Music Theory Comprehensive Complete: Parts 19, 20, & 21 (Udemy.com)
Learn music theory through this music theory course app, music theory exercises, and music theory tutorials.
Created by: J. Anthony Allen
Last updated May 2026
What you will learn
- Master college-level Music Theory Class
- Compose music in the style of the great composers
- Create more emotional music using suspensions, resolutions, and non-chord tones effectively
- Pitches and Pitch Classes
- 20th Century Music Theory
- Set Theory
- Serialism
- Integer Notation
How it compares
Against the other 270 rated Udemy courses in Music on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.8 out of 5higher than 84% of them
- Reviews171#153 of 271 by number of reviews
- Length8 hourslonger than 81% of them
- Last updatedMay 2026more recently than 82% of them
Course Description
Welcome to the COMPLETE Music Theory Guide!
This course is "5-Star Certified" by the International Association of Online Music Educators and Institutions (IAOMEI). This course has been independently reviewed by a panel of experts and has received a stellar 5-star rating.
This is a class designed for the average person who is ready to take their music career (or music interest) and level up. Whether you are an active musician, an aspiring musician, or an aspiring music manager or agent - this class is perfect for you.
For years I've been teaching Music Theory in the college classroom. These classes I'm making for Udemy use the same syllabus I've used in my college classes for years, at a fraction of the cost. I believe anyone can learn Music Theory - and cost shouldn't be a barrier.
My approach to music theory is to minimize memorization. Most of these concepts you can learn by just understanding why chords behave in certain ways. Once you understand those concepts, you can find any scale, key, or chord that exists. Even invent your own. If you've tried to learn music theory before, or if you are just starting out - this series of courses is the perfect fit.
Dr. Allen is a professional musician, top-rated Udemy instructor, and university professor. In 2017 the Star Tribune featured him as a "Mover and a Shaker," and he is recognized by the Grammy Foundation for his music education classes.
Throughout this class, If you get stuck, you can review the videos or post a question, and I'll back to it as fast as possible.
This class is a combined class and includes all parts 19, 20, and 21. This is the end of the sequence! It concludes what would be the fourth semester of college-level music theory.
100% Answer Rate! Every single question posted to this class is answered within 24 hours by the instructor.
In this class, we will cover:
Set Theory
Pitch Class Set
Prime Form
Normal Order
Interval Vectors
Z-Related Sets
Composing with Pitch Class Sets
My Listening List
Ordered Pitch Sets
Inversion
Retrograde
Retrograde Inversion
Twelve-Tine Rows
The Matrix
Serialism
Total Serialism
Constructing a Row
Serialism in Popular Music
Notation post-1945
Reactionary Movements
Minimalism
Third Stream
Chance Music
Postmodernism
...and much, much more!
You will not have another opportunity to learn Music Theory in a more comprehensive way than this.
All the tools you need to successfully learn Music Theory is included in this course and the entire course is based on real-life experiences - not just academic theory.
Please click the "Take This Course" button so you can launch your music career today.
Test Prep:
This course is perfect for prep for the Praxis II Test (ETS Praxis Music), The ABRSM Music Theory Exam (up to Grade 8), AP Music Theory Exam, College Placement Exams (Music Theory), and other common secondary and post-secondary placement exams.
** I guarantee that this course is the most thorough music theory course available ANYWHERE on the market - or your money back (30-day money-back guarantee, as per Udemy Policy) **
Closed captions have been added to all lessons in this course.
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Praise for Courses by Jason Allen:
⇢ "It seems like every little detail is being covered in an extremely simple fashion. The learning process becomes relaxed and allows complex concepts to get absorbed easily. My only regret is not taking this course earlier." - M. Shah
⇢ "Great for everyone without any knowledge so far. I bought all three parts... It's the best investment in leveling up my skills so far.." - Z. Palce
⇢ "Excellent explanations! No more or less than what is needed." - A. Tóth
⇢ "VERY COOL. I've waited for years to see a good video course, now I don't have to wait anymore. Thank You!" - Jeffrey Koury
⇢ "I am learning LOTS! And I really like having the worksheets!" - A. Deichsel
⇢ "The basics explained very clearly - loads of really useful tips!" - J. Pook
⇢ "Jason is really quick and great with questions, always a great resource for an online class!" M. Smith
Instructor Details
- 4.8 Rating
171 Reviews
J. Anthony Allen
Dr. Allen is a 2026 Apple Distinguished Educator.
Dr. J. Anthony Allen is a distinguished composer, producer, educator, and innovator whose multifaceted career spans various musical disciplines. Born in Michigan and based in Minneapolis, Dr. Allen has composed orchestral works, produced acclaimed dance music, and, through his entrepreneurship projects, he has educated over a million students worldwide in music theory and electronic music production.
Dr. Allen's musical influence is global, with compositions performed across Europe, North America, and Asia. His versatility is evident in works ranging from Minnesota Orchestra performances to Netflix soundtracks. Beyond creation, Dr. Allen is committed to revolutionizing music education for the 21st century. In 2011, he founded Slam Academy, an electronic music school aimed at increasing accessibility to music production education. His innovative approach to academia was highlighted in 2024 when he received tenure and resigned from his university position on the same day.
As a composer, Dr. Allen is known for his unique synthesis of diverse musical influences, often blending acoustic music with electronic dance music elements. With a Ph.D. in Music Composition, multiple master's degrees, and numerous awards, Dr. Allen's academic and professional achievements are substantial.
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Reviews
By Maria-Teresa D Ruch on 12/3/2025
I learned a lot about periods of music I didn't know a whole lot about; for a variety of reasons. And also, realized I can appreciate the idea of music as a form of art in a broader sense fairly easily, even if I can't easily listen to some of it.
By Lorena Toriz Férez on 2/26/2025
Thank you Thank you Thank you! I'm very grateful to you for making this series of classes with an actual university level of detail and quality! Simply the best!
By Amritesh Athreya on 9/9/2024
This music theory class is a great course because I enjoyed following along the different types of music that are part of the 20th century and now. It made me understand the elements of every style of music.
By Sam Stiernhuvud on 6/27/2022
Jason is a very good teacher putting the student first in stead of trying to support his own position. I started his music theory 1-3 in the middle of September 2021 and finished the last theory 19-21 in the end of June 2022. Going through all this massive course was a joy and in the end (19-21) came the pleasent surprise of atonal part with Bela Bertok (my joy already in the -70) and other "academic" works as Jason puts it. If you are serious about music theory, this course is highly recommended. Thank you Jason ;)
By Ng Yin Ping on 12/14/2021
Thank you so much for these music theory series. It is really helpful for me to understand and play better music. Appreciate all your tutorials, videos, musical examples and other useful and up to date resources. Thank you.
By Graham Kelly on 4/24/2021
I have taken every module in Dr. Allen’s complete course, and have regretted none of them. My only regret is that it is at an end. BUT, I can go back and review some of the really interesting ideas that he has presented throughout. This has been an absolute godsend in helping me understand how to structure and make music. Thank you for all the hours; they were well worth it.
By Snorre Emil Baadstø on 3/24/2021
I've now taken all the classes 1-21 and it has been a great course. I recommend it to anyone who are interested in music theory and want to have a solid background in it. And now it's time (for me) to use the things I have learned here.
By Manley Mathurin on 3/14/2021
it would be good to have notes to download
By Duccio Alabiso on 1/14/2021
The topic is of course hyper dry to begin with, and the first quarter-to-half is rather boring. The teacher is obviously knowledgeable and passionate, and seems like a nice guy, but takes forever to express each concept, sometimes repeating himself and in ways that often end up not being clear. For the initial definitions, for example, a simple copy/paste from Wikipedia or Britannica might still remain fairly cryptic but at least it would be shorter and well organized. Moreover, for a course about music it takes like 30 (mini) lectures to actually get to hear some. And anyway not much till it gets to Serialism and beyond. Aside from all that... I actually appreciated the whole! The big-picture contents are fascinating, because they describe the mega chasm that broke classical rules and eventually ushered us into our modern music.
By Matti Wetzig on 11/28/2020
These three courses were really awesome. In my opinion, they were the best of all Music Theory Comprehensive-classes. If you want to educate yourself in music of the past 100 years up to now and actually ENJOY your learning process, buy this course. There's a lot of really interesting stuff covered in this grand finale of the Music Theory series. I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the music of the 20th and 21th century. Great stuff!
Quality Score
No CourseDuck member has rated this course yet. Taken it? Give each part a thumbs up or down.
Overall Score : 96 / 100










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