Theory

[doctor roth]

Just getting the brains trusts opinion.

The age old question: Does studying theory too much hinder creativity ???-

Just wondering different peoples aproach. I personally do the modes and scales thing and the rest of the time i just learn from the greats.

[BrownSound1]

I had a jazz saxophonist tell me one time to learn all the scales and modes I could...then forget all that and just play. Scales are easy to learn...it's the linking the notes together in a song that is the tricky part. Especially if you are trying to make it interesting.

[Hardrock69]

Yeah...you have to know the rules before breaking them...unless you are Keith Moon...then you can glue all the rules to the ceiling of your hotel room with super glue, then dump them in the swimming pool from the 32nd floor balcony...


The trick is just to get good enough with your instrument you do not even "think" when you play.

When learning, as a beginner, it is best to learn some theory.

It is actually quite necessary, formal or not, otherwise you will have been playing for 10 years and you will still think that soloing in F is the proper thing to do when the song is in the key of E.

I once (a long, long time ago) played in band with a guitarist who was a good guitarist, but when he soloed his melodies never were relevant to the key the song was in.

So he ended up sounding like rubbish when he was improvising.

He could play the solo to Ozzy's "Mr. Crowley" flawlessly, and would get a standing ovation when we performed it in clubs.

But tell him to create his own solo and it would always sound like shit.


I also knew a classical violinist who could not improvise at ALL.

She HAD to have sheet music in front of her, or else she would be at a loss to play.

Hell, she could barely play anything from memory if there was no piece of paper in front of her.


I shudder at the thought of being incapacitated in that way.

On the other hand, 25 years ago I got a one off session gig at a local studio. I did the rhythm tracks and then the guy handed me a piece of paper with some notation on it.

It was a solo he had written out for me to play.

I could not read sheet music (still cannot), so he just told me to make up a solo.

I earned my money, he had a solo he was happy with, and that was that.


IF I were goijng to focus on session work, or something that required me to learn to read, then it would be easy to do.

However, there is no logical reason for me to read sheet music, as I learn by ear, and remember what I learn.


But that is just MY policy.

Everybody is different.

[doctor roth]

The main reason ive never bothered with sheet music is that its written for piano. It does't translate properly for guitar. Besides if EVH and tommy emmnual dont need to sight read neither do I !!!!

[thome]

My girl is zzzzzz Red HoT.........