This Is What Happens When You Learn Music Theory The Right Way
Some people tell you that you have to study music theory and others tell you that theory will destroy your creativity. Who is right? And hey learning theory looks really hard... Is it worth it? What can you gain from learning theory? Let me show you.
The internet is full of articles about Music Theory tricks and tips, and in any forum you will find at least one person saying "you have to learn your theory" and at least one that answers: "whatevs, man, just play from the heart". But there is one thing that few people have talked about, and that is, what are the advantages of studying music theory?
After all, we would like to know what we are going to gain by studying Music Theory BEFORE we invest the energy to learn it, right?
Turns out that opinions on the benefits of Music Theory diverge. And there is a very simple reason for that: some people have been taught a "fake" version of music theory. How do you know if you are studying the genuine music theory - the one that works, that is? A good starting point would be this article about Real vs fake Music Theory, and of course you should always make sure that you LISTEN to how every theory concept sounds in practice.
At any rate, if you study Music Theory the "right" way, then quite soon you will gain these skills (these are just the basic ones...):
You Will Be Able To Write Your Songs (And Finish All Of Them)
Ever happened to you to have a GREAT musical idea, like a melody or a riff or a chord progression, and not being able to "do anything" with that? It's a common problem... and it's due to the fact that your creativity and sense of composition has not been stimulated properly yet.
YES, I am saying that studying music theory will make you MORE creative! That is because, as we have seen already, music theory is not a set of rules, but a toolbox of concepts that you can use in different situations.
In fact a big part of music theory is dedicated precisely to the problem of going from a simple idea to a complete song. Of course, there is NOT only one way to do that... you still have full creative control.
Hey, just think about the fact that Elton John will not work on a song more than 30m because he realized that if it takes "so long" then the song is "no good"... Can YOU compose a song at Elton-John-level in 30m? Would you like to? Start studying music theory and you'll get there sooner than you think.
You Will Imagine A Melody And Play It On Your Guitar - Automatically
Have you ever seen Steve Vai playing his guitar while he sings the same melody? He is literally transcribing music on the fly... and it's not actually as difficult as it seems: with a little bit of exercise you will be able to do it too even if you are a beginner.
Impossible, you say? Well, you can check this video at 8:55 to see how it works, and how you can start doing it immediately:
Just spend some quality time with this idea, and then let me know if it wasn't easier than you thought.
You Will Be Able To Play On Any Chord Progression
Beginner players seem to think that there are two ways to play over a chord progression: by "ear" and by "patterns", that is by listening to the notes that sound good (supposedly a better way to create melodies) or by knowing what patterns to play (supposedly better for complex progressions and for fast passages)
This distinction is wrong, plain and simple. If you learn music theory correctly, playing by ear and playing by patterns are the same thing because:
- You know how a pattern sounds in advance
- For any sound you can hear, you know to what pattern it corresponds
In fact the two things will become one and the same in your mind IF you learn your theory correctly. Yes, you will have complete connection between your heart and your fingers, even when you are given a complex chord progression.
Again, it is easier than it seems - but you have to get started studying to get there.
So What Should I Do?
If you want to be able to do these three things and more, then you should begin to study your music theory. While there are many resources on the web, I shamelessly recommend this site where you can find, among other things, a guide for beginners on Music Theory and a map of Music Theory so that you will know what are the next steps. But of course, the important thing is to get started, so learn something new today... and if you are ready for the next step, click on the button below:
