John Frusciante, Is Theory Necessary To Play Guitar Or Is Playing Guitar Emotionally Enough? (2009)
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2024
- (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
John Frusciante, Is Theory Necessary To Play Guitar Or Is Playing Guitar Emotionally Enough? (2009)
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Strange that he never blinks or moves his mouth to speak, quite unique, like his guitar playing!
Whats moving your mouth got to do with playing guitar??
@@purplepudding9144 ups
@@purplepudding9144 he didn’t compare his guitar playing to not moving his mouth; he mentioned how they’re both unique lol
@@purplepudding9144 i dunno ask Jimi
LOL
I completely see where hes coming from, the emotion is always there but theory just helps add these new directions to Express those emotions.
Is like learning a new language.
I think if you are able to understand/discover the concepts the theory terms refer to intuitively and then reflect on what you find consciously and form your own associations and terms or symbols through playing and listening to others then you're basically learning the same stuff but making your own terms that relate to the same concepts that conventional theory refers to. I get conventional music theory terminology and symbolism helps a lot of people and I'm definitely not against learning it but what I'm trying to say is that if you find/observe relationships between notes on your own naturally by trying to express emotions you are feeling or noticing what others are doing or hitting random notes until you find ones that work for what you want to convey, you will find the same concepts expressed in common academic music theory and maybe even things that exist outside of it or within but with the pieces organized in newer ways that have not been popularly discovered/term coined yet and also coin your own terms or symbols for the things that have been popularly observed or not. There may be some things you might potentially overlook without studying academic theory but the same can be said about studying it and not exploring things not commonly taught. How novel music is made is by going outside the conventions or mixing pieces of old conventions in new ways etc. One big benefit to learning theory though is being able to communicate ideas with people you play music with who have also studied it with terms that everyone is familiar with and maybe you could convey the more novel and abstract ideas by mixing academic theory terms with terms you coin yourself for the more unconventional things you discover. In the end, what matters most is that you are able to convey the emotions and ideas you have in your mind and soul and are able to achieve it and share those things with others, no matter how you go about doing it
I disagree, it makes everyone sound the same because they conceptualize it the same, it limits creativity to teach everyone the same guiding theory.
@@kitscheugy7739 Not at all mate. All greatest virtuosos sound very different and they are all masters of theory. The theory doesn't limit you, it just makes you understand what you are playing. It's like saying you shouldn't learn the grammar of your own language, because you will be saying the same things as everyone else. Refusing knowledge is just ignorant and lazy. Don't be that guy.
Yeah dude. Like how Picasso studied painting formal and classical techniques and he ended up painting exactly like everyone else.
The emotion is the driver and the theory is the route of the road.
Great analogy.
I agree with you 👌🏼
and I like to go off-roading 😈😈😈😈
@@damienbell5854 Great to go off-road, but impossible if you don't know where the road begins and ends :)
Theory helps you have more internal tools in the toolbox for the emotion to express through.
Theory isn't a guide. It's an explanation. The theory vs emotion argument is a false dichotomy.
I'll bet you're a HUGE RHCP fan.
Fuck imagine a Frusciante master class? I'd actually take it.
I believe there's at least one on youtube. Search for it.
all fun n games till he starts talking abt demons from the 4th dimension. jokes aside. I'd sign up no caps
@@probathroomsingeryx I think that would make it even better. Hahaha
Masterclasses are kinda lame, did one with Bill Kelliher love the dude but wasn't worth the money tbh. There was some bitchy manager lady like ushering the thing to end quickly got to ask one question for 100 dollars which is lame.
@Dan Moodie I'm just trying to learn a little about music theory and hear about some 5th dimension demons... Hahaha
I feel John is absolutely correct. I spent 8 years playing guitar and pretty much just winging it and looking up tabs for songs I liked and occasionally trying to make my own music but I could never figure out how to make the sounds I wanted to hear. I would eventually get bored playing the same things over and over and really felt no real progress being made so I would stop playing for years. Now as Ive very recently picked up the guitar again, I finally feel it’s time for me to learn how music works and the theory behind why certain things sound good and hopefully get a better understanding of music so I can be as expressive as Ive previously wanted to be but couldn’t. Probably a run on but whatever 😂
I Use to jam with some guys and one of them asked if I had study music theory. I told him I had not.
He was looping different things and I'd just listen and start playing a bass groove over it, that's why he asked if I had.
I'm 40 and started playing guitar at 14 and bought a bass in 2008.
I was blessed to always have others around me that played and that's how I learned.
I love that I can go on RUclips and learn and continue to progress.
Playing with other musicians who are ahead of you in terms of experience and technical prowess is the fastest way to hone your craft.
"I want to know less about what I'm doing", said nobody ever.
Theory is a set of Tools, not a set of Rules.
Said the zen men
If you try to be too analytical you will lose that creative spark.
Good description. Guidelines.
@@StuartFuckingLittle Being very analytical can boost your creativity immensly. I would rather say you might lose your emotional focus, but this can be avoided anyway.
@@intriguingmusic3734 The whole point of music is to convey emotion, not to be analytical. The more analytical you become (i.e the more filters you add) the more generic your music becomes. Music is driven by emotion. It can be what you leave out that makes art. The simplest of songs can be the most beautiful. The theory is simply a tool that can help direct your creativity.
"Knowledge is freedom and ignorance is slavery." - Miles Davis
"It's not all smoke and mirrors. Some of it comes from books." - Charlie Parker
Its mostly like, You cant play jazz without knowing theory. But even then a lot of these people learned theory from a more internalized way and not from books. A lot of these legends couldnt even read. But it is important to know about harmony (or "theory") whether literally or subconsciously, this is only for playing jazz, and styles of music derivative from it (like modern r&b). I think most styles of music, ie: subgenres of rock, DONT require theory
I’m not an expert, but I feel like a little theory doesn’t hurt. I just learn as I go.
Yes, a little to help you along is good.
Exactly. As with anything that is ever truly useful, you have to relate it to what you're doing. Just studying and reading theory without putting it into practice is useless.
You'll never write a bad song simply because you know too much theory.
You might just give yourself a headache because when you can see all the dead ends in front it can look quite intimidating.
@UCqW25Fx3VsepX_R754sOy0w College students with music appreciation degrees?
Answer: “Yes”
The breakdown: Just listen to me play with emotion. I don’t have a theory background, and I fumble each time I try to play from my heart outside of a limited pentatonic (blues) scale. It’s like understanding and speaking a language: The more vocabulary and grammar you absorb, you stand a much better chance of becoming a great writer because your education becomes a natural part of the process. Same goes for theory, allowing a musician to improvise. It’s not everything, but anyone would find it difficult to locate any credible musician who believes theory hurts the creative process.
thats you not everyone
You CAN play music and do it very well without theory. But learning theory will NOT take away from your craft. It will only enhance it.
Side note: to think that John was once on the brink of death-to come back and continue to be a role model in so many ways is beautiful.
@Joey Diaz The reason it's called "theory" is because you can, as you allude to, create art however you wish. But learning the intricacies of how other humans have created for millennia will allow you to wield old creative tools so that you may develop new ones.
@Joey Diaz you sound like someone that hasn't learn music theory lmao. Learning music theory has only opened more doors for creativity. It's not a rule book, it's just giving shit a name. Now I know a lot of things exist that I never knew about and I can utilize them in my own music. It's especially important on guitar because knowing where to place your finger to achieve certain sounds is what unlocks speed and creativity. You don't think about theory when you actually play, that'd be silly. You just have a much larger vocabulary if you learn theory.
or, make you always over think what you are doing, which is not a good thing. There is a period of learning Theory and then not allowing it to stifle creativity by always making you second guess what you are composing. That comes with practice.
@@ToddTheJoker Everyone's experience is different. To generalize about music theory in this negative way is not productive. And John actually addresses this issue in the video, so I will defer to his take on it.
took me way too long to realize that this wasn’t a live cam interview, and john wasn’t just staring waiting to answer a question. wow, what a day this will be
Learning the theory behind the music you love will only open up the creative avenues and that magic that you felt when you had a limited understanding will be easier to grasp, replicate, master and you too will be able to pass on that feeling of "Magic" to others! Great talk Mr Frusciante.
This man is amazing. He barely moves the entire interview
I love this coming from one of my favorite guitar players. I just don’t think someone can truly master music without studying theory and harmony. Its essential
The way he sees and feels music creates such emotional music. All of his emotions come through his guitar.
The way that John looks at music is very inspiring to me can't wait for his new music to release 😋🌶️🤘🎸
Reading music and music theory are two different things.
Not really. All those notes on the staff have intervallic relationships. Understanding them makes reading them much easier.
@@gkniffen I get that...but when I think of learning intervals, Diatonic scales, and how to build chords, it's really not necessary to know how to read a staff.
@@josephsong8911 damn I wish I could read this
Yep totally right reading a book Doesn’t teach you the rules of grammar it’s there in action but doesn’t explain why it works. (Unless it’s a book on grammar 😂😂)
I started playing guitar 10 months ago because of John. I have come further than I ever thought I would, learning chords, theory, and now can improvise my own solos. Just wanted to say that if you are truly devoted to something, you can accomplish whatever you want to! 🎸🔥🌶
Good going mang! I started at 13 or so and it took me about a year until I was able to play anything worthwhile. It certainly is a learning curve but once you get your hands working with your brain it becomes so easy.
Man, then you've come along farther than me I did in 10 years. Keep it up, dude!
Damn i also learned 10 months ago because of john and i have progressed likely as you, john's a fucking hero man
Wait until you are 40 years down the road. You will blow your own mind. Enjoy the ride my friend.
yo how the fuck do you improvise
Dear RHCPtv1 thank you for always finding great John Frusciante Music-Guitar Interviews...
- Andrew Karczewski :-)
Theory is just a language to describe the relationships between notes. People like Hendrix or Paul McCartney famously "didn't know" theory, but they intuitively knew it or internalized it by listening to records figuring out songs. Hendrix is all pentatonic scale and whether he knew it was called "pentatonic scale" or not he knew those BB and Albert King licks and that RnB rhythm playing style from the Chitlin' circuit, he just reimagined it - processed it all together. Nobody who studied guitar would play with their thumb over the top like he did but doing that allowed him to do so much more technically than someone who learned properly would or could even conceive. I think if you know theory it can show what is possible and why something works or might not work musically; but it can also hold you back if you aren't also creative enough to mess with those rules.
"Theory" is not a way to learn the guitar, it's simply means you understand or can articulate exactly what you are playing. Theory is categorically not a barrier to creativity, creativity resides in the individual, the only difference being some can explain what they've done and others can't.
Hendrix knew music theory very well and certainly knew what the pentatonic scale was, as he was a professional jazz musician for a significant period of his career. He was more familiar with the numeric system used in jazz than sheet music (as most guitarists are), but definitely knew the fretboard inside and out in that language. Playing with his thumb over the top allowed him to add a lot of flourishes to his chords that originally come from jazz, where there tends to be more spacing between the bass and higher notes in a chord.
If you know the names of the notes - that's theory. If you know how many beats there are in a bar - that's theory. Almost every musician knows some theory and uses theoretical terms to talk about music, even if they don't think they do.
That's the thing, you literally can't write if you don't understand some theory. It's seriously handicapping to ignore it.. It's like trying to talk without learning language..
i think they are referring to advanced theory, like sus chords, diminished chords, slash chords, and nashville number system, and scales/modes, and all the other complicated stuff
@@dulla8469 but even simple theory is required to write a song. You can't just play any note.. Whether you know what you're doing or you fumble around you'll be working within the confines of theory
intervals baby
@@dulla8469 That's not really "advanced" theory though. Once you understand scale degrees and how they're used to construct chords then every chord follows the same logic with either more or less notes, whether it's a basic triad or a dense 5 note chord. I would consider advanced theory to be more toward concepts like chord substitutions and inversions, superimposition of scales, odd rhythmic tuplet groupings septuplets/quintuplets, voice leading/counterpoint. It's about that next layer of usage of the basic concepts outside of "here's the shape of this chord".
Theory is the roadmap. But not nearly enough to enjoy the journey.
Right on! Never heard “...Jimi Hendrix...Johnny Marr...” side-by-side before.
I really dug how he threw in Fugazi to cap off the trio
Whether you choose to learn theory or not is up to you, but don't even flirt with the thought that it could be a waste of time. I don't think anyone that learns it ever looks back at it with regret.
It's like travelling with and without GPS/map. Sure you'll get where you want but you may lost your way and discover something you wouldn't with it but if you really need to get somewhere in particular it's just like using that map/gps
Ever wondered why in School we used to learn Algebra, Geometry, Chemistry, Physics and never uses in real life irrespective of kind of jobs we do now. Same goes with Music Theory. They are set of protocols which makes your application strong, it helps to develop mind. A Musician capable of understanding theory is far better.
Wise words from a master of the instrument. I’m currently in that “strained” period of not being creative, and solely focusing on theory. It sucks, but it’s great.
Theory is for solving problems and being able to communicate with other musicians. Without theory it's very hard to not get stuck after a while. Musicians don't need theory all the time, but I find that most musicians who don't have theory don't progress beyond their comfort zone. Band members who don't have theory also tend to make the process of learning music much slower than those who who do have theory and can have it quickly explained to them without it becoming a music lesson every time.
John giving props to Fugazi = respect
Fugayzi, fugazi. It's a whazy. It's a woozie. It's fairy dust. It doesn't exist.
I've always thought it silly how some people think theory gets in the way of their creativity. Nothing has stopped you from doing what you were already doing, it's just that now you know what it is. People then say "Oh but now I've got to work within all these systems and rules" no you don't, just get creative and know what it is that you are actually doing, let it guide you to new and interesting directions.
it’s actually pretty interesting, i once listened to an interview where John said that it’s useful to know music theory and study the rules and you can find new ways to break them.. i’m also studying music theory and we’ve gotten to a unit where we’re studying the basics of tonal writing so that we can actually learn to _break from them_ when we write our own music
I think if you are able to understand/discover the concepts the theory terms refer to intuitively and then reflect on what you find consciously and form your own associations and terms or symbols through playing and listening to others then you're basically learning the same stuff but making your own terms that relate to the same concepts that conventional theory refers to. I get conventional music theory terminology and symbolism helps a lot of people and I'm definitely not against learning it but what I'm trying to say is that if you find/observe relationships between notes on your own naturally by trying to express emotions you are feeling or noticing what others are doing or hitting random notes until you find ones that work for what you want to convey, you will find the same concepts expressed in common academic music theory and maybe even things that exist outside of it or within but with the pieces organized in newer ways that have not been popularly discovered/term coined yet and also coin your own terms or symbols for the things that have been popularly observed or not. There may be some things you might potentially overlook without studying academic theory but the same can be said about studying it and not exploring things not commonly taught. How novel music is made is by going outside the conventions or mixing pieces of old conventions in new ways etc. One big benefit to learning theory though is being able to communicate ideas with people you play music with who have also studied it with terms that everyone is familiar with and maybe you could convey the more novel and abstract ideas by mixing academic theory terms with terms you coin yourself for the more unconventional things you discover. In the end, what matters most is that you are able to convey the emotions and ideas you have in your mind and soul and are able to achieve it and share those things with others, no matter how you go about doing it
Exactly. And maybe you can avoid the vice of using the Vmin - bVI progression in every goddamn song.
"Nothing has stopped you from doing what you were already doing, it's just that now you know what it is." No truer words have been spoken. I've been playing the piano for a few years now and my friend who's a heavy metal guitarist has been teaching me about theory here and there. Even though I was playing the correctly, I just didn't know the technical terms of what I was doing. I still don't know everything, but learning theory as I go.
I think it's fallacious to say that people didn't know what they were doing when they played without knowing music theory. People knew what they were doing. They knew it worked. They remembered what worked. Then they wrote it down. That's music theory. It's just a way to organize the knowledge gained by people who knew what they were doing. If you're just randomly playing notes on a fretboard with no conception or perception in your mind of what sounds good, then you don't know what you're doing. But if you play something that sounds good to me, and I can tell it sounds good to you, then you know what you're doing, whether or not you can tell me what the name of that chord is. You just have a different way of understanding it. The Beatles did not know music theory, and they knew what the hell they were doing. It's like their producer, George Martin, said in his book, "All you need is ears."
Miles Davis said something to the effect that you want to learn all the theory you possibly can and then forget it all. That’s why I love theory, you put in that hard work so that when you do approach music as communication, all of what you’ve learnt is there under the surface helping you out!
First you feel it then you learn how to do it like SRV said ✌️
Took me a while to realize he was never gana blink or move his mouth
“Or those guys in FUGAZI are” damn right. John is so rad.
I'm loving all these uploads lately, especially being able to hear from John. I'm glad he's doing better these days.
Whatever you say John, you rock and youre always wonderful 🌶🎸
Theory definitely helps, especially with song writing because it makes it easier know which roads you can turn down next, but I agree that it's not necessary. A lot of great sounding musicians don't know anything, but learned what sounded good as they went.
Unbelievable news that John has rejoined. Josh did himself and the rhcp proud but John will always be the king. I can't wait to hear what they release next. Their music makes me so happy. My favourite band of all time. Long live the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
They should have kept Josh on though. A 5 peice Chili peppers would be awesome.
@@aaronpannell6401 that’s how I felt about Dave Navarro
“Learning the Rules to know how to break them with finesse.”
I heard him say this a long time ago, and ever since I have made it my mantra.
It’s kind of corny but this is number two on my own rules of rock ‘n’ roll.
Taking what he said into account one can learn to play the guitar in a single year, by practicing on purpose.
Number three I got from Slash, and it is very true for anyone trying to pick up the guitar. The three Ps,
Persistence, Patience, and Perseverance.
I have played guitar for 53 years. Regardless of your level John Is a master.
Dude really? I’ve only been playing for 5 and I wanna see your improvisation, cause I have a really hard time improving and my lack of theory might be a cause of that 😂
Playing trumpet for years in school has helped me immensely when communicating ideas with other musicians. It’s just a language.
When I was a kid I learned everything by ear, that was a skill I worked very hard at. I never learned a lick from tabs and there were no RUclips videos. Along the way, I learned basic music theory almost incidentally but truth be told it made little or no difference to my overall enjoyment.
I took a music theory class in high school, it got me pointed in the right direction. Now in my adult years I've have a renewed interest in taking it further and it has been fun. RUclips videos on theory as it applies to your instrument have been invaluable.
Leonard da Vinci said .... " emotion is the boat ... reason is the map and compass "
If you want to do session work and earn a living as a working musician, theory is a must.
He is the biggest inspiration for me to playin guitar. And he is also the reason why i choose guitar to play
I'm chuckling at hundreds of people flexing on the same side of a point that wasn't even really contested in the interview.
The more a person knows about mechanics and terminology about a skill they are learning, the better. This is true of all skills. The more you know, the better; and music is no exception. It's not logically debatable.
Knowing how techniques are applied matters.
*I, myself; have greatly enjoyed the discovery of music on my own. I learned my first bit of theory by playing by ear and copying people who knew theory. I knew the notes on the fretboard, and noticable patterns took shape. I then actually studied theory, and filled in the gaps of what I was missing, and it's absolutely helpful to any musician.
There, I added to the pile, haha.
Use music theory to help you express yourself emotionally. Learn the rules before you break them. Some of the best songs of all time were written by artists who used music theory to explain why their ideas sound so good.
Precisely
Personally I've learned to play and improvise by myself mostly by trial and error. Later I realized most of what I was doing mapped onto some scales.
I was able to play stuff that satisfied me and that the people who heard it thought was beautiful. But I have to say also that having no real grasp on what I was doing made everything I did mostly a trial-and-error search.
And eventually it became difficult to step outside of ingrained patterns.
It also made me unable to really jam with people. Like, sure, once I understand the bass line, I can sort of know what I can do, but in a quite limited way, and I feel boxed pretty quickly.
I known a few guys who went to college in music and although I'm actually more technically advanced than they are, they can jam together much more easily than I can. They can communicate way better also, about what they want to try and then just get going with it. Whereas if I want to try something, I basically have to start playing it so they catch my drift.
I play only for fun so it's no big deal for me. I'm fine with not spending the time to learn all this stuff. But in my experience, for someone who would want to have a career in music, not learning theory would almost be like a craftsman not acquiring all the tools of his trade. The gains in productivity and possibilities that you'll get from having learned the theory are invaluable.
Interesting that he mentions Johnny Marr. Feels like he’s not getting enough recognition anymore
Noel gallagher also mentioned Johnny Marr alot but yeah he's not getting enough recognition
@@gibranaditama2256 yes I know, but not in this video
Johnny Marr is a legend and is criminally overlooked
You gotta be kidding right? Johnny Marr has multiple signature guitars, & is a well known legend. The magic in that sentence, & the guitarists that have never gotten the recognition they deserve, are the geniuses in Fugazi! In fact all three of you overlooked them right here, so that proves my point...
Sometimes I am searching for a specific chord based on the emotion and I have to experiment note by note until it’s right(when it’s a complex chord I am trying to find the feeling of), if I knew more theory I might just know “oh I want (this chord)”
I’m not talking basic chords, I’m talking jazz level stuff.
Love how he mentions Hendrix and Marr in the same sentence!
Study complement pretty well with passion and talent.
Everyone starts learning theory and at a point stops using it. If you play long enough, you almost always come back to learning more. The more you play, the more theory you become interested in. You don't have to, but if you play long enough, you want to.
Learning theory gives you a palette of options to express yourself. You have to learn the rules to have a good understanding and feel for when to bend or break the rules tastefully.
It helps to write if you know how to read
Bill Evans is a great musician to look into regarding this topic, he spoke a lot about it
By learning chords and which ones sound good together you are in a sense learning theory, continual study of theory just helps your emotional playing sound better.
I've always looked at theory in a similar way. When I was younger, like 14-18, I got really into learning about theory. I took a beginner theory class in high school, and the following year took an AP theory class as an elective. Seeing as it was an AP class, there was potential for you to gain college credits. My original plan was to go to college for music. However, life happend and things didn't go that way. But I still pursued theory further on my own time. Seeing as I had a fair foundation to build on from the classes, I imagine it made it much easier to pursue independently. Rather than trying to jump into theory as an adult solely relyingon the internet or something. But anyway, whenever I've talked to someone about theory as in whether or not they should learn it, I've always told them it depends on their personal needs and goals. In other words, learning a basic level of theory may help you to communicate with other musicians, such as band members more easily. But that's assuming they know some theory themselves. But learning about keys, simple correlating chords and fundamentals of rhythm and timing could be very beneficial. That would be a practical reason to learn theory. But say you don't play with anyone else and just play off feel an from ear in your room or something. Theory's not definitely necessary. But it still could broaden your playing nonetheless less if you learn it. Just learning stuff like how to read chord diagrams and tablature might be more than enough for someones personal needs. But suppose you learn those things and become rather comfortable playing chords and some songs you've learned by ear or tablature. Why not learn a little theory? A large portion of theory is essentially for communicating with other musicians. Learning all the lingo and music jargon that allows musicians to understand eachother. Such as chord names, keys, types of meters, and terms like sharp and flat. Then another large portion is being able to read and write music in musical notation. Which correlates with the music lingo, but you're writing these things on something like paper in actual musical notation. Only a small portion of theory is actually writing or composing music. It's more or less a guide to what type of things typically sound appealing an a way to communicate efficiently. It's important to remember that it is a theory and not a law. Hence, why I said it's a guide to what typically sounds appealing. Learning theory, you'll eventually learn about things like functional harmony and modal harmony. What im pointing out is, just because something doesn't sound conventionally appealing like things most related to functional harmony, doesn't mean it can't or shouldn't be done. That's the beauty of any kind or art and why people tend to refrain from rules in art as a whole and censorship. Just because you may learn what harmonies tend to work nicely shouldn't restrain you musically. It'll just allow you to play and write with intention. Giving you the ability to pull from a spectrum between the familiar relationships with elements of functional harmony and the ambiguity of modal harmony. Not only can you learn how to read and write musical notation, but you'll learn why things sound the way they do in context on tonal relationships.
Sorry I went on a bit of a tangent there. I can talk about music and theory all day. I absolutely love music in itself, and theory's just an aspect of that. Lol.
I read it all lol
You can play guitar emotionally. Im self taught first and found the notes and chords and technique i want to play on my own by discovery. However, soon after you find yourself really looking at learning theory. I did and it surprised me that the patterns i have been using now have formal names, where in the past it was just a pattern i felt was right.
"Necessary" is a funny word. You can manage to be emotional without understanding what makes the sounds work. I like to think of it as similar to giving a speech in a foreign language you don't understand. You can memorize the words, copy the noises, and have an idea of what the words are expressing, but without actually speaking the language, you'll never be able to communicate more than that.
I have really strong misgivings about this question. it is a lovely idea that you can just play music or draw, but in reality you need to learn theory and technique. John answers it well. People thinking it comes naturally is bad because it stops people from playing. They think only some people have a gift. Listen to John. He is one of the best guitarists ever. He said it didn't come naturally. He put in work learning how to play and then he got creative and amazing.
I've learned a lot of theory from the go when I started learning guitar at 12 and I couldn't agree more. There was a point when I felt limited by it because I used to make a conscious effort to make a song sound tonal, but as he said, when you absorb all of that, it's not that it's necessary, but it sure is a great tool. I usually write from feeling now without thinking about theory but for example when I'm stuck sometimes I still consciously use that to say "okay, let's make it interesting and put a chord that's not in the tonality of the song", or "let's change the metric" and hearing that 'unexpected' change makes it easier to keep developing intereting ideas without being stuck, while I'd probably have to put more effort if I didn't know what I was doing musically
The thing is not letting theory mold your style, just using it to understand music better and as a resource
Man, I wish I heard john's take on this in 2009 when I was 15 years old and playing in a RHCP cover band. Now i'm 28 and never learned theory and hardly play anymore. John's the reason I picked up a guitar, he's who I tried to sound like, and then I became stagnant because I couldn't move on to other things because I'd only play with emotion and skill - no theory.
You should go back to playing, but start fresh. You should check out Ben Eller on youtube. He simplifies music theory and makes videos that even I can comprehend (no small feat). The-Art-of-Guitar is another good one to check out and who might be able to help you progress. Because it's great that you were playing in a band! A lot of people have a ton of music theory but still can't play with other people.
@@AKartes In addition, I'd recommend Paul Davids. His videos are super approachable and just pleasant to listen to, but still challenge you after seeing how well he plays.
He is right!
Also I made the mistake not to learn enough theory to understand music.
I played for years with the stuff I knew and did not understand why with one song everything seemed to work, and with another song everything went south. I recently started over again to study music theory and I found the hole I had for years. But changing what is in your head for years is not easy. On top of that I had an accident that damaged fingers on my left hand. So I play in open D. So converting from standard tuning is also a struggle with a lack of theory.
I use tape on my fretboard to learn and get the mental image John is talking about. I just write on the tape and use colored marker to make scales and paterns. Just one at a time till it sticks.
To me that is the best way to understand.
"I can hear parts of the song and already know how to play it"…that's a great insight for him to say because a lot of guitar players have that same exact ability including me (even if we execute it sloppily we will automatically know the chord progressions as soon as we hear the beginning of a song)
It’s much easier to improvise and put your heart into the notes and melody if you know where to find them.
love this man, ppl always say i look and sound like him when i do music livestreams so ill take the compliment
I've just started learning properly. Could be useful for sure, but some of it goes over my head, especially the minor/diminished stuff.
John Modeski once said "learn everything you can about music, then forget about it".
Music theory is like language, if you understand the language better you can express emotions and thoughts better. Telling people you dont need theory just emotions is like saying you can speak German or any other language you don't know without learning it. I know this idea comes probably a lot from the punk aesthetic of the 80s 90s but believe i or not most of those punk musicians knew some level of music theory but its cool to be indifferent about it.
Basic fundamentals are a must for time saving reasons. Most of the best guitar players I know have no idea where they are theoretically. Some of the worst, know every last little thing there is to know and would rather talk about it than actually play the dang thing.
Theory took the shock and aw out of playing guitar for me but made building progressions a lot easier.
It's hard to remember all your riffs if you can't write them down. I guess you can tab them out if you feel they are that important.
Music Theory is a very important tool. You can learn some of it by intuition and if you're satisfied creating just with that is ok, but if you feel like you wanna do more you can dive a little more into it and open your mind. Some people say it takes away emotion from your playing, making you like a robot. I think that's more you than the theory. You can have lots of fun exploring new territories in music with music theory and finding more interesting and cool ways to express your emotions, and pushing you to create something you've never imagined the other way.
Learning theory is like learning alphabets. I know lot of phrases but can’t construct a sentence. I am happy repeating the phrases though and learning new ones.
Theory isn’t a must given many learn off tabs and basic chord shapes, but it’s a HUGE level-up. It’s like taking the training wheels off, or eliminating the need for a translator. Music is a language and has to be studied as such.
Dude knows how to convey a thought.
where is the full interview to this? I really want to listen to it!
I vote that it's worth it. My personal view is that learning theory is analogous to practicing religious rituals - if it's done only by rote it can be pleasurable and satisfying on a surface level but in actuality if it's used as a tool or a pathway it can guide you to something deeper and way more satisfying. I view learning theory as something that can expand your horizons as a player or listener
I feel like he is looking into my soul , without blinking .
If u dont know a little theory then youre during yourself a disservice and holding yourself back and will never be able to fully let go and play with freedom
I’m honestly just too lazy to learn theory. Maybe in the future...
It's not as daunting as it seems.
Check out Steve Stine's videos on theory. He breaks it down so easily.
Dont neglect it man, you will hit a wall and quit if you dont learn some.
Eventually you will become more interested in it as you progress
You don’t have to go nuts. Just some solid basics (most of what you already subconsciously know from playing) and you get that “clear to me” that John mentioned.
I always love hearing John speak about his craft.....
It's like anything, you do something so much you'll tend to pick up why and how it works. You begin to pick up on other people around having conversations about how it works.
Having a hard time making eye contact with this video...
I play guitar and sing a bit. I've educated myself on some basic theory, and can name and find the notes on my guitar. I'm no theory Nazi, but more often than not, the people I've played with are not just ignorant of music theory, they have contempt for it. Ignorance is nothing to be proud of, and as Fruscicante points out, it's limiting. While setting limits can certainly help the creative process, I like to explore many options before deciding what genre or musical form I want to work inside of. Theory is simply a system of notation. A language. A way of codifying harmonic relationships. It serves as shorthand - and facilitates communication and thus collaboration with other musicians. Even if it's something as basic as "Let's do a 12 bar Blues jam in "E". Armed with that, even a rank amateur can play and comp with the best in the world if they know the 1-5-4 progression. They can solo over it too, even if they only have a basic command of the first position pentatonic scale, and know where to find it's root note. Hint: It's at the 12th fret.
Knowing theory is one thing, having the time to put it in practice without creatively deviating from it, is another.
Tried theory found it boring, could never get it to stick in my brain. Learned to do it by ear, i taught myself to remember shapes and runs(scales) and where on the guitar to use these shapes with certain chords. I believe this method taught me to be my own player and connect more with what i write and not sound like anyone else!!
Genius at work! Thanks for the music John!
I always got the impression that John struggles with sobriety because he feels too much. Everything goes straight to the heart and he holds onto it while he analyzes it. He has no exterior armor to deflect the world like most people do. He reminds me of a Druid or something like that.
I was 13 when Scar Tissue came out . I absolutely loved the book. And the album californication . John Frusciante who’s idol has been Hendrix you can really hear the influence in his guitar work.. I’ll go now
I'm trying to teach myself music theory, but over the last 20 years of just playing by ear I have already picked up on more than I thought.
I use theory when learning new material, it makes it faster. Once it is internalized, I play! (knowing my harmonic options and whatnot)
I'm not a religious person but I'll say "amen" to that.
It's neither a parallel nor orthogonal issue, i.e. those are related but not opposite to each other. You will simply limit yourself by going 100% one way. There's a synergy to be harnessed so why consider fundamentalism. You can memorize sounds on neck and play with it, but it's going to be hella easier to start jamming with people if you learn at least pentatonic shape and notes on E string. Conversely you don't need to know every technical term for whatever you are doing or be able to transcribe it.
It's better to know music theory but not to forget how to play from heart, playing notes you hear in your head rather than notes you just know will sound good because theory says they will.
I think if you are able to understand/discover the concepts the theory terms refer to intuitively and then reflect on what you find consciously and form your own associations and terms or symbols through playing and listening to others then you're basically learning the same stuff but making your own terms that relate to the same concepts that conventional theory refers to. I get conventional music theory terminology and symbolism helps a lot of people and I'm definitely not against learning it but what I'm trying to say is that if you find/observe relationships between notes on your own naturally by trying to express emotions you are feeling or noticing what others are doing or hitting random notes until you find ones that work for what you want to convey, you will find the same concepts expressed in common academic music theory and maybe even things that exist outside of it or within but with the pieces organized in newer ways that have not been popularly discovered/term coined yet and also coin your own terms or symbols for the things that have been popularly observed or not. There may be some things you might potentially overlook without studying academic theory but the same can be said about studying it and not exploring things not commonly taught. How novel music is made is by going outside the conventions or mixing pieces of old conventions in new ways etc. One big benefit to learning theory though is being able to communicate ideas with people you play music with who have also studied it with terms that everyone is familiar with and maybe you could convey the more novel and abstract ideas by mixing academic theory terms with terms you coin yourself for the more unconventional things you discover. In the end, what matters most is that you are able to convey the emotions and ideas you have in your mind and soul and are able to achieve it and share those things with others, no matter how you go about doing it
I play with emotion and it just happens. I am 44 been playing since i was 7 years old. I started with a harmony strat copy and a 3 knob tri star amp . A clean clear sound builds you and then effects and distortion can be a wall to hide behind . Or a turbo charger thrusting you.
I want to learn music theory. So basically not knowing theory is like knowing just a few words of a foreign language and when you hear someone say a word you know you say "hey I know that word" but when you know theory you know the language.
First step is learn some of the note locations. I started by learning just the E string notes. Work from there, and build it up. Even when I was learning how to build chords, or what the notes are in particular scales, I just memorized. The "understanding" part came later.
@@nathanmantle377 I learned the C major scale already which is the easiest apparently. Now I need to learn what chords go in that scale and so on
@@russellhayden82 In any of the major scales, there are 7 notes, and one chord for each of those notes. Chords 1, 4, and 5 are major, chords 2, 3, and 6 are minor, and the chord built from the 7th "degree" of a major scale is diminished (not to be confused with a "7th chord" - that's a different thing). So in the key of C, the basic chords are C major, D minor, E minor, F major, G major, A minor, and B diminished. I'd learn just those for now, and forget about adding extensions (e.g. major 7 chords). Just play songs and spend a few minutes a day just memorizing that the 1st, 4th, and 5th chords of any key are major, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th are minor, and 7th is diminished. After that, I'd find a list of songs that are in C major, G major, D major, A major, etc and just learn the chords in each key by applyng them to actual songs. Comment back here once you're ready for the next "lesson", haha.
@@nathanmantle377 lol thanks I really need to learn this stuff but every time I try I get confused or bored but that was a really simple explanation that I can understand thank you