How Deep is This Thing Called Theory

denekawa
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Wed Apr 14, 2010 9:12 am

Theory shouldn't be a scary thing or seem like some bottomless pit or ocean. If you stand in front of a mountain and ask yourself how you will accomplish the insurmountable task of getting to the top it will seem impossible. Then, as you take one step at a time, fairly soon you will realize you have covered so much ground you can't see where your start point was any more. One day at a time is the approach to what can be a life long study and you only have to be concerned with where you are right now. A lifetime is too short to know everything on all subjects concerning music, it's theory, stylistic approaches, tricks and techniques that keep growing with the addition of new groundbreaking styles that are added to the library all of the time. These are some of the aspects that make music so fascinating. Having said that, many favourite and famous blues players never go outside knowing one application of the blues scale to say what they want on their instrument and please millions of fans of that genre. It's all up to you, where and how detailed you want to make it.

Maybe start out by taking what you need to know that applies to your current situation to make that work if you are a beginner. What I mean is, by knowing G, Em, C, D you will be able to play 80% of the pop tunes ever written. That's a pretty good start. Take a bow, you are not a bonafide campfire player and full badge hobbyist. In the big picture you have to ask yourself what you want out of it? Is that enough for you at that level or do you hope to become an amazing soloist and develop your own style with a recognizable voice or have the ability to read, write and orchestrate charts for complex arrangements. If the latter was your quest then no amount of information or theory or input will be enough for you. It's all relative to YOU. It's not a contest, so decide where you would like to see yourself in a year....10 years from now on your instrument. Do you want to play in the style of Wes Montgomery or Larry Carlton or ??? Well, start learning to play the great jazz standards while getting the greek modes and the modes of harmonic and melodic minor under your fingers, soloing over rhythm changes and learning to sight read. Would you like to sweep pick like Frank Gambale or hammer on like Eddie Van Halen? Finger pick like Leo Kottke, Danny Gatton or Neil Hogan? So many roads to take where you can borrow from for your own personal style if this is your quest.

Today's guitar student has a vast wealth of material available to him (her) that was not available to musicians as recently as 25 years ago, with the introduction of the internet and communication technology. You can Google just about anything on any topic or pick up materials related to the subject online in a matter of minutes. Old school players that so many of us consider greats and heroes never had these distractions. There were no cell phones, GPS, 300 channels of TV or online gaming to lure you away from your musical goals. There are guitar sites that teach every conceivable style, in depth video analysis by accomplished players of just about any popular players techniques, complete with tab and transcriptions and backing tracks..... and you never have to leave your computer chair. So it comes down to personal commitment and what anyone wants from it. You must consider yourself lucky that all of this material is there for the picking (bad joke analogy...sorry). On the other hand, just by knowing the major and minor pentatonic scale you will be able to solo over any blues tunes your friends might ever want to jam. Don't be concerned with where you are not, just where you are and as Bill Hicks said, "Enjoy the Ride!"

Start by learning the major scale and it's modes as all western music is based on and derived from it, even the pentatonic and blues scales. Modes contain a wealth of colour, interpretation and application concealed within them, that open up a world unimaginable to the average listener and a toolbox for the growing player that is a requirement. Why does the Aeolian mode make one feel sad? Why is the Phrygian mode dark and ominous? Knowledge of modes and their applications/ relationships will change the way you hear, apply and play music forever. And that is just the jumping off point. From there ask yourself what kind of player you want to be and in what genre? Rock? Country? Jazz? All of the above? Make reachable goals and put them into your daily routine. Pledge to do 15 minutes a day, no matter what and stick to it. Record yourself right now and put the tape away. Listen back to it in one year and see how far you've come. You WILL be amazed.

Okay, I've rambled enough as this topic could be discussed and as in depth and at length as ad nauseum would allow, without shedding any new light that others who have answered haven't already shed, lol. The most important thing and the secret to all of it, the only one theory bit any player should learn verbatim and use every day is to......






Have fun! After all...... It's music!


BammBamm22
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Sun Jul 31, 2011 11:02 pm

It gets real deep when you fall into the circle of fifths, good luck be safe, remember to play once in a while, theory cantake up all your time if you really get into it. LOL BBg


thereshopeyet
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Mon Aug 01, 2011 4:13 am

Thanks


AndyT
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Mon Aug 01, 2011 4:29 am

I think it was Fry that mentioned it, but learning how to read standard notation is a very worthwhile goal. It's not even really that hard. When you first started driving a car you had a plethora of signage to learn and obey very quickly or get killed or cited by the local police. Standard notation is actually pretty easy once you get past the mental fear.

I would venture to say that everyone on this site can learn to read standard notation in a months time with practice. Now, that is not sight reading, but just being able to read it and understand how it connects to the guitar. 30 days of 30 minutes each should do it.

Why would I ever want to learn how to read standard notation you might think. Because it contains all the ingredients you need to really understand and apply the theory. You can find a hundred reasons to learn it here on this site alone. As a hint, I'll tell you that the two biggest stoppers I've seen with anyone learning it is how to read the staff and notes. The staff tells you what note to play by it's location on the lines (or in the spaces) and the shape of the note tells you how long to play it. If you can say the alphabet from A to G, then you can read the staff. It's just that easy.

Anyway.... Decide how much you want to learn and go for it. It's the journey, not the destination.


AndyT
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Mon Aug 01, 2011 4:40 am

One more thing I want to add here.

I know that Neil has reservations about the CAGED system, but it is a great place to start. It will give you a way to relate the whole mess directly to your fretboard. After learning it, you will have a really solid foundation to build any other theory you care to learn upon. Stuff Neils says in his theory sections will make perfect sense to you.

I highly recommend it as a starting point. I think any guitarist that wants to be more than a backyard strummer should know it. It's very foundational. You have to get it from someone that actually understands it though. If you PM me, I'll send you to a site where you can get real solid info on it. I've seen far too many lessons on CAGED that make no sense. Too many people try and teach it without really understanding it.


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