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Music Theory

Music Theory Games

Music theory games based on what is written on the staff. You do not sing and there is no microphone. In some games you recognize what is written and press the right answer before time runs out; in Soccer, Clay Target Shooting and Billiards you are the one who writes the notes. In some games speed counts and in others only accuracy. They are free, they run in the browser and there is nothing to install.

Scene from the game Darts: a musician in a tuxedo holding a dart in front of the dartboard

Darts

An interval is written on the staff and you have to name it before time runs out: the faster you answer correctly, the closer to the bullseye your dart lands. Three darts per turn, three turns per game.

Play Darts
Scene from the game Basketball: a musician in a tuxedo holding the ball on the court, facing the hoop

Basketball

A whole scale, up and down, is written on the staff and you have to name it exactly (tonic and type) before time runs out. Before each shot you choose a free throw, a 2-pointer or a three-pointer: the bigger the risk, the more points you win. Three shots per turn, three turns per game.

Play Basketball
Scene from the game Bowling: a musician in a tuxedo holding the ball at the start of the lane, facing ten pins

Bowling

A triad is written on the staff. With the first ball you name its position (root position, 1st or 2nd inversion) and with the second its type. Each correct answer knocks down 5 pins, and getting both right is a strike. Speed does not count, only accuracy. Five frames per game.

Play Bowling
Scene from the game Soccer: a team of musicians passes the ball on a field whose lines are a staff, each player standing on a note, facing the goalkeeper

Soccer

Here you do not recognize, you build. Each pass is an interval you write on the staff above the note of the player holding the ball, and the note you write is the teammate who receives it. Three passes and a shot per attack; only goals count. Five attacks per match.

Play Soccer
Scene from the game Clay Target Shooting: a band musician with a shotgun breaks a clay target in the air on the shooting range

Clay Target Shooting

Each target is a scale that you write: first its key signature, accidental by accidental, and then the scale, note by note. If everything is right, you break the target. Three targets per game, major and minor scales in any key.

Play Clay Target Shooting
Scene from the game Billiards: a band musician with a cue aims at one of the colored balls on the table

Billiards

Each ball carries a triad: you choose which one to play and build the chord on the staff. If it is right, the ball drops; if not, it stays on the table so you can try again. Five balls, in root position and inversions.

Play Billiards

What these games train

Recognizing written theory at full speed is a different skill from solving it calmly: it is the same one you need to sight-read, follow a score or tune by ear in a rehearsal. These games train exactly that:

  • Identifying at a glance: recognize an interval, a note or a chord without counting step by step.
  • Writing without hesitating: build an interval from any note, a scale with its key signature or a chord in any position, with the exact accidentals, as in written conservatory exercises.
  • Deciding with the clock running: each answer has its time limit, just like reading a piece at the real tempo; in Darts, the sooner you answer correctly, the more you score.
  • Progressing by difficulty: from natural notes to single and double accidentals, each game has several levels.

Before you play

These games never use the microphone: you play with the mouse, your finger or the keyboard. Each game keeps its own leaderboard on your device and, if you want, a world leaderboard under your nickname.

If you would rather work through problems calmly instead of racing the clock, try the music theory exercises. If you want to sing, there are the singing games, and to train your ear, the ear training games.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are they different from the singing games?
The theory games are not sung and never use the microphone: you see something written on the staff (an interval, a scale or a chord) and press the correct answer before time runs out or, in Soccer, Clay Target Shooting and Billiards, you write the notes yourself. The singing games are sung with your voice.
Do I need to know a lot of theory to play?
No. Each game has several difficulty levels, from natural notes only to double accidentals, so it works both for beginners and for advanced sight-reading practice.
Is my score saved?
Yes. Each game keeps your scores on your device. When a game ends you can also add your points to the world leaderboard under a nickname: only the nickname, the musician and the points are published.