Learn Guitar & Music Theory
Revisiting music theory
We’ve written several articles on music theory in the past but we always think that revisiting something worthwhile is, well, worth revisiting. Music theory is the area of music in which one learns and applies the key ideas and concepts that show a musician why music works the way it does. It provides an understanding of music so that a player isn’t completely confused when they begin to play an instrument. Understanding music theory means knowing the language of music. It is simply a way to explain the music we hear.
In learning how to play the guitar, you must understand the music first. This will then allow you to understand why you play the way you do instead of just picking up the guitar and trying to play it. If you have a passion for music and want to learn more about how it works, you should learn music theory. When you learn this, you will understand the key concepts and approaches needed to understand, create and perform contemporary music.
When you learn music theory you are learning to transcribe music. Being able to transcribe music makes it possible for other musicians to read and play compositions just as the composer intended. When you learn to read music, it is just as if you are learning a new language. With this knowledge, you open yourself up to many more possibilities of creating your own music.
There are many self-taught musicians who never learned to read or write music and find the idea of it tedious and unnecessary. However, music theory can help a musician learn new techniques, perform unfamiliar music and develop the confidence to try new things. Music theory can show you what other musicians and composers have done in the past and why it works. This can enable you to understand and be able to play any piece of music. This also allows you to start taking on more creativity in your own playing style. Just as an author must read many different genres of books in order to be a better writer, a musician should learn a lot of works by other musicians in order to find their style and be able to create their own music.
You get out of music what you put into it. If you want to be able to play key important pieces in music history you must understand the harmonies and how they fit together. Learning to play and understand music requires discipline but in the end, it is worth it because it will teach you to be more creative and understand your own musical style. Above everything else, music theory is meant to impart the joy of creating music and sharing that knowledge with others.