Is it worth learning all music theory

[Crholdin]

is it worth it? of course, certainly
is it of monetary convertible value, probably not really

however, you can never not use or love or discard knowledge....with that said, if its about money, just get a masters and forget the phd, like I did lol

[jeromebeats]

There is plenty of music theory cheat sheets out there that can show you every basic minor and major key/chord on an A4 page, I would say get one of them and then learn how to play the piano rather then just attaining more knowledge on music theory. Thats what I have been doing anyway over the years.

[blackwatermoon]

Don't quit now, never give up! You'll be kickin' yourself if you do!

[mladi]

If you are a genius like Vangelis no, if you are curiously enough not blessed whith that kind of insight then yes.

[calebovich]

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There are very few composers out there who reach high levels of success without some knowledge of music theory. I think music theory can help with basic music proficiency and creating music with greater ease, in less time.

With that said, spending large sums of money to learn music theory is not necessary. There are so many great composers and arrangers who are sharing their knowledge for free online.


Check out this article
https://thefuturemuse.com/music-theory/ (https://thefuturemuse.com/music-theory/)

[Dasheesh]

first off, it's not hard. there are 12 notes. if you cannot learn 12 notes you have probably done too many drugs already. secondly, the point is to learn it as best you can, before throwing it all out the window. your peers will know if you know. they can hear your practice, which is what is really all about. chops.

[CableChannel]

Hello, I've been learning music theory at school for the past 5 years, currently level 7 out of 10 referring to the Canadian system. I was wondering what more could I learn in those other 3 levels.

You need to go to 11 for Jazz.

[Ah_Dziz]

There's no reason not to keep learning. I've been making music professionally for 20 years and I am always learning more. I've never had any formal training, but I have bought a few theory books over the years and enjoy studying other composers' work by examining sheet music. I'd say stick with it unless something better comes along that is an "either or" type situation.

[jancivil]

I once saw a video where Hans Zimmer explains how he came up with the harmonies, the voicings and I guess arrangement of some song. It was a few years ago and I don't know where the song is from or anything. But - and IME this song was simply brilliant, gorgeous - he was not approaching it like a person who learned to write the usual ways in school theory with those modi operandi. It was actually pretty naive. It's hard to reconcile some of the things I've heard with that account. He obviously has an extremely good ear and I'd expect from early on: 'gifted'. I knew about it only from VSL Forums where someone who hates HZ had located it to use it to say, 'look, this guy doesn't even know what he's doing'. Well, the results bely not knowing anything. Information is not knowledge et cetera.

These discussions always remind me of a guy in my hometown who never read music, didn't care about names of things/theory terms at all but was as good as it got in an advanced jazz idiom, at least to me then and I was raised hearing that language. George Shaw, guitarist. So there is such a thing as a fully intuitive way of having the same job music theory does done innately, with arguably less noise in the way. You can't think and play at the same time - Sonny Rollins

I had to create my own ear, it was not any gift.

[jancivil]

"They both just play with midi notes till they find what they like."/sic
- attributed to Hans Zimmer who has to get all that done on time, as a job, not bloody likely. He also comes from a background as a player. Probably plays quite a lot into Cubase. No one just faffs around with 'midi notes' like throwing spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks and gets things like that done. OTOH deadmouse, could be.

The harmonic language in say that Superman film I noticed (I don't follow this kind of thing very closely, mind) comes from a very deep experience and heavy knowledge (regardless of how well it matches anyone else's MO).
This was a statement of someone that wants validation for the behavior 'just play with midi notes til I find something' really badly.

[jamcat]

"They both just play with midi notes till they find what they like."/sic
- attributed to Hans Zimmer

In the end, that is what song writing is really all about.

Theory just gives you a map that gets you there faster. But it really comes down to your own creativity as a composer. That’s the ultimate destination.

[Biome_Digital]

I think it'd worth learning at least basic notes, scales, chords etc.. It helps!

[The_SOB_II]

Most modern music does not follow the rules of 18-19th-century European music. I think learning the basics is a must, but the complicated rules of textbook academic ""music theory"" don't apply to today. Better to go with ear training.

[jancivil]

It depends on what one wants to do. If you want to have real chops you'll do what you call textbook academic or get the same kind of knowledge in experience (having a major league ear to work with from the get-go). "Most modern music", I don't know what that's supposed to represent. It strikes me as a dumbing down of the topic.

Currently I notice a whole lot of young people who are deeply into knowledge, and follow closely materials that one might find too esoteric having less interest. Also I'm struck by this presented as though "music theory" is restricted to 18th/19th c. rules. As to the topic title, "all" music theory... probably no one is going to have all of it. At one end you have polyphony of a later medieval period through renaissance in the church, at the other end are things like Gamelan with a tuning system that doesn't match western musics, to jazz concepts since bebop, on top of people who did things before everybody else (say, Satie and mixed planed fourths outside of any determinative key center, prefiguring jazz practice by 70 yrs).
Music theory is a rather big subject.

"complicated rules" - there are no rules unless one is trying to get a style with its characteristics together, in which case one follows the principles gleaned from it. Still, to say there is a rule from say the praxis out of JS Bach one might just find that Bach didn't know about it and it has turned out the received understanding is mistaken (saw it here the other day, 'consecutive fourths' vertically is a rule "in classical music", as though per se. Nope.
Part-writing in late 19th c. or late romantic practice is complicated because there's more to handle with more chromaticism; the figured bass in an exercise can be somewhat harder to follow [eg., iv+6 type]. The principles are not that complicated. Part-writing chops apply to anything where one wants fluidity and independence in lines. Some music it never applies to. It's horses for courses, isn't it.

Composers were exceeding those so-called rules going on two centuries ago. I say that as a generality, more narrowly there are things way back in JS Bach that were quite shocking (& that probably no principle was extrapolated from either).

[glokraw]

Looking back, in day-to-day creativity, I have inadvertantly developed personal mini music theories, that when followed, give fairly predictable results that I enjoy.
Nothing I set out to do, and a type of workflow now exists, that evolved from enjoying the playing and replaying of music. Having a wildly vast array of sounds to interject in those methologies minimizes repetitiveness, and leads to further discoveries, some of which are no-doubt rudimentary to most composers. Some of which may be in better form thru established curriculums.
The creation and perfection of effects adds yet more possibilities for personal mini-theories to be developed, unlabeled as they may be. The affordable possibilites can fill a lifetime, or fill the need for a delightful pastime. Everybody who plays wins something of value.
Cheers