Open for Enrollment

You can also start immediately after joining!
Join Now

Would you like to enroll?

Enrollment for this course has closed. But you can enroll in a future offering (please select)

Enrollment has closed

Go at your own pace
7 Sessions / 1 hours of work per session
Skill Level
Beginner
Topics
Music Theory, Reading Music, Music Notation, Music Education, Counterpoint

Not available for purchase in India

Open for Enrollment

Music Theory Level 1: Part Five

Open for Enrollment
You can also start immediately after joining!

Would you like to enroll?

Enrollment for this course has closed. But you can enroll in a future offering (please select)

Enrollment has closed

Go at your own pace
7 Sessions / 1 hours of work per session
Skill Level
Beginner
Topics
Music Theory, Reading Music, Music Notation, Music Education, Counterpoint

Not available for purchase in India

Course Description

Welcome to Music Theory Level 1: Part Five

Counterpoint


In this course you will gain a complete and comprehensive understanding of counterpoint. This course forms part of the complete Music Theory Fundamentals Guide.


This is a class designed for the average person who is ready to take their music career (or music interest) and turn it into a business. Whether you are an active musician, an aspiring musician, or an aspiring music manager or agent - this class is perfect for you.


For years I've been teaching Music Theory in the college classroom. My approach to music theory is to minimize the memorization. Most of these concepts you can learn by just understanding why chords behave in certain ways. Once you understand those concepts, you can find any scale, key, or chord that exists. Even invent your own. If you've tried to learn music theory before, or if you are just starting out - this series of courses is the perfect fit.


In Part 5: Counterpoint, we will cover:

  • My approach to Music Theory
  • Tools of Counterpoint
  • Second Species Counterpoint
  • Metric Accents and Diminutions
  • Resolutions
  • Passing Tones
  • Consonant Skips and Leaps
  • Neighbor Tones
  • Writing Compelling Melodies
  • Third Species Counterpoint
  • The Cambiata
  • Double Neighbor Tones
  • Fourth Species Counterpoint
  • Rhythmic Displacement
  • Suspensions
  • 4-3, 7-6, and 9-8 Suspension Types
  • Consonant Suspensions
  • Chains of Suspensions
  • Fifth Species Counterpoint
  • Free Counterpoint
  • Worksheets and Music for Practice

You will not have another opportunity to learn Music Theory in a more comprehensive way than this. All the tools you need to successfully learn Music Theory are included in this course and the entire course is based on real-life experiences - not just academic theory.


---------------------------------------------------------------------

Praise for Courses by Jason Allen:

  • "Without a doubt the best explanation and ease of use that one can get. It leaves you enough room to go explore. The classes go by quick, so you can be on your way at being proficient. What are you wait for!"
  • "Amazing - Seriously Loved It! I took all his courses and have to say I'm so happy! Learnt loads! Jason is an awesome teacher!"
  • "I have never had any formal training in music at all. Trying to learn all the notes and how everything translated was a serious challenge. After going through this class, Dr. J has totally brought down the barriers. The content was very useful and was easy to grasp for me."
  • "I like these courses because you can get up and running quickly without having to spend hours of time wading through TMI (too much information!). Jason hits the high points but shows you what you need to know. Thanks!"
  • "I've watched many other videos on scales and chords before, however, this one has been the best. I now understand minor scales and chords and even how to analyze songs. It really gave me the confidence to start producing music because I feel like I have some structure and guidelines to follow. AWESOME!"
  • "Clear and Informative - Jason has a clear uncluttered style (with the important dashes of humor) of presentation that is focused on the important key aspects of this course. Recommended for those starting out!"
  • "Dr. Allen does it again with his music theory series. This course really opened up everything I learned from the 1st section, and now I understand more about the composition side of things for music. I highly highly recommend this course to anyone!!! Really opened my eyes to many things I wasn't aware of."
  • "The Best Teacher Ever, who makes you understand the ins & outs of Music Theory by all means without giving what you don't want to know."


Reviews
schedule

This course is in adaptive mode and is open for enrollment. Learn more about adaptive courses here.

Session 1: Getting Started (March 19, 2024)
Before we jump in, let's learn a little bit about how we are going to learn. There are a few free tools I like to use that will help you learn music theory.
4 lessons
1. Welcome Overview
2. Tools We Need
3. Review Modes
4. Review First Species
Session 2: Second Species Counterpoint (March 26, 2024)
Second Species Counterpoint uses all the rules of first species, plus some more.
4 lessons
1. Whats New in Second Species
2. Metric Accents
3. Resolutions
4. Second Species Rules Summary
Session 3: Melodic Embellishment in Second Species Counterpoint (April 2, 2024)
With more notes comes more options.
3 lessons
1. Passing Tones
2. Consonant Skips
3. Neighbor Tones
Session 4: Writing Second Species Counterpoint (April 9, 2024)
Next, we will look at how to create some music with these rules.
4 lessons
1. First And Last Measures
2. Melody Notes
3. Harmony
4. Summary Of Rules
Session 5: Third Species Counterpoint (April 16, 2024)
Moving on to Third Species, we add one new big wrinkle.
3 lessons
1. Four To 1 Counterpoint
2. Cambiata
3. Double Neighbor Tones
Session 6: Fourth Species Counterpoint (April 23, 2024)
Moving on to Fourth Species, we now have ties and suspensions.
9 lessons
1. Rhythmic Displacement
2. Suspensions
3. Going Downhill
4. 4-3 Suspensions
5. 7-6 Suspension
6. 9-8 Suspensions
7. Consonant Suspensions
8. Chains Of Suspensions
9. Summary of 4th Species Counterpoint
Session 7: Fifth Species Counterpoint (April 30, 2024)
All bets are off!
5 lessons
1. Free Counterpoint
2. Writing Free Counterpoint
3. Fux Study Of Counterpoint
4. What Next
5. Thanks Bye
Earn and Collect Badges

Be Rewarded for your Achievements
You'll love earning badges as you pick up new skills.

Easily Shareable
Don't be shy. Display your badges on your profile and show the world what you've learned!

Learning Outcomes

Below you will find an overview of the Learning Outcomes you will achieve as you complete this course.

Instructors And Guests
What You Need to Take This Course

Students should be enthusiastic about music, but do not need to be producers or musicians. No prior experience is needed in music - All are welcome!

I'll be using a piece of software in this course that I would like students to get. Don't worry - it's free! And works on Mac and PC computers. I'll tell you more in the first few videos.

Additional Information

Peer Assessment Code of Conduct: Part of what makes Kadenze a great place to learn is our community of students. While you are completing your Peer Assessments, we ask that you help us maintain the quality of our community. Please:

  • Be Polite. Show your fellow students courtesy. No one wants to feel attacked—ever. For this reason, insults, condescension, or abuse will not be tolerated.
  • Show Respect. Kadenze is a global community. Our students are from many different cultures and backgrounds. Please be patient, kind, and open-minded when discussing topics such as race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other potentially controversial subjects.
  • Post Appropriate Content. We believe that expression is a human right, and we would never censor our students. With that in mind, please be sensitive of what you post in a Peer Assessment. Only post content where and when it is appropriate to do so.

Please understand that posts that violate this Code of Conduct harm our community and may be deleted or made invisible to other students by course moderators. Students who repeatedly break these rules may be removed from the course and/or may lose access to Kadenze.

Students with Disabilities: Students who have documented disabilities and who want to request accommodations should refer to the student help article via the Kadenze support center. Kadenze is committed to making sure that our site is accessible to everyone. Configure your accessibility settings in your Kadenze Account Settings.