Do you know basic music theory?

[Notes_Norton]

It is my opinion that ALL musicians (and yes, singers are musicians) should know music theory. Theory is the why and how music works, and not only does it help us understand our craft, but it helps us communicate our thoughts with the other musicians that play external instruments. Basic music theory is not difficult, there are plenty "easy read" books, and I really think everybody who considers himself/herself a musician (that includes singers, drummers, and guitar players) should know at least the basics.

 

Some easy books are can be found here: http://www.nortonmusic.com/mom_edu.html (note: I get a few pennies for each book sold here, but there is no need to get them from me, you can have your local book store or music store order them for you). A very easy to read one is the first one, "A Complete Idiot's Guide To Music Theory"

 

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[aliensexist112]

yea you are right. How can somebody call himself musician without even knowing what music is?

[BigVoiceTenor]

 

yea you are right. How can somebody call himself musician without even knowing what music is?

 

 

Hey Cole Trickle drove the hell outta his car in Days of Thunder and he didn't have a clue what a swaybar was!

 

Our keyboardist knows what chords are, but plays by ear. He can't read music but will play anything dead-on given a few minutes. He's in a rare class.

 

I read music, and can play guitar and piano yet never studied any "theory".

 

I think simply many expound music in theory, yet have no idea what our how they're doing it...pure natural.

[Surrealistic]

Personally although I did study music at school and it probably does help me a little it doesn't seem to me that it's necessary. There are hundreds of examples of excellent musicians who play "by ear".

[Consume]

I agree, you need to know how to read and write music, otherwise, you will have a limited musical vocabulary. For some people, this won't be an issue, nor will it harm them creatively, BUT there is this idiotic idea that if you somehow learn to read music that you will "lose your ear" and not be able to pick up things by ear.

 

What a complete crock!

 

You need to be able to do both.

 

The real difference is, not only will you be bale to pick up thing by ear, you will eventually be able to go "Oh, Well that is this in that mode."

 

I'm not that proficient at reading, and it isn't something I do on a regular basis, but I know enough to get me into trouble.

 

But seriously, I definitely believe you need to at least be able to read the notes on the staff, and understand very basic theory. It's actually not hard to learn, and most people tend to make it much harder than it is when they are trying to learn it - then there is that moment of clarity and you go,"Why was I making this so hard?"

 

[micwalt]

Sure.

I studied classical guitar, took a few years of piano, did several years of high school and college choir, and had a couple college theory courses. I haven't read music in years, though, and quite frankly, I haven't been in any situations during that time where I needed to.

[BLACKWINGEDBEING]

Playing music = getting laid.

 

Best theory ever!!!

 

[musicalrock]

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[jerrye]

Yes, and it frustrates me, communicating with theory-free folks, especially those in my band. It takes longer to reach a meeting of the minds.

[kurdy]

I agree, you need to know how to read and write music, otherwise, you will have a limited musical vocabulary. For some people, this won't be an issue, nor will it harm them creatively, BUT there is this idiotic idea that if you somehow learn to read music that you will "lose your ear" and not be able to pick up things by ear. What a complete crock! You need to be able to do both. The real difference is, not only will you be bale to pick up thing by ear, you will eventually be able to go "Oh, Well that is this in that mode." I'm not that proficient at reading, and it isn't something I do on a regular basis, but I know enough to get me into trouble. But seriously, I definitely believe you need to at least be able to read the notes on the staff, and understand very basic theory. It's actually not hard to learn, and most people tend to make it much harder than it is when they are trying to learn it - then there is that moment of clarity and you go,"Why was I making this so hard?"

 

I disagree somewhat.

 

Yes, I do agree it is very helpful to be able to read and write music, and the notion that learning too much music theory with somehow sabotage your natural musical instincts is largely a bunch of nonsense. There's no such thng as "knowing too much" about any craft you choose to learn. And of course, such knowledge is essential if you want a professional career as a musician (such as in playing in an orchestra or choir, or doing session work).

 

But for playing rock and pop music, it really isn't essential to be able to read and write music, and I think those that can are more the exception than the rule. There's a difference between knowing how to read and write it, and knowing theory. The theory part is essential. Knowing the various concepts behind harmony, rhythm, scales, etc. is very important. But if you already have some musical ability to begin with, you don't really need to know how to read it in order to grasp the theory.

[Notes_Norton]

 

<...> the notion that learning too much music theory with somehow sabotage your natural musical instincts is largely a bunch of nonsense. There's no such thng as "knowing too much" about any craft you choose to learn. And of course, such knowledge is essential if you want a professional career as a musician (such as in playing in an orchestra or choir, or doing session work). <...>

 

 

I've heard many people who don't know music theory say that they don't want to learn because it might ruin their expression. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

 

On the other side of the coin, I have never heard someone who learned music theory say it ruined their expression or anything else.

 

You don't have to know enough to sightread music, but you should know enough music theory to read music because so much of music theory builds on that. And as a singer, you needn't know how to play another instrument, but you should know enough theory to understand the concept and communicate with the others in your band.

 

Especially if you sing and expect to get paid for it.

 

You wouldn't hire a doctor who didn't learn medical theory, and I wouldn't hire a singer who didn't know music theory -- there are just too many hurdles with one who doesn't know theory.

 

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[SevenString]

I have a lot of theory in my background, and knowing how music is fundamentally constructed has only helped my creativity.

[blue2blue]

For me, basic harmonic theory was the entre to being able to do anything more than strum a few hopefully related chords. I'd tried various 'conventional' instructional methods when I'd tried to learn to play earlier they were all an incoherent jumble. Notation seemed like the height of irrationality and the terminology. But once I started seeing the structure of the theory I could start making sense of the jumble of inapt and overloaded and often contradictory terms and could see how the music itself fit together.

 

As far as I'm concerned, the actual structure of music theory is pretty easy to grasp if you work from the basics.

 

But the effort is enormously complicated by the contradictory jumble of terminologies as well as the tradition-bound intransigence of more than a few music educators when it comes to finding new ways to teach what should be something relatively easy to grasp but which -- it almost seems -- is intentionally obfuscated, like the jealously guarded trade secrets of the old guilds.

 

 

With regard to sightreading and theory: as far as I'm concerned, two entirely different aspects. I've run into a lot of jazzers who know harmonic theory inside and out but put standard notation in front of them and it's every good boy does fine, all over again...

[GreenAsJade]

The OP didn't even define what "basic theory" means

 

So we can have a great debate about that, even before answering whether you need it.

 

FWIW, I think that basic theory does include a basic ability to read score, and it does include knowing what a major and minor scale is. In fact, for me, that would be about the measure of basic theory: do you know what the notes in the scale are, how we write them, and how they relate to each other.

 

Our vocalist doesn't even know what #b and m mean next to a note. She says "C hash" when reading C#, for example. This makes it hard to communicate about the music...

 

GaJ

[Okieslims]

 

yea you are right. How can somebody call himself musician without even knowing what music is?

 

 

Jimi Hendrix didnt know musical theory.

 

It's important for most people though.

[Mamma Cat]

Firstly, hi, I'm new

 

I'd say knowing music theory isn't absolutely neccessary for any singer (or player,for that matter), but it all depends what you want to do with your music. If you just want to play for fun, I guess you can do with being familiar with little or no theory.

But trying to do music on a more serious (or up to professional) level without knowing music theory won't get you far. Knowing theory facilitates communication within the band and makes it easier to express what you want of a piece of music, be it your own or an interpretation of someone else's song. Personally, I find it a lot easier to give someone sheet music with my ideas on it than explaining how to play sth or singing a tune and expecting them to repeat it - especially since I'm not a good player at all. Knowing the names of certain musical forms makes it easier to express what you are aiming at than making up abstract descriptions and trying to get your band to understand what you mean. And so on and on.

It wasn't invented for no reason

[Notes_Norton]

Firstly, hi, I'm new <...>

 

Hi and welcome.

 

+1 on your post, you said it quite well.

 

If you want to be a professional singer (and you are a pro if you accept money), you should treat it like a profession and learn the nuts and bolts of your craft. Basic music theory is both the nuts and bolts and the jargon of the trade. If you don't know it, you aren't really a pro, but faking it.

 

And it isn't very hard to learn at all, so if you don't know it, you are only cheating yourself.

 

Of course, this is all my personal opinion.

 

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