Hakea
New member
Hi all,
I've found that "Theory" isn't just some complicated geeky stuff that enables professors to talk to each other, it's more like a very useful set of guidelines that can actually speed up the process of experimentation and learning. I'm a big fan of learning by ear, improvising, and not following a curriculum, but I've still found all the theory I've soaked up to be very useful. It's not restrictive in any way, it's just a handy set of tools to be used if and when I feel like it.
In fact we all know some theory. Few of us wouldn't know what's meant by a "chord" even if we might not know the formulae for all of them. Most of us know the names of the open strings on our guitars, what's meant by things like 'timing' and 'tempo', what the general idea of a scale is, and stuff like that. And that's all part of music theory. Some people might not realise how much 'theory' they already know and see "Theory" as a bunch of weird complex stuff that they don't want to know about. But I see it as simply a steady climb from not knowing much about how things can work to knowing a bunch of very useful stuff.
Of course, a good set of ears and a whole stack of experience is the best thing you can have, but it's not a contest or a choice between one or the other, it's an added bonus. Having some knowledge of music theory in your kit is more like putting a supercharger on your motor and getting there a bit faster...
I use my theory knowledge all the time - I might use it to quickly work out some alternative chord fingering to find one that's easier to play, or sits on a different part of the neck, or has the same notes but a different voicing, or to quickly transpose into another key, or whatever. I also use it to help me read and write music. I avoided learning music notation for years, but now that I can read sheet music it's been great to have access to a vast library of written music, simply because I can now read the language. I can also write songs (or parts) using notation, and a very handy skill it is too - I can even use it to cheat and write something which a computer will play for me while I play another part. I can also use it to discuss music with various friends, and just to speed things up in any number of ways.
I don't really see how people who don't know much theory can have any reason to diss it? How can you put down what you don't know? I've been ignorant AND I've been educated, and I can't really think of any occasions where I thought that ignorance of anything was that much of an asset.
Go on people - try some more - it won't hurt you. Honestly. the real question isn't "Should I be bothered learning any theory" it's "Where can I find somebody who won't piss me off and confuse me by making it sound more complicated than it really is"... Go for it.
Chris
I've found that "Theory" isn't just some complicated geeky stuff that enables professors to talk to each other, it's more like a very useful set of guidelines that can actually speed up the process of experimentation and learning. I'm a big fan of learning by ear, improvising, and not following a curriculum, but I've still found all the theory I've soaked up to be very useful. It's not restrictive in any way, it's just a handy set of tools to be used if and when I feel like it.
In fact we all know some theory. Few of us wouldn't know what's meant by a "chord" even if we might not know the formulae for all of them. Most of us know the names of the open strings on our guitars, what's meant by things like 'timing' and 'tempo', what the general idea of a scale is, and stuff like that. And that's all part of music theory. Some people might not realise how much 'theory' they already know and see "Theory" as a bunch of weird complex stuff that they don't want to know about. But I see it as simply a steady climb from not knowing much about how things can work to knowing a bunch of very useful stuff.
Of course, a good set of ears and a whole stack of experience is the best thing you can have, but it's not a contest or a choice between one or the other, it's an added bonus. Having some knowledge of music theory in your kit is more like putting a supercharger on your motor and getting there a bit faster...
I use my theory knowledge all the time - I might use it to quickly work out some alternative chord fingering to find one that's easier to play, or sits on a different part of the neck, or has the same notes but a different voicing, or to quickly transpose into another key, or whatever. I also use it to help me read and write music. I avoided learning music notation for years, but now that I can read sheet music it's been great to have access to a vast library of written music, simply because I can now read the language. I can also write songs (or parts) using notation, and a very handy skill it is too - I can even use it to cheat and write something which a computer will play for me while I play another part. I can also use it to discuss music with various friends, and just to speed things up in any number of ways.
I don't really see how people who don't know much theory can have any reason to diss it? How can you put down what you don't know? I've been ignorant AND I've been educated, and I can't really think of any occasions where I thought that ignorance of anything was that much of an asset.
Go on people - try some more - it won't hurt you. Honestly. the real question isn't "Should I be bothered learning any theory" it's "Where can I find somebody who won't piss me off and confuse me by making it sound more complicated than it really is"... Go for it.
Chris
