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Permalink Reply by turtlehead on February 4, 2014 at 7:13am

This is a good article Patrick and you have a fine site.  I jumped in on that discussion to show what I've been able to do with chords and playing by ear, but I've also learned more about theory from CBGs than from any other instrument I've picked up.

Theory is definitely not a dirty word, it just takes some time to study and like you say, listen to what you're playing. Eventually you can start to connect the dots and that opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

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Permalink Reply by Clock The Wolf on February 4, 2014 at 8:13am

Mee kan no reed wut iz diz thiree an wy hee durtee???

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on February 7, 2014 at 3:46am

Well I find particularly with adults you'll come across the idea that it is quite frequently..and excuses, like oh Jimi never knew any or whatever.

Thing to know about music theory is this.
1. It's music THEORY. not music law or music fact or whatever. It's not necessarily right or wrong, it's a way of looking at things.
2. It's not something you 'know' or 'do not know', you all know some, and none of us knows it all. How deep down this well do you want to go Alice? You know at we divide the audible part of the spectrum into an arbitrary number and give these divisions names (the notes) right? Music theory. You know after we cycle the notes we'll get back to the same note we started only higher right? (Music theory) ......

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Permalink Reply by Slowpaw Steve T on February 7, 2014 at 4:09am

Theory baffled me when i started learning music from books, and hour with a good teacher sorted all that out, so did stringing up and tuning various guitars, my first efforts were an octave too high and ....twannnnggg!  It's good to know ABCDEFG, sharp if a little higher, flat if a little lower between each note, octaves...well you needn't worry about them too much on a CBG, i use bar chords on a 4 string CBG usually, scales  i always thought of as a paint palette with your colours or notes on, things get a little more complicated with tunings, even on a four string, but if you learn a foreign language you will sooner or later need to read and write stuff in the language, so yes most definitely theory isn't a dirty word, if you are writing songs you will need some! (-;

 

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Permalink Reply by Jim Morris on February 7, 2014 at 4:29am

Very well expressed Patrick! I know plenty of great players who don't "know" any theory. They know the sound they want and how to get it on an instrument. But they aren't able to express verbally what they just did. I was trained(at my parents insistence) at a young age in classical and later in jazz theory and I think it helps my playing. I still play with folks who look at me like I'm speaking Greek when I say "it's in Dorian mode" Oh, I guess that is Greek! I usually don't bring this stuff up at get togethers but it sure is nice to know what to do when somebody says "play the 6minor chord there" . The nice thing about this is that there's room for lots of differing skill levels and knowledge levels when it comes to playing for fun and unless someone asks I try to not get into big theory discussions.

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Permalink Reply by Rouxdy Blues on February 8, 2014 at 5:55am

You know that scene in the Charlie Brown Christmas show when all he hears the teacher say is "wah wah wah?"

If I could have grasped any of that I think I wouldn't have gave up some 35 odd years ago.  

I've learned a lot from your site.  I just learn differently, I guess.  It's frets and riffs and repetition that works for me.  And, if I don't get any better than I am today, I'll be good with that.  It's still joyful noise to me.  :)  

Keep doing what you're doing Patrick... it's greatly appreciated.  Just keep in mind some of us aren't there yet.  

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