For those of us who are musicians, what do you know about music theory? How much of it do you know? Do you find it an important thing to learn?

Discuss music theory and ask questions if you have any

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it's important, but i know very little

I'm taking lessons in it right now, and have my exam in August. Have I mentioned that I despise exams?

Anyway, today's lesson was on compound duple, triple, and quadruple time. Which I personally find annoying. I mean, once you figure it out, it's not hard, but I really just don't see the point all that much, apart from being hideously annoying. That being said, I currently only play piano, so my opinions in that regard are limited to one instrument. I can see how it could come in handy for other ones, but I'm lazy: if I don't need it, I don't want to learn it.

Though I do want a free high school credit, and a uni one to match. And, luckily, I don't have to worry about hybrid time, not for this grade at least. Ha! Take that, 5-over-8! Ha! ("Wind" by Akeboshi = my first 5-over-8 song ever. Not hard to play, but not fun to count.)

Anyway, if you are learning it/have learned it, where/how did you do so? Just out of curiousity.

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~Just Lynz, drop the -ajw~

^lol, I only know songs that are in 4/4, 12/8 and 5/4.

I learn on my own, mainly from just sitting down and playing. Currently working on chord composition and major/minor intervals (I kinda got em, but I need to hammer it home).

I don't really count, either.

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Oh, intervals. I hate them so. But that's not about writing them, that's about when I have to do a playing exam and tell which one it is by ear. I panic and totally forget which is which.

5/8's just like 5/4, 'cept it's got five eighth notes instead of five quarter notes. Wow, I did learn something by going ahead of where I was supposed to in the workbook! But nothing compares to the joy of simple 4/4 time... sigh...

I would assume chords are tres important avec guitar playing? Just an assumption, as I haven't taken it in over five years and only played for about two months before being forced to quit - crazy parents actually expect you to practice when they pay for lessons?? Anyway, I don't need chords for this grade but do need a bunch of stuff related to them... like key signatures and all those lovely sharps/flats! But I think they're less relevant in piano overall... or at least classical piano, which is what I mostly play. Not by choice, just because I want my free credit.

Still, je suis impressed that you teach yourself. I have a workbook and I wouldn't bother studying it until the night before my exam if I weren't totally in competition with another student in my class... yes, my rival is 12. But kids these days, they're smart and sneaky and incredibly vengeful... we're also locked in combat over the sight reading game and our teacher's new rhythm game. But I will win, and will get a higher score on the exam! I have to! Stupid pride...

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*poof* "SHOUJOMAN IS HERE!"
~Just Lynz, drop the -ajw~

I can't sight read either...


Am I really a musician?

Seriously, though, I haven't been playing that long, but I want to learn Jazz guitar. Jazz is THE most convoluted, complex, involved genre of music ever devised by mankind. Basically, you have to know:
How to sight read
How to modulate
Know modes
Know where to play certain modes
Know when to play certain chords
Understand chord progressions/alternate/relative progressions

And much, much more.

That's why I play blues. There is next to no theory in blues.

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There may be no theory, but since the Blues came from the Devil, you could say that makes sense (chuckles).

Yeah, I have to agree on the jazz front. ~Though singing jazz is incredibly easy, just not playing it~ Even just the simplest of it is the opposite of most music. I mean, that's what jazz is, essentially: a version of music that you could call deconstructed. It's designed to put notes where you don't expect them and take them away where you do. It also uses crazy time signatures, just the thing I love the most! But that's why I love jazz so, because if defies expectations and, in the process, usually comes across as brilliant.

I'm talking about real, good jazz, mind you, not the fake, imitation jazz I hear so much of these days... I'm trying to get my teacher to teach me the piano part from "Take 5" by Dave Brubeck, as that song = pure awesomeness.

But anyway, sight reading's overrated. I mean, I love it because I'm good at it and it helps me pick up complicated pieces faster, but there are different elements to it, not just the typical "it's reading notes" view. As far as I'm concerned, being able to read rhythms > being able to read actual notes by a LOT. I just how handy it is to be able to play a piece with both hands the first time through, as opposed to having to painstakingly figure each part out first, then play it.

Yeah, modes are grade two stuff. I'm in grade one theory right now, so, thankfully, I get to avoid them. But they'll come back to haunt my dreams next fall... shudders... though who knows, I often find I'm really good at musical stuff when I don't expect to be.

But it's funny, as much as I despise certain aspects of learning theory, I can really see how they apply in songs. Especially in classical songs, which I tend not to like as much, because they're so rule-orientated... but once you understand the rules better, it makes more sense. For example, with the whole time thing, the more I learnt he more I understand why bars are divided the way they are, and annoying/tricky notations don't bother me as much anymore because they now make sense. Yay!

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*poof* "SHOUJOMAN IS HERE!"
~Just Lynz, drop the -ajw~

Well, there is a your standard Blues Scale as well as the standard 12 Bar Blues Progression. And the concept behind swinging 8th notes. Well that's all my blues knowledge in a nutshell.

Sight reading for guitar ican be pretty problematic, considering the fact that you have to figure out beforehand, if not already stated, as to what fret position would be best to play in. Probably why TABs are so predominant nowadays in reading guitar music, which are much more straightforward than sheet music for guitars.

To the question lynzajw posted, all my music theory came from my beginning guitar teacher. I took 3 and 1/2 years of music in high school, but all we did was learn to play certain songs and not much more. One semester of beginning guitar provided me with more knowledge of music theory than all of those years of music combined. I want to take some more theory though, since it seems beneficial to my musicianship.

@ahoaho: good luck learning Jazz guitar.

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"When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained."
- Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain

@lynzajw- Take 5 is a good song. In fact, it's the only jazz song I know. It's really, really easy (the rhythm part anyway). That's the only song I know in 5/4. It's in Em. (It was also written by the Saxophonist of the Dan Brubeck quartet, Paul Desmond). Next on my list is Blue Monk.

@True grave- Blues may have taken the shape of a 12 bar riff with the scale and call/response phrasing, but that really isn't what the blues is. It has very little theory because it's not solely about the music, but more the expression. Like a blues guitarist tries to make his guitar sound like a human voice (enter- slide guitar). Also, a lot of blues use major chords in minor progressions, open major tunings under minor phrasing, and a whole lot of accidentals. Basically, if it sounds good, it fits.

And thanks for the encouragement on the Jazz front.

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