What if you have ideas which supersede language. I'm talking to a machine these days, in terms of numbers, so what the f**k anyway.me109 wrote: It's not a question of theory vs. practice if you want to be a complete musician. Both are necessary. If you're able to play well and express the emotions of the piece, then great, just practice. But if you're interested in what makes music tick and how to make your own music, it takes more to do it well.
Some have an inherent understanding of theory, and have been quite successful.
But it's been said that if you don't have the words in your vocabulary for a certain concept, it's difficult to conceive of it. Theory takes it out of the subconscious and lets you think more clearly and make informed decisions about your composing and arranging, just as the working knowledge of a sequencer allows you to be more productive with the tool.
As far as (objection to) the topic title goes, though: my working knowledge of my tools isn't really theoretical. I got in there, got my hands dirty, and proceeded. My objection is to pedantry, which you see in this board quite a lot; in lieu of practical knowledge, you get information, and often enough too much of it for the OP or OT. A lot of it will just impede rather than propel musical application.
"Theory takes it out of the subconcious". Ok, is that the most desirable thing for creation, in every case?
I don't think so.
