Originally Posted by Macabre_Turtle

In response to that post....

Absolutely learn your theory. Unless you don't want to write music. Then don't bother.

I think that's fair.

Originally Posted by TNfootballfan62

People with a duck for their avatar always give good advice.

Originally Posted by Dave_Mc

i wanna see a clip of a recto buying some groceries.

Originally Posted by steven seagull

Or don't want to understand anything about what you're playing.

Without any theory knowledge you're no more a musician than a talking parrot is a public speaker...they can reproduce the sounds but they have no comprehension of what those sounds mean.

Originally Posted by rickyj

Because essentially every song ever written uses the same scale(or scales derived from it), you can know how to play any song you hear without even touching the guitar.

theory is what separates a douche-bag with an acoustic guitar singing songs over the same 3 chords and a talented musician.

Originally Posted by mdc

Mate, give up, yeah? Just stick to your white wine, candles 'n' shit.

Originally Posted by Macabre_Turtle

it doesn't look like OP didn't learn theory because he's lazy. He looks like hasn't learned theory because he didn't know it was a thing. It seems that scale were shown to him as being nothing but little box shaped finger exercises and the idea that there was more to it was just not brought up to him.

Originally Posted by steven seagull

Or don't want to understand anything about what you're playing.

Without any theory knowledge you're no more a musician than a talking parrot is a public speaker...they can reproduce the sounds but they have no comprehension of what those sounds mean.

Originally Posted by Akula KO

I am certainly not lazy but I do have short patience for things I see no point in developing though I see now some point in scales. It is as you have said about how scales were shown to me. No doubt I could learn something if I tried to learn theory but frankly I still feel that if I sit down with my guitar and think and mess around I can come up with decent melodies and interesting riffs which are basically the things I care for most about.

Anyway thanks everybody for what you've posted even if it is to describe me as a musical Neanderthal. I will take a look at scales this week and read up more on the benefits of developing my musical theory. I still maintain that it is possible to make new guitar music just by taking what you've learned through observation, taking techniques you have learned and improvising and developing it into something new.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by KG6_Steven

I'm arguing both sides of the fence on this one. I learned music theory as a part of my lessons. I thoroughly enjoyed it - even now I love theory. One of the things my instructor told me is that it's hard for him to find students who want to learn the mechanics of music. One of the arguments against learning theory is - why should I learn to fix the car, when all I want to do is drive it? See the parallel? And that's true. And it's probably why my wife describes car problems in a way only my wife can describe car problems.

I've also taught guitar and found that most students have no interest in learning theory. Were they lazy? No. They just wanted to learn how to play and devote their time to that and nothing else. Personally, I find it helps me understand the songs I'm playing - especially in playing lead.

The place I work occasionally posts job openings. Some of the openings require a certain college degree, or they'll also accept a certain number of years experience. You mentioned Slash and Hendrix. I look at someone like that as having the experience and the ear and not needing the theory as much. Would they have benefited from having theory knowledge? That's hard to say, as they were fairly successful. I tend to see them as an exception. Could Hendrix explain why something sounded so good? I doubt it. Did he need to be able to explain? I doubt it.

In reference to theory, Charlie Parker once said, "Learn all you can, then forget all of it." If you think about it, he's right. All of that theory does you absolutely no good if you can't play. So, my advice? Take it for the price it cost you... Learn a little theory - learn chord construction and scale formulas and a few other things, but don't get so hung up on theory that you can't play the music and make it sound good. Use your ear. Make music. When you're up on stage and playing, you won't be thinking about which note is diminished, which is the tonic, whether or not this chord is diatonic and whether or not the D7 chord is built from the dominant of the G scale. Probably one of the most valuable things you can learn is the notes on the neck of your guitar. Learn them all. Memorize them forward and backward.

Now, I'm going back to reading my theory book. Yes, I own two or three of them.

Originally Posted by Macabre_Turtle

I'm glad you're choosing to look into it anyway, but please, don't go into it with the attitude that if it doesn't end up being interesting or beneficial right away then its not worth doing. You sound like you're halfway talking yourself out of learning it while trying to learn it at the same time, and that mindset is going to be very detrimental to you.

Originally Posted by steven seagull

Or don't want to understand anything about what you're playing.

Without any theory knowledge you're no more a musician than a talking parrot is a public speaker...they can reproduce the sounds but they have no comprehension of what those sounds mean.

Originally Posted by Akula KO

I am certainly not lazy but I do have short patience for things I see no point in developing though I see now some point in scales. It is as you have said about how scales were shown to me. No doubt I could learn something if I tried to learn theory but frankly I still feel that if I sit down with my guitar and think and mess around I can come up with decent melodies and interesting riffs which are basically the things I care for most about.

Originally Posted by J_W

Wait, so unless you know theory you can't be a musician? That is one of the most ridiculous things I have seen posted on here and from a guy who's posts are usually good.

Originally Posted by macashmack

I think that's where theory is going to be the most beneficial for you. Yes it is a very great feeling to sit down and mess around and write something, but a musician that knows basic music theory (and has a good ear, of course) will be able to INSTANTLY play it. They would be able to think of an idea without a guitar in their hands and know how to play it on guitar in their minds eye 100% accurately.
An even more educated musician would be able to write it down without a guitar in their hands. And at the highest level you have the people who can notate entire hour long symphonies in their head onto staff paper without touching an instrument. Reaching a level like this is impossible without knowing music theory.
So i guess it depends on your goals, really.

Originally Posted by astholkohtz

QUESTION: what do you mean by "mode"? do you mean just the pattern?
im asking because i can play all the seven patterns of the major/minor scale, and i find those very useful in playing other people's stuff, but totally useless in improvising/writing. i mean, i've always seen modes as different ways to play the same notes, i never quite got the big deal some people seem to make out of it.

when you guy suggest to "learn scales", do you imply learning just the first pattern (the one starting on the first degree), or you mean all the notes of the scale throughout the whole neck (which means learning all the modes)?

Originally Posted by astholkohtz

can anyone link me some guide about that complicated idea behind modes? i remember looking into it and not finding anything. i'd love to learn more, because modes are a tool i halready have and i'd like to know their advanced use.

Originally Posted by astholkohtz

can anyone link me some guide about that complicated idea behind modes? i remember looking into it and not finding anything. i'd love to learn more, because modes are a tool i halready have and i'd like to know their advanced use.

Originally Posted by Macabre_Turtle

Personally, I don't know how to actually write modal music, but it seems that people that think they are writing modal music usually really aren't. You are probably in the same boat that I am, really. I know my modes, and I use them in my writing, but I'm really just using them as scales rather than modes. For instance, When I write a song that's in the key of lets say, E minor, and it makes extensive use of the minor 2nd interval, I say that I'm writing the song in E Phrygian, but really I'm just using it as a scale. My music is still tonal, not modal.