BlockTheory

Learn the theory behind the riffs.

Music theory and ear training for players who'd rather jam than read a textbook. Zero experience needed: every lesson teaches you hands-on first — on a real keyboard, with real sound — then you prove it. Every right answer adds a bar of drums, bass, chords or melody, and by the end you've built a song that shows off exactly what you learned. Start in the garage, finish as a headliner.

Level 1: The GarageNotes & Steps

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Never touched theory? Start here. The keyboard, half and whole steps, the major scale and your first intervals.

  1. 1.1The Musical AlphabetNote names A–G, finding notes on the keyboard, octaves, hearing higher vs. lower
  2. 1.2Half Steps & Whole StepsHalf steps, whole steps, sharps and flats, the natural half steps E–F and B–C
  3. 1.3The Major ScaleWhole/half step pattern W-W-H-W-W-W-H, C and G major, hearing major vs. not
  4. 1.4Intervals: Steps, Skips & LeapsCounting intervals by letter (2nds, 3rds, 5ths, octaves), hearing steps vs. skips
  5. 1.5Major & Minor ThirdsMajor 3rds (4 half steps) vs. minor 3rds (3 half steps), by sight and by ear
  6. 1.6Perfect 5ths & Power ChordsPerfect 5ths (7 half steps), octaves, power chords as root + 5th

Level 2: The ClubChords

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Build the chords every band plays — major, minor and the weird ones — and find the chords hiding in every key.

  1. 2.1Major TriadsBuilding major triads (root, 3rd, 5th), major 3rd + minor 3rd, chord tones by ear
  2. 2.2Minor TriadsBuilding minor triads (minor 3rd + major 3rd), hearing major vs. minor chords
  3. 2.3The Natural Minor Scale & Relative MinorNatural minor scale (W-H-W-W-H-W-W), relative major and minor keys
  4. 2.4Diminished & Augmented TriadsAll four triad qualities: major, minor, diminished (m3+m3), augmented (M3+M3)
  5. 2.5Chords in a Key: Roman NumeralsDiatonic triads I ii iii IV V vi vii°, Roman numeral analysis
  6. 2.6I – IV – V: Three ChordsThe primary chords I, IV and V, home vs. away vs. tension, hearing IV vs. V

Level 3: On TourProgressions

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The progressions behind rock, pop, jazz and blues: cadences, inversions, 7th chords and the 12-bar.

  1. 3.1The Pop Progression: I–V–vi–IVI–V–vi–IV in several keys, rotations like vi–IV–I–V, hearing the minor chord
  2. 3.2Cadences: How Music BreathesAuthentic (V–I), plagal (IV–I), half (ends on V) and deceptive (V–vi) cadences
  3. 3.3Inversions & Slash ChordsRoot position, 1st and 2nd inversions, slash chords, stepwise bass lines
  4. 3.4Seventh ChordsMajor 7th, dominant 7th and minor 7th chords, by spelling and by ear
  5. 3.5The ii–V–Iii7–V7–Imaj7, root motion by 5ths, guide tones, walking bass, minor ii–V–i
  6. 3.6The Blues & Dominant 7ths12-bar blues form, I7–IV7–V7, the blue note (♭3), swing feel, boogie bass

Level 4: HeadlinerColor

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The sounds that make players stand out: modes, borrowed chords, secondary dominants and more.

  1. 4.1Modes: DorianModes as rotations of the major scale, Dorian's raised 6th, the i–IV move
  2. 4.2Mixolydian & the ♭VII ChordMixolydian's lowered 7th, the ♭VII chord, I–♭VII–IV rock progressions
  3. 4.3Borrowed Chords: The Minor ivModal mixture, borrowing iv and ♭VI from the parallel minor, IV–iv–I
  4. 4.4Secondary DominantsV/V, V/vi and other secondary dominants, their leading tones, hearing D vs. D7
  5. 4.5Suspended Chordssus4 and sus2 chords, suspension and resolution, chords with no 3rd
  6. 4.6Harmonic Minor & the Major VHarmonic minor's raised 7th, the major V and V7 in minor keys, i–iv–V7

About BlockTheory

BlockTheory is a free music theory and ear training course, from the musical alphabet to borrowed chords. Every lesson mixes theory with ear training, and every right answer adds a bar of drums, bass, chords or melody to a song built to show off what you just learned.

Frequently asked questions

What does BlockTheory teach?
Harmony, from the ground up: note names, half and whole steps, the major scale, intervals, triads, chords in a key, the big progressions (I–IV–V, I–V–vi–IV, ii–V–I, the blues), cadences, inversions, seventh chords, modes, borrowed chords, secondary dominants and more — 24 lessons over four levels.
I've never learned any theory. Can I start here?
Yes — that's who Level 1 is for. Every lesson teaches before it tests: you walk through each idea on an on-screen keyboard, hear it, and try it yourself (like building G major with the whole-step/half-step recipe) before a single question counts.
Why mix music theory and ear training?
Music students usually take them as two classes side by side: one to read, spell and build chords, one to recognize them by sound. BlockTheory puts both in every lesson, so you learn what a minor chord is and what it sounds like at the same time.
What's the song each lesson builds?
Each lesson has its own short song. Right answers add it one bar at a time — drums, then bass, then chords, then melody — and the wrap-up explains how the song uses the lesson's idea, like a melody that sings the 3rd of every chord or a bass line that walks down through inversions.
Why do the chords and melody sometimes play more and sometimes less?
That's arranging. When the drums and bass are busy there's little space left, so the chords hold long pads and the melody plays only its key notes. When the drums and bass are sparse, the chords break into arpeggios and the melody adds passing notes. Each wrap-up shows how much space the song had.
Do I need an instrument or an account?
No. There's a keyboard on screen, every sound plays in the browser, and your stars are saved on this device without signing in. Turn your sound on — half the steps are ear training.