Know Why You Do What You Do

Let’s talk about music theory.

Believe it or not, this is a subject which causes quite a bit of controversy among musicians. Some musicians absolutely love music theory. Others absolutely hate it or believe that they don’t need it.

There are even some who fear that learning about music would ruin their ability to play.

Seriously….That’s a thing.

Anyway...

In my opinion, a solid foundational understanding of music theory is absolutely essential knowledge for a serious musician.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that you need to have a comprehensive knowledge of the intricacies of the 20th-century 12 tone system, or that you need to be able to wake up every morning and compose a fugue before breakfast, but I do believe that every serious musician should at least have a strong grasp of the fundamentals.

The reason for this is simple.

You need to know how music works.

You need to know why you do what you do.

For example:

You play a certain chord and it sounds ‘happy.’ Why?

You play another chord and it sounds ‘sad.’ Why?

You play another chord and it sounds ‘beautiful.’ Why?

You play another chord and it sounds ‘scary.’ Why?

Now let’s take it a step further. How do these chords work together? How can I combine these ‘happy’ and ‘sad’ and ‘beautiful’ and ‘scary’ chords together with certain notes or scales to create something beautiful, or to set a mood, or to tell a story?

Music theory provides the map to guide you in your creative journey. It eliminates a lot of the guesswork. Far from stifling your creativity, it actually opens the door to a myriad of previously unimagined possibilities. Used properly, a knowledge of music theory actually feeds your creativity and dramatically increases your appreciation of music.

Another bonus is that, when trying to learn other artists’ songs, you won’t need to rely upon tab sites or YouTube videos ( which happen to be inaccurate about 90% of the time.) Instead, you will be able to hear the song and figure it out for yourself, adding your own embellishments as you wish.

The simple fact is that even a basic knowledge of music theory makes playing music a lot easier and a lot more fun.

Begin with the basics. Keep it simple. Experiment and try out what you have learned. You will soon find your skills increasing and your music becoming more fun and creative.

Make theory a regular part of every practice session.

You will be glad that you did.