What is music theory?

What even is Music Theory?

(Picture of person wondering what music theory is.)

As math is to an engineer, so is music theory to a composer. It is possible to solve simple problems without directly using things like equations, but as problems become more complex knowing some math certainly helps! Knowing about equations certainly doesn’t make problems harder to solve! In the same way music theory can help you become a more capable composer, player, or even just a music enjoyer!

So what is

? Well, it’s a framework for the abstract ideas, the “patterns” so to speak, that occur in music. Just like how math is a framework of abstract ideas for how numbers interact. In math we start with numbers, then go to variables and build to equations and it just builds and builds, idea after idea. In music we start with notes and rhythms, build to scales, then chords and build and build. Music theory is not a set of rules! It is a set of theories people came up with trying to explain why things in music work the way they do. It will not hurt your ability to be creative, but rather help it!

A practical example

Say for example you are listening to some music and constantly hear the same grouping of notes used again and again. (Include example)

You decide you want to make something similar and to make your own group of notes since you “theorize” that this is an important part of what makes the song you are listening to sound the way it does. (Include new music) You have just done music theory! You wrote something new that sounds like another piece of music based on an idea you noticed!

The power of generality

At this point you may wonder, if a group of notes like that works so well, what other groups of notes will also work well? Which ones won’t? In other words you want something more general. Something that can be applied in many more situations and really open up the door to creativity. In this case we have a name for repeating figures of notes, they are called ostinatos! However there are names for other types of repeating notes, each having their own uses. The main idea is we want to be as general as possible.

It is often hard to understand something general, so it is often best that we start with specific examples and slowly work our way to more general things. This way of self discovery often leads to the most “intuitive” understanding because it is very gradual. There are other ways to learn of course but I tend to follow this one because it tends to be the one that reaches the most students and makes it easy to see how you may use such ideas in your music.

Summery

Music theory is simply recognizing musical ideas. Using these music ideas is composition. It matters because it is one of the most enabling tools you can have to progress in music quickly. It will help you write songs, beats, tracks, work with musicians, jam out, run recording sessions, and appreciate music more.

Community and Support

To get involved with our community consider: joining the Composing Gloves discord subscribing to the Composing Gloves YouTube channel.

The discord is a great place for discussion and sharing your work as you learn and practice. The YouTube channel is often be used in the course and discussions under videos that are linked will have comments tied directly to the video rather than the chaos that discord sometimes is.