Looking for music theory books? We've gathered 17 free music theory books in PDF, covering scales, chords, intervals, rhythm, harmony, ear training, and notation.
These books take you from reading sheet music to understanding harmonic progression and composition. Whether you're picking up an instrument for the first time or preparing for a music exam, there's a resource here for you.
Browse our picks or jump to a section below. Every book is free to read online or download as PDF.
Music Theory Books
These music theory books cover the basics of reading notes all the way to advanced harmonic analysis. You'll find college-level textbooks and open educational resources.
Whether you want to learn scales and key signatures or explore modes and improvisation, these titles give you a solid foundation.
Covers rhythm, pitch, scales, chords, and harmonic progression in a structured college-level format. Includes exercises and musical examples throughout.
A complete four-semester college music theory textbook covering fundamentals through chromatic harmony, form analysis, and melodic construction. Licensed under GNU FDL.
Covers notation, scales, key signatures, intervals, chords, and harmonic analysis. Published by the University of Edinburgh as an open educational resource (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Michael Edwards, John Kitchen, Nikki Moran, Zack Moir and Richard Worth
Explains notation, pitch, time signatures, keys, scales, intervals, chords, and transposition with clear examples and exercises. An open textbook from Connexions (CC-SA 4.0).
Teaches notation basics, key signatures, scales, rhythm, intervals, and triads with quizzes at the end of each section. Published by MacEwan University in 2024 (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Focuses on musical modes, improvisation techniques, composition with modes, and modulation between keys. Practical examples for applying advanced theory concepts.
Features lessons on inner hearing, rhythm mastery, reharmonization, and 7th chords from Berklee College of Music faculty. Includes instructor interviews and study path recommendations.
Walks through notes, clefs, time signatures, scales, intervals, triads, 7th chords, voice leading, and non-chord tones. Includes reference appendices for scales and key signatures.
Covers reading music, form and structure, scales, modes, circle of fifths, rhythm notation, and practical application. An open educational resource by a DMA-holding professor (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Teaches how to read, write, and understand written music from scratch. Covers rhythm, pitch, scales, chords, voice leading, and guitar fingerboard with a conversational, beginner-friendly tone.
Teaches harmony, chord progressions, and song structure using the MIDI piano roll grid. Covers scales, intervals, triads, inversions, diatonic progressions, and song analysis for producers.
A 12-module progressive course covering scales, chords, modes, improvisation, harmonic function, modulation, jazz harmony, reharmonization, and blues theory with practical examples.
These guides offer a more visual and practical approach to music theory fundamentals. They focus on specific topics like pitch, guitar theory, and notation basics.
Perfect if you need a quick reference or a hands-on introduction to core concepts.
A visually engaging collection of illustrated music theory sheets covering fundamentals, scales, intervals, chords, modes, and more. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Teaches the minimum music theory needed by guitar players to work with other musicians, arrange and transpose songs. Covers sound, notes, scales, keys, modes, chords, and rhythm.
Introduces pitch, the music staff, clefs, key signatures, intervals, and tempo markings. A concise reference from Carleton College designed for music students.
A comprehensive open-source workbook with hundreds of exercises covering notation, scales, intervals, triads, 7th chords, voice leading, and melodic analysis. Part of the Open Music Theory project (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Features 135 pages of exercises and worksheets covering rhythm, pitch, notes, scales, and chords with a complete answer key. Designed for self-study beginners.
