where should I go in theory next?

[WhiteKong]

I know basic chord thery,basic scale theory,intervals,some rythm, how to read music and stuff like that. What now?

[mcfox90]

apply it into your playing?

[WhiteKong]

I'm not good at that

[Evon]

that's why you gotta practice it.

[S. Katz]

Amen.

I'm a beginner too. I've been absorbing theory at a fast pace, but there is a HUGE difference between having theory in your head, and having it flow through your fingers on the fly. The middle of a measure is no time to be thinking "Okay, that was Gbmaj, now what is the IV chord, and where do I find it on the fretboard."

Finger-smarts is the Holy Grail of muscianship.

[John Wentzien]

Playing bass lines over chord structures?

[G00D+~VIBES]

How bout... now forget all of that close your eyes and start playing with your ears and soul?

[WhiteKong]

I have no soul

[Evon]

then go play the flute. :P

just practice applying your theory to the instrument, once you can do that, forget all about the theory and play what you feel.

[HaVIC5]

I'm sure Jean-Pierre Rampal will appreciate that statement^^^

[Rudreax]

You're never going to forget it, you know, even if you try. The most you're going to do is get to the point where you know theory so well it's going to be ingrained in your playing. This is generally what you're trying to achieve.

Anyway, start applying it before you even think of learning something else. There's no point in learning something if you're not going to use what you learned.

[Dogbertday]

Yeah start using it... the best way to do this is to analyze some other player's lines to see how they're using them... learn their lines... then you know a few tricks for your own

[cassanova]

Originally Posted by WhiteKong

I know basic chord thery,basic scale theory,intervals,some rythm, how to read music and stuff like that. What now?

Tonality
Melody
Melodic and Harmonic Intervals
Melody & Intervals
Inversion
Transposition
Circle of 5ths
Melodic Organization
Phrase and Form
Composing a Melody
Harmony & Chords
Neighbor Tones, Passing Tones, & Non Chord Tones
Enharmonic Spelling
Dictation

I could go on for a while, but I think you get the idea.

Also, you misspelled rhythm. If you can't spell it then how are you actually going to be able to have it?

[J. Crawford]

Originally Posted by WhiteKong

I have no soul

Am I the only one noticing that every thing we say is shot down with a redundant response.

Thus why Im not giving him any help.

[Ed Fuqua]

Oh, is that why?
Look, ALBINO JOE YOUNG, it's not that "learning theory" is some magic pill that is going to open up some door that stands between you and playing with some kind of meaning. You CAN play with meaning and intent with the vocabulary you have now. It just takes some work.

There are three legs to the tripod here:
1. TECHNIQUE - which isn't 'raking" or " spider" or any of that other crap. All "technique" means is physical approach. You want to have as relaxed and tension free a physical approach to the instrument as possible; you want to be able to play without the instrument becoming an impediment, either by the plucking hand being too tense, uncoordinated or bound by habit and by the fingering hand being relaxed, being able to start any idea on any finger.
2. UNDERSTANDING - which is what people mostly mean by "theory". How chords function, how resolutions work, how you can exchange things between keys etc.
3. HEARING - here's a big one, ear training. Being able to hear with clarity. Intervals, chords, tensions.

There is no one part of this tripod that can be left out of ANY approach to becoming a musician. It's ALL important - it doens't matter how well you UNDERSTAND something, if you can't hear it. It doesn't matter how well you HEAR something, if you don't have the physical wherewithal to use your instrument to get it out in the air where everyone else can hear it in real time. It doesn't matter if you have the TECHNIQUE to play anything, if you can't hear and can't understand what it is you are hearing.

So I don't think it's so much a matter of "where to go next" with theory, I think it's a matter of coordinating what you know with what you can hear with what you can play.

and you know who's great at coordinating stuff like that?

Good teachers, that's who.

[M.Wrenn]

definitely work on applying it to your playing and once you get that down ( like REALLY down) move on to Modes

[Pacman]

Once again, Ed posts the perfect post.

[Rudreax]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

Oh, is that why?
Look, ALBINO JOE YOUNG, it's not that "learning theory" is some magic pill that is going to open up some door that stands between you and playing with some kind of meaning. You CAN play with meaning and intent with the vocabulary you have now. It just takes some work.

There are three legs to the tripod here:
1. TECHNIQUE - which isn't 'raking" or " spider" or any of that other crap. All "technique" means is physical approach. You want to have as relaxed and tension free a physical approach to the instrument as possible; you want to be able to play without the instrument becoming an impediment, either by the plucking hand being too tense, uncoordinated or bound by habit and by the fingering hand being relaxed, being able to start any idea on any finger.
2. UNDERSTANDING - which is what people mostly mean by "theory". How chords function, how resolutions work, how you can exchange things between keys etc.
3. HEARING - here's a big one, ear training. Being able to hear with clarity. Intervals, chords, tensions.

There is no one part of this tripod that can be left out of ANY approach to becoming a musician. It's ALL important - it doens't matter how well you UNDERSTAND something, if you can't hear it. It doesn't matter how well you HEAR something, if you don't have the physical wherewithal to use your instrument to get it out in the air where everyone else can hear it in real time. It doesn't matter if you have the TECHNIQUE to play anything, if you can't hear and can't understand what it is you are hearing.

So I don't think it's so much a matter of "where to go next" with theory, I think it's a matter of coordinating what you know with what you can hear with what you can play.

and you know who's great at coordinating stuff like that?

Good teachers, that's who.

/thread.

[Alan Vorse]

As much as I loved Ed's post, "Albino Joe Young" is what gets him the Blue Ribbon.

[J. Crawford]

Originally Posted by Alan Vorse

As much as I loved Ed's post, "Albino Joe Young" is what gets him the Blue Ribbon.

This.