Learning Music Theory with ADD

[sirocco]

i have very intense ADD and have been trying to learn music theory for years

i tried everything books...cds...but i just cant get my mind at rest with it...and i know its because of my condition

thoughts always interleaving and flowing and i need some help and/or methods

could anyone offer any advice?!?

[fanfarecircuit]

consider your condition a blessing. make some noise, my man. focus on your ability and create. be reckless.

much love...

stephen

[sirocco]

consider your condition a blessing. make some noise, my man. focus on your ability and create. be reckless.

much love...

stephen

ive already found many things this condition has helped me with..one of them is being a mixing engineer

[John Vulich]

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Koretsky8.html

10 Benefits of Having Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) - By ADD Management Coach Jennifer Koretsky

There is a common misconception in the world that having Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a bad thing. While the ADD-wired brain certainly presents some challenges, it also offers some incredible benefits. The following is a list of characteristics that I consistently see in my clients, friends, and colleagues with ADD.

1. Compassion
People with ADD have a tremendous power to connect with other people. But it goes a step further than that. We also have an advanced ability to empathize with others, and to see many different perspectives.

2. Creativity
I've never met an ADDer who wasn't creative! Writers, painters, musicians, film makers, designers, sculptors, comedians - the list goes on! Artistic talents are abundant. Composers Mozart and Beethoven are believed to have had ADD.

3. Drive
When an ADDer is bored with a task, completing it can seem like torture. But give an ADDer an interesting project to work on and watch out! When we want to succeed, and we have the necessary tools to do so, there is no stopping us!

4. Problem Solving Ability
ADDers thrive on solving problems and puzzles. Give us an interesting problem to solve and we won't be able to drop it until we've found the solution! Important historical inventors such as Thomas Edison and Thomas Jefferson are believed to have had ADD.

5. Hyper-Focus
The ability to hyper-focus is something that ADDers can use to our advantage. When kept under control and directed towards productive tasks, like accomplishing goals and living dreams, it can be an incredible asset that allows us to get the job done, and done well!

6. Sense of Humor/Comedic Flair
Most ADDers love to laugh, and many also have a knack for making others laugh! Famous comedians such as Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams are rumored to have ADD.

7. Resiliency
There's no denying that even though there are many great qualities that come along with ADD, there are also challenges. But ADDers have an incredible ability to bounce back from those challenges, and others' criticism of those challenges that we've endured.

8. Intuition
ADDers have a sharp sense of intuition. This may be due to highly tuned levels of perception, or great insight into the human mind, or something else that we have yet to understand. Whatever the reason, it's a very useful gift!

9. Idea Generating
ADDers are wonderful idea generators. We don't usually like to be bothered with details, but we can come up with ideas at lightning speed! We're a true asset in brainstorming meetings!

10. That "Special Something"
Many ADDers feel that they have a unique way of looking at the world, a perspective that others just don't understand. That is, until the ADDer meets other people with ADD! You might say that we're on our own wavelength!

[fanfarecircuit]

what is your goal when you think about learning theory? what do you want to accomplish?

[John Vulich]

If you have trouble focusing perhaps you could try some strenuous physical activity before studying. Like maybe jogging around the block a few times.

[sirocco]

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Koretsky8.html

10 Benefits of Having Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) - By ADD Management Coach Jennifer Koretsky

There is a common misconception in the world that having Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a bad thing. While the ADD-wired brain certainly presents some challenges, it also offers some incredible benefits. The following is a list of characteristics that I consistently see in my clients, friends, and colleagues with ADD.

1. Compassion
People with ADD have a tremendous power to connect with other people. But it goes a step further than that. We also have an advanced ability to empathize with others, and to see many different perspectives.

2. Creativity
I've never met an ADDer who wasn't creative! Writers, painters, musicians, film makers, designers, sculptors, comedians - the list goes on! Artistic talents are abundant. Composers Mozart and Beethoven are believed to have had ADD.

3. Drive
When an ADDer is bored with a task, completing it can seem like torture. But give an ADDer an interesting project to work on and watch out! When we want to succeed, and we have the necessary tools to do so, there is no stopping us!

4. Problem Solving Ability
ADDers thrive on solving problems and puzzles. Give us an interesting problem to solve and we won't be able to drop it until we've found the solution! Important historical inventors such as Thomas Edison and Thomas Jefferson are believed to have had ADD.

5. Hyper-Focus
The ability to hyper-focus is something that ADDers can use to our advantage. When kept under control and directed towards productive tasks, like accomplishing goals and living dreams, it can be an incredible asset that allows us to get the job done, and done well!

6. Sense of Humor/Comedic Flair
Most ADDers love to laugh, and many also have a knack for making others laugh! Famous comedians such as Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams are rumored to have ADD.

7. Resiliency
There's no denying that even though there are many great qualities that come along with ADD, there are also challenges. But ADDers have an incredible ability to bounce back from those challenges, and others' criticism of those challenges that we've endured.

8. Intuition
ADDers have a sharp sense of intuition. This may be due to highly tuned levels of perception, or great insight into the human mind, or something else that we have yet to understand. Whatever the reason, it's a very useful gift!

9. Idea Generating
ADDers are wonderful idea generators. We don't usually like to be bothered with details, but we can come up with ideas at lightning speed! We're a true asset in brainstorming meetings!

10. That "Special Something"
Many ADDers feel that they have a unique way of looking at the world, a perspective that others just don't understand. That is, until the ADDer meets other people with ADD! You might say that we're on our own wavelength!

sweet thanks for that.....too true

[sirocco]

what is your goal when you think about learning theory? what do you want to accomplish?

i just want to be able to play the stuff i hear in my head...i know all about notes...4ths 16ths etc..bars..how to read music...scales and basic chords...anything more advanced and its hard to get the concept

[robenestobenz]

what is your goal when you think about learning theory? what do you want to accomplish?

i just want to be able to play the stuff i hear in my head...i know all about notes...4ths 16ths etc..bars..how to read music...scales and basic chords...anything more advanced and its hard to get the concept

Learn more advanced chords and I reckon you'll pretty much have all you need to know to get stuff out of your head. Then it's up to developing your ears and practice, aiming towards a reduction in the guesswork involved in playing the music you hear.

[sirocco]

i hope so right now im trying to remember what each note sounds like and voicing them as chords and disecting the speerate notes etc

[hibidy]

We are SO in the same boat, but I'd bet many many moons apart in age

The first time I had a "real" gig was playing country. Are you kidding? It was so fuckin' hard......the chords......the fact that everyone "knew" where to go next...etc.

It took a long time and a ton of forcing myself.......but I did get it eventually.

I'd recommend lessons. Sometimes...you need someone to "show" you. And you may have to try more than one person. The one that pisses you off the most is probably the one you want!.....well, if you can have the discapline to stick with it (a joke from one add to another add)...........

[xtp]

what is your goal when you think about learning theory? what do you want to accomplish?

i just want to be able to play the stuff i hear in my head...i know all about notes...4ths 16ths etc..bars..how to read music...scales and basic chords...anything more advanced and its hard to get the concept

if u hear it in your head why not put your focus into getting it out into your instrument, when you've got it out then if you want to you can figure out what it is theory wise you have accomplished, or get someone else to figure it out for you.

If you can hear stuff thats a cool gift, after all creating music is all about the sound.

[Chuck E. Jesus]

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Koretsky8.html

10 Benefits of Having Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) - By ADD Management Coach Jennifer Koretsky

There is a common misconception in the world that having Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a bad thing. While the ADD-wired brain certainly presents some challenges, it also offers some incredible benefits. The following is a list of characteristics that I consistently see in my clients, friends, and colleagues with ADD.

1. Compassion
People with ADD have a tremendous power to connect with other people. But it goes a step further than that. We also have an advanced ability to empathize with others, and to see many different perspectives.

2. Creativity
I've never met an ADDer who wasn't creative! Writers, painters, musicians, film makers, designers, sculptors, comedians - the list goes on! Artistic talents are abundant. Composers Mozart and Beethoven are believed to have had ADD.

3. Drive
When an ADDer is bored with a task, completing it can seem like torture. But give an ADDer an interesting project to work on and watch out! When we want to succeed, and we have the necessary tools to do so, there is no stopping us!

4. Problem Solving Ability
ADDers thrive on solving problems and puzzles. Give us an interesting problem to solve and we won't be able to drop it until we've found the solution! Important historical inventors such as Thomas Edison and Thomas Jefferson are believed to have had ADD.

5. Hyper-Focus
The ability to hyper-focus is something that ADDers can use to our advantage. When kept under control and directed towards productive tasks, like accomplishing goals and living dreams, it can be an incredible asset that allows us to get the job done, and done well!

6. Sense of Humor/Comedic Flair
Most ADDers love to laugh, and many also have a knack for making others laugh! Famous comedians such as Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams are rumored to have ADD.

7. Resiliency
There's no denying that even though there are many great qualities that come along with ADD, there are also challenges. But ADDers have an incredible ability to bounce back from those challenges, and others' criticism of those challenges that we've endured.

8. Intuition
ADDers have a sharp sense of intuition. This may be due to highly tuned levels of perception, or great insight into the human mind, or something else that we have yet to understand. Whatever the reason, it's a very useful gift!

9. Idea Generating
ADDers are wonderful idea generators. We don't usually like to be bothered with details, but we can come up with ideas at lightning speed! We're a true asset in brainstorming meetings!

10. That "Special Something"
Many ADDers feel that they have a unique way of looking at the world, a perspective that others just don't understand. That is, until the ADDer meets other people with ADD! You might say that we're on our own wavelength!

if this person really had ADD they would have only made it to Benefit 3 or 4...

[nuffink]

One of the problems people have with music (harmonic) theory is pretty fundamental - they don't have a clear idea of what it's for.
Harmonic theory teaches you what chords are known to sound good when played in a certain order and what notes sound good played over those chords as a melody. And that's about it.

[jplanet]

Wat nuffink said.

It helps to learn theory in the context of what you want to do with it. If you want practice getting what's in your head onto your instrument, get a program called "Amazing Slow Downer" and try transposing pieces of tunes that are similar to your style. Pick songs that you really, really like. You'll find it's much easier to write what you hear in your head.

And here's a starter for you: Modes = Moods. Major = Happy, Minor = Sad, Phrygian = Flamenco, Mixolydian = atmospheric and pretty, Lydian = dark yet melodic. Record a droning C chord, and then improv with one mode at a time (take a week or two on each one if you want, there's no rush). This way you become intimately familiar with each mode and the mood, so when you have an idea in your head, you'll be able to say, oh, I could probably get close to that just by messing with a Lydian mode for a while, etc.