I made this video to try to dispel some of the misconceptions about Music Theory and its usefulness as well as its limitations. My Patreon Page www.patreon.co...
Tim is truly one of the greats of Jazz Guitar and what makes him so darn effective is his genuine love of the craft and people in general. I am being very sincere about this. There is simply no trace of ego or that competitive, "look at me" attitude. Tim exudes pure talent, passion and honesty in both his playing AND his persona. I am always humbled by this artist and his down to Earth approach. Beautiful player and a beautiful human being. Can't get enough of this quiet delightful fellow. Thanks Tim!! :)
Great discussion, Tim! I once thought music theory was a complex, esoteric subject until I finally took the time to learn its rudiments. Basic music theory is not complex and not difficult to understand. It essentially teaches us how chords, scales and modes are constructed. If a chord, scale or mode contains a minor third, or b3rd, we immediately know it's a minor or diminished chord, scale or mode. If a chord, scale or mode contains a major third, major 3rd, we know immediate it's a major or dominant chord or mode. Such simple facts are essential to know. I don't have the greatest ear, but knowing basic music theory has helped me figure out some musical ideas, because I use it as a reference as it was intended to be used. Believe me, basic music theory is nothing mystical or difficult to learn. It will help you no matter the genre of music you play or how much playing experience you have. I encourage everyone to invest a couple of hours here and there and learn its basics. It immediately translates to the fretboard.
Here’s a simple axiom I came up with to understand the essence of what music theory is about…”we are involved in the exploration of the Intervalic structure of the 12 tones of the western scale…”
It's a HUGE time-saver, takes a lot of the guess work out. And you're STILL free to take chances any time you wish, but you have a road map or safety net to get back to "normal" quickly.
Knowledge is freedom. The more knowledge we have, the more we can implement it, the freer we are. You can always hear someone who's only learned "licks", especially if they try to play through the changes. They run out of "gas" pretty quickly. That's why Jazz can be so overwhelming. LOTS to learn, but lots to "get free" with! :) PS: and who wouldn't want to sound as free as you Tim? Great playing, as always :)
Other thoughts on music theory: - It’s a map to help you navigate. Sometimes it’s fun to explore without a map, but you still need to form some kind of map in your head to get back home or to return for another trip. - It’s a language-a way to quickly communicate to others where you are trying to go. - It’s a creative tool. If a musical idea sounds good, a little theory helps you understand why you like it, and can give you ideas how to apply it elsewhere. I liked the way you, Jamie & John all stressed that an objective of practice is to internalize the theory so you can be ear-driven on the bandstand. It’s so easy to get good sounds out of a guitar without much theory that a lot of folks stop there. Theory can seem overwhelming if too much is thrown at you at once. Like any other skill, it’s best learned in small chunks at a time. Do you have some kind of rubber washers between strings in your tailpiece? I’ve crammed some felt in mine to kill a string buzz, but that looks tidier.
I'd add that it can be a bit of a cheat code/decoder ring. By knowing the theoretical norms of a genre I can guess better what is going on in unfamiliar musical scenarios. The most simple version of this would be knowing that a large majority of blues (outside of jazz) use one pentatonic base scale over everything and that most of them are in the "guitar friendly" keys helps a ton transcribing or jamming with guys who just say "Don't worry. You'll hear it."
My 1st instrument was piano, on which I started lessons at age 7. But when my teacher suggested my next piece, I just had to ask her to play it twice, and after that I could follow the music but my ear led me. I passed all the amateur grades and taught myself guitar at 15. But I wish I had learned to read properly.
I am the type of person to get attached to music theory. I do know a little bit. Maybe much more than I realize. It is nice to know how to play a piece of music just by looking at sheet music.
I'll get right to to meat & potatoes here. Four quick points: 1) You need to learn the notes on the fretboard. There are lots of ways to do this. One way is to use memorization game apps. Another way is to write out the fretboard on paper. You only have to go to the 12th fret and you only need to fill in the whole notes if you're just starting out. 2) You need to learn your scales and the Order of Sharps and Flats. The best way to do this is to learn the Circle of Fifths. 3) You should at some point learn your natural scale patterns. There are 7 of them (or 5 if you're learning CAGED; I use the 3 notes-per-string 7-pattern system). Learn where the root notes are in each pattern. They're always in the same place for the Major scale. Minor scale root notes are in other places. But they're always in the same place no matter what key you're in. Targeting these three areas will make it possible for you to see the "Big Picture". And finally, 4) learn the Number System. I'm not gonna lie. That's a lot of stuff to learn but those are the fundamentals. And btw, none of the above info should stop you from learning chords and strumming. Keep at it. And hey, it's not a race. Enjoy the journey and have fun.
@@TimLerchGuitar 🤔 I’ve never made a video before. I may do that! And thanks for your informative video. I think people get anxious about music theory for no reason. There are lots of preconceived ideas and maybe they think, “Oh, that stuff is for ‘classy’ people.” Somebody said that to me once! I was kind offended. I told them, “Hey! I read and play music and I have no class whatsoever!” I drink beer and laugh at fart jokes. Anyhow, I always try to share the little memorization tricks that make it easier to learn music. It doesn’t have to be at the level of a college degree. Just do the basics!
Thanks for putting that into perspective. Music theory is great for exploring, learning, internalizing and finding new sounds on the fretboard. When it comes to performing, active listening is required, that means either one's music theory concepts are second nature or they don't quite match the speed of the music that is in the moment. Ralph Towner said something along those lines in an interview; sound travels faster than your thoughts. People's mileage might vary on how fast they can switch between tasks (playing an instrument is multitasking after all, right?) but I played a gig or two and the few times I opted for more elaborate thinking about mildly complex music theory concepts during the concert kinda got in the way of timing, tone and the listener's experience.
This is remarkably insightful though seemingly simple. He described it perfectly and I think its of great value to set proper bars in place based on where you expect to go with the instrument. Telling someone who wants to be a serious player that reading music/knowing the notes isn't important is a great disservice to their growth.
Love this kind of video. I've recently figured out the triad shapes in all inversions on all 'sets' of 3 strings, although it's unclear to me how to get this knowledge ingrained in my brain/hands, how to find a specific chord quickly, or even how to actually apply this to creating music. The guitar is still mostly a mystery to me.
Well done, that’s awesome. You could try taking a song you know and replacing the chords with a few inversions. I find applying these things to songs ingrains it’s better for me. I’m still working on my 1st and 2nd inversions but it seems to work for me. Good luck, stay awesome ✌🏻
You described where I’m at. To practice, I’ve been picking a key then choosing a string set and finding on the same string set the 1,4, 5 for each inversion using the closest inversions to the 1 chord . ..Then just ingraining the 12 bar blues using those close 1,4,5’s. The CAGED system helped reveal the triads to me. Long way to go before I like what I just jam out I think though but theory helps. I like the road map idea people express here. And Tim described so much of how blind I am when it comes to the healthy mentality he expresses…hoping to form a relationship with music. Best to you Kewner.
Tim, very good video. I to played for many years by ear even though I could read music but had no clue about a 1-3-5,a triad much less an arpeggio. Then, one day I determined I wanted to play and improvise. So, I started to look at jazz. What a difference. Thank you
Excellent video! The thing about theory vs feel is that theory will raise your floor (How well you play at your worst) and feel will raise your ceiling (how well you play at your best). I think there comes a point where if you only focus on one of these things, you're going to hit a wall, and the best players are the ones that understand this and are able to effectively adapt their approach to tackle those roadblocks in their practice and playing. Honestly I actually think that's just how you get good at anything. It's all balance. Anyways great stuff!
Great chat, Tim, chock full of genuine wisdom. So helpful. I’m still early in my own guitar and music-learning journey, but I can attest to the benefit of including learning music theory along with all the other skills and tools. When I added that component to my working on guitar, it really opened up music for me in so many ways. It’s truly making my learning so much more interesting and faster. Thanks, Tim!
By the way, reading music notation is also not music theory. it’s just one of the other things you can learn to do to make your musical life a little more expansive..
I'm 41 played bass guitar since I was 8. I always found rhythm and timing were the most important thing I ever learned. I meet a lot of people who know so much theory and they could never play music with anyone. I tell new people to learn the notes on the fret board, scales, and chords. Honestly to just play everyday at least an hour or two and you will get it
Great discussion (and, probably just the tip of the iceberg😉)! I think of all instruments, guitar is one that people tend to “pick up” casually, and with no real training. I spent my first 25 yrs teaching myself from LPs and the radio, etc… then, the second 25 yrs trying to understand and put into context, what I’ve been doing all this time! Looking back, I wish I had learned to read, but to this day, when playing with others, I do my best to listen to the music, and let it guide the way👍😄. Oh, and nowadays, we have those great resources like your TrueFire courses - shameless plug😉.
This was very informative, I pick and choose a lot of information from the web. But it can be daunting, and my brain becomes oversaturated with information. hopefully, soon, I am looking to study with someone or go back to a community college to continue studying. Because even with all the the knowledge out there, guidance can be a very powerful thing as well. From a musician who is in the middle of this spectrum.. I am looking to get out and watch performances and surround myself with musicians, And eventually play too. Thanks again. These types of videos are helpful:.
For years , many , I couldn’t read music. Not for not wanting to learn, I was taught to play guitar by my good friend Karl Kahabuhl , who came from a musical family. The one thing he insisted on was that I learned how to tune my guitar myself so that I would not come running to him to tune . So that was my first lesson and practice and to learn songs that we were going actually play at a newly created folk mass at his Catholic Church. In three weeks I and we had put together enough songs to perform as a trio . Our friend Mary Beth was also part of our “ folk group “ . I wasn’t Catholic, but I want to play guitar, so I got practicing learning songs until eventually I was teaching my friend Karl songs that we could use . Karl had told me that would probably be teaching him songs soon by the progress that I had made so fast . I said naw you’ve been playing longer than me . So because I was learning songs from music books and records , I ended playing by ear for years. Was in a real folk rock trio in the 70s , we recorded an demo album, then started a second recording project. We three sold 500 copies to friends. So that was our fan base . We eventually, through another young musician friend, who had his own rock band and was helping us with second recording project, suggested that we go me this gentleman who wanted to manage his band , this very nice sergeant police officer wanted to manage both bands and he did . I could go on and about how much playing I did our those years , but when turned 41years old I had the opportunity to take 6 week introductory classical guitar class at the Victoria Conservatory School of Music. I took it so I could learn how to read music and it opened up a whole new world of music that I had access to ! I learned the guitar neck , still am , because my reasons for playing now are different than when I was younger. But when I pick up the guitar now., I can still rely on my ear , but I can learn how to build chords and such now . But learning an actual songs I can work on the theory that way that just the cold notes on a page . I am slower learner that way , so I cheat some and use my ear a little more so that the theory doesn’t put me to sleep 😴
Mr. Lerch, the message is clear. We have to focus on the names of the notes (why are they so relevant for theory?!?). I got all the C easily, but I realized I did not have most of the A, G, E, and D! I still call them Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol... I'm still trying to learn what is more relevant to know first. Thank you for your in the depths! :)
Probably my biggest challenge is picking a good path to learn music theory. Any suggestions Tim? With the plethora of material out there you can quickly get overwhelmed just try to sort through and pick something to start with. While I want to learn theory so I can improvise, and more importantly sit in and play with others, it’s frustrating trying to find the learning vehicle. Suggestions welcome!!!
Learn songs and then work toward understanding why the songs flow in the way they do. Music theory in the absence of musical material ( songs) is very difficult to understand but as soon as you have a song that you’re trying to understand you can begin to see how it all works.
What I have discovered for myself is that we all learn differently. I have often felt (and still feel) frustrated by not being able to play changes the way I would like. What has helped a LOT for me was studying and really listening to, Chord Shapes. About 35 years ago, I bought the Mel Bay JAZZ GUITAR Vol 2 (method by Ronnie Lee) Jazz Chords and Their Application(that's a mouthful!) but I only really started to work with the book about 2 years ago. Getting all these standard shapes under my fingers, into my brain and really listening to how they work, has really freed me up to be able to navigate a lot more music. I no longer look at these and see "Greek"...well...TBH....sometimes I do, but learning to be patient with all this is as much a part of it as listening. Having heard all these shapes and changes for decades, but never having learned them, can be very frustrating not being able to "just play it" or "understand" it immediately. But then there are those inevitable "Aha!" moments where little pieces of the puzzle fit together and we can feel "free-er". The LISTENING seems to be the key but it does require patient exploration for it to really sink-in.
On you do not need it. All you need for any instrument is rhythm and timing. Knowing scales, notes, and chords helps but I promise you if you play any instrument at least 1-2 hours a day everyday you will learn it, you just might not know what you are playing until someone tells you. Music theory only helps you identify what other instruments are playing so you can play with them. Even then theres plenty of music where people are not playing together in the same key
Key of F in the beginning guitar bit? (I'm a harmonica player who, probably not surprisingly, learns by ear). I don't keep up with jazzy tunes much - as the improv can be too much for me to keep up with - but that style is right up my alley. Reminded me of Bill Frisell or Vince Guaraldi a little. I think going by ear and music theory have their benefits. Ideally, it's probably best that musicians try to learn in multiple ways.
Its Important alright plus you can know what the progression is example 1-4-5 or 2-5-1 then parts of chords, textures, chord tones and who`s playing what on what beat makes music more enjoyable to play.
And he can out-write any virtuoso out there. Not trying to shit on the shredders. I love them. But they bore me, too. Speed and note knowledge does not necessarily equal creativity.
Seems like it’s been “accumulating” ever since I first started playing. I guess my main point is if we pay attention and are curious will will start to see how things grow together.
@@TimLerchGuitar I take this to mean without any formal training, yes? I am self taught, but sometimes wonder if I would have less confusion and fewer gaps if I were formally trained. I agree theory is helpful and important.
Tim is truly one of the greats of Jazz Guitar and what makes him so darn effective is his genuine love of the craft and people in general. I am being very sincere about this. There is simply no trace of ego or that competitive, "look at me" attitude. Tim exudes pure talent, passion and honesty in both his playing AND his persona. I am always humbled by this artist and his down to Earth approach. Beautiful player and a beautiful human being. Can't get enough of this quiet delightful fellow. Thanks Tim!! :)
Great discussion, Tim! I once thought music theory was a complex, esoteric subject until I finally took the time to learn its rudiments. Basic music theory is not complex and not difficult to understand. It essentially teaches us how chords, scales and modes are constructed. If a chord, scale or mode contains a minor third, or b3rd, we immediately know it's a minor or diminished chord, scale or mode. If a chord, scale or mode contains a major third, major 3rd, we know immediate it's a major or dominant chord or mode. Such simple facts are essential to know. I don't have the greatest ear, but knowing basic music theory has helped me figure out some musical ideas, because I use it as a reference as it was intended to be used. Believe me, basic music theory is nothing mystical or difficult to learn. It will help you no matter the genre of music you play or how much playing experience you have. I encourage everyone to invest a couple of hours here and there and learn its basics. It immediately translates to the fretboard.
I am 68 years old and have been playing since I was 14 but still never tire of learning from you.
You're three years ahead of me...
Here’s a simple axiom I came up with to understand the essence of what music theory is about…”we are involved in the exploration of the Intervalic structure of the 12 tones of the western scale…”
I think practicing theory and technique hugely improves creativity too.
Indeed
It's a HUGE time-saver, takes a lot of the guess work out. And you're STILL free to take chances any time you wish, but you have a road map or safety net to get back to "normal" quickly.
Knowledge is freedom. The more knowledge we have, the more we can implement it, the freer we are. You can always hear someone who's only learned "licks", especially if they try to play through the changes. They run out of "gas" pretty quickly. That's why Jazz can be so overwhelming. LOTS to learn, but lots to "get free" with! :) PS: and who wouldn't want to sound as free as you Tim? Great playing, as always :)
It's not theory itself, but how you can use it to benefit your playing. Jim Hall emphasized the importance of music theory.
what a wonderful guitar! I'm so glad that it wound up in your hands.
Other thoughts on music theory:
- It’s a map to help you navigate. Sometimes it’s fun to explore without a map, but you still need to form some kind of map in your head to get back home or to return for another trip.
- It’s a language-a way to quickly communicate to others where you are trying to go.
- It’s a creative tool. If a musical idea sounds good, a little theory helps you understand why you like it, and can give you ideas how to apply it elsewhere.
I liked the way you, Jamie & John all stressed that an objective of practice is to internalize the theory so you can be ear-driven on the bandstand. It’s so easy to get good sounds out of a guitar without much theory that a lot of folks stop there. Theory can seem overwhelming if too much is thrown at you at once. Like any other skill, it’s best learned in small chunks at a time.
Do you have some kind of rubber washers between strings in your tailpiece? I’ve crammed some felt in mine to kill a string buzz, but that looks tidier.
I'd add that it can be a bit of a cheat code/decoder ring.
By knowing the theoretical norms of a genre I can guess better what is going on in unfamiliar musical scenarios.
The most simple version of this would be knowing that a large majority of blues (outside of jazz) use one pentatonic base scale over everything and that most of them are in the "guitar friendly" keys helps a ton transcribing or jamming with guys who just say "Don't worry. You'll hear it."
My 1st instrument was piano, on which I started lessons at age 7. But when my teacher suggested my next piece, I just had to ask her to play it twice, and after that I could follow the music but my ear led me. I passed all the amateur grades and taught myself guitar at 15. But I wish I had learned to read properly.
I am the type of person to get attached to music theory. I do know a little bit. Maybe much more than I realize. It is nice to know how to play a piece of music just by looking at sheet music.
I'll get right to to meat & potatoes here. Four quick points: 1) You need to learn the notes on the fretboard. There are lots of ways to do this. One way is to use memorization game apps. Another way is to write out the fretboard on paper. You only have to go to the 12th fret and you only need to fill in the whole notes if you're just starting out. 2) You need to learn your scales and the Order of Sharps and Flats. The best way to do this is to learn the Circle of Fifths. 3) You should at some point learn your natural scale patterns. There are 7 of them (or 5 if you're learning CAGED; I use the 3 notes-per-string 7-pattern system). Learn where the root notes are in each pattern. They're always in the same place for the Major scale. Minor scale root notes are in other places. But they're always in the same place no matter what key you're in. Targeting these three areas will make it possible for you to see the "Big Picture". And finally, 4) learn the Number System. I'm not gonna lie. That's a lot of stuff to learn but those are the fundamentals. And btw, none of the above info should stop you from learning chords and strumming. Keep at it. And hey, it's not a race. Enjoy the journey and have fun.
Nice, you ought to make your own video and share this outline.
@@TimLerchGuitar 🤔 I’ve never made a video before. I may do that! And thanks for your informative video. I think people get anxious about music theory for no reason. There are lots of preconceived ideas and maybe they think, “Oh, that stuff is for ‘classy’ people.” Somebody said that to me once! I was kind offended. I told them, “Hey! I read and play music and I have no class whatsoever!” I drink beer and laugh at fart jokes. Anyhow, I always try to share the little memorization tricks that make it easier to learn music. It doesn’t have to be at the level of a college degree. Just do the basics!
Thanks for putting that into perspective. Music theory is great for exploring, learning, internalizing and finding new sounds on the fretboard. When it comes to performing, active listening is required, that means either one's music theory concepts are second nature or they don't quite match the speed of the music that is in the moment. Ralph Towner said something along those lines in an interview; sound travels faster than your thoughts. People's mileage might vary on how fast they can switch between tasks (playing an instrument is multitasking after all, right?) but I played a gig or two and the few times I opted for more elaborate thinking about mildly complex music theory concepts during the concert kinda got in the way of timing, tone and the listener's experience.
This is remarkably insightful though seemingly simple. He described it perfectly and I think its of great value to set proper bars in place based on where you expect to go with the instrument. Telling someone who wants to be a serious player that reading music/knowing the notes isn't important is a great disservice to their growth.
Love this kind of video. I've recently figured out the triad shapes in all inversions on all 'sets' of 3 strings, although it's unclear to me how to get this knowledge ingrained in my brain/hands, how to find a specific chord quickly, or even how to actually apply this to creating music. The guitar is still mostly a mystery to me.
Well done, that’s awesome. You could try taking a song you know and replacing the chords with a few inversions. I find applying these things to songs ingrains it’s better for me. I’m still working on my 1st and 2nd inversions but it seems to work for me. Good luck, stay awesome ✌🏻
You described where I’m at. To practice, I’ve been picking a key then choosing a string set and finding on the same string set the 1,4, 5 for each inversion using the closest inversions to the 1 chord . ..Then just ingraining the 12 bar blues using those close 1,4,5’s. The CAGED system helped reveal the triads to me. Long way to go before I like what I just jam out I think though but theory helps. I like the road map idea people express here. And Tim described so much of how blind I am when it comes to the healthy mentality he expresses…hoping to form a relationship with music. Best to you Kewner.
Tim, very good video. I to played for many years by ear even though I could read music but had no clue about a 1-3-5,a triad much less an arpeggio. Then, one day I determined I wanted to play and improvise. So, I started to look at jazz. What a difference. Thank you
Excellent video! The thing about theory vs feel is that theory will raise your floor (How well you play at your worst) and feel will raise your ceiling (how well you play at your best). I think there comes a point where if you only focus on one of these things, you're going to hit a wall, and the best players are the ones that understand this and are able to effectively adapt their approach to tackle those roadblocks in their practice and playing. Honestly I actually think that's just how you get good at anything. It's all balance. Anyways great stuff!
It's a road map. I got those learning disabilities, and artists like you lessen the hit, thank you!
Great chat, Tim, chock full of genuine wisdom. So helpful. I’m still early in my own guitar and music-learning journey, but I can attest to the benefit of including learning music theory along with all the other skills and tools. When I added that component to my working on guitar, it really opened up music for me in so many ways. It’s truly making my learning so much more interesting and faster. Thanks, Tim!
Sorry it's been a bit....I appreciate you sir you make me better I will never stop learning...love chords and melodies....always have...
Nice explaination..it seems so simple...and the benefits are huge.. brilliant 👍
I love your approach Tim! I've always felt learning more theory benefited my playing and allowed me to play more creatively and freely. Thank you!
“Play the song in B”
“Where is B? Is it here?”
(Tim goes straight to B from muscle memory!!)
:-))))))
I know, dang! that could have been a bit more dramatic : )
Great video. Thanks for your wisdom. Love that old Gibson, too.
By the way, reading music notation is also not music theory. it’s just one of the other things you can learn to do to make your musical life a little more expansive..
I'm 41 played bass guitar since I was 8. I always found rhythm and timing were the most important thing I ever learned. I meet a lot of people who know so much theory and they could never play music with anyone. I tell new people to learn the notes on the fret board, scales, and chords. Honestly to just play everyday at least an hour or two and you will get it
Great discussion (and, probably just the tip of the iceberg😉)! I think of all instruments, guitar is one that people tend to “pick up” casually, and with no real training. I spent my first 25 yrs teaching myself from LPs and the radio, etc… then, the second 25 yrs trying to understand and put into context, what I’ve been doing all this time! Looking back, I wish I had learned to read, but to this day, when playing with others, I do my best to listen to the music, and let it guide the way👍😄. Oh, and nowadays, we have those great resources like your TrueFire courses - shameless plug😉.
Very important lesson Mister Tim, thank you. I recently bought the TC Infinite Sustainer pedal, and yes indeed it’s helpful to know theory.
This was very informative, I pick and choose a lot of information from the web. But it can be daunting, and my brain becomes oversaturated with information. hopefully, soon, I am looking to study with someone or go back to a community college to continue studying. Because even with all the the knowledge out there, guidance can be a very powerful thing as well. From a musician who is in the middle of this spectrum.. I am looking to get out and watch performances and surround myself with musicians, And eventually play too. Thanks again. These types of videos are helpful:.
Wise words, sir. Always look forward to your videos .
Hey Tim, Good video all so true! Thanks
For years , many , I couldn’t read music. Not for not wanting to learn, I was taught to play guitar by my good friend Karl Kahabuhl , who came from a musical family. The one thing he insisted on was that I learned how to tune my guitar myself so that I would not come running to him to tune . So that was my first lesson and practice and to learn songs that we were going actually play at a newly created folk mass at his Catholic Church. In three weeks I and we had put together enough songs to perform as a trio . Our friend Mary Beth was also part of our “ folk group “ . I wasn’t Catholic, but I want to play guitar, so I got practicing learning songs until eventually I was teaching my friend Karl songs that we could use . Karl had told me that would probably be teaching him songs soon by the progress that I had made so fast . I said naw you’ve been playing longer than me . So because I was learning songs from music books and records , I ended playing by ear for years. Was in a real folk rock trio in the 70s , we recorded an demo album, then started a second recording project. We three sold 500 copies to friends. So that was our fan base . We eventually, through another young musician friend, who had his own rock band and was helping us with second recording project, suggested that we go me this gentleman who wanted to manage his band , this very nice sergeant police officer wanted to manage both bands and he did . I could go on and about how much playing I did our those years , but when turned 41years old I had the opportunity to take 6 week introductory classical guitar class at the Victoria Conservatory School of Music. I took it so I could learn how to read music and it opened up a whole new world of music that I had access to ! I learned the guitar neck , still am , because my reasons for playing now are different than when I was younger. But when I pick up the guitar now., I can still rely on my ear , but I can learn how to build chords and such now . But learning an actual songs I can work on the theory that way that just the cold notes on a page . I am slower learner that way , so I cheat some and use my ear a little more so that the theory doesn’t put me to sleep 😴
Mr. Lerch, the message is clear. We have to focus on the names of the notes (why are they so relevant for theory?!?). I got all the C easily, but I realized I did not have most of the A, G, E, and D! I still call them Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol... I'm still trying to learn what is more relevant to know first. Thank you for your in the depths! :)
Tells you how to go out and then come back. Or how to stay in your lane
that is a BEAUTIFUL guitar
Well put and spot on.. Thank you for sharing or perspective.
Very insightful video, thanks for sharing your life experience through music and guitar play.
Probably my biggest challenge is picking a good path to learn music theory. Any suggestions Tim? With the plethora of material out there you can quickly get overwhelmed just try to sort through and pick something to start with. While I want to learn theory so I can improvise, and more importantly sit in and play with others, it’s frustrating trying to find the learning vehicle. Suggestions welcome!!!
Learn songs and then work toward understanding why the songs flow in the way they do. Music theory in the absence of musical material ( songs) is very difficult to understand but as soon as you have a song that you’re trying to understand you can begin to see how it all works.
@@TimLerchGuitar thanks!
What I have discovered for myself is that we all learn differently. I have often felt (and still feel) frustrated by not being able to play changes the way I would like. What has helped a LOT for me was studying and really listening to, Chord Shapes. About 35 years ago, I bought the Mel Bay JAZZ GUITAR Vol 2 (method by Ronnie Lee) Jazz Chords and Their Application(that's a mouthful!) but I only really started to work with the book about 2 years ago. Getting all these standard shapes under my fingers, into my brain and really listening to how they work, has really freed me up to be able to navigate a lot more music. I no longer look at these and see "Greek"...well...TBH....sometimes I do, but learning to be patient with all this is as much a part of it as listening. Having heard all these shapes and changes for decades, but never having learned them, can be very frustrating not being able to "just play it" or "understand" it immediately. But then there are those inevitable "Aha!" moments where little pieces of the puzzle fit together and we can feel "free-er". The LISTENING seems to be the key but it does require patient exploration for it to really sink-in.
thanks a lot
So simple so true!!! Thanks!
I love your videos, they are great!!!!
On you do not need it. All you need for any instrument is rhythm and timing. Knowing scales, notes, and chords helps but I promise you if you play any instrument at least 1-2 hours a day everyday you will learn it, you just might not know what you are playing until someone tells you. Music theory only helps you identify what other instruments are playing so you can play with them. Even then theres plenty of music where people are not playing together in the same key
Key of F in the beginning guitar bit? (I'm a harmonica player who, probably not surprisingly, learns by ear). I don't keep up with jazzy tunes much - as the improv can be too much for me to keep up with - but that style is right up my alley. Reminded me of Bill Frisell or Vince Guaraldi a little.
I think going by ear and music theory have their benefits. Ideally, it's probably best that musicians try to learn in multiple ways.
Its Important alright plus you can know what the progression is example 1-4-5 or 2-5-1 then parts of chords, textures, chord tones and who`s playing what on what beat makes music more enjoyable to play.
Develloping personal taste is more important than knowing tons of theory.
You're a Genius Tim, Great vid
Well said….and I got a mad crush on that 350
Haha! Me too and of course his Collings
"No."-Paul Westerberg.
And he can out-write any virtuoso out there. Not trying to shit on the shredders. I love them. But they bore me, too. Speed and note knowledge does not necessarily equal creativity.
Tim, I compare the person who doesn't know about theory as the one who has the ingredients to make a cake but doesn't have the recipe to make it.
Music theory, must be a tool to play better. Otherwise it don't mean a thing ( if you ain't got that swing) 😄
Grab the #6 spanner out of the boot eh mate, I'm up under the bonnet... B-)
seriously, well said, TY!
How long did it take you to acquire the music theory you now possess? Did any part of it involve formal study?
Seems like it’s been “accumulating” ever since I first started playing. I guess my main point is if we pay attention and are curious will will start to see how things grow together.
@@TimLerchGuitar I take this to mean without any formal training, yes? I am self taught, but sometimes wonder if I would have less confusion and fewer gaps if I were formally trained. I agree theory is helpful and important.
You don't need theory if you just wish to be a guitar hack. Theory is proof that your brain is the real instrument.
Tim, Who needs a 175 when you have that beauty!!
❤️🙏🇨🇦