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Music theory & ear trainingMusic Theory & Ear Training
Why songs work — and how to hear it. One-on-one theory and ear training for any instrument and any age, at the studio, at your home, or on Zoom.
Taught by Nick Bradfield or Sean T. Conlon
Theory has a bad reputation because it's usually taught as rules on paper. Taught properly it's the opposite: a way to understand what you're already hearing, so you can learn songs faster, write your own, and talk to other musicians in the same language.
Lessons tie every idea to real music — the progression in a song you love, the scale behind a solo, the rhythm that makes a groove feel good — and train your ear alongside it, so the theory becomes something you can hear and play, not just name.
Theory you can hear
Every concept is tied to a sound, so it sticks — and shows up in your playing.
For any instrument
Guitar, piano, voice, horns, or production — the same language underneath all of it.
Write better songs
Understand why a chord change works, and you can make your own on purpose.
Made for Zoom
Theory and ear training work especially well online, with screen sharing for examples.
What theory lessons can cover
- Notes, intervals, scales, and keys
- Chords, progressions, and why they work
- Rhythm, meter, and reading notation
- Ear training: intervals, chords, and melodies by ear
- Taking apart the songs you actually listen to
- Preparing for school ensembles and auditions
At the studio, at home, or on Zoom
At Rabbit Hole Studios
One-on-one lessons in a working recording studio in Athens, with microphones and playback on hand.
1001 Winterville RdAthens, GA 30605
At your home
Lessons come to you anywhere within 50 miles of Athens — the practical choice for drums and piano, where the instrument stays put.
Within 50 miles of AthensLive on Zoom
The same private lesson from anywhere, on Zoom in its musician mode — full-range audio with the usual call filtering switched off, so held notes come through the way they were played.
How online lessons work →Frequently asked questions
How much are music theory lessons?
Do I need to play an instrument?
I play by ear. Is theory worth it?
Can I learn theory on Zoom?
Other lessons
Songwriting & Production
Write the song. Then record it, arrange it, and make it sound finished. Songwriting and production lessons taught inside a working recording studio in Athens — or on Zoom.
Piano Lessons
Play the songs you hear in your head. Private piano and keyboard lessons that build real skill — both hands, chords, rhythm, and reading — at the studio, at your home, or on Zoom.
Guitar Lessons
Acoustic or electric, first chord or first gig. One-on-one guitar lessons built around the music you want to play — at Rabbit Hole Studios, at your home, or live on Zoom.