Music theory - Is it necessary?

S

Sylenth89

Guest
Hello :)
I just dived into music production, more like trance, electronic type of music. I wonder how important is to know music theory to produce music? You know, circle of fifths, intervals, scales, etc. I know there are many software apps that help you in this segment. But how did you learned to produce music? By learning theory or by experimenting and trial and error? Tnx :)
 
There are always a handful of geniuses out there that don't need the basics to do awesome work, but unless you're one of them, at least a fundamental grasp of music structure and theory is a good idea.

It helps if you know at least something like the circle of fifths, basic major/minor scales and the differences, time signatures(for electronic music it's almost always 4/4), and overall song structure, such as intro, main riffs, breakdown, bridge, etc.

There's a great book called Music Theory for Computer Musicians(amazon ID 1598635034 since I apparently still can't post links) that is totally worth checking out. It gives you the basics you need without straying from the modern, electronic style.

Cheers,

Rob
 
Sylenth89 said:
Hello :)
I just dived into music production, more like trance, electronic type of music. I wonder how important is to know music theory to produce music? You know, circle of fifths, intervals, scales, etc. I know there are many software apps that help you in this segment. But how did you learned to produce music? By learning theory or by experimenting and trial and error? Tnx :)
Click to expand...
For trance, you could probably just about get by without any theory but you will find basic theory very helpful so I would say learn it.
You probably don't need to go very far beyond the basics though.
 
Thanks for answers :)

P.S. Yeah, I thought of buying that book. I'll consider it surely.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
This topic always brings up an interesting discussion, and I'd like to contribute my two cents in this matter. My short answer would be 'yes', yet my long answer is 'not really', and I'll explain why.

I view trying to make music without knowing music theory as essentially speaking in a language you don't fully understand. You need theory to put the pieces together.

Yet that is simply just how I view it. In reality, formal music theory only really applies to Western Music. I don't believe everyone needs a formal understanding of music theory to make music. I'd be foolish to say so because there are plenty of popular musicians who have composed great productions without relying on music theory.

Now, we're talking about electronic music, which is a very experimental genre of music. Therefore it'd be even more wrong of me to say it is necessary, but it indeed puts the pieces together. Music theory essentially is the understanding of what "sounds good" together, and I do believe any serious musician should have a grasp on these popular and common concepts found in music, even if they don't necessarily use them all the time.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pumpthrust said:
Sylenth89 said:
But how did you learned to produce music? By learning theory or by experimenting and trial and error?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

This is a great question, don't delete it!

I am a bit of a weird case: I was classically trained in Piano, Guitar, and some brass when I was really young, and as a part of that serious classical music theory was pounded into my head from the age of 5 onward. Scales, Intervals, Notes, Chords, Modes, Tones, etc.

It was only a couple decades later when I discovered how fun and easy it was to use a computer to make music that I branched off into the electronic styles. The theory did definitely help, but more than that was a serious understanding of the genre and music I was trying to make. For example, you'll have a heck of a time programming a Garage track if you've only ever heard a couple Garage tracks once at a party.

I was(and am) a vinyl DJ so I have a massive collection of tracks that I had to listen to and become ridiculously familiar with so I could mix them solidly wherever I went. Through this, I got to know a stupid amount about the structure of house and trance music, as well as a lot of the tricks producers used to make them sound a certain way or special EQing I could do to blend parts of different songs together. All of my knowledge of timing and beat structure came from my classical theory knowledge, as well as knowing what keys and scales go together well and which don't.

Everyone has their own way to learn, so it really depends on the background you're coming from.

-Rob
 
I don't know about any software in and of itself that helps (other than writing or copying music into a score notation program like Finale so that you can hear what the music sounds like played back). As far as theory goes, its always great to learn and continue to learn, however, not in a draconian sense, but in the spirit of discovery. Theory is an ongoing pursuit, and the more you learn and get into it, the more questions it opens up to the musician, and in attempting to discover more about these questions, one's palette of sounds and harmonies expands and the ability to communicate what's in your head and ears gets more efficient and nuanced.

https://plus.google.com/+TonyLeporeViolaCello
 
maybe the dance music manual by Rick Snoman is another path to follow

as for learning music theory, do you need to read the manual for your daw? no, but it helps to actually know how it works
 
Sylenth89 said:
Hello :)
I just dived into music production, more like trance, electronic type of music. I wonder how important is to know music theory to produce music? You know, circle of fifths, intervals, scales, etc. I know there are many software apps that help you in this segment. But how did you learned to produce music? By learning theory or by experimenting and trial and error? Tnx :)
Click to expand...

It is not necessary to learn "theory" that another human being at some time has come up with. By you learning this theory you will have a MASSIVE shortcut to produce musically accurate tracks quicker. You could also spend about three years making garbage music. Your ears will one day develop enough, your brain will click and be like hey that's out of tune! or that's not a proper chord. Instantly a lot of music will now suck more to you.

You now know what "this sucks" sounds like. You know have to teach yourself or figure out how to compose something that doesn't suck. You will still have limited ideas of where to go, but you will know why everything doesn't work.

If you chose to learn music theory, your tracks will sound amazing, but you probably won't be able to hear why, only explain it.

So do you want to hear why or explain why?

I believe if you can hear why, music is limitless. You are not allowing yourself to be restricted by "theories" that other humans have put into place, you are merely trusting your hearing and that what you are playing works.

I have been able to take music much further with listening because I never use intelligence to question if i'm doing something right. Yes it took a lot of time, a lot of crap tracks and a lot of lessons learned. I believe I have a better ear for it now, but music theory or not it is possible to get to the exact same place. All comes down to the type of learner you are and the patience you have.
 
Certain aspects of it can be useful depending on what you do, others not so much. If you're composing with midi instruments, detailed knowledge of what intervals make up certain chords and scales is extremely useful. If you're just building a track with samples, not so much. Same thing with composition techniques like arpeggiation and whatnot. Also, it's a **** of a lot easier to actually write music on a staff than it is on a piano roll.

Some of my music theory still comes back in a more abstract way. Like I understand how keys work, so I have something like 75,000 samples all tagged with their key. I know which keys reliably overlap harmonically, so I can literally pick a key and pick out 10 random parts just based on how their sounds mix, then build a track in 10 minutes just copying&pasting knowing I can actually get a good harmony going. I work on rhythm and making the mix sound good, but having this figured out means I don't do any of the stuff most people do either by tuning sounds or writing parts for midi instruments. I also have like 1TB of MP3 files to dig through that are tagged with key and BPM, so I can audition sounds to add the same way by slicing that snatch and my additional samples to different drum racks. Takes no time.

One thing I do recommend to everyone is try to get used to different scales. Way back I had to learn the intervals for tests and stuff, but now I just basically know how they "feel". If you understand that, you can put a name to the vibe you're trying to get, put a midi scale rack on your instrument in ableton and bang away at your keyboard without actually knowing what notes make up the scale.
 
If you are really serious about developing your craft, I think you will learn as much as you can about all aspects of it. Just like an artist develops his eye, it is important to develop your ear. The joy is in the journey...Have fun.
 
While I may be baised in that I actually did complete formal music theory a while back, I can say...

...actually, it's not that necessary. Kinda.

I mean, knowing how music works is important. Knowing the basics of how things are structured is integral if you actually want to make stuff that doesn't suck; but going all the way isn't entirely needed. Get the basics, and find out what sounds best for you. If you honestly feel you need to devote yourself more to the concepts, then yeah, study up, but to me, it's not 100% imperative; maybe around 40%.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top