What is the best way to learn music theory? YouTube videos? Books? From a tutor?

First you need to consider that different people have different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning in general. Obviously someone with severe dyslexia might have a far better result with one-on-one instruction than they would with just books, and depending on a person’s knowledge of related things like math or something like a photographic memory, certain aspects of learning theory might be a breeze or a massively difficult effort to “get”.

But aside from all that, assuming that you have even average visual/spatial skills, when it comes to the melodic/harmonic stuff of scales, chords, modes etc. my best advice is to do your studying with the help of a piano. If you don’t have a place or money for real piano you can always find good alternative – electronic keyboard or digital piano (such as Korg SV1). It’s the easiest instrument for making that connection between the actual sounds and their mathematical relationships to each other because it’s all laid out in even steps that run uninterrupted in a linear fashion, unlike other instruments where fingerings change as you move up a scale and might not visually make sense if you use them for reference.

College of music

Good way to learning music theory is to register for courses from a reputable college of music and graduate with a degree if you’re interested enough. One excellent college of music is the University of Chicago’s Department of Music. Although the best method, it obviously has the long learning curve and isn’t realistic option for most of the people, especially if music is just a hobby.

Alternative to this is taking piano classes. Actual classes and tutoring is the standard way and works pretty well. Maybe it’s not the most cost/time effective, but it’s definitely the first option to consider.

Learn music theory online

You can find a lot of music resources online and the best thing is – most of them are free. Just go to YouTube and similar video sites and type “music theory” or something similar. It may be easier and fumier then reading books.

However, you often don’t know where to start and what to look for. This is where online lessons can be helpful. Some basic staff can be found here. Also,  Ricci Adams has some more advanced free lessons that will help you getting start.

Self study with books

If you are more interested in self study but want to learn in some order – reading music theory books may be a better option. There are many interesting books, some are created for beginners while the others are for more advanced users (e.g. “Barron’s AP Music Theory” by Nancy Scoggin).

“Music Theory Made Easy” by David Harp will get you a good start. From that book you can summarize a whole lot of music theory in a single typewritten page. Then a page for every major scale, one for every minor scale, etc. It makes transposing a lot easier.

Korg SV1 Black

The new Korg SV-1 Black has been a favorite amongst many electronic keyboards players and is often regarded as the original stage piano, offering the player versatility previously unseen, with authentic playability in a compact size and a vast amount of sounds. Now merely a competitor in yet another fierce market, lets see what the new boy has to offer.

The Korg SV1 (or Stage Vintage, to give its proper name) is pretty much what it says on the tin and just like the original it gives you loads of authentic sounds. From Pianos, organs synthesizers and more, it also comes with a variety of effects and amp models, it even has a real vacuum tube for an authentic ‘dirt’ sound, if that’s what you’re into. You can easily edit all of these through the front panel’s controls and no confusing screen or panels.

The first thing you notice when you see the Korg SV1 is its retro-cool appearance. The classic design of chunky controls very much emphasizes this along with the contrasting end pieces. However, this style isn’t adored by everyone, and some felt it didn’t correctly represent their, or their bands image. Some even said it was perfect for some environments but totally wrong for others, which for stage pianos, being able to adapt to different environments and different styles of music is crucial.

The Korg SV1 Black aim to solve this problem by keeping all the positive features and simply offering a universally accepted traditional black finish. This will appeal to the majority of the audience but for those who like something, a little bit different, the Korg SV1 is available in a limited edition reverse key style, so if you were in any doubt about the SV-1 being retro-cool then think again.

Korg sv1 reverse keys

Both new Korg SV1 s are available as 73 note and 88 note models, so you can fine-tune the keyboard specific to you.

In my opinion a common misconception in society is the idea that more is better and that the more features something offers, despite their insignificance, is better. That is the beauty of the SV1 . It doesn’t offer an unnecessary amount of effects and modes, but does it really need to? It offers everything you regularly need in a high-quality package and filters out the rest to whittle down the price. This makes the Korg SV1 a great success, as it’s a great looking and sounding digital piano.

If you have a love for playing piano and are still struggling to find how to play good enough to be the next Mozart, here’s your deal: the Yamaha EZ-200 – touch sensitive keyboard, with 61 full-sized lighted keys. Not only does this electronic keyboard comes with top-quality sound and accessories, it also leads you step-by-step onto learning the basic skills of playing a keyboard.

You can get this keyboard cheapest online through Amazon here.

Yamaha EZ-200 comes with 100 built-in songs. Select a song of your choice from the list and choose which hand you want to use to play the tune, left or right, and hit “Start”. You will be guided along as the keyboard will light up the keys you are to play and would wait for you to hit a certain key before it proceeds. It will even teach you how to play chords.

The keyboard also comes with a very realistic sound, an exact copy of the sound produced by an acoustic piano. Normally, in digital pianos, you get sound according to the force with which you hit the key. But in Yamaha EZ-200, you get to have the closest experience to an acoustic piano through a digital keyboard. Additionally, you can tweak the sound settings to get other experiences. The keyboard’s 367 Voices literally feature every instrument you may find in an orchestra. From guitars to drums, bass, harpsichords and electronic pianos, you have hundreds of sounds to choose from.

Apart from this choice of sounds, you also get 100 Styles to choose from. If you ever wanted to play a rock song or do some country music, it’s right at your fingertips. Punch in your option through the given keys and Yamaha EZ-200 will be quick to provide you with the relevant set of drums, piano, guitars and horn.

The sound quality of Yamaha ez200 is also a beauty. It’s totally stereo with two amplifiers for high-volume performances. Stereo quality ensures the best output for the sound. The keyboard comes with 32-notes polyphony. This means that it provides greater space for playing more sounds at the same time. Most keyboards with similar price tags as Yamaha EZ-200 usually provide a 12-note polyphony, which means if you play too many sounds at the same time, some of them are missed due to memory constraints. Yamaha EZ 200 ensures that you never run into this kind of problem.

Check out this video presentation of Yamaha EZ-200:

So if you are a basic learner with a lot of passion and potential and plans of making it big-time in playing piano, you have a portable keyboard which may accompany you for your entire career without ever leaving you wanting for more.

The Yamaha YPT-220 is a quality electronic keyboard that will fit any beginner or intermediate player. It features 61 organ style keys and ability to play up to 32 notes at once, which is sufficient in most cases, even for complex songs. Yamaha is well-known for its sound quality, and this portable keyboard is not an exception. Its sophisticated AWM tone generation system provides rich textures of the original sounds.

You can get this keyboard cheapest online through Amazon here.

Yamaha YPT-220 is loaded with extensive range of voices and rhythm patterns. You’ll find various realistic tones and sound effects, from standard grand and electric piano, organ, strings, to interesting effects such as dog barking and running water. Reverb effects simulate ambience of a room, concert hall, or even stage for solo instruments.

Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S.) provides impressive built-in tools for learning. There are 3 practice methods: Listen & Learn (listen selected part of the song and learn melody, chords or rhythm), Timing (play the notes at the correct timing), and Waiting (play the correct notes). While you’re playing, your performance will be graded. You can choose to practice with left hand, right hand, or both hands. If you want to learn how to play chords, chord dictionary is very helpful. It displays individual notes of selected chords.

The Pros:

• Inexpensive, but high-quality musical instrument.
• A lot of features to play with, something for both kids and adults.
• With standard MIDI In and MIDI Out ports built into Yamaha YPT-220 you can connect the keyboard to other MIDI instruments and devices, or computer for expanded musical functionality and production potential.
• Excellent learning functions – Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S.), built-in metronome that keeps an accurate tempo, chord dictionary, will make learning and practicing music both easy and fun.
• Premium package comes bundled with professional closed-cup headphones, single braced x-style keyboard stand, and AC power adapter.
• One Touch Setting feature can automatically choose the best voice for you, based on song and style you selected. This is perfect if you are unsure about the suitable voice for the song or just want to quickly set up tone and enjoy playing.
• Now with 53% discount and free shipping.

The Cons:

• Apparently stand which comes with some packages doesn’t fit the keyboard perfectly, because it’s universal stand, not made for this particular keyboard. It doesn’t fit into the groves under the keyboard, but most importantly, it doesn’t slip off. It just needs some adjustment.
• When you read descriptions of the product you can come to the wrong conclusion, but this is not touch-sensitive keyboard.

Here you can hear how Yamaha YPT-220 actually sounds.

Take advantage of this huge discount – buy online for $136.32

These are main features of Yamaha YPT-220:

• 61 standard-size keys with maximum 32-note polyphony
• 375 top-notch, natural sounding voices including Stereo Grand Piano, 361 XGlite voices, Sound Effect Kit and 12 Drum Kits
• 100 auto accompaniment styles in various musical genres
• 102 beautiful preset songs that will help you to quickly learn to play
• 9 amazing reverb types that let you add ambience of a room or concert hall to the sound that you play on the keyboard
• Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S.) with 3 lessons: Listen & Learn, Timing, and Waiting, makes Yamaha YPT-220 perfect for novices.
• Portable Grand button lets you reset the instrument voice to the default Yamaha’s world-class Grand Piano stereo sound.
• Standard MIDI In/Out ports
• AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) Stereo Sampling
• Powered by six “AA” size batteries or AC adapter – Yamaha PA-130 or an equivalent.

Let’s see what some of the owners said about Yamaha YPT-220.

I wanted cheap keyboard because, as a beginner, I didn’t want to give a lot of money for something I wasn’t sure I’m going to use for a long time. This keyboard was an ideal choice. It has some awesome learning options and I’m especially thankful for headsets that came with package, so my neighbors wont be upset when I play the keyboard by night… (ss)
Review paraphrased for size – view original review here.

I am not an expert, but I think that the keyboard has a very natural sound. There’s a lot of features for beginner like me. I found recording music to and from the computer through MIDI connection especially helpful learning tool. There’s also plenty of voices. I use them as special effects for my homemade videos… (Emaginit)
Review paraphrased for size – view original review here.

In comparison to Casio CTK-2100, this electronic keyboard has similar features and price. They are both well established brands on the market, known to create high quality products, so it’s really mostly the question what you prefer more. Main difference is that Yamaha YPT-220 uses standard MIDI ports while Casio model transmits MIDI over USB.

If you are looking for entry-level musical keyboard this is excellent choice. It’s great bang for the buck.

The Casio SA-76 is perfect starter mini electronic keyboard for kids. Its 4 pounds weight and compact dimensions make it easy to carry around. Also, people often use it as a keyboard for traveling because of the size. Sound quality is fairly good thanks to 8 note polyphony and LSI sound source.

Get it for only $49.35 from Amazon here.

It has interesting pre-programmed songs, such as Beethoven’s “Ode To Joy”, Bach’s “Minuet”  in G major, and other well known masterpieces often used in learning to play piano and those first steps in developing children’s creativity. Wide variety of built-in tones and rhythms allow you to play with different music genres and styles, from rock and pop to latin.

The Pros:

• Portability of Casio SA-76 is definitely a plus.
• It’s very affordable. You’ll hardly find better product for the price.
• Option to turn off melody in songs and play along with the accompaniment can help a lot to master practice tunes.
• Light weight of the keyboard makes it ideal for children, and its mini keys are suitable for their tiny fingers, while still providing decent sound.
• Auto power off function – keyboard will automatically turn off after about six minutes of non-use.
• Now with 35% discount and free shipping.

The Cons:

• AC adapter doesn’t come with keyboard.
• It’s good portable keyboard for beginners, but if interest for music persists, you’ll have to move to full size keys at some point.

Watch Casio SA-76 in action!

 Click here to buy this portable mini keyboard cheap online!

Here are some of the Casio SA-76 features:

• 44 mini size keys
• 100 high-quality preset tones and 50 rhythm patterns
• Song Bank with 10 tunes
• Up to 8 note polyphony and LSI sound source.
• 5 drum pads make it easy to play along to the rhythm or create a solo with your fingertips.
• LCD display shows an overview of all instrument’s functions, selected tone, rhythm, tempo, note, etc.
• Easy switch between the sound of a piano and an organ by simply pressing the button.
• Headphones output – practice without disturbing others.
• Powered by 6 AA-size batteries or AC adapter.

Overall, Casio SA-76 and its comprehensive set of functions bring hours and hours of entertainment for a whole family.

The Casio CTK-2100 is an exceptional entry level portable keyboard, equipped with 61 piano-style touch keys. It’s an ideal first keyboard, designed to satisfy not only children, but beginners of any age. 48 polyphony, 400 Tones, 150 Rhythms, are just some of the many great features it has. AHL sound source reproduces all of the natural smoothness of the original waveform.

You can get this electronic keyboard cheapest online through Amazon here.

CTK-2100 possesses extraordinary learning opportunities thanks to its interactive step up lesson system and metronome. You can easily learn to play with 110 practice pieces from song bank or connect your CD or Mp3 player with keyboard via audio input.

The Pros:

• It’s cheap portable keyboard and you are getting excellent value for the money.
• Premium package comes with professional headphones, stand and AC adapter.
• Casio CTK-2100 produces healthy habits and good technique, because by using stand it can be easily adjusted to the suitable height.
• Easy to assemble, 5-10 min and you are ready to enjoy in playing your favorite music.
• Plug & Play function with Windows and Mac OS X.
• 4 lessons (Listen, Watch, Remember, Auto), Voice Fingering Guide and Note Guide.
• Now on sale with 56% discount – buy for $119.95

The Cons:

• Keys are not weighted which is, according to the price, completely understandable.
• Some people complained about power adapter, which seems to doesn’t fit the keyboard since it’s not original Casio adapter. To be clear, when you are buying electronic keyboard you usually don’t get AC adapter anyway, so it’s not something that should stop you from buying this excellent portable keyboard. You can always buy original Casio adapter separately.

Watch this video of keyboard unboxing.

 Click here to take advantage of this huge discount!

Let’s take a look at some of the Casio CTK-2100 main features:

• 61 standard-size keys with light system (maximum 4 keys can be lit simultaneously)
• Up to 48 note polyphony
• 400 outstanding built-in tones, 150 rhythm patterns and 150 one touch presets
• Sampling function with Voice Pad and 10 additional sound effects
• CTK-2100 can be powered by using AD-5 AC Adapter or 6 standard AA size batteries
• USB port for easy connection with your computer
• Step up lesson system
• Standard sustain and stereo output jack (output impedance: 200 Ohm, output voltage: 4.8 V (RMS) MAX)
• Standard mic in jack and audio in jack (stereo mini jack with input impedance of 40 kOhm and input sensitivity of 200 mV)

Casio CTK-2100 delivers high-quality sound. It’s probably the best keyboard to learn on currently on the market, along with its equivalent Yamaha YPT-220.