Music Theory Not So Dreary
By: Ashby Stokes
When I was a kid learning to play the guitar I knew I wanted to be a professional musician. It seemed only logical that I would end up in the music business. After 25 plus years in the music biz (with many successes and failures to my credit) I think it’s important to point out the distinction between being a musician and being in the music business. It may seem obvious at first but it is very easy to lose sight of what is important in a profession as complex and sometimes frustrating as the music business.
Above all, music is an art form. Being a musician means you have some responsibility to preserve the art form and more importantly to try and contribute to its progress. The music business on the other hand, like most businesses is driven by the almighty dollar. When art and money get together the outcome has historically been mediocre at best and in many cases disastrous for the artist.
That is not to say that everything associated with the music business is mediocre, there are always exceptions. However, there is always the temptation to stray from what is artistic and move toward what will generate the most money. I could name hundreds of musicians that no longer practice their craft. Maybe at some point they felt like they had learned enough or they likely realized that “how good a musician you are” has very little to do with “how much money you can make” in our industry. Any one that plays music for a living should feel fortunate. For every person that has made a career out of music there are thousands who have tried and given up or failed. I consider myself to be fortunate, I have been a professional (full time) musician since the day I graduated college in 1988. I have had a lot of help along the way and I am full with the desire to give back to the art form that has taken me to so many interesting places and taught me so much about life in general.
One way for me to give back is to teach music and stress the importance of being a complete musician. Being a “complete” musician means different things to different people but to me it means that music is a never-ending learning experience. I hope I never lose the desire to better myself as a musician, it is the underlying force that has driven me since I was a teenager.
The “Myth”
There is a myth that exists among some musicians about how studying music theory relates to ones creativity. Some of the things I have heard over the years... “people who learn to read music are usually weak at improvising or writing songs”. “Music theory guys over think everything to the extent that they cannot play a simple song”. “People who play technically don’t have any soul”. There are more examples of this kind of thinking but in a nutshell they are all saying this: Musicians that study music tend to be less creative than musicians that do not. This is simply not true, after all, even when you are listening to a song you are studying it on some level whether you are aware of it or not. Every time you play your instrument you are studying music and the more you study the more you can remember and apply.
Although there are many musicians that fit the above stereotypes, to suggest that the study of music made them that way is ridiculous. It is more reasonable to assume that some people are just more creative than others. The notion that “learning more” about music could somehow stifle ones creativity makes no sense, in fact my experience has been the opposite, the more I have learned, the more creative and productive I have become. There are of course musicians that have never studied music in the traditional sense yet they are amazing players and songwriters. When I was teaching guitar professionally I constantly got questions like this, “Is it true that Eric Clapton can’t read or write music?” My answer was always the same. “No, he has simply chosen to study music with his ears instead of with his eyes”. Eric Clapton is more than capable of reading and writing music but his approach has been to listen to thousands of blues recordings and mimic his influences and that’s what works for him. The feeling and passion that he brings to his music is learned very gradually over time just as it would be for a classical pianist. Make no mistake, Eric Clapton is an adept musician and he studies music. Musicians like Eric Clapton are exceptional people and the music business is abounding with them. Don’t assume that you are one of these remarkable people. If you are an exception that will be revealed over time and the study of music will almost certainly enhance your greatness. Studying music will also build a strong work ethic and a system for learning, writing and improvising.
If you want to be a musician, even if it’s just a hobby, why not give yourself the benefits of musical knowledge? I have had many students who have attempted to answer that question honestly. There responses went something like, “I don’t have the time to put into it” or “I just want to learn a few songs and that’s it”. Learning to read and write music will save you time and effort and speed up the learning process. If you don’t have the time to put into it you are going to suck at whatever you learn anyway. If you choose music as a career you will find out quickly that it is very competitive and you must give yourself every advantage. The music business chews up and spits out thousands of musicians every day, the only thing the music business cannot deny you is your musicianship and only you can acquire it. It takes practice, lots of practice and it’s not always easy. Studying music and practicing my craft have always proven worthwhile. More importantly learning about music has been fun and I believe it can be for anyone! If you are studying music with a private teacher and not enjoying it let the teacher know, most teachers want you to learn and enjoy music. If your teacher does not want you to enjoy learning then your teacher is not a good one! The internet is a good place for information but be cautious! It is easy to get overwhelmed with information and unfortunately there is an abundance of incorrect info out there also. A good teacher will take a lot of information and put it in the right perspective for you so try to find a good teacher it is essential for good learning. Learn about music even if you don’t see how it will be beneficial at first. The benefit will reveal itself in time and you will be more confident and accomplished as a result!
By the way to learn music theory you will need to be able to count and learn some vocabulary words. So if you have less
than a second grade education you are not ready for to study music theory.
If you’d like to respond to this article email me at Ashby_Stokes@mac.com