Open Music Theory

What Open Music Theory is

Open Music Theory is a free, open-source online textbook for college-level music theory courses. Its contents range from fundamentals and voice-leading to harmony, form, post-tonal music, pop and rock music, and text and music. The material is intended to work as a quick reference alongside musical activity, with relatively few graphical and audio examples. Interactive exercises and harmony tools accompany the web-based text, including notation modules built with technology supported by Trinket. The textbook’s teaching approach emphasizes active student engagement; its original authors use it in flipped courses. The CC BY-SA 4.0 license allows people to use, modify, distribute, and sell the work with attribution, while derivatives must use the same licensing terms. Users can fork the GitHub project and edit or remove text, graphics, videos, and the HTML and CSS theme. Individual files can also be downloaded for conversion into classroom handouts. Trinket notation has a limited feature set, and its applied-chords page describes support for only one layer of lyrics or harmonic analysis. Hybrid Pedagogy Publishing publishes the book, edited by Robin Wharton and Kris Shaffer.

Who it suits

It suits college-level students and instructors seeking a web-based music theory reference with interactive exercises and notation. Its open license and editable project may also suit educators who want to adapt material or make classroom handouts.

Limits

The plan is free, with no pricing or usage limits stated. Trinket notation supports a limited feature set, including only one lyrics or harmonic-analysis layer on the applied-chords page.

Getting started

1. Open the Open Music Theory website in a web browser.
2. Use the textbook’s contents to navigate its music theory topics.
3. For a customized version, fork the GitHub project and edit its materials.
4. Download individual files if you want to convert them into classroom handouts.

Verdict

Choose Open Music Theory for a free, adaptable college-level resource with broad topic coverage and interactive notation. Its notation tools have defined limits, and readers looking for extensive graphical or audio examples may prefer another format.