Specialization Develop your musicality ranks first on the list of best online music courses. With this specialization, you can cultivate your love and understanding of music. Discover the fundamentals of music theory, such as major and minor tonality, chord scales, song forms, and chord qualities. You'll also train your ear to hear and recognize different intervals, chord progressions, and chord qualities. For the Capstone project, you will use what you've learned to write and perform a short musical composition. This specialization starts with the fundamentals of music and progresses to more advanced concepts, giving you the knowledge you need to improve your musician skills.

In the capstone course, you will write and perform a 24-measure musical composition in A A B A song form. This culminating project will combine the skills and knowledge you learn and provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate your growth as a musician.

What you will learn:

• Aurally identify musical intervals, chords, and chord progressions
• Write and practice major and minor scales in a variety of keys
• Compose a 12-bar blues with a melody
• Define and discuss harmonic function and modal interchange

Informations about course:

• Shareable certificate: Get a Certificate when you complete
• 100% online courses: Start now and learn when it's convenient for you.
• Flexible schedule: Set and stick to flexible deadlines.
• Beginner level: Students may want to have some knowledge of basic music notation and will need access to an instrument, preferably a keyboard or piano.
• Approximately 5 months to complete: Recommended pace of 3 hours/week
• Subtitles: English, Ukrainian, Portuguese (European), Chinese (Simplified), Portuguese (Brazilian)
  

Rating: 4.9/5.0

Enroll here: coursera.org/specializations/musicianship-specialization

How to Play Guitar Specialization ranks 2nd on the list of best online music courses. Have you always wanted to learn to play the guitar but had no idea where to begin? Whether you're just starting out on the guitar or want to brush up on your skills, Berklee College of Music's Guitar Techniques specialization will help you practice the techniques you'll need to take your playing to the next level. You'll lay a solid foundation during this 16-week specialization by learning and practicing major, minor, and pentatonic scales, as well as triads and chords. You'll also get a chance to improvise, write melodies and licks, and play through lead sheets. By the end of this specialization, you will have honed your skills and gained the confidence to perform your favorite songs in front of an audience.

Throughout this specialization, you will practice and perform various guitar techniques and skills including scales, chords, strumming, and picking. You'll practice your new skills up and down the guitar neck and in different positions. You'll also perform rhythm and melody lines reading a lead sheet, using tablature and notation.

What you will learn:

• Identify string names and numbers and read music notation, tablature, chord block diagrams, and fretboard maps
• Practice picking, finger picking, and strumming patterns
• Play various chords including major and minor triads, open, barre, and pose chords
• Read and play a lead sheet

Informations about course:

• Shareable certificate: Get a Certificate when you complete
• 100% online courses: Start now and learn when it's convenient for you.
• Flexible schedule: Set and stick to flexible deadlines.
• Beginner level: No previous background necessary.
• Approximately 5 months to complete: Recommended pace of 3 hours/week
• Subtitles: English, French, Catalan, Portuguese (Brazilian), Vietnamese, Russian, Portuguese (European), Spanish

Rating: 4.8/5.0

Enroll here: coursera.org/specializations/play-guitar

Electronic Music Production Specialization ranked 3rd in the list of best online music courses. You will learn the tricks of the trade to create high-quality, professional-sounding music in the Electronic Music Production specialization. To begin, you will learn about the nature of sound and how a signal flows through a home studio setup. You'll also learn how to use music synthesis to create your own custom musical sounds. You'll learn how to record MIDI and real-world instruments into Ableton Live, a versatile and adaptable Digital Audio Workstation. You'll also learn how to record, produce, edit, and mix a vocal track professionally with Grammy-winning producer Prince Charles Alexander.

In the first course of this specialization, The Technology of Music Production, you will be asked to create a presentation on a topic of your choice. Next, you will produce and record original music using real instruments, MIDI, custom synth patches, and effects such as equalization, compression, and reverb.

What you will learn:

• The nature of sound and how natural sound is transformed into an electronic signal that we can record
• How to record, edit, and mix live instruments and MIDI in Ableton Live
• How to create custom sounds using a synthesizer and how to integrate those custom sounds for your musical compositions
• How to record, edit, mix, and add effects to vocal tracks for your electronic music productions

Informations about course:

• Shareable certificate: Get a Certificate when you complete
• 100% online courses: Start now and learn when it's convenient for you.
• Flexible schedule: Set and stick to flexible deadlines.
• Intermediate level: Learners should have some basic knowledge about musical concepts and structure. No prior electronic music knowledge is required.
• Approximately 5 months to complete: Recommended pace of 3 hours/week
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Chinese (Simplified), French, Portuguese (European), Russian

Rating: 4.8/5.0

Enroll here: coursera.org/specializations/electronic-music-production

Music sector specialization ranks 4th in the list of best online music courses. This specialization will provide you with the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to launch a career in the music industry as an artist, manager, agent, or producer. You'll start with Music Business Foundations, which gives you a broad overview of the music industry, including a history of the industry and the various roles that exist and how they relate to one another. You will gain an understanding of how record contracts are structured as well as a basic understanding of copyright law. Following that, you will complete Navigating the Music Business, which is designed for both musicians and those who want to work with musicians.

This course will help you identify the unique elements of artist identity and provide you with the practical business know-how you’ll need to build a fanbase and successfully run a crowdfunding campaign. Next, you will complete Copyright Law in the Music Business, which gets to the heart of compensation and revenue in the music business. You will have the opportunity to unpack high-profile copyright law cases involving world-renowned artists, gaining a better understanding of how to leverage the law to their benefit. Finally, you will complete Creativity and Entrepreneurship, in which you’ll learn what it takes to be an effective entrepreneur in the music business, learning skills that are essential for thriving in an ever-changing industry.

What you will learn:

• How to navigate the music business as an independent artist, including how to network, leverage social media, and launch a crowdfunding campaign
• Discuss how the music business functions, including the various roles within the business, contract agreements, and how artists make money
• Discuss the exclusive rights granted by copyright law and explain how to leverage those rights as a creator
• Leverage skills used in musicianship to become a more effective entrepreneur

Informations about course:

• Shareable certificate: Get a Certificate when you complete
• 100% online courses: Start now and learn when it's convenient for you.
• Flexible schedule: Set and stick to flexible deadlines.
• Beginner level: No prior knowledge of background is required to complete this specialization.
• Approximately 5 months to complete: Recommended pace of 2 hours/week
• Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese (European), Russian, Spanish

Rating: 4.8/5.0

Enroll here: coursera.org/specializations/music-business

Songwriting Specialization: Writing, Arranging, and Producing Music ranks 5th on the list of best online music courses. This specialization will teach aspiring and established songwriters the strategies and practices necessary to write hit songs. To help you get the most out of your musical ideas, the award-winning Berklee Songwriting Faculty has selected four comprehensive courses, each devoted to a different song element. You will learn how to generate thought-provoking ways to express the emotions you want to portray, beginning with the lyrics and music.

From there, you'll shape your song into a well-balanced musical arrangement with full accompaniment. The final project will walk you through the process of creating your own demos with Ableton Live, one of the most exciting digital audio workstations (DAW) available today. Throughout this specialization, you will participate in a variety of activities to help you make informed decisions about your music. You will refine your musical ideas into a polished song demo by employing effective rhyming schemes and creating evocative melodies and harmonies.

Skills you will gain:

• Music, arranging, Producing, Songwriting, Music recording, Poetry, Melodic Hooks, Melody, Harmony, Writing, Audio Recording, Music Making

Informations about course:

• Shareable certificate: Get a Certificate when you complete
• 100% online courses: Start now and learn when it's convenient for you.
• Flexible schedule: Set and stick to flexible deadlines.
  
• Beginner level: Learners should have some basic knowledge about musical concepts and song structure. No prior knowledge in song production is required.
• Approximately 4 months to complete: Recommended pace of 3 hours/week
• Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese

Rating: 4.8/5.0

Enroll here: coursera.org/specializations/songwriting

Music Production Specialization ranks 6th in the list of best online music courses. This major will provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to professionally record and produce music. You'll start by defining your identity, vision, and goals as an artist and producer. You'll then learn about the technical aspects of music production, such as how sound is converted into an audio signal, recording techniques, and effects like reverb, delay, and compression. You will also learn how to create professional sound recordings using the industry standard Digital Audio Workstation, Professional Tools. Finally, you'll put your knowledge and tools to use during the four weeks of Highest Capstone, where you'll complete a project from pre-production to recording, mixing, and mixing. Mixing and mastering

In this course, you'll learn how to Define and Use Reference Lines to establish a vision for your production, learn how to Use the Production Checklist to run an effective recording session, and well organized. Edit your routes while using reference routes and emotional and dynamic timelines to realize your production vision. Finally, evaluate your mix by actually hearing it on different audio systems (headphones, in-car, sound systems, computers, etc.)

Skills you will gain:

• Audio Recording, Music, Music production, Sound Design, Audio Editing, Audio Production, Songwriting, Music recording, MIDI, Pro Tools, music editing, Music mixing

Informations about course:

• Shareable certificate: Get a Certificate when you complete
• 100% online courses: Start now and learn when it's convenient for you.
• Flexible schedule: Set and stick to flexible deadlines.
• Beginner level: There is no prior experience or knowledge required to enroll in this specialization.
• Approximately 5 months to complete" Recommended pace of 3 hours/week
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Chinese (Simplified)

Rating: 4.8/5.0

Enroll here: coursera.org/specializations/music-production

Do you have a favorite song that you'd like to share with others? The Singer/Songwriter specialization will teach you everything you need to know to write, perform, and record your own original music. In Guitar for Beginners, you'll start by learning how to play the guitar to accompany yourself. You will learn chords and scales, as well as strumming and finger picking patterns. You will explore your voice and develop your own personal style in Singing Popular Music.

You'll learn how to sing properly, including proper breathing techniques. From there, you’ll hone your writing craft, focusing on lyrics. You’ll learn about stressed and unstressed syllables, rhyme schemes, and lyrical phrasing.You’ll also record into a Digital Audio Workstation, focusing on Ableton Live and capturing both MIDI and real instruments into your DAW to record and share your ideas with the world. In the first course of this specialization, Guitar for Beginners, you will play a song from beginning to end using a lead sheet. You will hone your style and perform a song in Singing Popular Music. You will have finished an original song by the end of Songwriting: Writing the Lyrics. Finally, in Introduction to Ableton Live, you will create and record your own music using real instruments and MIDI.

What you will learn:

• The basics of playing the guitar, including chords, scales, strumming and picking patterns.
• How to sing in your preferred genre and style healthfully, using proper breathing and vocal techniques.Basic songwrit
• ng tools and techniques to augment your songwriting.
• How to record, edit, and mix music productions that include MIDI and audio to create professional sounding recordings of your music.

Informations about course:

• Shareable certificate: Get a Certificate when you complete
• 100% online courses: Start now and learn when it's convenient for you.
• Flexible schedule: Set and stick to flexible deadlines.
• Beginner level: A love of music and desire to write and perform original music
• Approximately 5 months to complete: Recommended pace of 4 hours/week
• Subtitles: English, French, Catalan, Portuguese (Brazilian), Vietnamese, Russian, Portuguese (European), Spanish

Rating: 4.7/5.0
Enroll here: coursera.org/specializations/singer-songwriter

This course explains how music works. It is concerned with the relationship between musical technical and aesthetic details. It also discusses how developing a meaningful theoretical vocabulary can help you think and talk about musical style, as well as how learning that vocabulary can broaden your appreciation for music. In this course, you will learn music theory by listening to, looking at, and, yes, writing your own musical examples, rather than by studying theory. You will learn about classical, modern, ancient, pop, jazz, and folk styles by hearing, seeing, and writing for yourself.

Through lectures, relevant examples, and numerous practice assignments, we will examine fundamental aspects of melody. They will move into working with two voices and counterpoint, and finally to three voices and the beginnings of harmonic function. This is an intermediate-level course for musicians and composers who already have some understanding of music theory through previous study. If you are a musician or composer looking to build a deeper understanding of music theory for composing, performing, or improvisation, you have come to the right place. If you are an amateur lover of music or, perhaps, play a musical instrument and want to develop a deeper sense of appreciation for music theory, aesthetics, and history, you are also in the right place!

What you will learn:

• Analyze the relationship between the technical details and aesthetics of music.
• Explore how culture, psychology, physics, formal context, and a sense of play all shape musical language.
• Discover ways in which music theory may be relevant to enjoying, communicating a love for, and performing music.
• Demonstrate confidence in the kind of musical self-analysis that can help you develop your own musical ideas.

Informations about course:

• Flexible deadlines: Reset deadlines based on your availability.
• Shareable certificate: Get a Certificate when you complete
• 100% online: Start now and learn when it's convenient for you.
• Approx. 10 p.m. to finish
• Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish

Rating: 4.7/5.0

Enroll here: coursera.org/learn/melodic-forms-simple-harmony

This course is a brief introduction to the elements of music theory for those with little or no prior knowledge of music theory. Pitch, rhythm, meter, notation, scales, keys, key signatures, meter signatures, triads, seventh chords, and basic harmony will all be covered. This course is for you if you listen to music or play music by ear and want to learn more about how music is organized and notated.

By the end of the course, you should be able to read and write in treble and bass clef using standard meters and rhythmic values, as well as notate and harmonize a simple melody in all major and minor keys. This course can be taken as a standalone basic music theory course or as a prerequisite for more advanced theory and composition courses. Bruce Taggart, Associate Professor of Music Theory at Michigan State University's College of Music, has been teaching undergraduate and graduate music theory since 1996.

Informations about course:

• Flexible deadlines: Reset deadlines based on your availability.
• Shareable certificate: Get a Certificate when you complete
• 100% online: Start now and learn when it's convenient for you.
• Beginner level: Approx. 1 p.m. to finish
• Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish

Rating: 4.5/5.0
Enroll here: coursera.org/learn/music-theory

Music Theory is a practice that musicians use to understand and communicate music's language. Musical theory is the study of the fundamentals of music. It also includes a method for interpreting musical compositions. Basic music theory, for example, defines the elements that comprise harmony, melody, and rhythm. It recognizes song form, tempo, notes, chords, key signatures, intervals, scales, and other compositional elements. It also recognizes musical characteristics like pitch, tone, timbre, texture, dynamics, and so on.

This course, revised in 2022, will introduce you to music theory, equipping you with the skills needed to read and write Western music notation, as well as understand, analyze, and listen to music with confidence. Pitch and scales, intervals, clefs, rhythm, form, metre, and time signatures, phrases and cadences, and basic harmony will all be covered. This course teaches the fundamentals of Western music theory, beginning with the fundamentals and progressing to more advanced concepts. As such, it is an excellent course for both beginning and advanced musicians.

Skills you will gain:

• Scales, Notation, Harmony, Rhythm, Chords

Informations about course:

• Flexible deadlines: Reset deadlines based on your availability.
• Shareable certificate: Get a Certificate when you complete
• 100% online: Start now and learn when it's convenient for you.
• Beginner level: Approx. 12 hours to complete
• Subtitles: English

Rating: 4.5/5.0
Enroll here: coursera.org/learn/edinburgh-music-theory