements of music theory for those with little or no music theory experience. We will explore pitch, rhythm, meter, notation, scales, keys, key signatures, meter signatures, triads, seventh chords, and basic harmony. If you listen to music or play music by ear, and you want to know more about how music is organized and notated, this course is for you. By the end of the course, you should know all major and minor keys, how to read and write in treble and bass clef using standard meters and rhythmic values, and how to notate and harmonize a simple melody. This course can serve as a stand-alone basic music theory course, or it can be a springboard to more advanced theory and composition courses. Your instructor is Bruce Taggart, Associate Professor of Music Theory at Michigan State University, in the College of Music, where he has taught undergraduate and graduate music theory since 1996....

Top reviews

WV

Aug 20, 2020

Course was quite tough , eventually I had given up on this course, but consistency made me learn and I went through rigorous learning in finding the chords and middle C notes. Yes I made it in the end

CM

Jul 22, 2020

Fantastic lectures and very easy-to-understand, hard to master lessons. This course will leave you with a much deeper understanding of music if you are a beginner to music theory like I am.

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51 - 75 of 269 Reviews for Getting Started With Music Theory

By Layth A M

May 3, 2020

I've learned a lot from this course. I've started out not knowing much about music theory and now I can even read sheet music. I'm a self taught guitarist and I've been playing for more than 12 years now, and I must say that it this course would have been impossible, had I not already known the basics through my over 10 years of practice. I certainly wasn't able to name triads or intervals, but I knew some basic chords and could tell what kind of notes I was playing. All in all, I'd definitely recommend this course to whoever is trying to get started with music theory, though keep in mind, that it requires a lot of work and memorisation.

By Silvia R L

Jun 15, 2020

This course has helped me understand many things about music I always thought were difficult. The way the syllabus is structured is really good to build on previous knowledge. The videos were easy to follow and the amount of information in each of them, as well as the extra material were enough to understand without being overwhelming. I liked the quizzes because they helped me reinforce what I was learning. Many thanks for this course, it was a very enjoyanle experience.

By Mihriye T

Nov 16, 2020

Hello, first of all thank you for preparing such a quality course. I have been trying to play harmonica as an amateur for many years, I have learned and tried to improve it myself, but I have never developed as much as I wanted because my knowledge of music started to be insufficient after a while. But thanks to this course, I improved my knowledge of music and the notes have now become more meaningful to me. Thank you very much for this nice lesson.

By Amanda H

Oct 11, 2022

This course was comprehensive and well-organized, with the many topics all in their proper place, so it never felt like a fire hose of information. Concepts built nicely off one another. The thoughtful placement of exercises was perfect for practicing new concepts.

For an idea of fit, I have played piano for a year. Knew a little about chords, notation, tones. There was plenty of new stuff for me, but it was manageable for my skill level.

By Hariprasad M

Jul 31, 2020

This course has provided me with an excellent background to study music more in-depth. I am grateful to the faculty and Coursera for this opportunity. I will use this knowledge and will try to learn more about music. The exams will test your knowledge and you will need to listen to the class with rapt attention to pass the exams. The last quiz has some problems with its answers, other than that it is a well-structured course.

By Am S

Mar 17, 2021

Great course! But, can be challenging to someone new to music theory. The quizzes and tests require a lot of additional reading and discovery - a process that helped me improve my understanding of music theory (and pass the tests). I plan to watch the videos and lectures again, as I seem to pick up something new each time.

Impressive lecturer who delivers the subject matter very clearly. Thanks you!

By Sally P

Apr 30, 2022

Wow, neither rockbottom, nor totally cryptic, but a highly practical and well explanatory course. To get an all-round view over music theory leading to composition this course is THE ONE to start with. Although it will take more than one re-read and a lot of practice to speed up the process. I finally feel like I understand the language of music fully.

By Li H

Jul 31, 2020

The course is very well-structured. Each week, the knowledge builds on top of the previous week's learnt information, forcing learners to revise and make use of what was previously taught. This helps reinforce concepts and hastens memorisation. At the same time, there are many quizzes, which aids practice and puts our new knowledge to the test.

By Bobby S

Apr 25, 2020

Amazing course, but very difficult to follow at times! I learned a lot and now have a better understanding on how triads, chords, and lead sheets work. However, if you are a true beginner like me, you definitely need to watch the videos several times to understand certain concepts. Music theory is not easy at all.

By Ariadne T

Apr 25, 2021

Very complete course about the base of music theory. It's also very hard and complex, so I recommend it for those who have time and will to finnish it. As a brazilian, I had some difficulties with the language and different musical terms, but if you have an advance english, I truly recommend it

By Aneesh A

May 26, 2020

A very good and challenging course to get started with music theory. It might get a little tough for someone who doesn't have a musical background. However, both the course contents and the instructor are great for anyone who wants to understand the basics of musical notation and theory.

By Anh G

Mar 15, 2021

Our professor is great. His voice goes straight to my head. Everything is clear. You just need some math-thinking and finish it. Although I'm not from a musical school, I still want to know more about music. And this course help me so much. Thank you!

By Farah K K

May 7, 2020

I loved every bit of this course, it's very challenging and puts one to really learn about music theory. I never thought I'd cover that much info in such little time! It's a great start, and I'll definitely keep on going.

Thank you so much for that!

By Praveenson

May 19, 2020

It's really a fascinating course on music and I appreciate the way the lecturer taught the lessons so simply, and the assignments were so helpful and I learned so much and enjoyed a lot, thanks to the mentor and to the Coursera online platform!

By BERENICE C V

May 29, 2020

Da muy buenas bases acerca de la teoría musical, perfecto para quienes van iniciando, ciertamente a veces es un poco difícil entender algunos temas, pero es muy buen curso, aprenderás lo básico y como aplicarlo con ejemplos.

By Joseph P

Aug 12, 2020

This course offered exactly what I was looking for in a beginner's level music theory class. I think it could benefit from some more intuitive graphic illustrations, but it was well executed and delivered what was promised.

By Trịnh T B

Sep 8, 2021

It's quite hard for a complete beginner like me, but I think it's clear and if you do all the questions during video then it would be fine. The tests are much harder than I thought, but thankfully I managed. Recommended!

By Cristopher A R M

Oct 28, 2020

I liked having learned in this course, before I couldn't make major, minor or seventh chords and thanks to this I can now build those chords, identify intervals, notation, thanks to the good teacher Bruce Taggart.

By Andres G

Jun 4, 2020

Many thanks to professor Taggart, this course is very explicative for a beginner level and it has many examples and excersices here and in another pages via lectures for a good understanding in music theory

By Cristian O V

Aug 15, 2020

Curso muy bueno, aún así, me costó responder los cuestionarios, ya que no están traducidos como los videos, eso me dificultó un poco el desempeño en las pruebas, pero de igual manera salí airoso.

By Roland G

Jul 8, 2020

Great course! Hard enough, but I've felt like studying again after a long pause. Enjoyed the process. Now I started believing in the online education. Thank you for making this course available!

By Soufiane B

Apr 18, 2020

A very good and well organized course,. My special thanks to Mr Bruce Taggart for his efforts and for all the team of the university of Michigan who make this happen. Thank you a lot.

By Sihara J

Mar 30, 2021

The course content is excellent and is even good for intermediate students. The Instructor is very clear and lively. I learnt lots of things. Thank you, it was amazing.

By Daniel K

Aug 3, 2020

I've found this course a very straightforward and helpful way to learn the basics of music theory. Prof. Taggart explains the material in a straightforward way.

By DUTT K T

Jun 20, 2020

This course was very helpful as i earned a basic knowledge of music theory...........and also it is the best for the beginners who are keen in learning music.