Music Theory & Ear Training Lessons
Want to write your own songs, or lift the ones you love straight onto your instrument? Learning to listen gets you there faster. Two courses — for any instrument, any level — in London or online worldwide.
Theory is simply the ideas musicians before us found to sound good — grouped together so we can learn them quickly, instead of spending years rediscovering them ourselves.
Whatever instrument you play, theory and ear training help you listen to your own ideas and other people’s, and find them on your instrument. Music is a listening art, not a visual one — which is why theory isn’t the same as sight-reading. You can know all the theory in the world and still not read a note. What these courses build is the ear.
Two music theory &
ear training courses.
Know It, Hear It!
Practical, hands-on theory and ear-training to find the melodies in your head — and off your favourite songs — onto your instrument. A group course, with no sight-reading.
Music Theory Graded Exams
Prepare for popular or classical theory exams, in a group or one-to-one — at mine, at yours or online. This course does involve sight-reading.
How songs are built
How scales and chords are built, relate to each other, and turn up in real riffs and melodies.
Rhythm you can feel
Figure out the rhythm of a song and tap it straight back.
Post-1950 pop & rock
The harmony and language of modern popular music, and how keys change. And how key pop and rock stars of this and last century used them.
Graded syllabi
ABRSM / LCM classical theory to Grade 5, or LCM Popular Music Theory to Grade 8.
Who it’s for
Anyone studying any instrument! Everyone is welcome, including musicians and singers who aren’t students of mine – the only prerequisite is a love for music! Courses run from beginner to advanced, and suggested daily practice depends on your grade.
These group lessons in practical theory are the fastest way to understand your one-to-one lessons and get far more out of them. You’ll learn to hear how chords and scales are used in songs, which gives you a solid grip on contemporary music whatever your level on your instrument. We focus on how scales and chords are built, how they relate and how they turn up in riffs and melodies; how to work out and tap back the rhythm of a song; the harmony of post-1950 pop and rock, and how it was used in popular songs; and how songs change key. You can reach the next level in just 12 lessons.
How lessons are delivered
We use a mix of paper (mostly for the graded exams), software (to help you identify melodies and chords) and an instrument — your choice of keyboards, guitar, bass or ukulele, or bring your own instrument (whatever that is). For the graded route, choose between ABRSM or LCM classical music theory up to Grade 5, or LCM Popular Music Theory up to Grade 8.
Your first twelve weeks
The first four weeks are about the pulse, because everything else sits on it. You clap and tap back rhythms heard once, split a bar into halves and quarters, read and write basic rhythmic notation, and learn to find the downbeat in a song you have never heard before. Most people are surprised how much of what they thought was a theory problem turns out to be a counting problem.
Weeks five to eight move to pitch and construction: intervals sung and recognised by ear, how the major scale is built and why the minor scales differ, the chords that sit on each degree of a scale, and the circle of fifths as a working tool rather than a diagram to memorise. You start naming the chords in songs you already know by listening to them.
Weeks nine to twelve put it to work on real music: the harmony of post-1950 pop and rock, the ten or so progressions that account for a huge share of it, how songs change key, and how to lift a melody or a chord sequence off a recording straight onto your own instrument. Graded students spend this block on past papers instead.
Which course, and which syllabus
Know It, Hear It! is the ear-led route — no sight-reading at all, aimed at songwriting, working songs out and getting far more from your instrument lessons. The graded route does involve reading, and follows either ABRSM or LCM classical music theory up to Grade 5 — the Grade 5 that many boards require before higher practical grades — or LCM Popular Music Theory up to Grade 8, which stays anchored in contemporary music. Both are open to any instrument, and to singers.
Malcolm has helped me really understand how music works fundamentally, and trained me to recognise musical aspects by ear. He also works closely with me to better my songwriting, which is my passion when it comes to music.— Nahian, acoustic & electric guitar student
Where lessons happen
In-studio in London SE16 — Rotherhithe, Canada Water and Surrey Quays — at your place anywhere within TfL Zone 3, including Bermondsey and Borough (SE1), Walworth (SE17), Deptford (SE8), New Cross and Peckham (SE14, SE15), Lewisham (SE13) and Canary Wharf (E14), or live online worldwide over Zoom/similar. When the weather’s kind, studio lessons can even move out to a private front garden. Get in touch and we’ll pick what fits you best. I teach music lessons right across South East London — see the areas I cover →.
Simple, honest rates.
| Payment plan | Per lesson | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Standard two instalments of £90 | £15 | £180 |
| 12 sessions upfront best value | £12.50 | £150 |
Note: these are the theory-course rates. For one-to-one instrument lesson prices and blocks, see the full fees →
Ready to train your ear?
Tell me your instrument and whether you’re after Know It Hear It! or the graded exams. I’ll get you started.