Why Composers Should Learn Music Theory
A lot of music players like to see themselves as a solo artist. They may sit on an artist piano bench and play solos on their own, and so they don’t see a reason for learning how to read music or learning the theory. The moment will come, however, when a musician will want to play music with others, and start making tunes on a duet piano bench. When this happens, both players will want a common language with which to communicate, and it’s here that having at least some knowledge in music theory and reading music will have a huge advantage.
It’s often thought that if one were to learn music theory, it would be like being told a “correct” way to play music, and that any kind of freedom the musician wanted to have would be lost. This is not the case, of course, as music theory only opens up a range of options to thinking about the way music can be experienced, it’s not a set of laws. The usefulness in studying music theory is that it connects us to the long history of music, and displays to us what previous musicians have found out to be true when it comes to making and creating tunes. We’re free to disregard all their theories and ideas if we want, but the act of studying and experiencing them is something that can greatly increase the quality of our playing.
Consider that the technique of playing that is most often thought of as the “freest”, jazz music, in fact requires an in-depth knowledge of music theory to be played well. When the celebrated trumpeter Miles Davis began playing out in clubs, he was always told by jazz legends to “Learn those chords man, learn those chords”.
So, let us take a look at the basics of music theory. First off, we’ve got the chromatic scale. This is all the notes that can possibly be played on the piano, and the same notes are the only ones playable on a well-tuned guitar. The term “chromatic” means color, and you will notice when each of these notes are sounded that they give off a distinct color, or mood, when they are sounded. What also affects this mood is the order in which these notes are played. If you hit a middle C then an E, this gives off a much different emotion than if you were to hit a C and then an F sharp.
Try playing all the white notes on a piano, starting from C and playing the six notes above, when you arrive at the B, your ear will be hoping to hear the C that’s coming up next. If you do hit it, you’ll feel the release of tension. Western songwriting has always been about using this tension in order to create emotion.
Hopefully this article has made it apparent that music theory can be a help in unlocking deeper meanings in composing, and shouldn’t be thought of as a dry, stale way of thinking that’s only thought of as useful by University professors. Studying music theory can make your playing more intense, exciting and enjoyable.
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