Hack Music Theory founders Kate & Ray Harmony (aka Revolution Harmony). Vancouver BC, Canada.

Be careful who you learn from...

“Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.”

You've probably heard this saying. Sadly, it's mostly true. Especially following the 2020 lockdowns when it became almost impossible for musicians to make money. As a result, many of them launched YouTube channels and online courses. But now, for people like you who want to learn how to make music, it's overwhelming trying to choose a teacher. Here's how to choose:

A good music teacher is someone who has studied music and education, and has made music professionally. That's because teaching people how to make music requires three completely different skill sets: (1) knowledge of music theory, (2) knowledge of songwriting, and (3) knowledge of teaching. Unfortunately, most online music courses are taught by people who are not qualified in any of these skills.

Ray Harmony is a multi award-winning music lecturer with 30 years of teaching experience. As a songwriter and producer, he has made music with Grammy winners and multiplatinum artists including Serj Tankian (System Of A Down) and Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine). In the 1980s and ’90s, Ray studied music theory, classical guitar and piano all to the highest grade at the Royal Schools of Music. In 1999 he moved to the States to study contemporary music at Musicians Institute (Hollywood, California). After graduating in 2001, he did his teacher training at West London College (London, England) where he also taught music theory and composition for 10 years. Following his immigration to Canada, Ray pivoted to teaching online and began the Hack Music Theory YouTube channel in 2017, which now has over 250,000 subscribers and over 10 millions views.

PS: If you feel Ray's unorthodox approach to music education isn't right for you, we totally understand, it's not for everyone. For an orthodox approach, we highly recommend the online courses at Music Matters that are taught by the brilliant Gareth Green.

Ray.

Hello, I'm Ray Harmony (né Ray Holroyd), grandson of renowned South African artist Diederick During (1917–1991).

I was born in Cape Town, where I began playing piano at the age of seven, and guitar at 12. I started teaching privately in 1995, and went on to form the band Royd. We received national acclaim in 1996 when our debut single reached No. 1 on the rock chart of South Africa's most popular national radio station, 5FM. We returned to the No. 1 spot in 1998.

After achieving the highest grade from the Royal Schools of Music in music theory, classical guitar and piano, I moved to California in 1999 to study guitar and voice at the world-renowned Musicians Institute. I lived in Hollywood for two years while studying, making an album with my new band Gray Race Evolution, and playing the Los Angeles music circuit, including shows on the legendary Sunset Strip.

In 2001, I immigrated to England, where I studied education and did my teacher training. For the next 10 years I lectured music theory & composition at one of the UK's largest colleges, West London College, later becoming the course director and lead internal verifier for the music department. In my decade at the college, I was honoured to win two prestigious awards: Learner First, and Vocational Qualification Hero.

In 2006 I formed a new band, 12 Ton Method. A couple years later we got signed and released our debut EP, only to break up a few months later. At this time I unintentionally became a music journalist (long story), and after writing for Kerrang! magazine from 2009 to 2010, I moved on to Terrorizer, where I also became the editor of their new guitar magazine, Sick Sounds. I ended up writing for Terrorizer magazine from 2010 until 2017, when Kate and I started our YouTube channel.

Winning the prestigious Learner First Award in 2010

I also founded and ran the non-profit record label Grade 9 Records from 2008 to 2012, which exclusively released my students' music and donated all the proceeds to charity. In 2011, I relocated to Vancouver BC, Canada, and developed this dream by launching my new and improved non-profit record label, Revolution Harmony, which released over 40 records worldwide, including Cryptopsy's self-titled 2012 album.

In 2013, I streamlined Revolution Harmony to focus exclusively on my All-Star charity singles, which featured multiplatinum Grammy-winning artists: Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine, Serj Tankian from System Of A Down, and many more. All the proceeds from these singles were donated to the South African charity Buskaid, and the Kenyan charity Hope Runs (sadly defunct now).

Producing at Metropolis Studios in London, England

In 2014, I moved to Salt Spring Island BC to get away from distractions and focus on writing my music theory book. On the island, I also met the love of my life, Kate, and together we started a music school. In 2015 we re-immersed ourselves in the city, and began our Hack Music Theory YouTube channel.

In 2023 we relocated to Calgary, Alberta. Why? Well, all Kate's family is from Alberta. Her ancestors were Southern Alberta Pioneers, and that's pretty cool! So, there are deep roots here. And deep roots are grounding. A heartfelt thank-you for being here. You're a vital part of this. Together we are all the Revolution Harmony :)