Easy Music Theory for Singers

Improve your singing with music theory.

First off, every note you sing or play has two main traits: pitch and rhythm. Pitch refers to how high or low the note sounds—think of it as the note’s “letter name,” like C or G. Rhythm is simply how long or short the note lasts. Got it? Cool!

Now, let’s talk pitch. The musical alphabet is refreshingly short: just A to G, and then it repeats. For example, there’s a C, a D, and a black key in between that can be called C# or Db. Fancy term alert: these are enharmonic equivalents—same pitch, different name, depending on the key of the music.

Here’s something fun: the same letter can have different pitches. That’s where octave numbers come in handy. For example, middle C is C4, and the octave above is C5. Easy, right?

Let’s explore intervals, the space between two pitches. The smallest one is the minor second, also called a half step, like the iconic Jaws theme. A major second is a whole step, like the start of Happy Birthday. And if you’re singing “do” to “do” an octave apart, congratulations—you just nailed an octave!

Now for some harmony magic. A chord is when you play multiple notes at once, while an arpeggio is when you play them one at a time. Major chords sound bright and happy; minor chords feel a little sad.

Finally, let’s touch on keys. A key sets the “home base” pitch for a song, like the key of C major, which uses the C scale as its foundation. If a song feels tough to sing, just try it in a different key—it can make all the difference.