The 3 Biggest Guitar Theory
Lies
By Don J. MacLean
www.TotallyUnderstandGuitarTheory.com
Did you know that anywhere from 90-95% of all
guitarists never learn guitar theory?
The reason?
There are 3 big lies about guitar theory:
Guitar Theory Lie # 1
"Music theory only covers out-dated concepts that
have absolutely no use for today's guitarist"
Guitar Theory Fact # 1
Music theory is simply a classification of techniques
musicians have used for hundreds of years. Music
theory shows you how music works and why certain
things sound better than others.
When music theory is applied to the guitar it is called
guitar theory, guitar music theory, or music theory for
guitar.
When you learn basic music theory you learn
techniques and principles that work in all styles of
music. As you move into more advanced music
theory you learn techniques that are specific to
different styles of music.
Guitar theory is extremely relevant for today’s
guitarist.
Guitar Theory Lie # 2
"If I learn guitar theory, I won't be able to play with
any feel, and my music will be cold and mechanical"
Guitar Theory Fact # 2`
Guitar theory gives you tools that you can choose to
use to understand music and utilize to create your
own music.
The keyword here is choose. You can still turn off your
analytical (theoretical) mind and compose freely or
just play. The choice is ultimately yours.
Guitar theory can open doors to ideas that you would
never come up with on your own.
Music theory gives you tools you can use when you
get stuck.
Let’s say you were playing the guitar and came up
with a great riff, the only problem is you can’t figure
out where you should take the riff next.
One option is for you to keep messing around on the
guitar and hope that you stumble across something
that works.
You could also try to “hear” where the riff sounds like
it wants to go to. You then need to translate what
you hear in your head onto the fretboard. When you
understand guitar theory you are able to classify
sounds, so you will usually be able to identify what
you are hearing in your head and because you can
label the sound, you will be able to replicate the
sound on the guitar.
Your other option is to simply determine what should
come next. In other words, you determine what key
you are in, what chords are used in the riff, or, are
implied by the riff, and with your guitar theory
knowledge you can start to work your way through
your many, many options. You then simply select the
one that you like best.
“Knowledge is power.”
Francis Bacon
Music theory gives you the power to make choices
among things that you would otherwise have to
stumble across. That’s why learning guitar theory will
save you tons of time and help you unleash your
creativity.
Guitar Theory Lie # 3
"Guitar theory can be really boring"
Guitar Theory Fact # 3
Guitar theory itself is not boring.
The presentation of music theory for the guitar can
sometimes be boring.
This isn't unique to guitar theory. Pick any subject
and randomly select 10 books. I'm sure you will find
that most of those books are great for insomniacs.
You might get one or two out of the ten that are real
page turners.
I'm sure you get my point. In any subject you get
lots of sleepers and only a couple of real page turners.
So here's the real important point: Now that you
know the power that music theory gives you, you
should have no problem staying motivated as you
work through any music theory book or course.
Always keep in mind that guitar theory will save you
time and allow you to ultimately understand music.
Guitar Theory Power Learning Tip:
Ask the Right Questions
A great way to keep music theory relevant and
engaging is to keep asking yourself these questions as
you learn guitar theory:
1. “How can I apply this to the guitar?”
2. "How can I use this in my guitar playing?"
So whether the theory book or course shows you how
to use the concept on guitar, you should always look
for ways you can apply the new theory to the guitar.
This also brings up the point that any time you work
on a theory book you should have your guitar in hand.
Play EVERY example in the book. This is really
important because it makes learning theory an active
process. The more active you are in your learning,
the better your results will be. Active learning is one
of the main principles of accelerated learning.
You should also be on the lookout for ways to apply
the concepts to writing songs. As you learn new
theoretical concepts, look for songs that use these
techniques.
Even the most basic concepts of music theory can
have profound applications. The most basic
theoretical concepts are used in literally hundreds of
thousands of songs.
Finally, remember that understanding music theory
will make it much easier to write your own music.
Song writing isn't as hard as you may think. Guitar
theory gives you a powerful song writing toolkit.
There are some good music theory books available,
but very few, are easily accessible for today's
guitarist. In fact, that’s why I wrote the Absolute
Essentials of Music Theory for Guitar.
I specifically designed the book to be a quick and easy
way to learn guitar theory and apply it to the
fretboard. So why not get started now? grab your
copy of the Absolute Essentials of Music Theory for
Guitar:
Learn the Guitar Theory You Need to Know - Fast, Fun
and Easy
© Copyright 2005 - 2015 Don J MacLean
604-290-2692