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Physics · Sound & Music

Sound & Music Lab

Play a piano that names every interval, build chords and scales, then pull a sound apart into its harmonics and see the string vibrate.

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The course

7 worlds · 63 lessons

World 1 · Foundations

FREEPitch, keys and the staff
  1. 01What is pitch?High, low, and frequency · 5 min
  2. 02The keyboard mapWhite keys, black keys, patterns · 6 min
  3. 03The octaveSame note, double the frequency · 6 min
  4. 04The staff & note namesReading pitch on five lines · 7 min
  5. 05Half steps & whole stepsThe smallest distances · 7 min
  6. 06Sharps & flatsThe black keys, named · 6 min
  7. 07The twelve notesThe chromatic scale · 6 min
  8. 08Equal temperamentWhy the math is 2^(n/12) · 7 min
  9. 09Beat & rhythmMusic in time · 6 min
  10. 10Loud, soft & reviewDynamics + Foundations recap · 6 min
  11. 11One octave, half the period

World 2 · Scales & Tonality

PROMajor, minor, keys & modes
  1. 01The major scaleW-W-H-W-W-W-H · 8 minPRO
  2. 02Major in any keyTransposing the recipe · 8 minPRO
  3. 03The circle of fifthsHow the 12 keys relate · 9 minPRO
  4. 04Key signaturesSharps and flats up front · 7 minPRO
  5. 05The sharp keysG, D, A, E and the order of sharps · 8 minPRO
  6. 06The flat keysF, B♭, E♭ and the order of flats · 8 minPRO
  7. 07The natural minor scaleThe darker recipe · 8 minPRO
  8. 08Relative major & minorSame notes, different home · 7 minPRO
  9. 09Harmonic minorRaising the 7th · 8 minPRO
  10. 10Melodic minorSmoothing the climb · 8 minPRO
  11. 11Modes: Ionian, Dorian, PhrygianSeven flavours from one scale · 9 minPRO
  12. 12Lydian & MixolydianBright and bluesy · 8 minPRO
  13. 13Locrian & the mode mapThe unstable one · 7 minPRO
  14. 14Pentatonic & reviewFive notes + Scales recap · 7 minPRO

World 3 · Intervals & Ear Training

PROName what you hear
  1. 01What is an interval?The distance between two notes · 6 minPRO
  2. 02Interval qualityMajor, minor, perfect · 7 minPRO
  3. 03Consonance & dissonanceWhy some pairs clash · 8 minPRO
  4. 04Seconds & thirdsThe small, expressive intervals · 7 minPRO
  5. 05Fourths & the tritoneStability and the devil’s interval · 8 minPRO
  6. 06Fifths & the overtone seriesNature’s own interval · 8 minPRO
  7. 07Sixths & seventhsThe wide, colourful leaps · 7 minPRO
  8. 08Compound intervals & inversionsFlipping and stretching · 7 minPRO
  9. 09How to train your earReference songs & the drill loop · 7 minPRO
  10. 10The 13 intervals — reviewUnison to octave · 7 minPRO

World 4 · Chords & Harmony

PROTriads, 7ths & progressions
  1. 01What is a chord?Stacking thirds into triads · 7 minPRO
  2. 02Major & minor triadsWhere the mood lives · 7 minPRO
  3. 03Diminished & augmentedThe tense triads · 7 minPRO
  4. 04Suspended chordsRemoving the third · 6 minPRO
  5. 05Chord inversionsSame chord, new bass · 7 minPRO
  6. 06Major seventh chordsAdding the 7th · 7 minPRO
  7. 07Dominant seventh chordsThe engine of tension · 8 minPRO
  8. 08Minor seventh chordsSmooth and mellow · 7 minPRO
  9. 09Half- & fully-diminished 7thsThe darkest colours · 8 minPRO
  10. 10Ninths & extensionsBeyond the seventh · 7 minPRO
  11. 11Roman-numeral analysisChords by scale degree · 8 minPRO
  12. 12The I–IV–V progressionThe backbone of everything · 7 minPRO
  13. 13The vi & the pop progressionI–V–vi–IV · 7 minPRO
  14. 14CadencesMusical punctuation · 7 minPRO
  15. 15Voice leadingMoving chords smoothly · 8 minPRO
  16. 16Build a progression — reviewPutting it all together · 8 minPRO

World 5 · Rhythm & Meter

PRONote values, meter & the tap-along drill
  1. 01Note values & restsHow long is a note? · 6 minPRO
  2. 02Simple meter2/4, 3/4, 4/4 — the beat you tap · 6 minPRO
  3. 03Compound meter6/8 — a beat made of three · 7 minPRO
  4. 04Dotted notes & tiesExtending a note's length · 6 minPRO
  5. 05SyncopationAccenting the off-beat · 7 minPRO
  6. 06Swing feelNotation vs. how it's actually played · 7 minPRO

World 6 · Build a sound from sine waves

PROFinite Fourier series, spectrum and phase
  1. 01A hollow sound from odd harmonicsPRO
  2. 02Softer corners, faster decayPRO

World 7 · From samples to a spectrum

PRODiscrete transform, phase, filtering and aliasing
  1. 01Take a signal apart and rebuild itPRO
  2. 02Remove a high tone in frequency spacePRO
  3. 03Same magnitude, different shapePRO
  4. 04Two frequencies, identical samplesPRO
Read first

Guides for Sound & Music Lab

All guides →
Explainer
Electronics & ArduinoOhm’s Law Explained: Voltage, Current and LED ResistorsLearn what voltage, current and resistance mean, how Ohm’s law links them, and how to pick the resistor that protects an LED. Includes a live 3D circuit lab.5 min read
Explainer
Sound & Music LabPitch, Octaves and the Twelve Notes: How Music WorksWhy pitch is frequency, why an octave doubles it, how twelve equal steps divide that octave, and how beat and tempo organise time. With a live sound lab.4 min read