Do we need Music Theory?
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When people hear the term ‘music theory’ they usually have one of 2 opinions about it:
(Opinion A) It is a set of rules that strips you of your creativity by pinning you down into doing things a specific way …or
(Opinion B) It is information that allows you to have a better understanding of what others have done, and what is available to you in your creative journey. It is a language that allows you to communicate with other musicians allowing you to provide instructions to them or to understand theirs, and even a way of avoiding mistakes that others may have made that are simply not worth repeating.
The correct answer is Opinion B of course as the opinion expressed in Opinion A is based on the fear of not being able to understand or learn theory. Everyone can learn music theory as it is strictly information and if taught correctly and if you take your time to absorb and understand the material, you WILL learn it. It does not require you to also be able to reproduce the information you’ve learned in any way although it can provide you with tools and shortcuts to doing things better.
People who have opinion A are the same people who might lookup ‘how to’ videos on something like gardening or mechanics for example. You’re probably thinking: “hey I do that and yet I do want to also learn music theory as well! What’s the deal?” … to which I will say “Exactly!”. If you truly love music, or genuinely have an interest for it, you will treat it the same way as your interest in a celebrity, auto mechanics, weight lifting, health, cooking, home repairs, gardening etc. If you are truly interested in anything, you will crave more knowledge about that topic and may even purchase equipment, cars, tools, etc so that you can carry out the work or participate in whatever hobby you’ve chosen. Music is no exception.
Let’s take the task of putting up a picture frame as an example. If you need to put up a frame, you won’t waste your time trying to figure out how to drive a paperclip into the wall with a spoon. Unless the context of the task is a puzzle or game, the task at hand must get done quickly and correctly.
Using the wrong tools would mean that you might accidentally hurt yourself by hitting your thumb for example, only to find out that the paperclip isn’t even strong enough to hold a frame up. While it can be an interesting challenge or puzzle to attempt to solve, if you need to get the job done or want to be taken seriously for your interest in home repairs, you will do the necessary research through a course, an online video, an article, asking someone who already knows what to do, or simply using an existing frame as a reference and therefore copying what was previously done to putting up that frame.
You may need to go out and buy a frame hanging kit that includes nails, hooks and some wire, as well as a hammer if you don’t already own anything but the knowledge you gained from your ‘research’ allowed you to know what tools you need to get the job completed correctly. The new knowledge, tools, and experience give you the confidence you need to perform similar tasks and perhaps even bigger challenges. THIS is what music theory is to musicians. Music Theory is therefore the knowledge (tools and the experience) you require to facilitate your ability to make music and to be taken seriously as a musician.
With that said, if you are reading this, you are genuinely interested in gaining more knowledge about your instrument and music in general and while it isn’t necessarily important to learn everything about music to make music, you will feel more motivation, satisfaction, and confidence as your knowledge increases.
The only effort this really takes is ‘patience’ and ‘focus’ and as you progress through different topics you will automatically be a better musician than you previously were.
Music theory itself is a skill in itself that doesn’t even require you to be physically capable of playing an instrument. You can still learn AND teach music theory without having the ability to play an instrument. You simply need to enjoy music itself.