Theory or not to Theory

[bigboy_78]

I jammed with a guy recently who's reply to what key was "5th fret".

When we'd finished he asked me "So how do you know which notes to play? Its like you just pick the right one all the time"

There are play of reasons to learn theory and only excuses not to.

 

[LayDownABoogie]

If you want to be a super-awesome bass player that loves to play and impresses other musicians, learn every little thing you can and practice it. If you want to be a star, it's probably too late, because you have to be created.

I don't mean assembled in a lab, although my friend has a theory that Katey Perry was cloned to make specific noises and nothing else. I mean someone in power has to tell the public you are great, which is really all the industry ever was about. The media is used to jam a singer/group down your throat until you are convinced you like them (I say group and not band, because most famous music folk don't seem to play anything publicly).

That is why you can't avoid some songs when you leave the house. It's literal brainwashing. The Monkees, Lady Gaga, and every Disney and pop music star were created by some agent for the purpose of making tons of money off people who think that is all there is to listen to. .

So true.... Tell it in the streets

 

[JimmyM]

Hey man, the Monkees were great pop music stars created by some agent for the purpose of making tons of money off people who think that is all there is to listen to.

 

[oniman7]

Listen, most of the people who say they don't know any music theory are liars. Either they play a type of music where it isn't "cool" to know theory or they simply cannot read music. But not knowing how to read music doesn't mean you can't know music theory...the Beatles are the best known examples of that. They explored chord theory extensively and still do. And quite frankly, I think Slash is in the "liar" category.

A more recent example is Dave Grohl. Dave likes to talk about how he can't read music, but for a guy who can't read music, he knows a buttload about using advanced chord theory and he knows the name of every single note on the fretboard.

It's much easier to learn theory if you know how to read, but it can be done. But what can't be done is just sitting and practicing your playing for 10 hours a day without any idea of what to learn or practice. You practice blues riffs all day for years and you'll be quite excellent at blues riffs, but you won't learn a thing beyond it. Like Roy said, why spend all that time reinventing the wheel?

Rock stars who don't read is a very lame excuse for not wanting to learn how music works. You are not them.

I knew my theory quite welll before I learned to read. Chord functions, modes, etc. I still recognize them faster as a series of note names than written out most of the time. I can read prettty much any clef (evenn alto with a quick refresher where Middle C is), and even write some notation using MIDI files. But I knew most of my stuff before knowing how to read.

If you can write a D/F# chord like in "The Pretender", you probably know some theory, whether you do or your ear does.

 

[kr0n]

Troll.

 

[f.clef]

Chilluns, is true. I taught nusic theory at ivy league colleges for many years. The smart ones stick ouut. Most, well...

 

[MrLenny1]

Theory. It will save you years of practicing bad habits.
My first Classical Method book turned my playing around
by 50 %, main reason, proper fingering.

 

[Russell L]

Just learn some and quit moaning about it. I just makes sense. For crying out loud, I was learning some theory when I was in grade school because it simply seemed like it would help. Therefore, I found it interesting. Therefore I got hooked on it. Therefore I became a MUCH better player.

Otherwise, you can join the ranks of so many in society these days who seem to think it's cool to be uninformed.

 

[Jazzkuma]

Just learn some and quit moaning about it. I just makes sense. For crying out loud, I was learning some theory when I was in grade school because it simply seemed like it would help. Therefore, I found it interesting. Therefore I got hooked on it. Therefore I became a MUCH better player.

Otherwise, you can join the ranks of so many in society these days who seem to think it's cool to be uninformed.

+1

Reasons why you shouldn't learn theory = 0

Reasons why you SHOULD learn theory = too many!

Just go and learn it, you don't stop learning math at 1+1

 

[coyote1]

Some people get lucky. Some people learn on the circuit, that comes across.

That those guys made it without reading doesn't change the fact that if you put a lead sheet in front of them, they couldn't play it on the spot. Lots of players here can do that.

Most people agree that to be a successful musician you have to know theory, without it you will soon run into a wall that you can't get past. Sure you could learn a thousand songs from tab, but then you would be nothing more than a walking juke box. If this is all true then here's the question, how come some of the worlds best guitar players say they don't know theory at all. Jimi Hendrix couldn't read music.

Slash not only can't read music but also can't tell you even what note he is playing. The original bass player from the Doobie Brothers never took a lesson, yet could school any of us who think we know what we are doing. So are these people lying to us, or is it true that 10 hours a day in your basement will make you great. Are these people using theory without realizing it, when you consider Eddie Van Halen his music is too complex to come out of nothing, same with Lindsay Buckingham.

It seems to me that these players took the hours that it would take to learn theory and instead practiced their instrament and got ahead of the game, years ahead. So what do you day on the matter.