What is theory?

[Raiven]

This may seem an obvious question for you to answer.

But what is it?

Is the quest for theory to know what to play where? But surely those are just answers, or a guideline.

Through reading classical theory books it focuses more on dynamics and devices you can use while playing, then towards the end mentions more traditional modes that we treat as the groundwork for everything.

Where as in jazz stuff it is more "These scales fit here so play these and cash your check".

So by learning theory do we want to know what to play or what could we play?

I know there are players that play by what sounds good and couldn't explain what they do, where as there are others who know what they are doing and do it and wank all over everything.

As I am in a position where I am trying to teach myself theory to understand why players use what were, I am confused, to teach yourself theory you need to stick to the guidelines til they are cemented into your brain and you cn play them with your eyes closed, but to make your lines and playing interesting you must disregard these rules to an extent.

I dunno, this is a semi rant I suppose but more trying to find an answer.

[cowsgomoo]

there's probably a more succinct definition than this, but basically, music theory is a framework to help organize, explain, understand & communicate musical material

I don't believe it's necessarily healthy to 'compose from theory' but everyone does it to some extent.. often when you know what 'ought' to come next in theory, it's not as good as what your ear tells you...

it can be helpful to analyse your music after the fact, but I've frequently come up with stuff that sounded great to me, only to be disappointed when all i'd done was 'invent' something that was really theoretically a bit ordinary & commonplace

I think theory is good for providing you a vocabulary and showing you possibilities open to you, but part of being an artist is to try to 'forget everything you thought you knew', and pull something from lord-knows-where

[dlloyd]

That's it in a nutshell.

[SLaPiNFuNK]

Understanding theory lets you understand the basic structure of a tune and how chord progressions are formed and where they will go...

example: 2 5 1 ... the most basic progression in Jazz...

someone advanced in theory, would look at a 2 5 1 progression and see coletrane changes, or a chromatic substitution... but you have to make it work...

Theory is fun...

[BassChuck]

Originally Posted by Raiven

Through reading classical theory books it focuses more on dynamics and devices you can use while playing, then towards the end mentions more traditional modes that we treat as the groundwork for everything.

What book is that? Every book I've read on theory had very little if anything written about performance practices.

[OXploiter]

I basically agree with what everyone has said here. My 2 cents: Learning even the most basic type of theory allows you to understand the relationships between musical notes. Majors, minors, key signatures (sharps and flats), 5ths, 7ths, E9Aug5, etc etc.

It helps tremendously when you are navigating on the fretboard, after you have this framework established in your head. It helps you to understand what you are playing, and why.

[Bassist4Life]

Theory allows us to explain what is happening in music.

Joe

[Joe Turski]

the·o·ry

n. pl. the·o·ries

1. A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.

2.The branch of a science or art consisting of its explanatory statements, accepted principles, and methods of analysis, as opposed to practice: a fine musician who had never studied theory.

3. A set of theorems that constitute a systematic view of a branch of mathematics.
Abstract reasoning; speculation: a decision based on experience rather than theory.

4. A belief or principle that guides action or assists comprehension or judgment: staked out the house on the theory that criminals usually return to the scene of the crime.
An assumption based on limited information or knowledge; a conjecture.

music theory n.

the study of the theoretical elements of music including sound and pitch, rhythm, melody, harmony, and notation

[Bassist4Life]

Originally Posted by Joe Turski

the·o·ry

n. pl. the·o·ries

1. A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.

2.The branch of a science or art consisting of its explanatory statements, accepted principles, and methods of analysis, as opposed to practice: a fine musician who had never studied theory.

3. A set of theorems that constitute a systematic view of a branch of mathematics.
Abstract reasoning; speculation: a decision based on experience rather than theory.

4. A belief or principle that guides action or assists comprehension or judgment: staked out the house on the theory that criminals usually return to the scene of the crime.
An assumption based on limited information or knowledge; a conjecture.

music theory n.

the study of the theoretical elements of music including sound and pitch, rhythm, melody, harmony, and notation

I think number one fits.

Joe

[tzadik]

The music almost always does and SHOULD come first. Theory is just a description. It comes along later.

Too much theory-before-the-music KILLS music. Think of when authors try to write a book using only certain words because they sound cool together or because they all have the same numeber of letters...yes it's nice but what does it mean?!

Music first!

[blackbass54]

I believe that a musician who really understands theory can actually hear the music just by reading the music and not having to play it first. At least that's what the early classical composers did. That is an advantage, knowing theory can do for you, if your ear is well trained.

[thebassclef]

Music Theory of Relativity
E=Fb

[Zebra]

Theory is just a tool for you to use as a musician. Music theory is the theory of what sounds good. It's what-sounds-good-ology. Knowing it can only help you. One of the most practical uses is it will help let you know what will sound good togeather (such as harmonies with other instruments in a group,) and what won't.

[Correlli]

To me, music theory can act as a type of road map. Depending on where you want to go, determines how you use the theory.

[Correlli]

Originally Posted by cowsgomoo

there's probably a more succinct definition than this, but basically, music theory is a framework to help organize, explain, understand & communicate musical material

I like the term 'framework'.

[dlloyd]

Originally Posted by tzadik

Too much theory-before-the-music KILLS music.

How much is too much?

[pklima]

Originally Posted by Zebra

Theory is just a tool for you to use as a musician. Music theory is the theory of what sounds good. It's what-sounds-good-ology.

Exactly! What sounded good to other people and why. Understanding that it will make it easier for you to sound good as well. It doesn't matter whether you want to play mellow lounge music, death metal or avant-garde music that avoids any similarities to anything conventional.

[tzadik]

When the music loses meaning, one of the causes is too much theory. It is, of course, a matter of opinion -- but that doesn't mean it;s not credible. It just means that people won't always agree.

There is absuloutely a place for theory-centric music....from 12 tone pieces to those tunes in 7 just because someone said "I wanna write in 7 today." But in these cases, theory is a toy that we impose on ourselves to create limits and challenges in hopes of pushing our ear...somewhere. We don't have to use this toy, but we can if we want.

Writing music that is both musical and accessible often needs to start with music, though. Hum something, sing sometime, play it and write it down. Usually it's not a 12 tone row that you hummed. Usually it's not a bar of 7 and a bar of 11 and a bar of 5 in groupings of 3 with five-bar phrasings... usually not. Usually it's some sort of majory or minory thing with phrases that begin and end in places that mimic some sort of predisposed logic. Usually.

In my opinion, and experience, I enjoy using theory when I feel it enhances the music that I write. But it I am writing along, and I'd planned to use only whole tone ideas, but all of a sudden I come across this GREAT sounding thing that is not related to whole tone at all....screw the plans, I'll always try to choose what SOUNDS better. My listeners rarely care how "cool" and "advanced" my theoretical intent is.

If it sounds good, it IS good, as the lord hath sayeth.

Wow, that was long..

[dlloyd]

Originally Posted by tzadik

When the music loses meaning, one of the causes is too much theory.

I would disagree. Theory is not at fault there, only poor application of theory.

If it sounds good, it is good, and there's always a sound theoretical reason why it is good. If you try to apply that theory to your own composition and it doesn't work, it's because you have either applied that theory badly, misunderstood it, or (and this is the biggy) over-simplified it, missing the overall picture.

[Kickin'Fruit]

Originally Posted by dlloyd

I would disagree. Theory is not at fault there, only poor application of theory.

If it sounds good, it is good, and there's always a sound theoretical reason why it is good. If you try to apply that theory to your own composition and it doesn't work, it's because you have either applied that theory badly, misunderstood it, or (and this is the biggy) over-simplified it, missing the overall picture.

+1

Music is like art, you can paint a picture with the wrong colors and it might look good to your eye, but it will never be a masterpiece.

If a work of art looks good, it's probably for a reason according to Art theory. Even if the artist wasn't aware of the rules, he accidentally painted according to theory that made it work.