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UMontrealX: Solfege at your fingertips 1

Music theory is often perceived as difficult to understand, and music theory as complex to learn. These courses aim to change this perspective by offering a dynamic method that links music theory to the sounds it represents from the very beginning. In addition to the many animated videos that will be presented, activities and exercises will allow you to develop the necessary reflexes to read musical texts.

Solfege at your fingertips 1
3 weeks
1–2 hours per week
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
Free
Optional upgrade available

There is one session available:

After a course session ends, it will be archivedOpens in a new tab.
Starts May 17

About this course

Skip About this course

Welcome to the first course of the MOOC series: Music theory at your fingertips.

This series of free, online courses focuses on music theory and its application through music theory.

High school music programs are often focused on ensemble playing with less emphasis on music theory. Furthermore, with the numerous music software programs available, it is easier to create music without mastering and understanding the mechanisms of tonal music. It is thus to deprive oneself of all the richness of the colors and the possibilities that this one can bring. Whether you want to study music or are an amateur musician, you can take your playing to the next level by fully mastering the language of music!

  • This first MOOC of the series will focus on writing pitch, note names and accidentals, as well as understanding intervals, the relationship between two notes.
  • The second MOOC will cover tonality, the major scale, the different minor scales and tonal harmony.
  • The third MOOC will deal with the rhythmic writing of binary and ternary time.
  • The fourth and last MOOC, (to come) will be a synthesis of all the theory seen previously and its practical application by reading and writing complete musical texts integrating melody and rhythm.
  • We hope that this series will help you demystify music theory and bring you to read a score with as much pleasure as you would have reading a good novel!

Welcome to the first MOOC in the series: Music theory at your fingertips

Course created with support from

CéGEP Marie-VictorinUniversité de Montréal

At a glance

  • Institution: UMontrealX
  • Subject: Music
  • Level: Advanced
  • Prerequisites:

    This course is designed to prepare students for admission to a pre-university or university music program, so that they can begin their studies with a solid foundation.

    This course is designed for those who are passionate about music. Whether they play an instrument, sing or compose music, they will learn to read and write music while mastering the mechanisms that structure it.

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English

What you'll learn

Skip What you'll learn
  • Music
  • Jazz and classical performance
  • Composition
  1. Module 1
  2. The name of the notes
  3. The staff
  4. Clefs
  5. The register

Module 2

  1. The semitone
  2. Alterations
  3. Double accidentals
  4. The diatonic and chromatic semitone

Module 3

  1. The intervals
  2. The name of the intervals
  3. The quality of intervals
  4. The redoubled intervals
  5. Reversed intervals

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