Music Theory 101 — Learn Theory on a Real Piano
A free, interactive music theory course taught on a playable grand piano. Nine short lessons take you from finding middle C to building major, minor and diminished chords, reading songs as numbers (the Nashville system), and playing real progressions like 1–5–6–4. The piano lights up what you're learning — then listens and checks what you play. No signup walls, no videos to sit through: you learn by playing.
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Start learning — lesson 1 is 60 seconds away
🪙🎹 Meet the Keyboard
Step 1 / 3Welcome! Everything in music theory lives on this keyboard, so let's learn to read it. The white keys are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet — A B C D E F G — and the pattern repeats forever. The most important landmark: C sits just to the left of every group of TWO black keys. Every C is lit up below. Your turn: play a C — click one, or press A (or K for the one above).
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What the Music Theory 101 can do
Learn ON the instrument
No slides, no videos — every concept is taught on a playable, multi-sampled grand piano. The keys light up to show you scales and chords, and you play them right there to move on.
It listens and checks
Each step sets a small challenge — play a C, play the G major scale, build an F chord — and the piano listens to what you play, flashes green when you nail it, and nudges you when you don't.
Chords from the ground up
Half steps → intervals → major, minor and diminished triads. You learn WHY a chord is major (root + 4 + 3 half steps), not just where to put your fingers — so it works from any root.
The number system pros use
The Nashville secret: in any major key, chords 1, 4 and 5 are major, 2, 3 and 6 are minor, 7 is diminished (I · ii · iii · IV · V · vi · vii°). Learn to read and play songs as numbers that work in every key.
Real progressions & voicings
Play the workhorse 1–4–5, the pop-anthem 1–5–6–4 and the jazz 2–5–1 — then learn inversions and root-doubling voicings so your chords sound like records, not exercises.
Mouse, keyboard or MIDI
Click notes one at a time to build chords (clicks stay held), play with your computer keyboard, or plug in a MIDI keyboard for the full experience. Progress saves in your browser.
How it works
Pick a lesson
Nine bite-size lessons run from Meet the Keyboard through Progressions & Voicings. Start at 1 or jump to what you need — your progress is saved.
Watch the piano light up
Every concept is shown on the keys — scale degrees numbered, chord tones labeled root-3-5 — and a Hear It button plays it for you.
Play it to pass it
Do the challenge — a note, a scale, a chord, a whole progression. The piano checks what you play and moves you forward when you've got it.
Frequently asked questions
Is this music theory course really free?
Yes — all nine lessons run in your browser for free. Everyone gets a handful of free tool sessions; a free ClipCraft account tops you up to 100 tokens a month (a session is 2 tokens) and adds the full editors, and your lesson progress is saved in your browser either way.
Do I need to know anything before starting?
No. Lesson 1 starts at absolute zero — what the white and black keys are and how to find C. By lesson 9 you're playing the pop progression (1–5–6–4), jazz turnarounds (2–5–1), inversions, and full left-hand-root voicings.
What is the Nashville number system?
A way of naming chords by their scale degree instead of their letter, used by session players everywhere. In any major key, the chords built on degrees 1, 4 and 5 come out major, 2, 3 and 6 come out minor, and 7 is diminished — so "1–5–6–4" describes a song in every key at once. The course teaches it in lesson 8 and quizzes you on it.
What makes a chord major or minor?
The middle note. A major chord is a root plus 4 half steps plus 3 more (C–E–G); a minor chord flips it to 3 plus 4 (C–E♭–G). The course builds this up from half steps and intervals, then has you play both to hear the difference on a real piano sound.
Can I use my MIDI keyboard for the lessons?
Yes. Click the MIDI button and allow access when the browser asks — any connected MIDI keyboard works for every challenge, with velocity-sensitive sound. No MIDI keyboard? Your computer keyboard is mapped like a DAW (A-row whites, W E T Y U O P [ blacks), and mouse clicks work too — chord challenges hold your clicked notes so you can build chords one click at a time.
Does it actually check what I play?
Yes — that's the point. Each challenge listens to the notes you play (in any octave, unless the step is specifically about octaves or voicings), flashes green when you match, and gently resets you when you hit a wrong note in a scale. It's learning by doing, not watching.
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