Music Theory Made Easy
Course Content Overview
Nick Jennison—a highly respected guitarist, vocalist, producer, and educator—will guide you through these essential theoretical frameworks with clarity, efficiency, and real-world application. You will learn the secrets behind building chords, understanding the major scale formula, and executing expressive phrasing using the modes. Each lesson is a step-by-step journey into fretboard mastery, focusing on the core concepts that drive confident improvisation and memorable songwriting.
Course contents:
- Root Notes & Intervals — Master the foundational building blocks of harmony. You will learn how to locate any root note across the fretboard and understand how intervals give shape and identity to scales, chords, and melodies, making this the gateway to mastering both.
- Basic Chord Construction — Explore how major, minor, augmented, and diminished triads are built from root, third, and fifth intervals. This section empowers guitarists who struggle with creating chord progressions or want to break out of basic barre chords.
- The Formula of the Minor Pentatonic Scale — Dive into the theory behind a guitar player's best friend. You will learn the formula (1, b3, 4, 5, b7), how it is derived from the natural minor scale, and why it works so well over blues and rock progressions.
- Constructing 7th Chords — Unlock the sound of major 7, minor 7, dominant 7, and diminished 7th chords. This lesson teaches you how to construct these chords from a scale, what emotional flavour each carries, and where to find them on the fretboard.
- The Formula of a Major Scale — Supercharge your understanding of melody and harmony with the mother of all western music theory. You will learn the 7-note formula, how to construct it in any key, and how every other scale and chord type is derived from it.
- The Harmonised Major Scale — Discover how to harmonise the major scale to create chords for each degree. You will learn about diatonic chords, how to identify them, and how they form the basis of nearly every song in popular music.
- The Major Modes — Demystify the Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian modes. You will see how each one is a variation of the major scale with a unique personality, exploring their formulas, tonal colours, and common usage in real music.
- The Minor Modes — Expand on modal theory by diving into minor-sounding modes such as Dorian, Phrygian, and Aeolian. You will compare each scale's emotional quality and learn how modal thinking can radically change your lead playing.
- Decoding Extended Chords — Break down intimidating 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths into understandable concepts. You will learn how these are simply 7th chords with added scale tones, essential for players wanting to add richness and sophistication to their rhythm or jazz playing.
- The Harmonic & Melodic Minor Scales — Explore crucial scales for classical, metal, jazz, and fusion styles. These exotic-sounding scales open the door to dramatic, expressive solos and advanced chord types, with detailed breakdowns of their formulas and key tonal differences.
Technical skills you will develop:
- Mastery of root notes, intervals, and basic chord construction across the fretboard
- Proficiency in building and applying 7th chords and extended chords (9ths, 11ths, 13ths)
- Execution of expressive phrasing using the minor pentatonic scale and its formula
- Enhanced fretboard awareness and the ability to harmonise the major scale
- Improved understanding of diatonic chords and how to write compelling chord progressions
- A deep understanding of how to apply the major and minor modes musically
- Development of advanced soloing techniques using the harmonic and melodic minor scales
This Course is Ideal for Players Who...
Our Music Theory Made Easy guitar course is essential for any guitarist who wants to deepen their understanding of the fretboard and master the art of practical, usable music theory. Whether you are an intermediate player looking to sharpen your harmonic knowledge, or a dedicated student who wants to build a rock-solid foundation in chord construction and scale formulas, this course is built for you.
This course is perfect for guitarists who are looking to improve their fretboard fluency and break out of playing by rote; who want to master essential concepts like intervals and the harmonised major scale; who are looking to develop a sophisticated harmonic vocabulary with extended chords; who admire the clear, practical teaching style of Nick Jennison; and who believe that a solid grasp of music theory is the key to unlocking true creative freedom on the guitar.
What will I achieve from completing this course?
This course goes beyond simply memorising academic rules—it is an education in the mechanics of confident, musical guitar playing. It is about understanding how practical music theory can transform your technique and open up the entire fretboard. You will gain unparalleled insight into the teaching methods of Nick Jennison and learn how his fretboard-driven approach to theory creates a foundation for limitless improvisation and songwriting. By focusing on the "why" behind the music, and the specific concepts that define modern harmony—from basic triads to complex modes—this course ensures that you do not just learn the theory, but truly integrate it into your musical vocabulary. For those ready to take their playing to the next level, your journey into the mechanics of music starts here.
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1-ON-1 COACHING
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Music Theory Made Easy by Nick Jennison
“Music Theory Made Easy” by Nick Jennison is the ultimate deep dive into unlocking the fretboard through practical, usable music theory — designed especially for guitar players. At LickLibrary.com, we know that theory can often seem overwhelming, academic, and, frankly, a bit dry. But this course changes all that. Whether you’re a bedroom guitarist, gigging musician, or aspiring professional, this course transforms essential music theory into real, playable knowledge you can immediately use on your guitar.
Rather than learning theory in isolation, Nick Jennison connects each concept directly to the fretboard, helping you hear and feel what you’re learning — and use it to make better music. In addition to clear explanations and demonstrations, each topic includes hands-on guitar lessons that reinforce your understanding with licks, exercises, and fretboard navigation.
Root Notes & Intervals
The course begins with a foundational topic — root notes and intervals. You’ll learn how to locate any root note across the fretboard, and how intervals give shape and identity to scales, chords, and melodies. Nick breaks down major, minor, perfect, augmented, and diminished intervals in a way that’s easy to visualise on the guitar.
This section also teaches you to use your ear and your fingers together, making this the gateway to mastering both scales and chords.
Basic Chord Construction
Understanding chords begins with triads — the building blocks of harmony. You’ll explore how major, minor, augmented, and diminished chords are built from root, third, and fifth intervals. Nick shows you how these shapes form all over the neck, and how to build chords from scales using real-world fretboard examples.
Guitarists who struggle with creating chord progressions or want to break out of basic barre chords will find this section especially empowering.
The Formula of the Minor Pentatonic Scale
A guitar player’s best friend — the minor pentatonic scale — gets the theory treatment. You’ll learn the formula behind this scale (1, b3, 4, 5, b7), how it’s derived from the natural minor scale, and why it works so well over blues and rock progressions.
Nick provides musical examples and solos that demonstrate how understanding this formula can lead to more expressive phrasing and note choice.
Constructing 7th Chords
Move beyond triads and unlock the sound of 7th chords — major 7, minor 7, dominant 7, and diminished 7th chords. This lesson teaches you how to construct these chords from a scale, what emotional flavour each carries, and where to find them on the fretboard.
Nick also shows you how 7th chords enhance progressions, especially in jazz, funk, and soul.
The Formula of a Major Scale
The major scale is the mother of all western music theory. You’ll learn the 7-note formula (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), how to construct it in any key, and how every other scale and chord type is derived from it.
This section will supercharge your understanding of melody and harmony — while helping you solo more melodically and build better licks.
The Harmonised Major Scale
Next, Nick explores how to harmonise the major scale to create chords for each degree of the scale. You’ll learn about diatonic chords, how to identify them, and how they form the basis of nearly every song in popular music.
This lesson is a goldmine for writing your own chord progressions and understanding what’s going on in your favourite songs.
The Major Modes
You’ll finally unlock the modes — Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian — by seeing how each one is a variation of the major scale with a unique personality. Nick demystifies each mode’s formula, tonal colour, and common usage in real music.
You’ll also explore how to improvise using modes, and apply them over modal backing tracks.
The Minor Modes
Expanding on modal theory, this section dives into minor-sounding modes such as Dorian, Phrygian, and Aeolian. You’ll compare each scale’s emotional quality, intervals, and best usage contexts. Nick shows you how modal thinking can radically change your lead playing — from blues to metal and fusion.
Decoding Extended Chords
Extended chords — 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths — can sound intimidating, but Nick breaks them down into understandable concepts. You’ll learn how these are simply 7th chords with added scale tones and how to play them on guitar.
This section is essential for players wanting to add richness and sophistication to their rhythm or jazz playing.
The Harmonic & Melodic Minor Scales
Finally, you’ll explore harmonic minor and melodic minor scales — crucial for classical, metal, jazz, and fusion styles. These exotic-sounding scales open the door to dramatic, expressive solos and advanced chord types.
Nick provides detailed breakdowns of their formulas, key tonal differences, and how to use them musically — including advanced applications in soloing and harmony.
If you’ve ever felt that music theory was beyond your grasp or irrelevant to guitar playing, Music Theory Made Easy will change your mind — and your playing. With Nick Jennison as your guide, you’ll not only understand the “why” behind the music, but you’ll play better, sound better, and feel more confident every time you pick up the guitar.
About The Tutor
Tutor Profile
Nick Jennison
I’m Nick Jennison, a guitarist, vocalist, producer and educator from the North East of England. It’s pretty cold up here, which seems like the perfect excuse to stay inside and make a bunch of great guitar-related videos for your viewing pleasure. I’ll be covering topics from technique, tone and musicality,...