Music theory

What is music theory?

What is music theory?

Music theory is the foundation of great music, and the all-important set of rules that most music follows – from harmony and melody, to rhythm.

Find all our latest music theory features and analyses here.

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Music theory features

Circle of fifths new asset

What is the circle of fifths?

QUIZ: Could you pass Grade 5 music theory?

QUIZ: Could you pass Grade 5 music theory?

Lifestyle

muses greek mythology

Modes: What are they and how do I use them?

Music theory song

One song that teaches you everything about music theory

Music theory analysis

david cameron humming musical analysis

We’ve done a musical analysis of the tune David Cameron was humming outside Downing Street

Exclusive
Lady Gaga sings at Joe Biden's Inauguration

We asked a professional soprano to appraise Lady Gaga’s national anthem at the Biden inauguration
How good is Billie Eilish’s singing voice, from a classical music perspective?

How good is Billie Eilish’s singing voice, from a classical music perspective?

All I Want For Christmas Is You

A music theory analysis of Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’

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Most shared music theory features

What makes Christmas music sound so Christmassy?

What makes Christmas music sound so Christmassy?

The history of the Christmas carol

The surprising origins of Christmas carols: explained

Christmas

Auld Lang Syne

What are the lyrics to Auld Lang Syne, and what does Auld Lang Syne actually mean?

What does this song teach us about music theory...?

Why ‘Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire’ is the perfect song to teach music theory

Why do we sing Christmas carols?

Why do we sing Christmas carols?

Christmas

What’s so creepy about a semitone...?

What’s so creepy about a semitone?

Oscar loves E major

Musicians are convinced this singing TikTok dog only enjoys music in E major tonality

Videos

Bach plays the organ

What makes J.S. Bach’s Toccata in D minor so terrifying?

Bach

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10 best works by pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi

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Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Best Tchaikovsky works: 10 of the Romantic composer’s musical masterpieces

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Extraordinary virtuoso Felix Klieser plays the French horn with his left foot

Extraordinary virtuoso Felix Klieser plays the French horn with his left foot
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Tchaikovsky’s letters give us an insight into his personal life

Tchaikovsky, composer of the world’s most uplifting ballets, had crippling self-esteem issues

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Latest music theory features

Musicians on Halloween

Musicians have been sharing their incredibly geeky Halloween costumes

3 months ago

Is Adele actually a good singer?

Why does everyone love Adele’s voice and what makes it so good?

3 months ago

Adele fugue

Grade-A music geek turns Adele’s ‘Hello’ into a Bach fugue with perfect counterpoint

3 months ago

Taylor Swift, Hans Zimmer, Aretha Franklin

10 legendary musicians who never learned to read music

3 months ago

Fibonacci sequence in music

What is the Fibonacci Sequence – and why is it the secret to musical greatness?

3 months ago

Latest quizzes

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Pick your favourite classical music and we’ll reveal your age, height and star sign

This in-depth test about your favourite classical music will reveal your age, height and star sign

8 days ago

Lifestyle

Can you identify the Christmas carols from just the first few notes?

Can you identify the Christmas carols from just the first few notes?

1 month ago

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Tanglewood Festival Chorus perform The 12 days of Christmas

QUIZ: Can you name every famous melody hidden in this epic ‘12 Days of Christmas’ medley?

1 month ago

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Guess the Christmas carol from the emojis

We bet you can’t guess these Christmas carols from the emojis

1 month ago

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Can you recognise these composers?

Quiz: Can you unscramble these famous classical composers’ faces?

1 month ago

Lifestyle

Latest features

See more Latest features

Meat Loaf

Meat Loaf’s isolated vocals on ‘Two Out Of Three’ show the powerful virtuoso he was

4 days ago

Could Aled Jones be the traffic cone on The Masked Singer?

Classical singer Russell Watson hints Aled Jones could be ‘Traffic Cone’ on The Masked Singer

5 days ago

Russell Watson

Lang Lang and Gina Alice

Lang Lang and Gina Alice play a stunning husband and wife piano duet

6 days ago

Lang Lang

Musician plays Byrdle

BYRDLE: The choral music parody of Wordle you didn't know you needed

7 days ago

Left: the Kanneh-Masons; Right: Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason

Who are the Kanneh-Masons? All you need to know about the exceptional musical family

8 days ago

Sheku Kanneh-Mason