Create amazing music

With Hookpad Musical Sketchpad

Hookpad has completely changed my ‘songwriting life’

Dan Gruemmer
Learn to

Write music like the pros

with our interactive books

Hooktheory makes learning so much more intuitive.

Justin (goodreads.com review)

Learn to hear chords by ear. Train with real songs.

Chord Crush

Chord Crush with YouTube is the greatest thing ever

sidhire

Products

Hookpad

Create songs, beats, and musical ideas with built-in music theory and AI from 40k songs.

For All Levels
Learn More
Hookpad

Music Theory Books

Discover an intuitive and deep understanding of how music works.

For All Levels
Learn More
Music Theory Books

Chord Crush

Learn to hear chords by ear. Train with real songs.

For All Levels
Learn More
Chord Crush

Classroom

Teaching modules and classroom kits for teachers and schools.

For Educators
Learn More
Classroom

Hooktheory's technology leverages data from tens of thousands of popular songs spanning all music genres to help you create, improvise, produce, and understand music.

This book was phenomenal!

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 as I wait eagerly for the sequel.Justin (goodreads.com review)

Hooktheory makes learning so much more intuitive.

Hooktheory I is the quintessential example of technology being used in a modest and focused way to make learning so much more intuitive. The song examples perfectly illustrated the points in the text while letting me progress and repeat sections at my own pace.Justin (goodreads.com review)

Worth every penny!

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 store review)

Love this.

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 store review)

Outstanding!

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 review)

Worthy of multiple re-reads.

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. The graphs and explanations were clear and easy to follow. The various examples from popular songs helped a great deal.Jeremiah Spassion (iBooks review)

Loved this book!

The explanations are easy to understand and the audiovisual examples made the concepts easy to internalize.@harlandjp (iBooks review)

Almost perfect.

Props to the authors for a very easy to follow explanation of the basics of chord progressions. The text and graphics and audio made it very engaging.@elevensong (iBooks review)

Best music theory book period.

Best music theory book period. Don't look anywhere else because Hooktheory I has it all.Frank Bono (goodreads.com review)

Amazing book! Easy to read and clearly presents material.

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. I was truly disappointed to reach the end, but look forward to going through again, taking notes, and applying the ideas while sitting at a guitar and piano.Michael iOS App Store Review

Awesome book and learning experience

This book and Hooktheory I were exactly what I needed to 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 Review

The best book I’ve found on chord progressions

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. This book (and Hooktheory I) were FULL of examples of every single concept. The way they break down keys and chords, and how progressions and melody work in real songs is unique, comprehensive, and much easier to understand than traditional music theory teaching. Brian CyrilGoodreads Review

Very well written book

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 Review

Hookpad has completely changed my ‘songwriting life’

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

The best melody composing tool for generating original MIDI.

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. I believe you have nailed it in regards to using the laptop keyboard as input device, it really is a quick way to try multiple ideas fast.Erich Nokling

Easily the best composing tool I've found to date

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

People Behind

Dave, Ryan, and Chris created Hooktheory while working on their PhDs at UC Berkeley and have a long history working together in technology, music, and education. Friends for many years, they have been involved in many projects together, from producing a viral music video espousing the wonders of nanotechnology to working with Nobel Prize-winning physicist Saul Perlmutter to design and teach UC Berkeley's acclaimed Physics and Music Course. The three friends developed and taught “A Songwriter’s Guide: The Theory of Popular Music,” a DeCal course in the Music Department in 2011. The course was so successful that they decided to build a platform based on its concepts in order to make it available to a wider audience. The result is Hooktheory. In 2013 Hooktheory was admitted to Skydeck, the prestigious startup incubator for UC Berkeley companies.

To learn more about Hooktheory’s story, check out Berkeley Engineering Magazine Feature: What makes pop pop?