Music theory 101: notes, intervals, scales and chords explained (2024)

There can be little doubt that understanding how music works can help you to make better music; or, at the very least, make things easier when you’re at the composing stage of your project.

Here, we take things right back to basics by explaining what notes, intervals, scales and chords are, and how they’re all related.

Music theory 101: notes, intervals, scales and chords explained (1)

1. Notes

The raw material of music, notes are the building blocks from which all chords and melodies are created.

Each note has a duration and a pitch. In the piano roll, the length of each note event in the display directly relates to its duration, while the pitch is represented by its vertical position.

In Western music, there are a total of twelve notes per octave, named A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G and G#. The sharp notes, or ‘accidentals’, fall on the black keys, while the regular or ‘natural’ notes fall on the white keys.

As well as sharps, the black keys can also be flats - ie, Bb, Db, Eb, Gb, and Ab. Whether a given note is deemed sharp or flat largely depends on the current scale or key.

Music theory 101: notes, intervals, scales and chords explained (2)

2. Intervals

On the piano keyboard, two notes immediately next to each other are a semitone apart in pitch. The distance in pitch between any two notes is known as an interval, and each interval has a particular name, according to its size. For example, an interval of just one semitone is known as a minor second, while an interval of seven semitones is known as a perfect fifth.

Get the MusicRadar Newsletter

Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.

The diagram above shows the names of all possible intervals within an octave - they can either be melodic (between a sequence of consecutive notes in a melody) or harmonic (between notes in a chord). If two notes have the same pitch, they’re said to be in unison.

Music theory 101: notes, intervals, scales and chords explained (3)

3. Scales

A scale is a sequence of notes (known as ‘degrees’) that provides the raw material for a piece of music. The intervals between the notes follow a set pattern that depends on the type of scale.

The first scale everyone encounters when learning music is the major scale (pictured above), which follows the interval pattern T-T-S-T-T-T-S, where S is a Semitone, and T is a Tone (two semitones). The C major scale is made up of all the white notes on a piano keyboard, but other major scales (starting on different notes) include black notes - G major, for example, contains one sharp note, F#, while F major contains one flat note, B.

The other most common scale is the minor scale, which has the interval pattern T-S-T-T-S-T-T.

Music theory 101: notes, intervals, scales and chords explained (4)

4. Chords

A chord is defined as two or more notes sounding at the same time, but in basic theory terms, we generally take it to mean three-note chords, or ‘triads’. In Western music, chords are generally made by stacking up alternate notes from the scale - taking the first, missing the next, taking another, missing one and taking one more.

The image above shows the C major scale from the previous pic now ‘harmonised’ - every chord contains alternate notes of the C major scale. Some of the chords are major (a gap of four semitones followed by a gap of three) while some are minor (a gap of three semitones followed by a gap of four). One of them (vii) is ‘diminished’ (gaps of three and three).

Music theory 101: notes, intervals, scales and chords explained (5)

Computer Music

Computer Music magazine is the world’s best selling publication dedicated solely to making great music with your Mac or PC computer. Each issue it brings its lucky readers the best in cutting-edge tutorials, need-to-know, expert software reviews and even all the tools you actually need to make great music today, courtesy of our legendary CM Plugin Suite.

More about tutorials

“We have the YouTube generation to thank for its explosion”: Unpacking the modern lo-fi genre"We're here to deconstruct the elements of music theory that will demonstrably make your music better”: The pillars of music theory made simple

Latest

“A hugely versatile and impressive package at the sonic level… But the player may put professionals off”: Spitfire Audio Abbey Road Orchestra Symphonic Strings Professional review
See more latest►

Most Popular
How to make a searing lead synth patch with GForce Axxess
How to make a UK garage beat
How to make a loop into a fully-fledged track
The MPE masterclass: Express yourself with the new generation of software synths and hardware controllers
5 practical music theory tools to help you make better electronic music
If you break through the top layer of the band's mega hits, you’ll find that a lot more goes into their chord progression than G, C, Em7 and D: Learn these unexpected Oasis guitar chords
How to tailor reverbs to work with any mix
How to use your audio interface with a patch bay – a step by step guide
Modular manipulation: how to transform sounds with a Eurorack effects rig
Music theory you can use: 6 chord tricks for songwriters and producers
Get creative with Logic Pro’s secret weapons for creating interesting effects
Music theory 101: notes, intervals, scales and chords explained (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Nathanial Hackett

Last Updated:

Views: 5329

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (52 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Nathanial Hackett

Birthday: 1997-10-09

Address: Apt. 935 264 Abshire Canyon, South Nerissachester, NM 01800

Phone: +9752624861224

Job: Forward Technology Assistant

Hobby: Listening to music, Shopping, Vacation, Baton twirling, Flower arranging, Blacksmithing, Do it yourself

Introduction: My name is Nathanial Hackett, I am a lovely, curious, smiling, lively, thoughtful, courageous, lively person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.