I admit to not having read all 7 pages so far, but I read three.
Music theory is like a GPS. It won't transport you to your destination, but it will make getting there quicker and more efficient. You don't need it to get to your momma's house, but it will be very helpful getting to a distant vacation spot you have never been before. And owning a GPS won't show you how to drive and doesn't automatically make you a better driver.
Theory is a tool to overcome the shortcomings in our ability to recognize the patterns in the music we listen to.
If you have really good ears, you don't need theory. But most people don't have good ears, so learning theory is a big help. I discovered the E7#9 chord by listening to Hendrix, but theory explained why it sounded the way it is. I knew vaguely that there were "Major" and "Minor" scales, but theory showed which scale goes best with a particular setting.
In jazz, we say you learn theory to understand the songs and learn how to improvise. (Its pretty much a necessity for jazz). And once you have your ear developed, you can forget the theory.
Music theory is not a "thing" (unless you are getting paid to teach it). Its just a set of observations on what works and why within a certain genre of music.
You don't need to understand the 4 laws of electromagnetism to use a tube amp. But if you want to do a repair, yo better have some electrical theory.....
Likewise, Four semesters of classical theory is great for someone who wants to dig in deep, but mostly a waste of time for a someone who just wants to play blues - go learn major and minor chords and pentatonic scales and you are good to go. Your time would be better spent listening to music and noting the patterns. If you play jazz seriously, a semester of jazz theoro trumps four semesters of classic music theory. If you play country, learning the number system and having a solid grasp of the 7 major modes plus the major and minor pentatonic scales will do it.
From personal experience, I have found that music theory plus piano skills are awesome and opens up a lot of doors to musical ideas ...... but that's just me.
How much theory you needs depends on where you are going. Learning the intervals, major diatonic modes, the major and minor pentatonic scales and how to construct chords is high value.
Edit, you could forget the theory once you have mastered your area, but the theory gives a structure, so its still useful to keep around.
Music theory is like a GPS. It won't transport you to your destination, but it will make getting there quicker and more efficient. You don't need it to get to your momma's house, but it will be very helpful getting to a distant vacation spot you have never been before. And owning a GPS won't show you how to drive and doesn't automatically make you a better driver.
Theory is a tool to overcome the shortcomings in our ability to recognize the patterns in the music we listen to.
If you have really good ears, you don't need theory. But most people don't have good ears, so learning theory is a big help. I discovered the E7#9 chord by listening to Hendrix, but theory explained why it sounded the way it is. I knew vaguely that there were "Major" and "Minor" scales, but theory showed which scale goes best with a particular setting.
In jazz, we say you learn theory to understand the songs and learn how to improvise. (Its pretty much a necessity for jazz). And once you have your ear developed, you can forget the theory.
Music theory is not a "thing" (unless you are getting paid to teach it). Its just a set of observations on what works and why within a certain genre of music.
You don't need to understand the 4 laws of electromagnetism to use a tube amp. But if you want to do a repair, yo better have some electrical theory.....
Likewise, Four semesters of classical theory is great for someone who wants to dig in deep, but mostly a waste of time for a someone who just wants to play blues - go learn major and minor chords and pentatonic scales and you are good to go. Your time would be better spent listening to music and noting the patterns. If you play jazz seriously, a semester of jazz theoro trumps four semesters of classic music theory. If you play country, learning the number system and having a solid grasp of the 7 major modes plus the major and minor pentatonic scales will do it.
From personal experience, I have found that music theory plus piano skills are awesome and opens up a lot of doors to musical ideas ...... but that's just me.
How much theory you needs depends on where you are going. Learning the intervals, major diatonic modes, the major and minor pentatonic scales and how to construct chords is high value.
Edit, you could forget the theory once you have mastered your area, but the theory gives a structure, so its still useful to keep around.
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