Introduction to Theory

A lot of people tense up when they hear the word "theory".

It can bring to mind textbooks filled to the brim with walls of text and unfamiliar words, or hours of fruitless studying.

That's not really the case with music theory, at least when you're learning with me! I've always approached teaching theory with the aim of being able to boil an idea down to it's core components, and explain it in simple terms.

It should be clear to you WHY we are learning something, and HOW it will help you.

With that approach in mind, I don't think theory is a drag at all. I love learning about it and I hope I can help you love it too.

There's a bit of an epidemic among guitar players regarding theory I'd like to address. If you spend enough time around guitar players, eventually you're going to hear the following:

"Oh, I don't use theory - it hinders my creativity. I play by feel."

This is utter nonsense. Completely absurd.

Did learning a new word make it hard for you to say old ones? No. It simply puts another tool in your toolbox.

That's exactly what theory is - a tool. A phenomenally powerful tool, at that. It can be used or disregarded at will. Learning how the pieces fit together won't suddenly cause you to forget how to play freely or experiment.

Players that use the above phrase typically have a very rudimentary knowledge of their instrument, and rather than improve, they've chosen a convenient delusion.

Nobody is forcing you to learn theory. But don't lie to yourself and others by claiming it's not useful, or even detrimental.

So, who doesn't need theory?

Well, you might be the sort of player that has only one goal. To play songs others have written, exactly as they're written.

If you want to do anything outside of that (song writing, improvisation), you're going to find it very challenging without even a beginner's understanding of theory.

In the case of being strictly a performer, though, all you need is to know how to read tabs. Except... you need to understand how the timing of the piece works as well, in order to read and perform it. That's theory.

Except... maybe you'd like to actually perform those songs with a band. In that case, you're really going to want to be able to communicate with them. Theory is the language that musicians use to talk to each other.

If you don't know any theory at all, you're not going to be able to adequately express anything to someone playing a different instrument. You can't tell a piano player to play the "5th fret on the low E", after all.

So, even in the case of our hypothetical "performance only" guitarist, they're going to encounter some major roadblocks by trying stubbornly to ignore theory.

I hope I've made it clear by now, that theory is not just helpful to have, but that theory is music. They're one and the same.

Choosing to play guitar and disregard theory is like learning to drive with a blindfold on.

Bite the bullet, dive in, and you'll find the world of music is a fascinating and welcoming place. I'll see you there.