My music theory "aha" moment...

[dneal]

For those with shorter attention spans, here's the video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK-jr2AkMQ4

I played piano as a kid, and have badly played guitar for 25 years or so. Music theory just never clicked in my head, until I stumbled across this video. Circle of fifths? Relative minor keys? Man, that's a pain in the butt to remember, and it doesn't make any sense. I'd rather just noodle or learn another song.

I can't believe how simply this guy explains it. All those guys who have written books need to give back their royalties.

[JohnW63]

I didn't know you could have a 3 hour YouTube video.

[rmyAddison]

To me music theory is critical to becoming a well rounded player. Without it you learn by rote, with it you create and are free to go wherever you want...............

[chitz]

I am theory challenged. I have several really popular books on the subject collecting dust.
I even took a week long class (abt 8 hrs) @ Swannanoa that almost leart me some for a few minutes.

I will watch the video, maybe something will clik for me too?

Thanks!

[hello people]

Originally Posted by rmyAddison

To me music theory is critical to becoming a well rounded player. Without it you learn by rote, with it you create and are free to go wherever you want...............

Well that depends on your definition of music theory!

[JonHBone]

Originally Posted by hello people

Well that depends on your definition of music theory!

Yeah it's how far down the rabbit hole you'd like to go before your head hurts.

[elroyjetsn]

If only it were 10 based.

[hello people]

Originally Posted by JonHBone

Yeah it's how far down the rabbit hole you'd like to go before your head hurts.

It's not very far at all in my case

[Monk of Funk]

The circle of fifths is one of the least useful pieces of theory, for me. I would never even bother teaching that to anyone, unless maybe they wanted to read sheet music. I still don't even know it. I could figure it out, because I get the principle, but it serves no real purpose I can think of, other than being able to find what key you're in on a piece of sheet music, or know how many sharps or flats a given key has.

Fourths and fifths are important, but the circle of fifths doesn't anything to that sentence really. You could use it to build progressions, but for me, that's not what songwriting is all about. It's like paint by numbers for painting.

[hello people]

Originally Posted by JohnW63

I didn't know you could have a 3 hour YouTube video.

You can have 10 hours if you wish

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZZ7oFKsKzY

Get back to me when you're finished

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by Monk of Funk

The circle of fifths is one of the least useful pieces of theory, for me. I would never even bother teaching that to anyone, unless maybe they wanted to read sheet music. I still don't even know it. I could figure it out, because I get the principle, but it serves no real purpose I can think of, other than being able to find what key you're in on a piece of sheet music, or know how many sharps or flats a given key has.

Fourths and fifths are important, but the circle of fifths doesn't anything to that sentence really. You could use it to build progressions, but for me, that's not what songwriting is all about. It's like paint by numbers for painting.

I can't help but laugh when I read responses like this.

A very important aspect of what makes Western music what it is is its reliance upon "structure". Part of that structure is harmonic. THE most common chord progression in Western music is I, IV, V. It is everywhere, from Mozart to the Beatles.

A circle of fifths is one of many other common harmonic progressions. A lot of music, popular and not-so-popular, is based upon it.

It is what one does with a given progression that involves the creativity. For example, Mozart:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezvj-De6bxY

Or, the many, many "four-chord" songs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pidokakU4I

Knowing grammar, spelling and sentence structure are basic tools of any accomplished writer. Similarly, form, shadow, color and technique are basic tools of the accomplished artist. The equivalent in music are scales/key signatures, "spelling" chords, progressions (aka harmony) and related theory.

If one aspires to go no further than the equivalents of verbal communication, finger painting or 3 chords, one doesn't need to know anything more "advanced". Ultimately, it depends upon what you want from your endeavour. If you aspire to "more", the "tools" can help you get there.

[The Growler]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

Knowing grammar, spelling and sentence structure are basic tools of any accomplished writer. Similarly, form, shadow, color and technique are basic tools of the accomplished artist. The equivalent in music are scales/key signatures, "spelling" chords, progressions (aka harmony) and related theory.

.

Great example. I've often told people who are intimidated by "theory" to take a deep breath, relax and think about music notation and theory just like they did learning to read and write, grammar and punctuation.

[CycleBob]

I am very much still a novice, but I really feel that the music theory I've learned so far has me to move away from a wrote learned, paint by numbers approach to learning guitar. Once you start to get some insight into how music fits together it gives you the understanding and framework (and confidence maybe) to be a bit more improvisational and creative. Describing music theory as a set of tools feels about right to me. I use it in the same way as I use math in my job.

[zmf]

Originally Posted by Monk of Funk

The circle of fifths is one of the least useful pieces of theory, for me.

Take another look at it. One thing it helped me with is understanding why the standard ragtime progression is the way it is.

[Arthur Blake]

Got distracted by the same fellow's music theory 101 1A:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAo7SyrTCmY

and watched it for nearly an hour, taking screen shots of the matrices he suggested writing down.

I found him to be an excellent teacher (35 yrs. exp.) with a way of making everything simple and understandable.

Planning to go back to the first video and watch that one as well.

Reminded me of learning algebra. The basic rules are actually very simple, and you build on those.

Thanks for posting the link. There are so many explanations of theory, it's really refreshing to find one that is so clearly presented.