LEARN MUSIC THEORY FOR PRODUCERS
IN ABLETON LIVE
Compose professional chords, melodies, and progressions without needing an instrument with our Music Theory For Producers Course.
You don’t need to be a trained pianist or guitarist to make beautiful, professional music. Many successful producers started with no musical background but learned to create amazing songs by understanding the basics of music theory for producers. This training will show you how simple and fun music theory can be when applied directly inside your DAW. You will learn how notes, chords, and melodies work together to create emotion and bring your musical ideas to life.
Through hands-on lessons inside Ableton’s MIDI editor, you’ll discover how to write smooth chord progressions, emotional melodies, and harmonies that sound complete and ready for release. You’ll also learn how to find the key of any sample and make it fit perfectly in your song by transposing. This course focuses on learning by doing, helping you turn theory into creativity and confidence. By the end of our music theory for producers course, you’ll have the skills to compose professional sounding music even if you have never played an instrument before.
What You’ll Learn
Getting Started with Notes & Scales
- How notes are arranged on a piano roll
- Music notes nomenclature
- Sharps, flats, pitch & octave concepts
- Introduction to scales and note progression
- Melody vs Harmony explained simply
Building Chords from Scratch
- Major & Minor scale formulas
- Intervals and how they define chord quality
- Diatonic chords and triads in a scale
- Naming chords using major and minor 3rds
- Major scale chord structures
Chord Progressions & Rhythms
- How to create natural-sounding chord progressions
- Chord inversions for smoother transitions
- Importance of velocity & dynamics in chords
- Strumming and rhythm techniques for MIDI chords
- Extended chords for richer harmonies
Minor Scales & Circle of Fifths
- Minor scale structures and how they differ
- Finding the relative minor of a major scale
- Understanding the relationship between major and minor scales
- Circle of Fifths explained for producers
- Using Circle of Fifths to figure out scales, chords, and progressions
Applied Music Theory in Ableton
- How to find the key of any song
- How to figure out chords of any song
- Fast chord composition with Ableton’s Scale Highlighter & Fold feature
- Programming basslines that complement your chords
- Creating chord extensions for added colour and depth
- Building rhythm and groove in chord progressions
- Adding swing and movement to your chords
- Transposing samples from any key to match your song’s key
- Matching samples of different BPMs and lengths to your project’s tempo
- Layering sounds to enhance musical impact
- Applying the skeleton method for ghost production
- Recreating or remixing any song into your own version
- Using Ableton’s Midi tools to create chords progression, rhythms and swing with just one click.
Why This Training is Different
Most music theory courses start with instruments and abstract concepts. This one does not.
This training is built for producers, practical, hands-on, and focused entirely on what matters inside Ableton. You’ll learn how to turn theory into music that sounds professional, emotional, and ready for release.
Find the BPM of any song – and make remixing or sampling easier than ever.
Identify the scale and chords behind any track in minutes.
Decode melodies by ear and rebuild them creatively in your own projects.
Understand basslines and how they drive the groove of your music.
Use layering techniques to add depth, power, and emotion to your sound.
Tune your drums and percussion to match your song’s key for a polished, cohesive mix.
Made for producers, not pianists – skip the instruments and start creating music right inside Ableton.
Learn by doing – everything is applied practically inside the MIDI roll, not just theory on paper.
Step-by-step clarity – move confidently from single notes to rich, full progressions.
Make professional-sounding music faster – with clear methods you can use right away.
Master the full musical workflow – from idea to finished arrangement, with structure that flows naturally.
This program teaches practical, hands on music theory for producers and shows you how to apply everything directly in Ableton’s MIDI editor. You will learn notes, scales, chords, melodies, and natural chord progressions that sound natural and emotional. Our Music Theory for Producers course also covers finding a song’s key, transposing samples, matching BPMs, and layering sounds for a fuller mix. Each lesson focuses on real time tasks you can use right away to finish songs faster. You will learn chord inversions, dynamics, bass line writing, and how to make chords and harmony work together. Whether you create originals, remixes, or sample based tracks, Music Theory for Producers course teaches you the complete musical workflow from idea to finished arrangement.
By the end of Music Theory for Producers course, you’ll be able to compose chords, melodies, and progressions confidently inside any DAW, understand how to build emotion in your tracks, and have the tools to produce music that feels both creative and professional.
Ever wondered why the black and white keys on a piano are arranged the way they are? It’s time to uncover the secrets with our course Music Theory for Producers.
Get in touch today to book your training sessions and take the first step towards learning Ableton Live