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Our Music Theory Correspondence Course is a practical music theory course
designed to help you grasp the essential, intuitive, and visual aspects
of core music theory concepts.
This course is particularly recommended for those who want to freely manipulate
chord progressions (harmonic progressions) and their cadences, greatly
expanding their composing and arranging abilities. By integrating our unique
theoretical system with existing music theory, we provide you with a clear
understanding of harmonic progressions and the composing and arranging
know-how that can be applied to all music genres.
Although you may find various free "music theory" courses online,
many of them are only useful in specific situations or are explained using
unnecessarily complicated language, making them far from practical or applicable.
At our company, we believe that music theory should be distinguished from
simple techniques, and should be an essential concept that can be applied
uniformly to any music or situation. At the same time, it is important
for the theory to be a practical "tool" that is useful in various
real-life music activities. Our "Music Theory Correspondence Course"
is particularly recommended for those who want to compose and arrange music,
or understand the structure and system of chord progressions.
The music theory provided in this course captures and analyzes music through
a different approach than existing music theory, but its consistency with
existing music theory (so-called musicology) has been confirmed, and both
theories can coexist. Consequently, using either our company's theory or
existing theory for a given phenomenon will lead to the same "correct"
answer. However, the speed at which the correct answer is derived is quite
different. Our theory allows you to arrive at the correct answer much faster
and more easily, and at the same time find multiple correct answers. Because
you can envision various options in your head in a short time, it is highly
effective for improvisation.
Existing harmonic progression theory, also known as harmony theory, was
originally designed as a "retroactive" theory to explain how
to systematize and explain the changes in cadences (the process of harmonic
progression returning from tonic to tonic) in classical music. It was not
initially intended for composing or performing music. Even if you understand
perfectly how cadences work, if you can't create cadences from scratch,
it won't be useful for practical composition or arranging. On the other
hand, our company's theory starts from considering the essence of music
and aims to capture all music uniformly by clarifying the fundamental structure.
By understanding what creates cadences and why they are formed, you can
freely create your own original cadences and arrange existing cadences.
Cadences can be thought of as the DNA of music, and the ability to freely
manipulate them is a powerful weapon for rewriting existing music and creating
new music.
Our company receives many requests for transcription and arrangement from
customers in our sheet music production business, and the most reliable
resource we use in our work is not existing music theory but our own unique
music theory. It is especially indispensable for arranging and is highly
valued in practice. One of the main reasons for establishing this course
is our desire to share this way of thinking with many people and have them
actually use it.
For those who have learned the existing harmony theory and musicology at
universities or specialized schools, comparing it with our theory will
provide a new perspective. In addition, our course materials explain things
in simple language without using difficult words, making it possible to
take the course even if you have no prior knowledge of existing music theory.
We also offer the sale of teaching materials only (textbooks, reference
scores, chord tables). If you purchase the materials only, correspondence
corrections and response to questions services are not included. However,
after purchasing the materials, you can switch to the regular correspondence
course by paying the difference in fees.
From Lesson 1 to Lesson 9, there are assignment exercises for each lesson.
When you submit your answers via email and pass the required level, you
can proceed to the next lesson. If you don't pass, you can try the exercises
again, so you don't have to worry about not understanding and the lessons
progressing too quickly. We will usually correct your answers within one
week.
You can set the pace of the lessons as you like. Interruptions and resumptions
of the lessons are possible at any time. Additionally, we accept questions
about lesson content via email. We will respond within three business days.
There are no additional fees after starting the course. The maximum course
duration is one year.
◆Content◆
Lesson 1：The Framework and Pillars of Music / Harmony [Major Chords and Minor Chords]
◇Free Lesson Available◇
Lesson 2：Keys [Major Key and Minor Key] / Home Chord and Away Chord
Lesson 3：Four-Chord and Five-Chord / Basic Chord Set
Lesson 4：Scales
Lesson 5：Parallel Keys / Regular Chords
Lesson 6：Relative Keys / Sub Chords
◇Free Lesson Available◇
Lesson 7：Dominant Keys / Double Dominant
Lesson 8：Subdominant Keys / Double Subdominant
Lesson 9：Tonic, Dominant, Subdominant, and the "Function" of Chords
Lesson 10：Chord Progression and Key Change Analysis Using the Chord Table
(Content and order may be subject to minor corrections and revisions.)
◇Correspondence Courses QandA◇
◇Testimonials from Students (Japanese site) ◇
For questions and enrollment, please use the Correspondence Courses Inquiry & Enrollment Form.
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Regular Course (with corrections) |
Materials only (no corrections) |
| Regular Enrollment |
JPY 20,900 |
JPY 1,100 |
Simultaneous enrollment with Absolute Pitch Training Correspondence Course
(Includes graduates and current students) |
JPY 18,810 |
JPY 990 |
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Join us in the world of absolute pitch! This correspondence course allows
you to develop absolute pitch at home using MP3 files or CD.
As you may know, absolute pitch is not an essential skill for engaging
with music. Many top musicians do not possess absolute pitch. However,
it can significantly change the way you perceive music and serve as a powerful
tool for intuitively understanding the fundamental aspects of music. Absolute
pitch is particularly effective when it comes to transcribing, composing,
and arranging.
To apply absolute pitch in actual musical activities, it is necessary to
develop other skills such as a sense of tonality, sense of pitch (relative
pitch), sight-reading, rhythm, chord analysis, and the ability to react
to rapid note changes. These skills and knowledge work together as "musical
sense" and play important roles in musical activities. Our course
aims to improve overall musical sense, including the development of absolute
pitch. We also focus on enhancing various aspects of musical sense, such
as tonality, rhythm, and relative pitch, to systematically and intuitively
grasp music.
The ultimate goal of our course is not merely to develop absolute pitch
but to achieve a true understanding of music. Absolute pitch is an extremely
effective ability for transcribing, composing, and arranging music at will.
By cultivating absolute pitch and utilizing it, you will be able to easily
grasp the true nature of music.
Developing absolute pitch as an adult requires effort from the students,
but support and backup from the course provider are also crucial. In our
course, when working on the absolute pitch training program, we ensure
that you can constantly understand the purpose and goals of each program,
the possibility of achieving the objectives of each course, and provide
individual, accurate advice as needed. We offer various forms of support
so you can confidently engage in training.
The main focus is on developing absolute pitch at a level where one can
listen and transcribe single notes, such as vocals and bass, with 100%
accuracy, while also enhancing the resolution of sounds, developing the
ability to identify chord components, acquiring a sense of tonality, and
intuitively mastering cadences.
Absolute pitch that is effective in actual music cannot be acquired through
training that merely involves repeatedly listening to individual notes.
Music consists of melodies, chords, bass (+ rhythm) moving within a framework
called "key." We provide training to acquire a sense of tonality
by repeatedly listening to all major scales, minor scales, and cadences
composed of triads.
There are a total of 12 notes in one octave, ranging from "C"
to "C♯", "D", and so on up to "B". By having
a sense of tonality, you can divide the notes in one octave into 7 regular
groups, such as "C-D-E-F-G-A-B" (in the case of C major), and
other subgroups.
The distinction between regular groups and subgroups is determined by the
key of the song. This decision is made intuitively and naturally. By having
a sense of tonality, you can predict which note names you are trying to
listen to, whether they belong to the regular group or the subgroup, based
on information related to the chord progression and tonality at the time.
In other words, instead of treating the 12 notes in an octave equally,
they are divided into regular and subgroups based on the importance and
likelihood of occurrence of the notes. This reduces the cognitive load
of listening, and even without a highly developed absolute pitch, you can
estimate single notes, chords, and keys that you hear. Acquiring absolute
pitch that can be effective in practice is inextricably linked with acquiring
a sense of tonality.
In addition to this, our course also aims to gradually improve various
musical skills, such as a sense of pitch (relative pitch), rhythm, sight-reading
ability, chord decomposition ability, and the ability to respond to rapid
note changes, alongside the development of absolute pitch, ultimately aiming
to enhance the overall foundation of your musical sense.
In the Second Half of the Basic Course, we also provide triad listening
training in addition to single note listening training.
When judging the individual components of a chord, you will use relative
pitch and absolute pitch depending on the situation. In the case of dissonant
chords with close intervals (for example, a chord containing both "C"
and "C♯" notes), extracting and identifying the individual components
by absolute pitch is extremely difficult (covered in the Advanced Course).
In this case, you generally determine the note names by judging the degree
of dissonance (muddiness of the sound).
On the other hand, there are two methods for determining the note names
of consonant chords. One is to listen and judge the individual components
of the chord without relying on the intervals or consonance content with
other notes. This requires advanced absolute pitch (covered in the Advanced
Course).
The other method is to infer the components from the overall sound of the
chord. The Basic Course aims for triad chord identification using this
method. By memorizing the overall sound of the chord for each combination
of components, you can recognize the chord even if it sounds like a single
lump of sound.
For example, we can recognize a "tree" when we see it. Why is
that? We recognize the overall image of a trunk, branches extending from
it, and leaves attached to the branches as a "tree." Even if
you can't see the trunk in the middle of the tree from a distance, you
can still predict that it's there. You can also recognize that there must
be roots beneath the ground, even without seeing them. Understanding the
overall sound of a chord is just like that. By memorizing the overall sound
of a chord, you can guess what notes it consists of even if you can't hear
each individual note within the chord.
However, as long as you remain at that level, you will not acquire advanced
absolute pitch. In the Second Half of the Basic Course, we will intensively
incorporate training to independently listen and distinguish the components
of a triad, rather than treating it as a single lump, with the goal of
advancing to the Advanced Course.
There is an aptitude for developing absolute pitch. Unfortunately, absolute
pitch is not something that everyone can acquire through effort. You cannot
know whether you have the aptitude or not until you start training. Therefore,
during the Basic Course, we will carefully check for the presence or absence
of aptitude throughout the training process.
If you do not reach the predetermined goal line within the study period
of the First Half of the Basic Course, you will not be able to proceed
to the Second Half. In this case, we will refund the full tuition fee (First
Half) minus a handling fee of JPY 1,000.
Also, if you do not reach the predetermined goal line within the study
period of the Second Half of the Basic Course, you will not be able to
proceed to the Advanced Course. In this case, we will refund the full tuition
fee (Second Half) minus a handling fee of JPY 1,000.
We will send the teaching materials as MP3 files (approximately 100MB)
via online storage and the text and sheet music as email attachments. If
you prefer, we can also provide one audio CD instead of the MP3 files,
which will be mailed (in this case, we will charge an additional JPY 540
for shipping and handling fees from Japan). There will be no additional
fees after the course begins. The study period is a maximum of one year
for the First Half and one year for the Second Half, for a total maximum
of two years.
This course aims to develop a high-level absolute pitch and sound decomposition
ability that can handle complex chords and rapidly changing tempos, as
well as practical transcription skills utilizing absolute pitch.
Through exercises such as training to filter out unnecessary sounds and
focus only on the desired ones, you will develop an advanced absolute pitch
that enables you to perceive chords not as a single block of sound, but
as individually distinguishable constituent tones. Furthermore, you will
learn to recognize changes in resonance through "inversions"
and adapt to on-chords.
Additionally, through monthly transcription reviews, a total of 5 times,
you will acquire practical transcription skills and further improve your
absolute pitch in the process. You will learn the necessary approaches
for accurate transcription through hands-on experience. The content of
the assignments will be determined based on each student's owned instruments,
playable instruments, and preferred music genres, with a focus on areas
where many people struggle.
Absolute pitch is further refined through the practical application of
transcription. Accurate transcription for all types of music requires absolute
pitch, but various techniques are also necessary to utilize that absolute
pitch. Learning these techniques will improve the accuracy and speed of
your transcriptions. As your transcription speed increases, you can accumulate
practical transcription experience in a shorter amount of time. Absolute
pitch will continue to improve as you gain more transcription experience.
This course is intended for those who have completed the Basic Course.
Enrollment starts in April or October. We will send the teaching materials
as MP3 files (approximately 100MB) via online storage and the text and
sheet music as email attachments. If you prefer, we can also provide one
audio CD instead of the MP3 files, which will be mailed (in this case,
we will charge an additional JPY 540 for shipping and handling fees from
Japan). There will be no additional fees after the course begins. The maximum
course duration is six months.
◇Correspondence Courses Q&A◇
◇Testimonials from Students (Japanese site)◇
For questions and enrollment, please use the Correspondence Courses Inquiry & Enrollment Form.
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Basic Course |
Advanced Course |
| First Half |
Second Half |
| Regular Enrollment |
JPY 3,300 |
JPY 6,600 |
JPY 88,000 |
Simultaneous Enrollment with Music Theory Correspondence Course
(Includes graduates and current students) |
JPY 2,970 |
JPY 5,940 |
JPY 79,200 |
| Shipping (CD Version) |
JPY 370 (Within Japan) / JPY 540 (Outside Japan) |
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The free version of MakeMusic's top-notch music notation software, "Finale".
We provide the Finale files for free to our customers who request music
notation services. This software allows you to view, edit, and print music
scores on your computer. MIDI playback of the score is also possible. |
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