My Thoughts on Music Theory

Music is found in every culture and every civilization in the world. Though it can be considered an instinctive nature of the human species, it has evolved differently for each area of the globe. This book deals strictly with the most popular chords played on the Guitar in what has become known as Western art music. This book’s PRIMARY GOAL is to give beginning through intermediate guitar players instant access to chords required for the performance of modern music. To dig straight into music requires an understanding of what music is how we conceive it and how we express it. Once these fundamentals are understood, almost anyone can pick this book up and add accompanying guitar, write music progressions that work and sound good, figure out progressions from the radio and truly have a better understanding and enjoyment of music.

It is a common occurrence to hear someone praise another for high standards in music while stating that they don’t read music, as if to say that lack in understanding somehow makes for a more pure form of music. As you learn, you will, as most real musicians do, consider that absurd. Music is a mixing of tones and timbers in a mathematical world. We conceive music through vibrations where exact musical notation equals exact vibrations. We write music in symbols, as we do math, so that someone in the future can recreate what we have conceived. We use theory to minimize awkward sounds and maximize our expression. For those that consider the study of harmony, counterpoint and fugue to be work best left for someone intending composition, consider this instead. Music theory is not a set of directions for paint by number music. It is a learned art of observation guided by intuition and emotion given a distinct language to log its movement. It is how music has been written, not how it will be written. It is memoirs of those we may chose as our masters. It may be a diary to pass on to someone else. Theory usually follows practice. Theory is not a sterile approach to music, it is more like learning how to speak and understand before telling a story.

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Wednesday, July 14, 2010