• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

theory over rated

#21
I agree learning the theory would be best, but just to play devil's advocate there have been MANY successful bands who made fantastic music without knowing any theory. I believe the Beatles didn't know any theory in the 60s but look at the marvelous music they made.

Still though, theory is the language of music and if you are serious about music, learning its language would be super beneficial.
 
#22
I'm one of those people who basically learn theory on an as-needed basis. I also started off just being "I want to learn to play X". X graduated from simple things to more complicated things, and at that point I started learning some theory because when I wanted to improvise some, I ****ed that up greatly -- learning some theory about scales and the minor/major bits taught me what actually "works" in the context of the bass line of a song.

Am I going to learn more theory? Probably but purely on an as-needed basis; my "goal" for playing bass is mostly to learn to play, have fun, and if I end up in a gig or two, that's added benefit. I'm mostly just doing it as a hobby for my own enjoyment, since my professional life doesn't leave me enough time to really get serious with it, and become a paid-gigging musician.

What I can say though: yes, do learn theory. Not necessarily all at once, but enough to understand why things are going the way they are.
 
#23
I don't think theory is as important as some people would be lead to believe. Some is good to have (common scales, things like that), but after awhile, it can get a little superfluous. I don't need to memorize every position of the phrygean scale to play Goo Goo Dolls. However, if you want to play more technical music (prog, jazz, some classical) it wouldn't hurt to pick up some more stuff along the way.
 
#24
IMO Theory will make you a better bass player and will make bass more fun once you understand scales and why certain notes make certain chords. So if your happy with ONLY playing songs OTHER people have wrote, then theory is useless for you but, if you want to be able to improvise and write your own songs you want to learn theory
 
#26
phatbass said:
To my knowledge, no one who has learned some theory, no matter how little or how much, has ever wished that they hadn't. It just makes the process of learning so much more efficient and faster in the long run. It gives you access to centuries of accumulated knowledge without having to re-invent the wheel for yourself figuring out what sounds good.

It makes learning stuff off albums easier/quicker
.
It makes communicating with other musicians who know theory so much easier.

When you write stuff it makes coming up with parts easier.

Contrary to popular belief it doesn't lock you into "rules" that you HAVE to play certain things.
Click to expand...

QFT.

And as a side note, I learned music theory because it's more fun breaking the rules when you know what the rules are!
 
#27
I think more than scale theory, you should be learning chord theory and using chords to figure out what to play. You have to know scales to learn chords, but using the chordal approach is more widely accepted as being relevant to rock/pop/jazz styles.
 
#28
Maybe you could try to find a balance that works for you? IMO, both music theory and learning something you enjoy playing are important. You could think of music theory as a set of tools to help you understand music, express it, and relate to other musicians.

All work and no play makes Johnny a disgruntled boy. Music is supposed to be fun.
 
#29
I think theory is amazing but can also be arbitrary is some cases. It's a theory and not a law for a reason.

It attempts to explain what we find most pleasing to our ears and solves for what we want to hear in our brains.

It's like theory does not necessarily explain music, music explains theory. With this, its hard to sometimes separate what we know of as theory, and what we hear as music. A person can hear that a ii-V-I sounds great and know it by sound. But a person who knows theory can read ii-V-I progression and knows it sounds great without hearing it.

It's great to know, and can be very helpful. Especially when know more then just basics and you see the overall concept of how it all fits together. But at the same token, sometimes it might inhibit experimental playing.

Just some good for thought... Since I am hungry.
 
#31
helterschecter said:
Iv taken lessons for over a yr now and iv learned some theory. My question is do I really need to learn all the scales or should I just learn to play the songs I want to play..which happens to be the reason that I want to play bass in the first place
Click to expand...

Do both. Learn the theory to understand the music and how to communicate with other musicians about it. Learn songs to understand how the theory is applied--and to have fun.
 
#34
Fassa Albrecht said:
I think that whilst some theory is useful, too much is going to end up tripping you up completely, and turns the whole point of bassplaying into a mechanical system with little or no feeling.
Click to expand...

I see this attitude a lot, and it's never made any sense IMO. Although not everybody needs to know a ton of theory to do what they do, theory NEVER hurts to know, and it never trips you up. You're never harmed by knowing it, and I've never met, seen, or even heard of any good musician who wishes he or she knew *less*. The only thing that trips you up is failure to understand what theory is and what it's good for. IOW, user error, not any problem with theory itself.

It's one thing to argue that not everybody needs a given body of knowledge, and it's another to argue that that knowledge is actively harmful. The first is sensible, the second is nonsense.

Also, it would probably be a good idea to let go of the notion that theory is somehow opposed to feeling, as if having one means you can't have the other. This too is nonsense: the two can and do exist in countless great musicians and composers. This idea that knowledge and feeling are opposed is only going to hold you back.
 
#35
Fassa Albrecht said:
I think that whilst some theory is useful, too much is going to end up tripping you up completely, and turns the whole point of bassplaying into a mechanical system with little or no feeling.

Learn what is useful to you but let ears and feeling also be a guide.
Click to expand...

Charles Mingus
Ron Carter
Scott LaFaro

Those guys played mechanically with little or no feeling? They were steeped in theory. With a small amount of research, I could probably add dozens of bassists to that list.

Might as well admit that musicianship is overrated too.

Am I saying that you have to learn theory? No. Guitar Center sells enough gear to equip 500 new bands every day. Most of those bands will manage to learn songs without studying theory. Some of those bands will certainly be successful.

Now I understand why most people think that electric bass doesn't require any talent to play. :rollno:
 
#37
Here's my thoughts,

Go learn the songs that you like. Play those songs and get comfortable with them. Then return to music theory.
You will see how theory helps you understand the songs better!

For now, just enjoy playing what you like.
Check out that book on theory later. I would return to it every couple of weeks.
You'll surprise yourself, you'll learn that once you read sheet music to that favorite song, it will be easier!

:bassist:
 
#38
fdeck said:
Charles Mingus
Ron Carter
Scott LaFaro

Those guys played mechanically with little or no feeling? They were steeped in theory. With a small amount of research, I could probably add dozens of bassists to that list.

Might as well admit that musicianship is overrated too.

Am I saying that you have to learn theory? No. Guitar Center sells enough gear to equip 500 new bands every day. Most of those bands will manage to learn songs without studying theory. Some of those bands will certainly be successful.

Now I understand why most people think that electric bass doesn't require any talent to play. :rollno:
Click to expand...

Difference between those guys you've mentioned and the other 99.9% of theory-knowledgable people is that the guys you mention use theory as a base for creativity, instead of seeing music theory as a rigid, not-to-be-broken straitjacket which doesn't allow for originality, which is a trap that a LOT of people seem to fall into.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back