Do I need to learn music theory?

[kim&jessie]

I started making music around 6 months ago, and I've kind of been maturing and learning since then. I make a sort of mix of rock and electronic music, I guess you could call it pop lol (see: M83, LCD Soundsystem, Deerhunter, Beach House, Animal Collective, Cocteau Twins, MBV, the basics). I literally have no knowledge of music theory but I feel like I'm already making pretty good stuff for how long I've been doing it. I'm actually not entirely sure what music theory covers, apart from, I'm assuming, what sounds good and what doesn't, so I'm wondering what exactly do you learn, and does it make a big difference? I know people like Grimes just started making music and never really gave any thought to learning about it, and I'm not sure if learning about it will take away any intuitiveness or spontaneity in what I make. Also, does it matter where/who you learn it from, and can you do it online? Thank you.

 

[Pumpthrust]

If you "feel" the need to ask why (as if the benefits of learning or not learning aren't already obvious to you)-don't bother.

If you "feel" like you are already making stuff you like-don't bother.

If you "feel" learning theory will somehow take you out of the creative headspace other musicians you admire seem to be thriving in-don't bother because if they didn't learn it, why should you?

 

[KonKossKang]

Music theory is useful, very useful for unsampled content or melody creation.
*Unsampled content and melody creation.
Piano roll or sheet/tab sequencer.


I learn bits of theory every now and then because for what I intend to do with melodic content I'd like to know how to locate notes quickly so I can click with the mouse later.


[Why I learned major/minor scales and might memorize a bunch of chords instead of using intervals]
You don't need theory for pitchless things in my opinion but when pitch is concerned that is an extra thing to think about.


And let's not forget most sampled content is of those who DO KNOW THEORY AND CAN PLAY INSTRUMENTS.

 

[AudioPhorm]

Just learn it, it will enrich you as a person and allow you to eventually experiment with ideas that you probably would not have otherwise.
If nothing else, it will save you A LOT of time having that constant set of rules/laws.

Even if all you do is sample, knowing chords, keys, and time signatures will allow you to develop way further than the average person who is "producing" these days. If you put in the work, you will understand much more than most.

I started making beats when I was very young and when I learned the basics of theory when I got older..., everything about my music progressed and I work much faster now and operate with a greater knowledge toward ideas and where I can take all elements of a song.

 

[HolisticSongwriting]

Hey kim&jessie,

Did anyone actually read your question? Everyone seems to be talking about whether to learn music theory or not
but to me your question seems much more about what music theory teaches us.

Here's my top 3, coming from someone who does this for a living:

1. Correct, it teaches us what sounds good and what doesn't. But much more important, it can tell us HOW something
is gonna sound. Understanding music theory will allow you to write what you have in your head. So if you want your melody
to sound warm and pretty, you might use thirds in the melody (something I will cover in my Hook/Melody Master Files which
come out this Wednesday).

2. For me, this is the most important thing about music theory: It shows you what you don't know. There's so much to learn
and each new technique you learn has the potential to be used in a song in a new, unique way. Sometimes it's breaking the rules
that makes something sound unique, but more often it's an unusual combination that does the trick.

3. It gives everything you do a name. Knowing what everything is called in your song helps in communication with others.
Sounds minor but is actually a big deal (key word: notation). Makes asking questions on forums easier, too

And yes, you can learn music theory online. I recommend a good book though.

If you have a little time, you could also wait a little bit until I release my new QuickFix video course on how to read & write music,
which is a quick introduction to music theory - and it will be just $7. If you're interested, you can enter your email here and I will
send you an email once it's ready (which should be soon!).

Is Music theory a valuable thing to learn? If you only want to do what you're doing right now, no. If you want to explore, learn what
makes music tick and evolve quicker, it's worth giving it a go. By the way, you could also check out my book The Addiction Formula
which covers a widely unknown technique used in 97% of all hit songs - and you don't have to know music theory to understand and
implement it into your songs.

Best,
Friedemann

 

[struxsedan]

Heaps of producers never learnt music theory, we got scales and things like cthulhu to help you write progressions now. You don't really need it. I would say that you should learn about the whole 8 bar loop but a lot of people are messing with that now anyway and they are getting results.

 

[Epsilon-144]

yes, you do.

 

[MarcDHall]

I think when people say 'music theory' they mean the names of notes and chords. But that's a pretty small fraction of it.

Orchestration is very useful because it's basically mix engineering.

Its in no way necessary. I've yet to see any evidence that it contributes anything to success in music. The best is correlation. I think music theory is just the by-product of humans' obsession with music, not the other way around.

 

[WillProductionz]

If you aspire to do something, you should go all in! You may be able to work with out knowing music theory, but knowing it will make things like mixing/mastering and other elements a lot easier. It doesnt matter who you learn it from as long as the information is correct, I would say go on YouTube and grab a couple of books from the library. And if you have questions, there are heaps of people that wouldnt mind helping you out.

 

[7seven8]

From my personal experience I can say that the biggest advantage of knowing music theory is that I can save a lot of time. It's definitely possible to compose great music without theory knowledge just by trial and error but it's a painfully slow approach. Depending on the genre advanced methods like changing the key during a track can be very useful.

 

[Laureat Ramadani]

there was days that you had to pay for music theory lessons today you can learn all that online for free at your home , whenever you have a free time

so why not?

 

[Kyrpto]

It will definitely help for sure. However I do know some people who have very little musical knowledge, play no instruments and still manage to produce sick beats. Whether you feel it's worth your time or not is up to you.