wjfkddf Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 http://www.futureproducers.com/forums/production-techniques/theory-composing-sound-design/too-much-music-theory-can-seriously-damage-your-musical-health-364157/9/ In this website, people are talking about how learning music theory can somewhat get in the way of being creative. Do you think this is true? For me, I'm planning to learn basic music theory such as major, scale, chord, interval, harmony, playing by ear.. etc because even though I can somehow imagine the melody and the type of song I want to write in my head, since I don't know what the notes sound like, I was planning to learn the theory (I mean, I don't wanna spend hours trying out every single notes until I get the sounds I want even though I know the sound I want in my head). Do you guys think learning these things too much will get in the way of being creative? thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 The simple answer is, things only get in the way if you let them. There may be teachers out there (fortunately, I haven't had to deal with them) who say you can't do this or that. That might be true when you take their class, but once you've moved on, you can write what you want. It's a free country, unless "wjfkddf" is a Russian last name. Ear training would be worth your time. Not every teacher teaches that. Some think that it can't be taught, but it can. "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Indeed, relative pitch (as opposed to perfect pitch) has been a key component of my songwriting skills my entire life. If you can't find the notes you hear in your head, how can you replicate them on an instrument? A bunch of loud, obnoxious music I USED to make with friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjfkddf Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 so you guys think the ways I'm planning to do as I explained before is a bad idea? Rather than reading music, I plan to feel the music by getting used to the sound and training my ear and learning how to identify notes (basic technique related stuff) to bring about the song I want to play in my mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 People who diss music theory as a barrier to creativity are generally people who have never once attempted to understand music theory. The vast majority I've ever interacted with are also people who "write" songs that are extremely derivative, uninteresting, and completely UN-creative. Not to mention they use the "barrier to creativity" argument as an excuse for their ignorance/laziness. Knowledge never stopped anyone from writing a song. Lack of knowledge stopped many people from writing interesting songs. I offer up the vast majority of Trance, Techno, and most other beat-driven electronic music as examples. A bunch of loud, obnoxious music I USED to make with friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 The more you know, the more you can do. Theory can often lead you to solutions that you might not have thought of. Learning what other people have done can also do that, and give you ideas as well. It may be that what you have in your head came from something you've heard, so learning other's songs will help you figure out what you're hearing. IOW, don't stop learning. As you learn more, you'll find you're capable of doing more yet also needing to learn more. "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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