Theory of Music
An introduction to why music theory enhances progress.
Most pupils just want to "get going" with playing the instrument of their choice. The trouble is that (as with piano and keyboard) they need to learn at least the basics of music theory. If they don't, they remain highly dependent on the teacher or (if there's no teacher) they loose heart and give up. Such basic knowledge includes the names of the white and black notes as well as the meaning of crotchets and minims etc. These are essential, but not really adequate for reasonable progress and (if ignored) they will struggle if attempting exams eg GCSE/ABRSM.
I once chatted with someone whose pianistic abilities were almost completely acquired from self-study, ie self-taught. Although he could play limited parts of a few classical pieces [approx grade 6] there were massive gaps in his understanding of basic music theory e.g. time signatures. Any understanding of rhythms in the pieces were gleaned from listening YouTube videos/spotify etc and not from his comprehension of the crotchets/time signatures etc on the page. I'm NOT knocking listening to other performances: merely highlighting the potential problems of we ONLY listen to others, and ignore a grounding in music theory.
Most pupils just want to "get going" with playing the instrument of their choice. The trouble is that (as with piano and keyboard) they need to learn at least the basics of music theory. If they don't, they remain highly dependent on the teacher or (if there's no teacher) they loose heart and give up. Such basic knowledge includes the names of the white and black notes as well as the meaning of crotchets and minims etc. These are essential, but not really adequate for reasonable progress and (if ignored) they will struggle if attempting exams eg GCSE/ABRSM.
I once chatted with someone whose pianistic abilities were almost completely acquired from self-study, ie self-taught. Although he could play limited parts of a few classical pieces [approx grade 6] there were massive gaps in his understanding of basic music theory e.g. time signatures. Any understanding of rhythms in the pieces were gleaned from listening YouTube videos/spotify etc and not from his comprehension of the crotchets/time signatures etc on the page. I'm NOT knocking listening to other performances: merely highlighting the potential problems of we ONLY listen to others, and ignore a grounding in music theory.
.......and there's more......
After some time other issues usually crop up such as (particularly with classical music) reading the bass and treble clefs. If you work through the support materials of ABRSM theory grade 1 (or equivalents: Trinity, Rock School. LCM) you will receive a solid grounding to cover most basics.
Classical music is usually very focussed on the intentions of the composer (eg Bach, Mozart); in other words, the notes of the melodies and harmonies they wrote down. This is quite different to the culture of jazz, pop and rock. It is very common for cover bands to perform/record their own versions of other artists'/bands' songs. This is much less common with classical music, as the prevailing attitude regarding classical is to respect the original intentions of the composer. However, in my opinion, when I discuss this issue with pupils, their response tends to be a blank expression: this is understandable as they are usually quite happy with getting the notes/chords accurate, and are not really bothered/interested in producing a fresh interpretation. At any rate, that's my experience as a teacher.
My point is that the end result of this is a preoccupation with the notes, rhythms and harmonies as written by the composer, and this requires considerable knowledge of the symbols etc. hence: study....
Classical music is usually very focussed on the intentions of the composer (eg Bach, Mozart); in other words, the notes of the melodies and harmonies they wrote down. This is quite different to the culture of jazz, pop and rock. It is very common for cover bands to perform/record their own versions of other artists'/bands' songs. This is much less common with classical music, as the prevailing attitude regarding classical is to respect the original intentions of the composer. However, in my opinion, when I discuss this issue with pupils, their response tends to be a blank expression: this is understandable as they are usually quite happy with getting the notes/chords accurate, and are not really bothered/interested in producing a fresh interpretation. At any rate, that's my experience as a teacher.
My point is that the end result of this is a preoccupation with the notes, rhythms and harmonies as written by the composer, and this requires considerable knowledge of the symbols etc. hence: study....
