As we remember Paul Schmeling, the author of the first Berklee Online course, we share this insightful lesson on mastering the major and minor music modes with this excerpt from his course, Music Theory 301: Advanced Melody, Harmony, Rhythm.

In these ear training videos, we uncover key exercises to help you develop your inner hearing: conducting in 6/8, singing the root, and identifying chords.

Songwriting is an art form that requires creativity, imagination, and an understanding of music theory, but if we’re being honest, there’s also a degree of “fake it ‘til you make it.” And with that approach in mind, one technique you could try is to utilize classic chord progressions to write your own.

These voice leading examples provide guidelines to help you learn how to compose so each voice moves smoothly from note to note, while you create rich harmonic changes.

The circle of fifths is arguably the most helpful way of visually organizing Western music theory’s 12 chromatic pitches for learning. This primer, featuring excerpts from Music Application and Theory and Music for Beginners will give you several new tools to commit this concept to memory.

Learn the 10 scales that cover 95 percent of all jazz improvisation situations with the help of Gary Burton.

When Dr. Joe Bennett is not acting in his position as a vice president for Berklee College of Music, he investigates copyright infringement in the music industry as a forensic musicologist.

Legendary vibraphonist and Berklee Online course author Gary Burton shares his jazz improvisation tips to make your next solo look and sound easy.

Berklee Online music arrangement course instructor and author Jerry Gates shares five tips to help you become a music arranger.