I learnt music theory informally from 19-21 so have a "mature student" perspective I'm not a musician but can happily converse with musicians, play basic piano

I learnt music theory informally from 19-21 so have a "mature student" perspective I'm not a musician but can happily converse with musicians, play basic piano and bass, as well as use any DAW For properly learning music theory the best approach IMO is learning to grok the Piano The layout of 88 keys and adaptability of the piano will probably always be the best way to truly understand most western music theory concepts You can explore every major aspect of music theory (rhythm, melody and harmony) in a very deep but approachable way Beyond sight reading I'd pick up a fake book of basic lead sheets (I personally love The Real Book) The biggest breakthrough for me was practicing as many extended chord voicings (inverting chords that have more than three notes) so you can begin to feel what music theory concepts work in different musical contexts Music theory are tools for the toolbox, you can augment them and create truly novel works over time