How do you teach basic music theory?

I think your description, while touches on some music theory, is primarily the anatomy of the piano, with a music theory context.

I personally think that when someone asks you to teach them piano, it may be good idea to gauge exactly how interested they are in piano. Gauging whether the way to just know what are the keys/notes, or if they wish to really immerse themselves in music-music, and whereby the piano is but an instrument for expressing and understanding such theory.

I wouldn't be surprised, at that point, if 90% of people say, "no thanks!"

At the end of the day, there's really no shortcuts.

Looking at the points.

- Here's middle C. Observe the groupings of two and three black notes. You count up and down by letters to get you D, E, etc. (30 seconds)

Notice the black keys keep repeating in 2's and 3's. C is to the left of the two black keys. Play all the C's you can find on the piano. The one right in front of you is called middle C. The names of the white keys go in alphabetical order. (get student to name piano keys next to C etc.

5 minutes, including the student's exploration on the keyboard, your checking that they got this. Are you adding notation to this?

- Now, the black keys are flat/sharp corresponding to whether they are just above or just below a certain note. (30 seconds)

I don't know if you want to add flats and sharps first time round. it might take the student a few days to "own" the names of the white keys. "above and below" can be confusing because they're actually to the left and right. "flat" and "sharp" is a new symbol and concept. A teaching method I learned which I like very much, for reading, is that the sharps and flats are like traffic signs. If your written note is C but there's a sharp beside it, (C#) you move to the right to the next key (a black one). This also takes care of B# (a white key).

- Observe the symmetry of the keyboard. Each octave is identical. See the pattern from C to C (2 black keys + 3 black keys). This repeats across the keyboard. (1 minute)

Now we have another new concept, "octave". You could actually leave this out, because we already have the symmetry of the 2 black + 3 white across the keyboard.

- Now, each key is equidistant in terms of pitch from the next (semitone), black/white keys included. Each octave is twice the frequency of the previous octave. This is in terms of ratio (so the ratio would be the twelfth root of 2). Regardless, what you need to keep in mind is that starting on a key is the same as starting on a different key in terms of the ratios of the pitches, and that's why music when transposed sounds "the same". (1 minute)

That's way, way, way too much! You might want to points out that from one piano key to the next piano key touching it is always a semitone. Problem: have they learned what a tone and semitone is? No, they haven't. When and how will you be teaching that? Also: I'm told that students tend to see the white keys and not quite see the black ones. "Two keys beside each other" will be seen as C and D. You may need to create awareness.

In any case: at this point you've taught recognizing all the C's, D's, E's -- the fact of note names of the white keys - and the student has to master and own this. They may not be ready for the semitone part of it - depends on the student.

This: "Each octave is twice the frequency of the previous octave. This is in terms of ratio (so the ratio would be the twelfth root of 2)." is problematic unless your student is in physics, acoustics. It's not necessary, esp. for someone beginning theory for the first time. The information is interesting and fascinating, but not for a first lesson, and not for everyone.

- Now, look at middle C. Here's a C major scale (demonstrates). As follows from the previous point, every other major scale would be the same sequence of distances of whole notes and half notes, by symmetry. We will start from C major for illustration purposes. Think of the notes as 1, 2 ... 7, 1. The basic diatonic chords are the first, third and fifth note starting from a given scale degree. (3 minutes)

Scales should be another lesson, on another day. In fact, maybe a month later, after the first things are absorbed.

Ok, you introduced the C major scale. That scale is handy because it's white notes only, so it can be used as a reference for any other major scale. Assuming your student has grasped what tone and semitone are - and that the student is able to grasp that E,F and B,C are semitones, noting there are no black keys between them - the student can pick up the WWHWWWH interval pattern. Some or many students can also recognize the sound of a major scale. Therefore if they try to play D major and play F instead of F#, they'll hear it and correct it.

Trying to play major scales in all keys merely by applying the interval sequence is way too hard. You might introduce the scales gradually along the circle of fifths. This would be done over time, not all in a first lesson.

The basic diatonic chords are the first, third and fifth note starting from a given scale degree.

You are saying that the root position chords are formed from (etc. - any of us understanding theory will know what you're trying to say). So our beginner, in the very first lesson, knows what "diatonic chord" means? Moreover, will that student be able to find I ii iii IV V vi viio of Db major, E major etc. at this point? S/he has just figured out how to find the piano key called A ..... some of the time! This is for later.

- A typical chord progression would be I IV V. From the previous point, you know what those chords mean. Melodies tend to use the notes in the chords, but the exact specifics of chord tones/non chord tones are better left for later. (4 minutes)

Our student, who is learning the first things of theory for the very first time, is not nearly ready for this. That is, per my suggestion in the earlier post, they would have become familiar somewhat with I IV V as you point them out in the music they've learned. The theory I studied started with I IV V and brought in ii, iii, vi, viio later - so it might be good (not the very first lesson) to see if they can find a IV, a V, and a I in a familiar major scale.

"Melodies tend to use the notes in the chords" -- I guess you're saying "in the diatonic chords" - in which case, they also tend to use the notes of that given key. This one doesn't seem necessary. It seems more something you'd do in analysis when trying to figure out the chord, and have to sort chord from non-chord notes.

- Try your best to memorize all of the major scales by next week.

Why?

ranjit Observe the symmetry of the keyboard. Each octave is identical. See the pattern from C to C (2 black keys + 3 black keys). This repeats across the keyboard.

Here, I would have the student press the pedal, and improvise a "melody" using the same note all over the keyboard.

ranjit Now, each key is equidistant in terms of pitch from the next (semitone), black/white keys included.

From this point on, as someone who would like to learn to play the piano and came to you for her very first lesson, you would have lost me. Why teach music theory before I get any experience with the piano and its sounds???

Sophia granted, before you are allowed to drive you need to pass a theory exam first, but I still think the principle stands

Not in the Netherlands, at least not when I learned how to drive. Just go ahead, start to drive!

Hi Sophia, many pop songs follow a particular chord progression. One of these progressions is I (tonic), IV (subdominant), V (dominant) and then repeat. For example, in the key of C, this would be C, F, and G. So, I could be playing the root with fingers 1 and 5 in the left hand, an octave apart. And in the right hand, the actual chord (either inverted or not, inverting can help to stay within a certain keyboard range and avoids jumping around with the right hand). I play some of these progressions as warmup, as they are bound to sound "good." I believe Ranjit says that you could predict where the song is going. If you have just played the IV chord, then likely the next chord is going to be V, and then back to chord I. And when he says the specific chords can vary, he means that the name of the chord changes for I (tonic), IV (subdominant), V (dominant) dependent on which key you are in. For example, the tonic in the key of C is C while the tonic in the key of G is G.

Below are more examples for chord progressions:
https://online.berklee.edu/takenote/common-chord-progressions-and-how-to-make-them-your-own/

In the below chord chart, you can see the chord progression: C, Am, F, G, C ... in other words, for the key of C, this is 1, 6, 4, 5, and back to 1. This is another one of the progressions that sound good. Sorry, I don't know yet how to make the picture smaller. So, you could be playing this song mostly by just remembering the chord progression because that chord progression should be largely repetitive throughout the song. And if you want to transpose in a different key, that would work as well. For example if you would want to play the song in the key of G instead of key of C, then the 1 chord would be the G, the 6 chord the E, the 4 chord, the C, and the 5 chord the D.

So, I know this best from the world of pop songs, etc. (non-classical). Whether this also applies to some classical pieces, I don't know. But just check the song in your book on the next page and see in which key it is, and then see if you can recognize a chord progression (for example in the lower staff; the chord could also be arpeggiated).

My favorite resource for this is www.pianoforall.com This is an incredible course that explains much of this in detail. This course is also available on udemy sometimes for around $15. If you contact Robin Hall, the course creator, he might send you a coupon.
Best,