Learning music theory could be a turnoff for some people. Music at its core is an art form, but this side is very technical. It can portray music as a mathematical equation, and in some ways it is. There’s a reason why certain things make sound to our ears while others don’t. This can be explained by understanding music theory.
My favorite analogy for learning this type of theory is like learning grammar. Do you need to learn grammar to speak English? Not really. We grow up forming sentences without caring about nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Heck, you don’t even need to know how to read or write. Depending on how quickly you can learn and understand, you can speak simply by observing how people speak English and applying what you hear.
Learning music is the same way. You can probably write a song by learning how to play a few chords. It’s going to take a lot of trial and error with a good ear. You need to know what sounds good, without caring why. It is possible! Many successful artists and musicians don’t know much theory. They’re great musicians and for what they do, they simply don’t need to know it at all. Guaranteed, they’ve listened to a lot of music and were able to apply what they hear in their writing.
The answer to the question “do you need to learn music theory?”, is it depends. On what you ask? It depends on your goals as a musician. Let’s explore four types of musicians.
Hobbyists – No
You can learn songs from books and ultimate-guitar.com without touching a music theory book. If you want to just learn songs to show off to friends and family, I don’t see why you would need to learn theory. Again, there is nothing wrong with that! However, you will be restricted to playing exactly what’s in the song. Without any knowledge of scales or how music works, it would be difficult to improvise and fully grasp a song.
When I learn a song on guitar, I’m immediately thinking about the theoretical relationship between chords. That sounds more complicated than it is. Simply put, I understand what key we’re in and how the chords I’m playing are related to that key. This helps me memorize songs and if things go sideways, I’m able to find my way because I have a general understanding of what chords or notes I need to play to get back on track.
However, my understanding of scales and chords on a piano are rudimentary at best. I’ve been trying to learn some classical pieces recently and it’s been a challenge.
1) I don’t sight read as well as I should, but that’s because I don’t need it on a daily basis.
2) I’m memorizing these classical pieces the way I would memorize the order of shapes. I have no bearing on where I am in the scale or what chords I’m playing. I am simply learning a combination of notes in a certain order that gets me the right sound. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.
However, there are times when I make a mistake and I wish I could simply understand why and how to fix it. But instead, I have to go back to the piece of music and remind myself what notes should be played. That’s where understanding theory (specifically on a piano) would be handy. And that’s why piano is my hobby and I make money with my guitar.
Church Choir – Depends
If you plan on playing guitar or piano for a church choir, I suggest learning the basics of music theory (e.g. notation, key signatures, building and altering chords). I associate church choirs with a lot of chord playing. If that’s the case, you really don’t need it. Learn to play your chords, have a good rhythm and you’re set.
Some choirs do like improvisation so that’s when knowing more theory would come in handy. This is also helpful if a choir director is communicating and using technical music terms.
Band – Depends
My suggestion here is similar to playing for a church choir. If you joined a cover band, you’ll be safe learning exactly how to play a song from the internet. Music theory is not required.
If you’re in a rock cover band, chances are you’re going to have a solo. You can play exactly what’s on the record, but what happens when you need to play longer or if you’re bored of the written solo. Music theory baby! Learn your scales.
Songwriter / Producer – It would make it easier
As a songwriter, you don’t need any knowledge of theory to write a song. Thankfully many songs have been written. There are plenty of examples of what to do and what sounds good (to you). Learn to play your chords, be able to hum a tune, and have some catchy lyrics, and you can put a hit song together. However, that can take lots and lots of trial and error.
Even though knowing music theory will require experimentation, it will show you the possibilities and can take a lot of the guesswork out of the equation.
While most of the examples above say music theory is an option, here are some examples of where I believe knowing this is required. You might be able to get away without knowing some theory, but why have that stress in your life? Anyway, if you’re planning to do any of these, get cracking on those books:
· Session Musician
· Orchestrator / Conductor
· TV / Film Score Producer
· Music Teacher
· Jazz Band
Music is art and in art, there are no rules. So, to learn music theory is a threat to that idea. However, I would argue that you should learn the rules first so you can break them later.
If you are still making up your mind about learning, check out my last blog about “The Pros and Cons of How You Can Learn Music”.
About
My name is Eric and I have a career in corporate finance but I’m also a part-time musician. I’ve been playing guitar for over 20 years and about 15 years professionally. I play in a live-karaoke band regularly and I volunteer as a choir director at a local church. No matter how busy life gets, I have always made time to include music in my life. Music has always been an important part of me and I want to share it with whoever is willing to listen.
