# I want to learn music theory on a treadmill, but nothing’s really taking off
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-music-theory-on-a-treadmill-but-nothing-s-really-taking-off/673887
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [November 14, 2013, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-music-theory-on-a-treadmill-but-nothing-s-really-taking-off/673887 "2013-11-14T06:33:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2013, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-music-theory-on-a-treadmill-but-nothing-s-really-taking-off/673887/1 "2013-11-14T06:33:55Z")
I’m trying to make exercising less tedious. I’ve looked for a little while, but have haven’t quite found what I’m looking for—an online video music theory course that talks to me like an adult, has pretty good substantive depth, and has more charisma than the Encyclopedia Britanica kid from those 80s commercials.
As I went down another free courseware rabbit hole, I figured the Doper Music Brigade might help me get off the ground.
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### Author:  [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2013, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-music-theory-on-a-treadmill-but-nothing-s-really-taking-off/673887/2 "2013-11-14T11:27:43Z")
I don’t know about free courses, but the music courses from The Teaching Company are pretty good. They are taught by Robert Greenberg. Incidentally, the kid in the encyclopedia commercials was Donavan Freberg, the son of Stan Freberg, who wrote the commercials:
> **[Donavan Freberg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donavan_Freberg)**
>
> Donavan Freberg (born April 6, 1971) is an American photographer, advertising creative, voice actor, and writer.
> Freberg is probably best known for appearing in a series of commercials for Encyclopædia Britannica produced by his father, satirist and advertising creative Stan Freberg. The 1988–1993 advertising campaign was the most successful in the company's 200-year history and Donavan was elevated to cult status. He was parodied on Saturday Night Live and dubbed a "Pop Intellectual" by GQ ma...
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### Author:  [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2013, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-music-theory-on-a-treadmill-but-nothing-s-really-taking-off/673887/3 "2013-11-14T12:09:48Z")
I’ve listened to a couple Teaching Company lectures before, and they were excellent. Whether or not they were $214 excellent is a different matter.
A $214 lecture on space by Donavan would be a different story.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-music-theory-on-a-treadmill-but-nothing-s-really-taking-off/673887/4 "2013-11-14T12:58:25Z")
I saw what you did with that thread title, and so did a lot of other people; don’t think we didn’t.
😃
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### Author:  [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-music-theory-on-a-treadmill-but-nothing-s-really-taking-off/673887/5 "2013-11-14T14:55:52Z")
Every Teaching Company course is discounted for a month or so once a year, so a $200 course becomes a $60 course. You need to watch the website (or get the catalogs every few weeks like me) for lowered prices for the courses you want. I never buy a non-discounted course.
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### Author:  [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2013, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-music-theory-on-a-treadmill-but-nothing-s-really-taking-off/673887/6 "2013-11-14T17:02:35Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#):
>
> Every Teaching Company course is discounted for a month or so once a year, so a $200 course becomes a $60 course. You need to watch the website (or get the catalogs every few weeks like me) for lowered prices for the courses you want. I never buy a non-discounted course.
Ditto. There’s a lot on sale right now. I’ve learned a lot from Greenberg’s courses on music, and he’ll make you and the treadmill take off. At what speed, though, I couldn’t say.
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### Author:  [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2013, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-learn-music-theory-on-a-treadmill-but-nothing-s-really-taking-off/673887/7 "2013-11-15T02:24:44Z")
Check out [Open Culture](http://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses), an online free course site. They connect to an enormous amount of free, um, course work. All subjects. Here is a set of [music theory videos](http://www.daveconservatoire.org/) that might be what your looking for.