No Mo Theory for me.

[TruthHertz]

Originally Posted by Dark Star

I have also heard from more than one person that Joe was a great player & gracious person but a poor teacher.
But I have decided to ditch theory as well. I don't want to be another egg-head jazz guitarist.
Just the other night at a rehearsal, the keyboard player asked me, "What chord was that you just played?" I said, "It's the one where my pointer finger goes all the way across the neck to fret three stings at once, but not all the strings are played. Then I put my middle finger over on the low string a fret higher than the first finger & kind of touch the fifth string so it doesn't play. Then I kind of scrunch my third finger under my first finger to fret a note above the one my first finger is fretting. I don't know which one it is. Got it?" He was frustrated but he's going to have to get used to it. I finally told him, "Just feel it, ok?"

I've learned that to get away with that kind of FK U attitude, you have to be really good. REALLY good. And in general it takes a lot of theory and hard work to get there.
But then again I'm not sure that you're not pulling all our legs here. Hold on... I'm afraid of theory because it will turn my head into an egg...
Hold on...
OH! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!
Dark Star You're a RIOT!!!!
David

[Dark Star]

YouTube Video

[Jazzaluk]

Some people can apply concepts they cannot explain (creators),
Some can explain concepts they cannot apply (theorists).
Some people refuse to apply concepts that they can't explain. (nerds).

You know who you are!

[strumcat]

There's a parallel to this in language. You can study English for years, know every nuance of grammer, punctuation, usage, and vocabulary... and still have absolutely nothing interesting, moving, or important to say. But... if you do have something to say, learning these things can help you to say it better and broaden your range. Likewise, I think that proficiency in music theory and physical skill can make a person a competent performer, if not an artist. But if you are an artist, I think it can make you a better one. If nothing else, it at least facilitates communication with other musicians, and that can only be a good thing.

[reventlov]

^^^^^^^ good post strumcat

[TruthHertz]

Originally Posted by strumcat

There's a parallel to this in language. ... if you are an artist, I think it can make you a better one. If nothing else, it at least facilitates communication ...

Ah, but there is an implication that everyone wants to be an articulate artist.

Originally Posted by Dark Star

I don't want to be another egg-head jazz guitarist.
... I don't know which one it is. Got it?" ok?"

Not always the case.
David

[strumcat]

Originally Posted by TruthHertz

Ah, but there is an implication that everyone wants to be an articulate artist.

Good point. Becoming a good performer or just studying music theory for its own sake -- to teach, or just because it interests you -- are great goals in themselves. (I was actually going to add that, but I'm using a cellphone with a bad touchscreen...)

reventlov... TY

[bretkills]

To Established a common language, so that musicians are more likely to communicate with each other. Then you have such a genius like Bireli get together NHOP and Andre Cecarelli, they just play. At this point, there are so many musicians experience, theory into redundant.I English grammar and music theory. Clearly express their knowledge or lack of knowledge of grammar dosn't maintain a year-old.

[mike walker]

Originally Posted by Dark Star

Just the other night at a rehearsal, the keyboard player asked me, "What chord was that you just played?" I said, "It's the one where my pointer finger goes all the way across the neck to fret three stings at once, but not all the strings are played. Then I put my middle finger over on the low string a fret higher than the first finger & kind of touch the fifth string so it doesn't play. Then I kind of scrunch my third finger under my first finger to fret a note above the one my first finger is fretting. I don't know which one it is. Got it?" He was frustrated but he's going to have to get used to it. I finally told him, "Just feel it, ok?"

As opposed to, 'a Bb7, mate'............

[Dark Star]

lol!

[Richard-H]

Years ago I played in a country/western band with a singer/rythm guitarist who only knew a handful of open chords - and knew no theory whatsoever. Most Rock n' Rollers no little more than that. None of them ever wrote or played a truly original song - though they thought that they did. If that's your musical goals - fine.

But Jazz is fine art...there's more to it than just pulling of a song to get over on a crowd. Knowing music theory is just a stepping stone to creating that art - yes, you can cross a river without a stepping stone, but it will be harder and take longer - and you likely won't ever get across.

Do you really think that Picasso or Dali would have achieved their level of artistry without knowing geometry?

In theory, any 2 year old can schmack some paint on a canvas and make a master piece, just as in theory, if you have an infinite number of monkeys with typewriters, given an infinite amount of time, they will type 'War and Peace' an infinite number of times.

In reality, it doesn't work that way.

[Broyale]

I can relate to what the OP is feeling. I've found that in learning theory, there are often too many schools of thought clashing with one another and without any sort of standard approach to keep things clean and orderly, its us novice students who are left to sort out the mess. I'm experiencing this right now, I have a professor who teaches one thing, a textbook that says another, and several online sources that contradicts them both. Add into the frustration that comes from having to sort out poorly taught concepts or overemphasized explanations and its enough to turn anyone off to learning theory. The thing is, having a strong proficiency in an specialty doesn't mean you're qualified to teach it, by default.

[cosmic gumbo]

I was just studying about parallel modal substitution of the #4 phrygian tritone using chromatic applications of subdominant cadences in relationship to minor 2nd interchange. If it's on the internet, it must be true, right?