You’ve all heard the famous stories about the musicians who don’t know the first thing about the technical theoretical side of music, and have made a living just by being able to write great lyrics and put a tune together on a guitar.

While that works for some, others prefer to learn music theory to ensure they are fully confident in what they’re doing. Having a sound knowledge of music theory can also be more useful if you have an interest in a particular genre, or are interested in the dynamics of a classical orchestra, for example. Music theorists also aren’t always instrument players; they might just want to move into production or another area of the industry.

What is Music Theory?

The easiest way to look at music theory is that it’s the equivalent of grammar in writing. It provides a foundation and a basis for creating robust, technically correct pieces of work, while for instrument players it allows them to understand music when it is written and play the sounds in the manner intended.

What do You Already Know?

What you already know or can do with an instrument can make learning music theory easy or difficult, depending on a number of variables. If you’re starting from scratch, then you should look for the most simplified resources available, whether that’s a book or an online platform, and ensure it is pitched at a level you can understand and relate to.

Take the time to do this; simply going straight for something like a ‘Dummies’ series might sound sensible, but it might just be telling you what you already know.

Master One Thing at a Time

Music theory is a huge spectrum of ideas and principles, and is going to take a long time to learn and master. With that in mind, fashioning an approach to learning music theory can be difficult.

The best approach to take is to learn one thing at a time, and then put it into practice, ensuring you’re great at it before moving onto the next step. The trick is to start building each new element of music theory into what you’re doing, so it’s a progressive journey where you’re continually adding new ideas and learning to your repertoire.

Finding a Focus

If you’re passionate about a particular niche, like rock music, for example, then ensure you focus on the areas that are most relevant to that. Learning about pentatonic scale will be more useful than maintaining rhythm or a consistent beat, for example, while harmonies might not be something you’re too bothered about, either.

Learning Music Theory

Learning music theory is a difficult thing to do, but you can make it as simple as possible my having a plan and focussing on the areas most relevant to you. Remember that practice makes perfect, and you’ll find learning music theory easier than you imagined possible.

Image Source: Horia Varlan