You’ve Got the Foundations. Now Let’s Go Deeper.
From knowing music theory to truly understanding it.
Click here to join Level 2 !
You can read the notes. You understand keys, scales and basic chords. You’ve come further than most adult learners ever do.
But there’s a difference between knowing the building blocks and understanding how they fit together — how harmony moves, how composers shape a phrase, how a chord progression creates the emotional effect it does.
That’s what this course is about.
Why Go Further With Theory?
Think about learning a new language. At a certain point, you know enough words to get by — to be understood, to follow a conversation. But there’s a world of difference between getting by and truly speaking fluently.
Music works the same way.
You’ve already learned enough to get by. But if you want to look at a piece of music and genuinely understand what’s happening — why the harmony moves the way it does, what the chord progression is doing, how the composer created that particular mood — you need to go deeper.
Try reading the sentence below:
Ki lltw obir dsw itho nes tone
Now read this:
Kill two birds with one stone
Your brain recognises the pattern instantly. Gaining Proficiency builds the kind of musical understanding that makes that happen — not just with notes, but with harmony, rhythm and musical structure..
✨ Introducing Music Theory in Practice: Gaining Proficiency ✨
This is the second level of the Music Theory in Practice series — designed for adult learners who have the basics in place and are ready to go further.
With Gaining Proficiency, the focus shifts from individual building blocks to how everything connects.
You’ll learn
- How chords progress and why,
- How composers use cadences to create tension and resolution,
- How compound time works and why it feels so different from simple time, and
- How to look at a piece of music and understand the choices behind it.
As always, every topic is taught in the context of real music — so what you learn in each lesson has an immediate application to the pieces you’re currently playing.
Is Gaining Proficiency the right level for you?
This course is ideal if you’re already comfortable with the following:
✅ Enharmonic equivalents, Treble and Bass clef, Tones and Semitones
✅ Major and minor scale patterns, and technical names of notes.
✅ How to work out the key of a piece
✅ Primary chords and a basic understanding of the Circle of 5ths.
If you’re confident with all of the above ^^ and ready to go deeper into harmony, rhythm and musical structure — you’re in the right place.
If any of the above feel uncertain or only partially grasped, the Basic Essentials course is the better starting point — and a solid foundation will make everything at this level much more rewarding.
You’ll Learn:
🎼 How to read ledger lines and write notes at the same pitch but in different clefs.
🎵Compound time and how to count rhythms accurately.
😀The four basic types of chords and their effect on a musical phrase. I’ll also cover how to realise chords from their symbols and Roman numerals.
🎶 Secondary chords and the five types of seventh chords. You’ll learn how to write them in harmonic progressions and the effect they create within a phrase.
🎹 How to qualify intervals and understand chord inversions.
🎶 Voices in score and how to arrange a short score into an open score and vice versa. We’ll apply this knowledge to get started with transcribing and arranging music.
🎵 Cadences and common chord progressions.
🎶 Patterns in music such as retrograde, inversion, sequence and many more.
Meet your Theory Coach
Fiona Berry
BMus (Hons), L.R.S.M, L.T.C.L, L.L.C.M
I’m Fiona, a music examiner for Trinity College London and an international adjudicator.
I have a degree in musical performance from Huddersfield University, and I’m a Licentiate member of the Royal Schools of Music, Trinity College London, and the London College of Music. I’m also the author of Play Music Better.
As an experienced teacher of adults, you will receive expert tuition in theory in a meaningful way to the music you are practising.
Here’s what’s included
🤩 10 Video lessons and workbooks which you can access immediately. The lessons are available in video and written format. You are welcome to go at your own pace and review the material as often as you require.
🎥 You can learn in bite-size and quickly revisit any part of a lesson by using the chapters on each video.
📖 An interactive workbook for each lesson, so there is no need to print this resource. These include written exercises and tasks to practice on your musical instrument so that you can apply the theory to help you play music better.
🎉 Lots of practice questions and exercises.
🔎 A super search function that will answer any questions about the course as you go along.
💁🏻♀️The opportunity to get feedback from Fiona on your arrangements and transcriptions.
✅ Lifetime access to the course
🏅 Certificate of completion
Bonus
☕ Optional monthly coffee chat — an informal group Zoom where course students get together, share how they’re getting on, and ask questions. Breakout rooms keep it relaxed and intimate. Attendance is entirely optional — some students love the connection, others prefer to learn quietly on their own, and both are completely fine.
Gaining Proficiency Music Theory in Practice
LEVEL 2
Choose to purchase in 🇬🇧UK pounds or 🇺🇸US dollars
Take a look at the topics covered in each lesson
Lesson 1 – Learn effective note reading tips to gain a better knowledge of ledger lines, and how notes can be written at the same pitch but in different clefs.
Lesson 2 – Learn to understand and play rhythms in compound time signatures, such as 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8, to enhance your musical playing and interpretation.
Lesson 3 – Learn the essential skills of transcribing choral scores, including transposition, stem direction, and note placement, to ensure accurate and professional music arrangements.
Lesson 4 – In this lesson, you will gain a deep understanding of intervals and how to calculate them accurately. You’ll also see how intervals can help you identify what position chords are written in and improve your sight reading.
Lesson 5 – Discover the fundamental elements of chords, chord inversions, and common chord progressions, to better understand harmony and make learning new pieces easier.
Lesson 6 – Learn about the different types of cadences in music and how they create a sense of arrival and finality within a piece.
Lesson 7 – Discover the use of chord symbols in popular and jazz music, and how to experiment with the notes of a chord to create different rhythms and harmonic movement.
Lesson 8 – Learn about the importance of chord progressions and how they create different moods in music. The lesson takes a closer look at common chord progressions, as well as the use of passing notes and harmonic rhythm to add interest and mood to a piece of music.
Lesson 9 – In this lesson, you will learn about the fundamental role of seventh chords in music, including their different types and how they are used to create tension and resolution in chord progressions.
Lesson 10 – Learn key concepts of musical composition, including sequence, similar motion, parallel motion, contrary motion, Alberti bass, repetition, imitation, syncopation, ornaments, augmentation, inversion, retrograde, and how to develop a motive or theme throughout a piece.
✨How this course works✨
You get instant access to the lessons and can work through the content at your own pace.
Each video lesson lasts between 20 and 30 minutes.
You can quickly revisit material by using the chapters on the videos.
All videos have completely searchable transcripts.
Reinforce what you’ve learned with the Workbooks and Practice Questions.
Every lesson has an accompanying workbook, so I’ve got you covered if you prefer to read and learn.
There’s no need to print the workbooks. You can easily save them to Google Drive and type your answers in the boxes.
The workbooks contain written and practical exercises to help you understand how the theory works in practice.
🌟Don’t let the technology stop you from coming on board
Technology can be challenging, so I’m providing you with a step-by-step guide to using Google Drive.
- Easy to follow
- You’ll learn how to set up your Google account if you don’t have one.
- Find your workbooks easily again in the future by learning how to save them in a folder in your Google Drive.
- Save yourself the expense of printing as you’ll get step-by-step instructions on how to use the workbooks interactively.
What do others have to say 👇
Let’s Recap
🤩 10 Video lessons with chapters for accessible learning
🎵📗 An interactive workbook to accompany every lesson
🎉 Lots of practice questions and quizzes
🙋♀️ Ask questions in the comments below each lesson — Fiona responds promptly
☕ Optional monthly coffee chat to connect with fellow learners
🎖️ A certificate of completion
👩🎓 A teacher who is highly qualified and experienced in music