To learn or not to learn
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bandcoach
Zukatoku - Mod Scientist
if you are not sure about committing to learning how to be the best musician you can be then maybe being a musician is not for you
too many people look at music theory as something that can damage their creativity when in fact it only serves to make your creativity more fertile
as I recently reread somewhere here at fp, it is the same thing as asking how can I read and write without having to learn about words, spelling, punctuation, grammar and the alphabet - you can't do it - you might be able to speak the language but you would be hard pressed to do anything about reading and writing without methodical, paced instruction in the intricacies of spelling, grammar, punctuation etc.
sure you could use dragon naturally speaking to transcribe your spoken words but unless you can read how do you know it has correctly taken down what you have said?
i.e. being competent in the oral tradition of a language does not make you more creative than someone who has studied the written intricacies of the language, in fact it makes you less able and less competent, as you do not have the devices and intimate understanding of the nuances of the language that you both use
The problem with learning anything is that unless there is a straight, linear progression of learning, you are actually spending time spiraling through the curriculum; i.e. you learn some, go away and apply it, come back and learn that topic a little deeper, go away and apply it, come back and learn it a little deeper still and so on.
Start with
move through each. As you find that you become confused with one area move on to the next to consolidate your understanding of all these things at the one level. Return to each area and learn more once you have applied your initial knowledge. Rinse and repeat, delving deeper each time....
too many people look at music theory as something that can damage their creativity when in fact it only serves to make your creativity more fertile
as I recently reread somewhere here at fp, it is the same thing as asking how can I read and write without having to learn about words, spelling, punctuation, grammar and the alphabet - you can't do it - you might be able to speak the language but you would be hard pressed to do anything about reading and writing without methodical, paced instruction in the intricacies of spelling, grammar, punctuation etc.
sure you could use dragon naturally speaking to transcribe your spoken words but unless you can read how do you know it has correctly taken down what you have said?
i.e. being competent in the oral tradition of a language does not make you more creative than someone who has studied the written intricacies of the language, in fact it makes you less able and less competent, as you do not have the devices and intimate understanding of the nuances of the language that you both use
there are no shortcuts or things that you can leave out.
The problem with learning anything is that unless there is a straight, linear progression of learning, you are actually spending time spiraling through the curriculum; i.e. you learn some, go away and apply it, come back and learn that topic a little deeper, go away and apply it, come back and learn it a little deeper still and so on.
Start with
- notes - pitch and where to find it on the stave in both bass and treble clefs
- durations - lengths of sounds and silences
- rhythm - combinations of durations
- meter - grouping of rhythmic ideas into bars, motives, phrases and more
- melody - rhythm and pitch combined - horizontal development, decoration and imitation
- harmony - vertical alignment of notes to create chords, although arpeggios are chords spaced out over time. Progression from chord to chord is a second tier of harmony
- orchestration - assigning instruments to parts
- arranging - melody, counter-melody, harmonic movement, rhythmic impetus
- formal structures - song forms and sections/segments
move through each. As you find that you become confused with one area move on to the next to consolidate your understanding of all these things at the one level. Return to each area and learn more once you have applied your initial knowledge. Rinse and repeat, delving deeper each time....
Pherm B Leeva
Pherm B Leeva
Depending where your already at, you may find this link of some help -
musictheory.net - Lessons
musictheory.net - Lessons
Let us remember the word "theory". It can help a ton, but unless you can actually hear why the theory makes sense it won't do much good, this is when creativity is limited as bandcoach said. Now knowing no music theory whatsoever will take a long long time to train your ears to what sounds "right".
do not forget that another human being on this earth created music theory, so why can't you? A balance between music theory and knowing when to trust your ears will lead you to success.
I'm an old musician, I've spend my entire lifetime learning music and still am.. .. Where I have to progressed now musically, most people here probably wouldn't like. In my hey(Hay) days,, I did ton's of 'hi energy disco' then techno, when that was in vogue, before that it was English pop. I worked at the door of a niteclub for 15 years, we had some great DJ's.. Most weren't very good, cause we payed little, and Dj's played for the bragging rights. I hear tunes, with a one finger solo that probably took 2 hours for the "DJ Producer" to pick out.. 95% of the music was the result of the newest technology.. I'd even recognize the 'demo' tunes of these kbds.
If this is going to be your life,, you need to learn.. The people that wrote the 'theory' spent a lifetime learning it thru trial and error;... Look some of the guys in Arrowsmith probably have honorary degrees, but they spend most 40 years of their waking hours learning their craft. I recently heard a tune written by a non writer of a top Rockgroup, it was pretty amaturist, but he was in a famous group. When I was a kid, you played the vinyl for hours figuring out the riff.. Or if you were lucky, a band member had a better ear, and could show you.
The beauty of music, is their are many paths to follow.. In the late 70's you needed a million dollar budget, 3 twenty-four track machines synced together to make a hit. .. And then along came the rappers on home 4 track machines, using music of records to rap to.. All of a sudden anyone could be a rapper.. When I was a kid there were maybe 2 - 4 multi track studios in a good sized city.. I made a lot of money free lancing. I cross -graded to Fostex home 16 tracks.. I could put out almost as good a product at 1/20 the price.. Then came computers... Now everybody and his brother is a 'producer'. Now we have people bragging about they never use less than 150 tracks.. ..
I would say follow your passion. If you want to make it a living, you are going to have to get schooling or education.. I was a lot self-taught, with spells of music college, a ton of studio time.. about 10 years ago I took several Berklee on line music courses.. My knowledge and musicality jumped exponentially.. I wished I did it sooner.. Problem was if I had been come a rock star in my 20's I probably would of OD'd on cocaine or heroin.. So for me, I took the right path. I still get to spend pretty much as much time doing music as I want.. I made enough money doing music I 'didn't like' and saved and invested it.. Now I only do music I like and work with singers I like..
Everybody has their own path, but don't be naive and think you don't need music theory, you'll be doomed to repeating mistakes over and over.. It's a great feeling when you figure something out.. Your brain is a muscle too.
If this is going to be your life,, you need to learn.. The people that wrote the 'theory' spent a lifetime learning it thru trial and error;... Look some of the guys in Arrowsmith probably have honorary degrees, but they spend most 40 years of their waking hours learning their craft. I recently heard a tune written by a non writer of a top Rockgroup, it was pretty amaturist, but he was in a famous group. When I was a kid, you played the vinyl for hours figuring out the riff.. Or if you were lucky, a band member had a better ear, and could show you.
The beauty of music, is their are many paths to follow.. In the late 70's you needed a million dollar budget, 3 twenty-four track machines synced together to make a hit. .. And then along came the rappers on home 4 track machines, using music of records to rap to.. All of a sudden anyone could be a rapper.. When I was a kid there were maybe 2 - 4 multi track studios in a good sized city.. I made a lot of money free lancing. I cross -graded to Fostex home 16 tracks.. I could put out almost as good a product at 1/20 the price.. Then came computers... Now everybody and his brother is a 'producer'. Now we have people bragging about they never use less than 150 tracks.. ..
I would say follow your passion. If you want to make it a living, you are going to have to get schooling or education.. I was a lot self-taught, with spells of music college, a ton of studio time.. about 10 years ago I took several Berklee on line music courses.. My knowledge and musicality jumped exponentially.. I wished I did it sooner.. Problem was if I had been come a rock star in my 20's I probably would of OD'd on cocaine or heroin.. So for me, I took the right path. I still get to spend pretty much as much time doing music as I want.. I made enough money doing music I 'didn't like' and saved and invested it.. Now I only do music I like and work with singers I like..
Everybody has their own path, but don't be naive and think you don't need music theory, you'll be doomed to repeating mistakes over and over.. It's a great feeling when you figure something out.. Your brain is a muscle too.
scrapheaper
Moderator
Start by learning a little bit: keys, chords, scales etc.
Then take a look at your favorite songs and the basics of how they are constructed.
A little music theory goes a long way.
Then take a look at your favorite songs and the basics of how they are constructed.
A little music theory goes a long way.
Jeffrop6691
New member
I just started really getting involved with music theory the past few months after years of dabbling on my midi's and DAW's. I have to say it was really hard to grasp the concept as a whole because there's a whole lot of ground to cover just to get a foot in the door and after reading two books I was still lost. I found a few different videos on Youtube that really helped me understand at least what the goal was. I learn much better when I can see the whole picture instead of little bits here and there. I have to say since watching those videos and starting piano lessons I can apply use of circle of fifths and all of those times I was just dragging notes all over the piano roll in ableton randomly. Learning the basics has definitely given me some direction. It was the "AHHAA" moment I was looking for. I would definitely recommend learning what you can whenever you can. Just keep humble and always remember there's always something to learn about music. A lot of people get very opinionated in this industry (and forums lol) and it can be a big buzz kill because NEGATIVITY hates CREATIVITY.
Good luck man and keep it up!
Good luck man and keep it up!