Am I just deluding myself!

Ok I will come clean. My unnatural pessimism could be because I am getting over a cold, and we all know how you feel then but,

I'm aware that many here are well versed in music theory and as I've stated in other threads I'm starting to dabble down that road. I drill myself in g cleff and now beginning bass cleff and recently ordered (arriving in a few days) musition theory software. I also have a keyboard I have obtained years ago (yep been wanting to get into music for years but only the uke now has spurred me on to do it).

Even with good theory software, is is reasonable to suppose I will get proficient in theory without formal lessons?

OK Whilst being ill I have searched on the net and found some complex stuff I wouldn't know where to begin with lol (the schoolboy error of turning to the last chapter of the textbook rather than reading it through!)

My plan is to use the theory them buy graded music and work alongside it....Am I being delusional lol?

Not askiing to be a classical pianist...get a high state of literacy and with self practice on an instrument proficient. IS the solo route viable?

Chris

When I first started college the only instrument I really played was the drumset, but I decided to minor in music and ended up in a music theory class. Each day after class I would sit down at a piano and work out what we had just gone over on the blackboard. Then, when I got a guitar, I started applying what I'd learned to that. Little by little it took. Now I can play many instruments and can apply theory across the spectrum. Except for the drumset.

Of course, I did have a teacher, but I kind of had to figure out how to apply it on my own as I learned the instruments. I think it's possible to learn it on your own. I did learn along the way that some classical theory, which I mostly studied, is not neccessarily applicable to jazz or rock. There are jazz theory courses you can take, though my college was small and didn't offer that. I think some schools even have "rock theory."

If you get stuck along the way, post your questions here. There's lots of people here who can help you.

Thanks for that...suppose I just felt nervous about starting...even though it is a hobby as if it was esoteric and beyond me somehow...

Take in small chunks (musition does allow you to follow a graded pattern rather than be overwhelmed) and apply and enjoy!

Been wanting to do this for years and got a basic set up to do it...so why am I worried?

And yep, the community here has always been great at answering questions and comradarie and support.

Thanks,

Chris

Most of the music theory I've learned over the years was learned on my own, without classes or teaching. You can learn it if you have the urge.

My complete answer is "Can't hurt."

You definitely can learn on your own. Most musicians I know didn't take theory lessons but picked up what they needed along the way. If you're motivated you can learn almost anything, you just need to find a good method (book, DVD...) to work with.

You can do it! And afterwards, you will teach all of us. So it works out great for us!

Thanks for the comments which are encouraging and looking forward to the stuff arriving...Of course I haven't waited for software...Already hitting 'Music theory for dummies' and tryong basic transcriptions from a basic piano book - naw not got anything how I want it yet but the practice is good .

As for teaching Chris667 I ain't got that ahead of myself yet lool, but of course will humbly share tabs of any worth or chip in insights just as everyone else does here, but there are far more knowledgeable teachers in this forum than I would ever be!


Cheers,

Chris

A young man dressed in a dinner jacket clutching a violin case is running through Hyde Park.

He stops an old man who is walking a little dog.

Breathlessly, he says "How do I get to the Albert Hall?".

The old man pauses, looks at him, and says "Practice.".

Everyone started somewhere. You can learn anything you want, just take the ideas in the books and arrange them inside your head.

The answer is, as with most things, it depends. Yes, you can learn more, and yes you can improve your skill and your knowledge without a teacher. However, there will be an eventual plateau where if you want to improve, you'll need instruction. There are music teachers for a reason. And after all, You wouldn't expect to learn how to be a doctor without a degree.

So it just kinda depends on how graded you want those pieces to be, and when you say theory, just how much theory you want to learn. Where that line is for you, is tough to say. The plateau is there, but it's at a different place for everyone.

Teacher isn't a dirty word. It's not an insult when someone hears you play and says you need lessons. Even the best of the best are taking lessons from someone.

uke4ia said:

Most of the music theory I've learned over the years was learned on my own, without classes or teaching. You can learn it if you have the urge.

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Absolutely correct. You'll find that music is a life-long learning project. I cannot just read the stuff in a book. I have to see how it works such as wwhwwwh...whole steps and half steps of a major scale. Check em out on your uke fretboard. Try figuring out some scales on there, too. Hint: I lot of this type of stuff can be seen and heard on a piano keyboard. Just sayin...

As a youngster I took music lessons for a couple years off and on, and theory was part of the lessons. I hated it! It seemed like totally useless information.

Now that I am older I find music theory intensely interesting and (wait for it...) fun! Now that I am learning it as an integral part of learning to play better, I can't really imagine learning without the theory.

You are NOT deluding yourself.

freackykit said:

IS the solo route viable?

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Yes. Absolutely.

Although it really depends on you, and how well you do with self-directed learning in general. Some people enjoy it and are good at it. Other people aren't so good at it and really benefit from a teacher to provide some structure and a kick in the pants (or a foot on the brake!)

JJ

When you say theory though, do you mean just how key signatures and circle of fifths stuff, modes and different clefs than treble and bass, or do you mean up to the theory 201 or greater type level? When you say graded music, do you mean like grade 3, or grade 7?

It all just depends on how far you want to go. If you want to get to college level, you'd really get a kick out of taking a course and taking lessons.

What do theory 201 and graded music mean?

Lalou said:

What do theory 201 and graded music mean?

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I can't remember all the theory and ear training books, especially the music history, because boy did that course tie into it, but typically, stuff like what's in the table of contents here. I know that's 101 at least. We may have continued with it. http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/toc/0155062425/ref=dp_toc/182-8018869-6072232?ie=UTF8&n=916520

Graded stuff, that's his words. It goes from grade 1 beginner, to grade 7, professional, at least the scale we used in my day.

Of course it's possible to learn on your own, it just depends on how much, and it's no insult to need classes.

Shastastan said:

Hint: I lot of this type of stuff can be seen and heard on a piano keyboard. Just sayin...

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Yeah, I was an adult before I fully appreciated the value of having had piano lessons as a kid. It's a great foundation instrument for music theory.

In fact, I find myself mentally translating uke chords back to how they would look on a keyboard all the time. When I look at the fretboard I visualise where the 'black' and 'white' notes are.

Lalou said:

What do theory 201 and graded music mean?

Click to expand...

Here is some information on classical guitar pedagogy and ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) graded music exams.

Wow been away for a day or so and really enjoyed reading all the contributions here and the interesting debate generated!

I would agree from background reading that if I wanted grade 7...That would be my classical pianist analogy and the professional standard, then obviously lessons are a must. As Plainsong said 'Teachers are there for a reason.'

And as I'm beginning this and enjoying it, the honest answer is I'm not sure how far I want to go, and what my final learning outcomes are at the moment - may sound silly but I'm being genuinely honest!

Recreational music standard - if I can be so crude- is much below level 7, and musition teaches to level 5 which I believe which is deemed literacy - could be wrong here so please correct me!

Guess what started this - and I'm enjoying even the early 'painful' stages where the concepts and terminology are strange and hard to grapple - is that when I was a kid about one kid an estate had music lessons and they were seen as the privilege of doting parents. I always regretted not having them as I have loved music for years, and always wanted to play rather than chord a guitar. In fact my move to the uke was to push myself, enjoyed the unique sound and to try stuff I never could do on the guitar! I also felt that in our modern era of multimedia, and the abundance of books as well which I use, there could be a road to self learning to an extent, whereas this was impossible 25 years ago or not as accessible.

Now I'm beginning to see the fascination (like some other correspondents to this thread, it came with age) of music theory I'm living a bit of a dream. If in the end I need a few lessons I ain't going to shy away from it. One lesson a week is cheaper than a night at the pub, and lasts for life and not one evening!

Cheers,

Chris

That's awesome. Just keep going and see when you get there. That textbook I linked would be pretty awful without a teacher with a bad sense of humor. I was thinking of taking some courses too, depending on what they offer in the fall. Learning without pressure is a lot of fun.