The map of music theory The 120 concepts on this site and what each one asks for first. One column per level: the further right, the more has to be understood before it. Click a concept to see what comes before it and what rests on it.
120 concepts · 180 dependencies · 1 starting points · 11 levels
level 0 level 1 level 2 level 3 level 4 level 5 level 6 level 7 level 8 level 9 level 10 level 11 1 Properties of sound 3 Instrument families 4 Note 2 Acoustics 5 Note values and rests 7 Tone and semitone 8 Instrumental ensembles 6 The staff 9 Range 10 Accidentals 16 The measure 11 Articulation 13 Dynamics 14 Extending note values 17 Modern notation 18 Ornaments 19 Voice types 15 Interval 12 Clef 22 Interval quality 23 Metric accent 25 Tempo 20 Consonance and dissonance 21 Enharmonic equivalence 26 Absolute and relative pitch 27 Score navigation 28 Choir and vocal ensembles 31 Octave designation 33 The score 24 Simple and compound meter 30 Harmonic series 32 Scale 29 Chord 36 Major scale 41 Syncopation 40 Interval recognition 42 Triads 38 Time signature 34 Building intervals 35 Interval inversion 37 Rhythm 39 Fretboard geography 43 Tritone 44 Anacrusis 45 Chromatic scale 47 Tuning and temperament 48 Tuplets 46 Melody 49 Voice motion 51 Scale degrees 53 Mode 50 Key signatures 58 Seventh chords 52 Irregular and changing meters 54 Brazilian rhythms 55 Chord inversions 56 Chord quality recognition 59 Altered chords 60 Beating time 62 Melodic manipulation 63 Motive and theme 64 Polyrhythm and polymeter 65 Rhythmic engraving 66 Text setting 67 Texture 57 Diatonic harmony 61 Counterpoint 70 Tonality 69 Minor scales 71 Chord symbols 72 Church modes 68 Circle of fifths 73 Sixth chords 75 Extended chords 77 Harmonic rhythm 78 Chord origin and affinity 74 Transposition 76 Harmonic function 79 Imitation and canon 80 Pentatonic scales 94 Roman numeral analysis 84 Exotic scales 101 Voice leading 81 Relative and parallel keys 82 Atonality and polytonality 83 Closely related keys 85 Harmonic and melodic major 86 Suspended chords 87 Authentic and plagal modes 90 Functional ear training 91 Minor key harmony 92 Modal transposition 93 Non-chord tones 95 Transposing instruments 96 Transposition by clef substitution 98 Harmonic progression 102 Fugue 88 Cadences 97 The II-V-I 99 Modal interchange 100 Secondary dominants 89 Diminished chords 109 Musical form 103 Blues scale 104 Figured bass 105 Symmetric scales 106 Altered dominants 107 Four-part writing 108 Modulation 110 Pedal point 111 Species counterpoint 112 Turnaround 113 Bossa nova harmony 114 Choro harmony 115 Chromatic chords 116 Phrase and period 117 Tritone substitution 118 Binary and ternary form 119 Pivot chord modulation 120 Large forms
