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Music Theory for Electronic Music COMPLETE: Parts 1, 2, & 3

Name: Music Theory for Electronic Music COMPLETE: Parts 1, 2, & 3
Rating: 4.6 (9339 reviews)

Electronic music theory, digital music theory, and dance music theory. Learn music theory with ableton live and more!

Bestseller

Created byJ. Anthony Allen

Last updated 5/2026

English

What you'll learn

By the end of this course, you will have improved your tracks by understanding how to build chords and melodies that work together.
Understand and apply minor chords
Use the circle of fifths to generate new ideas for your own tracks
Work within minor keys to write compelling melodies and basslines
The Piano Roll editor
Octaves
Using Octaves in Bass Lines
The Black Keys (not the band!)
Finding C and Middle C
The Perfect 5th
Finding Fifths
Being "in key"
The pattern of a key
Moveable Patterns
The major and minor third
Building triads
Chord progressions
What is diatonic?
Finding all the chords in a key
Using roman numerals
Inversions
7th chords
Maj7 and minor 7th chords
Dominant 7th chords
Blues and the 7th chord
Analysis: Shame On Me (Avicii)
Minor scales
Relative keys
Minor diatonic chord progressions
Analysis: Ghosts N Stuff (Deadmau5)
Changing keys in your track
Analysis: Get Luck (Daft Punk)
9th and 13th chords
Suspended Chords
Writing melodies for chord progressions
Writing chord progressions for melodies
Bass lines
Analysis: Windowlicker (Aphex Twin)
Modes
How modes work
Producing with Modes
Pentatonic Scales
Chromatic Mediants
Creating music with music theory
Exotic scales

Course content

32 sections • 126 lectures • 12h 33m total length

Class Overview3:43
Explore electronic music theory for producers using the Midi grid, learn diatonic chord progressions, craft chords, melodies, and baselines, and analyze tracks like Deadmau5’s Ghosts and Stuff.
Asking Questions1:19
Learn how to use the course overview and content to watch videos and participate in daily q&a, asking new questions while reviewing existing ones to avoid redundancy.

The Piano Roll Editor5:47
Explore the piano roll editor, its keyboard layout and octaves, with notes appearing as white and black across bars and beats in Ableton Live.
Octaves9:38
Explore intervals and octaves, focusing on white keys within a key, learn why octaves sound harmonious via a 1:2 wavelength ratio, and apply octave layering in electronic music.
Using Octaves5:51
Compose bass lines and melodies with octaves on C, duplicating notes as sixteenth notes and shifting by octaves. Find octaves by counting eight white notes or using the same letter.
The Black Keys (not the band)7:38
Explore how black keys are named relative to adjacent white keys, including sharp and flat naming, why sequencers show sharps, and the practical implications for keys in electronic music.
Finding C and Middle C5:46
Section 1 Summary3:18
Explore safe and interesting piano roll practices by using white notes to keep music in C major, then introduce black notes to create more lively harmonies through interval exploration.

The Perfect Fifth5:43
Finding Fifths5:02
Learn how to locate a perfect fifth by counting white notes, hear the difference in pitch quality, and understand why some fifths require a half-step adjustment within a key.
Being "In Key"4:36
Identify the key by listening for the home chord that feels like the melody's ending, and use that key to guide notes and harmony.
The Pattern of a Key6:30
Fifth Examples8:29
Explore how perfect fifths function across keys, including why the seventh scale degree yields different results in C major versus B major, and how fifths build chords and guide home.

Moveable Patterns4:57
The Major and Minor Third4:06
Building Triads12:08
Explore chords by building triads, distinguishing major and minor triads, and identifying root, third, and fifth intervals. Learn how keys like C major shape chords and simple progressions.
Chord Progressions5:25
Explore how chord progressions create a song's skeleton, using a diatonic C major sequence (C major, A minor, D minor, G major), and how major/minor mood informs context and drums.

What is Diatonic?3:53
Explore diatonic chord progressions and inversions in a given key, learning the seven chords that work in that key, and how chromatic notes differ from diatonic notes.
Finding All The Chords8:46
Identify the diatonic chord progression in C major by building triads from the scale, and memorize the pattern major, minor, minor, major, major, minor, diminished, major.
Roman Numerals4:40
Explore how Roman numerals denote chord quality, using capitals for major and lowercase for minor. Learn diatonic chords, diminished notation, and inversions that shift the bass note.
Example Song Analysis No. 19:35
Analyze the intro of the track 2214 by the album leaf using Ableton's harmony-to-midi convert, map the chords in G major via roman numerals, and note the A153 progression.
Inversions7:58

7th Chords Overview4:01
seventh chords are four-note chords built from the first, third, fifth, and seventh scale degrees, with three diatonic flavors: major seventh, minor seventh, and dominant chord (rare minor major seventh).
Diatonic 7th Chords8:02
Maj7 (Major 7) Example1:38
Dominant 7th Chords5:47
Explore the dominant seventh (five seven) chord as a strong tendency chord that wants to resolve to the tonic. Driven by fifths, the five-seven to one progression delivers the resolution.
Blues and the 7th Chord1:57

Minor Scales6:03
Explore how minor scales differ from major, through whole-step and half-step patterns, how lowering the third, sixth, and seventh forms the natural minor and its three flavors.
Relative Keys10:41
Explore how major and minor scales share the same notes, uncover relative major and relative minor, and learn how starting on different scale degrees reveals the same pattern.
Minor Diatonic Chord Progressions11:45
Explore diatonic minor chord progressions, follow the minor scale pattern minor diminished major minor minor major major, and identify in-key chords for electronic music composition.
The Case of the Melodic and Harmonic Minor Scales5:03
Explore harmonic and melodic minor scales as variations of the natural minor, using a raised seventh as a leading tone and raised sixth/seventh to shift chord color.

Requirements

Students should be enthusiastic about music, but do not need to be producers or musicians. No prior experience is needed in music theory, production, or recording.
Access to a DAW: any program will do. (GarageBand, Logic, Pro Tools, Ardour, FL Studio, Ableton Live, etc.)
Although Ableton Live is used in the class, students do not need to be Live users. But they should have access to some kind of audio program with MIDI sequencing. Garageband, Logic, or several free pieces of software all work great.

Description

** UDEMY BESTSELLER **

This course is "5-Star Certified" by the International Association of Online Music Educators and Institutions (IAOMEI). This course has been independently reviewed by a panel of experts and has received a stellar 5-star rating.

100% Answer Rate! Every single question posted to this class is answered within 24 hours by the instructor.

Welcome to the MUSIC THEORY FOR ELECTRONIC MUSIC COMPLETE Guide!

This course is a combination of all three of my Music Theory for Electronic Musicians classes: Music Theory for Electronic Musicians, and Music Theory for Electronic Musicians 2, and Music Theory for Electronic Musicians 3.

In this class, we learn how to work with the piano roll editor in a DAW to make harmonies, melodies, and whole tracks, and then we expand on those ideas and work with harmonic patterns (harmony) that is richer than just major and minor.

Production Techniques Through Theory The most important part of this class is an extensive foray into using these techniques in actual tracks. I'll be creating 9 tracks through this class, right along with you, each using a different technique so you can see exactly how I incorporate it right into my music.

Full Sessions After each production project, I'll give you the whole session of what I made using the techniques for you to play with. You can download it, expand on it, re-work it, and even release it as your work.

If Your Music is Missing Something, This is Probably It. If you are finding that you are writing track after track, and while they sound good, there is something they are missing - then this it. You are missing the sense of harmony that professional producers have. In this class, I'll arm you with all the tools you need to produce those tracks just like you imagine them.

Who should take this course?
Anyone interested in producing their own music. This will get you up and running and give your tracks a unique sound in no time.

Structure
This course consists of video lectures, which all contain a session in Ableton Live 9. If you are using a different program (or none at all), no worries! This isn't a class on how to use Ableton Live, and the concepts can be applied to any DAW.

Some of the step-by-step guides in this course will be:

Finding notes, chords, and keys in your audio program
The 7 intervals and how to put them together
The steps to finding the key of your track (or any track!)
The most common chord progressions
The steps to using inversions to take your track from good to amazing.
The 4 types of 7th chords
The top techniques for writing a melody to fit a chord progression (and vice-versa!)
The 7 modes and their uses
19 Exotic scales and how to use them (include MIDI files!)

The course is a roadmap to finding the missing piece in your tracks, or just getting started making great tracks.

All the tools you need to make, produce, and start your music career are included in this course, and the entire course is based on real-life experiences - not just academic theory.

Please click the "Take This Course" button so you can start making great tracks today.

** I guarantee that this course is the most thorough music theory course available ANYWHERE on the market - or your money back (30-day money-back guarantee) **

Closed captions have been added to all lessons in this course.

Praise for Courses by Jason Allen:

⇢ "It seems like every little detail is being covered in an extremely simple fashion. The learning process becomes relaxed and allows complex concepts to get absorbed easily. My only regret is not taking this course earlier." - M. Shah

⇢ "Great for everyone without any knowledge so far. I bought all three parts... It's the best investment in leveling up my skills so far.." - Z. Palce

⇢ "Excellent explanations! No more or less than what is needed." - A. Tóth

⇢ "VERY COOL. I've waited for years to see a good video course, now I don't have to wait anymore. Thank You!" - Jeffrey Koury

⇢ "I am learning LOTS! And I really like having the worksheets!" - A. Deichsel

⇢ "The basics explained very clearly - loads of really useful tips!" - J. Pook

⇢ "Jason is really quick and great with questions, always a great resource for an online class!" M. Smith

Students who register for this course will receive ongoing exclusive content and discounts to all future classes in the series.

Who this course is for:

Anyone in any country who is ready to start improving their tracks by learning everything they need to know about how music theory works and how to make great tracks TODAY.
No experience reading notes required.

Music Theory for Electronic Music COMPLETE: Parts 1, 2, & 3

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Welcome & Overview2 lectures • 5min

Understanding Music Theory from an Electronic Music perspective6 lectures • 38min

The Perfect 5th, and Being "In Key"5 lectures • 30min

More With Keys, The Third, and The Basic Triad4 lectures • 27min

Diatonic Chord Progressions5 lectures • 35min

7th Chords5 lectures • 21min

The Other Intervals4 lectures • 28min

Part 1 Wrap Up1 lecture • 2min

Part 2: Welcome & Overview1 lecture • 4min

Minor Scales & Keys4 lectures • 34min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: