The Music Theory Advantage
Rapid Skill Development with the Cycle of Thirds
by Max Maxwell

A Mathematical Breakthrough
in Music Education

As a result of my experience developing music and mathematics courses that have been used by schools in almost every state in the U.S., I discovered that a common structure of number exists in both music and mathematics. This discovery led to the invention of a new method of teaching that transfers the skill development priorities of basic mathematics to the study of music theory. The new method works by treating music as a mathematical system that applies operations to ordinal numbers. Even a first year elementary school instrument student, who takes this course of study with the help of a knowledgeable parent or music teacher and follows through with the recommended practice, will be more competent at spelling intervals, chords and scales than many musically accomplished high school graduates entering the first year of their college music major. This course of study is designed to develop more essential skill in less time and with less work than any other method.

This new methodology gives you:

• The fastest method to learn interval spelling via a powerful mental musical interval calculator
   
• The fastest method to learn to spell all triad and five types of seventh chords for any root note
   
• A method that extends to easily spell any chord type for any root note based on its interval structure
   
• A very powerful method to learn the spelling of the the 30 major and natural minor scales; so effective you can review the information you need to spell all of the major and natural minor scales in 30 seconds or less
   
• A course of skill development that makes it natural and easy to learn to read and write intervals and chords on the musical staff
   
• A clear and easy way to determine diatonic harmonies for the scale positions of every musical key that is based on a real knowledge of chord and scale structures (as opposed to memorizing)

Every skill you learn in this course is based on or powerfully augmented by the musical interval calculator described below.

                             A Significant Economic Advantage
Because of the accelerated essential skill development delivered by this course of study, there are very few books that can have the lifelong impact that this book will have on your music studies. For just the price of one book, you can dramatically improve your productivity in the study of music theory and the value that your music theory studies return to you during your lifetime of participation in music.

                           A Powerful Musical Interval Calculator
Because the frequency ranges of musical intervals form the same ordinal set structures as natural numbers and because intervals are how we measure differences in pitch in twelve tone equal temperament tuning, I recognized that intervals function as the numbers of music. Therefore the ability to quickly and easily spell intervals is the musical analogue of counting in mathematics. This makes the spelling of intervals the most fundamentally important skill in the study of music theory insofar as the creation and interpretation of music depends on differences in pitch. Very much unlike counting in mathematics, where you would not even dream of teaching single digit multiplication without first learning to count, musical counting is a basic skill that is very often neglected in the study of music theory. The Music Theory Advantage ^TM  course of study emphasizes this skill development priority by providing the student with a very efficient musical interval calculator that functions in the mind. This mental musical interval calculator is based on a simple interval structure, called the Cycle of Thirds, which is very easy to memorize. Once the interval structure is memorized, you have a remarkably effective calculator that allows you to rapidly develop very important interval spelling skills. The primary skill you develop is the ability to easily spell any interval from a perfect prime to a Major 13th above or below any given root note. With this method, interval spelling can be done so quickly and easily that you can name five ascending or descending intervals of the same type faster than most music students can spell one. This can be done mentally without any external reference. The ability to spell all intervals for any root is a skill that is at the heart of the creation and interpretation of music. The rapid development of this skill will significantly enhance the quality of your music theory studies.

       The Fastest & Most Effective Way to Learn Chord Spelling
Your new musical interval calculator also allows you to quickly spell chords based on each chord's interval structure. In the book, you practice this method by rapidly learning how to spell over 180 triad and seventh chords. Once you complete the course you can also apply this method to learn the spelling of any chord type for any root based on its interval structure. This method is so easy that being able to spell chords for any root is something you can easily do for the life of your musical studies.

        The Fastest & Most Effective Way to Memorize Scales
This course of study provides an amazingly fast and easy method to memorize the thirty major and natural minor scales. My personal speed record for teaching the scales for all thirty musical keys is twenty minutes. This is possible because the spelling of all thirty scales is based on memorizing a small set of simple images, which are creatively related to one another. Once you understand how the images are related to each other and the musical keys, you can easily spell all thirty scales. The method used to teach the scales is so effective that to review the information, which makes it possible for you to spell all thirty major and natural minor scales, takes only thirty seconds or less (I can do it in fifteen seconds). This means that it will be very easy to maintain this ability for life.

         Read and Write Intervals and Chords on the Musical Staff
Once you know how to spell intervals and chords in your mind, recognizing intervals and chords on a musical staff becomes easy. You will be guided through the process of reading and writing intervals and chords on the musical staff. If you do not know how to read music at all, you will be please to find out that your new musical calculator also enables you to determine what notes are represented by the lines and spaces of the grand staff.

                                    Determine Diatonic Harmony
With this method, you can easily determine what triad and seventh chords diatonically harmonize the scale positions for all the major and minor keys based on your actual knowledge of scale and chord structures (as opposed to just memorizing). This is a very useful starting place for working with harmony.

            The Ideal Course for Beginners and the Experienced
Whether you are a beginner in music or have been playing an instrument for many years, this course of study is a powerful tool to significantly increase the productivity of your study of music theory. Because of the rapid and significant development of essential skills, this course is an excellent foundation for beginners, a very effective remediation tool for high school students entering their first year of a college music major and a great way for adults with many years of instrument experience to dramatically improve their ability to study music theory.

Read an excerpt from the book.