Hooktheory: Create Amazing Music.

The Hooktheory Difference

Built on real data

All genres & styles

Visual-first tools

Built on real data

All genres & styles

Visual-first tools

Free Resources for Music Makers

Music is meant to be shared — and so is the knowledge about how it works.

Cheat Sheets

Downloadable chord and scale references for every key, complete with MIDI files. Pin them up, print them out, or drop the MIDI straight into your DAW.

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Trends

Explore the most popular chord progressions across decades and genres, powered by our database of 70,000+ song analyses. See what's actually being used in real music. Statistically.

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Music Theory Reference

Our online guide to the building blocks of music. Find examples of music theory terms in real songs, and understand in plain-language how they work.

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Sound Thinking

Episodes featuring guests from all corners of the music world exploring how music is made, why it works, how we listen, the creative process, and so much more.

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Videos

From tutorials, Hookpad songwriting sprints, writing challenges, new features, and so much more. Watch and learn at your own pace.

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Infographics

Visualizations of patterns found in music, from tempo trends to album comparisons, we <3 music data.

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Downloadable chord and scale references for every key, complete with MIDI files. Pin them up, print them out, or drop the MIDI straight into your DAW.

Learn more →

Explore the most popular chord progressions across decades and genres, powered by our database of 70,000+ song analyses. See what's actually being used in real music. Statistically.

Learn more →

Our online guide to the building blocks of music. Find examples of music theory terms in real songs, and understand in plain-language how they work.

Learn more →

Episodes featuring guests from all corners of the music world exploring how music is made, why it works, how we listen, the creative process, and so much more.

Learn more →

From tutorials, Hookpad songwriting sprints, writing challenges, new features, and so much more. Watch and learn at your own pace.

Learn more →

Visualizations of patterns found in music, from tempo trends to album comparisons, we <3 music data.

Learn more →

The Latest

Chord

Crush

Daily

Solve the daily ear training challenge

The Creators Club

May Prompt

It's gonna be <i>May</i>. Take the chorus melody from NSYNC's "It's Gonna Be Me" and send it to another era — doo-wop, big band, synth-pop, you pick.

Learn More →

Over 500,000 Users Worldwide

Join the community of musicians creating with Hooktheory

"TheoryTabs are DOPE!!"

Brandon Peralta

Platinum Producer, Mixer, Engineer

"I really want to congratulate the whole Hooktheory team on creating such a complete and well-designed platform. Writing songs in Hookpad feels very intuitive, and it's especially empowering for people who don't play an instrument but still want to create real chord progressions and develop musical ideas."

Sofia Sá

Singer-Songwriter

"I've properly grasped more about music composition in a week of using Hooktheory than in 8 years of classical training. Easily the best composing tool I've found to date. Just wanted to say thanks for all the hard work!"

Tony May

Facebook

"It is no exaggeration to say Hookpad has completely changed my ‘songwriting life’ - in terms of enabling me to do things I couldn't do before without it, and enabling me to do other things much more easily than I could before."

Dan Gruemmer

"I really want to congratulate the whole Hooktheory team on creating such a complete and well-designed platform. Writing songs in Hookpad feels very intuitive, and it's especially empowering for people who don't play an instrument but still want to create real chord progressions and develop musical ideas."

Sofia Sá

Singer-Songwriter

"I've properly grasped more about music composition in a week of using Hooktheory than in 8 years of classical training. Easily the best composing tool I've found to date. Just wanted to say thanks for all the hard work!"

Tony May

Facebook

"It is no exaggeration to say Hookpad has completely changed my ‘songwriting life’ - in terms of enabling me to do things I couldn't do before without it, and enabling me to do other things much more easily than I could before."

Dan Gruemmer

"As a non-instrument playing, mostly beat oriented, casual user I have to say Hookpad is simply the best melody composing tool I have tried for generating original midi - and that includes about every single iPad App and harmony VST out there."

Erich Nokling

"My time with Hooktheory was one of the most lucid and enjoyable educational experiences I've ever had. As an amateur piano player who has always just read and played the sheet music, the number of "aha!" moments I had while reading was enough to keep me going back to the website daily."

Justin

Goodreads

"I rarely write reviews, but I felt compelled to write this one. I have learned more from this book than any other music theory book I've read. The authors make the complex understandable. It is worth every penny I paid for it."

John Conley

Google Play

"Great for understanding music theory and love the way it shows you by playing examples, so the theory just jumps off the page and comes alive. This is the way teaching is supposed to be. Great work, worth every penny. Thank you so much."

Estell South

Google Play

"As a non-instrument playing, mostly beat oriented, casual user I have to say Hookpad is simply the best melody composing tool I have tried for generating original midi - and that includes about every single iPad App and harmony VST out there."

Erich Nokling

"My time with Hooktheory was one of the most lucid and enjoyable educational experiences I've ever had. As an amateur piano player who has always just read and played the sheet music, the number of "aha!" moments I had while reading was enough to keep me going back to the website daily."

Justin

Goodreads

"I rarely write reviews, but I felt compelled to write this one. I have learned more from this book than any other music theory book I've read. The authors make the complex understandable. It is worth every penny I paid for it."

John Conley

Google Play

"Great for understanding music theory and love the way it shows you by playing examples, so the theory just jumps off the page and comes alive. This is the way teaching is supposed to be. Great work, worth every penny. Thank you so much."

Estell South

Google Play

"A great explanation of music theory, and the relationship between melody and chord progressions. Having the video/audio examples built-in makes this book really stand apart from others I have read. I wish all music books were made this way!"

Jeffrey Hall

iBooks

"Hooktheory I was a great book. In less time than it takes to learn how to play an instrument I learned how music works! I have been looking for a resource that made writing music comprehensible. This is that resource."

Jeremiah Spassion

iBooks

"Best music theory book period. Don't look anywhere else because Hooktheory I has it all."

Frank Bono

Goodreads

"Chord Crush specifically with YouTube videos in Train mode is beyond game changing. Can't use enough superlatives to describe how awesome and fun it is!"

sidhire

"A great explanation of music theory, and the relationship between melody and chord progressions. Having the video/audio examples built-in makes this book really stand apart from others I have read. I wish all music books were made this way!"

Jeffrey Hall

iBooks

"Hooktheory I was a great book. In less time than it takes to learn how to play an instrument I learned how music works! I have been looking for a resource that made writing music comprehensible. This is that resource."

Jeremiah Spassion

iBooks

"No matter where you are at, this book will take you to the next level and have you creating legit compositions faster than any system out there."

Brian Cyril

Goodreads

"Love this book. It's able to explain complex topics a clear, concise, and engaging manner. Best part is the numerous examples taken from modern songs. Overall my favorite resource for intermediate level music theory."

Mikhail Aronov

Google Play

"I understand the Hooktheory approach so much better now, and have insights into what various composers and song writers were seeking to accomplish. The book moves at a comfortable pace and self-tests throughout the book cement knowledge."

Michael

iOS App Store

"This book and Hooktheory I were exactly what I needed to help me write more cohesive and compelling music. Not only was it well written and well thought out, but the interactive components in the book and the accompanying website make it a tool I will continue to reference for years to come."

Chitownrolla

iOS App Store

"No matter where you are at, this book will take you to the next level and have you creating legit compositions faster than any system out there."

Brian Cyril

Goodreads

"Love this book. It's able to explain complex topics a clear, concise, and engaging manner. Best part is the numerous examples taken from modern songs. Overall my favorite resource for intermediate level music theory."

Mikhail Aronov

Google Play

"I understand the Hooktheory approach so much better now, and have insights into what various composers and song writers were seeking to accomplish. The book moves at a comfortable pace and self-tests throughout the book cement knowledge."

Michael

iOS App Store

"This book and Hooktheory I were exactly what I needed to help me write more cohesive and compelling music. Not only was it well written and well thought out, but the interactive components in the book and the accompanying website make it a tool I will continue to reference for years to come."

Chitownrolla

iOS App Store

How We Got Here

2011

It all started with these guys

Chris, Ryan, and Dave met at UC Berkeley's College of Engineering in 2005 and quickly bonded over music. Before Hooktheory, they made The Nano Song — a goofy music video explaining nanotechnology that went viral and won a national ACS competition. While finishing their PhDs, they pitched a DeCal called A Songwriter's Guide to the Theory of Popular Music and taught it their way: pop songs, color-coded chords, no sheet music. The class filled up fast.

2012

Hooktheory was born

By day, research scientists. By night, transcribing P!nk, Bon Jovi, and Carrie Underwood, hunting for the patterns underneath. After analyzing 1,300+ songs, Dave posted their findings to Reddit. The server crashed. Hooktheory was officially a thing.

2012–Today

From a classroom experiment to a global community

Hooktheory launched with three things: the TheoryTab Database, Hookpad, and the Hooktheory I book. What started as 100 analyzed songs has grown into a crowdsourced library of 70,000+ analyses — the internet's largest collection of songs broken down by music theory — with over 1.5 million songs written in Hookpad.

In 2021, we turned the database into a game with Chord Crush, and more recently launched Aria — a generative AI trained on tens of thousands of hit songs that suggests chords and melodies that actually sound like songs, right inside Hookpad.

Today, what began as a classroom experiment is used by producers, songwriters, educators, and students worldwide. Still run by the same three friends — just Chris, Ryan, and Dave (and a small team) making music theory feel less like homework and more like what it actually is: tools for writing songs you love.

Ready to Create Amazing Music?

Join music lovers worldwide and make an account (it's free!)

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The Hooktheory Difference

Free Resources for Music Makers

The Latest

Trends got an update!

New Hookpad feature just dropped ➡️ End Bands are here.

Audio Track Capability is HERE | Beatmaking with Hookpad

Introducing: Audio Track Uploads

Hooktheory’s Gift Guide for Songwriters and Musicians

Dorian Mode

Over 500,000 Users Worldwide

How We Got Here

Ready to Create Amazing Music?

Your Creative Catalyst

Choose Your Path

Create

Learn

Train

Explore

The Hooktheory Difference

Free Resources for Music Makers

The Latest

Trends got an update!

New Hookpad feature just dropped ➡️ End Bands are here.

Audio Track Capability is HERE | Beatmaking with Hookpad

Introducing: Audio Track Uploads

Hooktheory’s Gift Guide for Songwriters and Musicians

Dorian Mode

Explore TheoryTab

Over 500,000 Users Worldwide

How We Got Here

Ready to Create Amazing Music?