Music theory articles

Music theory, explained simply

Short guides from Jason's lessons. Each one links to the course where you can practise it with games, quizzes and play-alongs.

• Tones and semitones explained

  What a semitone and a whole tone are, where the two white-key semitones are, and how to find them on piano, guitar and when singing.

• How to read the bass clef

  A beginner's guide to the bass clef: the F line, the notes on the lines and spaces, the middle line D and where Middle C sits.

• Sharps, flats and naturals: a simple guide

  What sharps, flats and naturals do, how long an accidental lasts, and the easy way to name every black key on the piano.

• Time signatures explained: 4/4, 3/4, 2/4 and 6/8

  What the two numbers in a time signature mean, how to count 4/4, 3/4 and 2/4, and why 6/8 feels like two beats.

• Quaver stems and beams: the rules

  Which way quaver stems point, which side of the note they go, and how to beam quavers correctly in a 4/4 bar.