Iām glad I learnt to play by ear. Started playing in '75 and didnāt take any music theory until I found Justin PMT course about 10 years ago.
I was amazed how much theory I actually knew just by learning to play by ear.
For example if you can hear intervals you will understand them, but it you learn intervals from studing misic theory you may not hear them.
Learning music theory hasnāt made me a better musician but I do understand the why music works better.
And you see it in these forums as well, being aimed at people who can barely play a D chord yet.
My take is thereās little point learning the whatever scale if your playing skills arenāt good enough to do anything with it.
Iām 2+ years into playing and now I feel is the right time for me to start learning some theory and some scales. I can play my basic chords and make changes without relying on looking at the fretboard. Now when I pick a scale such as a minor scale, I can find the root and then play up and down the scale without looking at the guitar because Iāve spent a couple of years getting my two hands onto the same wavelength and Iāve gained some spatial awareness of my guitar. My ear also knows what to listen for in terms of whether Iām playing a scale correctly.
Iām now in a position where learning theory has value to me. If a beginner asks me about theory then my answer will be to go and learn how to play your guitar first, have some fun, learn some simple songs and then the theory can start.
It is and it is very well thought out. Justin is also a big advocate of transcribing by ear and using your ear to learn music.
What I am saying is āIām glad I learnt to use my ears to learn how to play guitar before studing Theoryā
Music Theory doesnāt teach you how to play guitar it teaches you how to understand music. In my experience (51 years of playing guitar) learning how to play first is more important than music theory.
It make learning music theory easier.
People are all different and therefore we learn in different ways. For those who are more academic and thorough, music theory is important. Many famous guitar players didnāt learn music theory until they were already very famous (e.g. BB King). Most of them have also said in hindsight that it would have been better if they had done it earlier (based on BB Kingās biography āBlues all around meā). If learning music theory pushes you away from music, by all means, stop. If it, in turn, fuels your interest, keep learning it.
Personally, I find it very useful and something to keep developing in parallel to my guitar skills. Justinās approach is very practical and works for most people if you take it seriously. Learning music theory will make you a better musician and it will also enable you to pick up multiple music instruments more easily (as has been my case).
The teacher really makes a difference. I remember when I was in school, I had an amazing math teacher; he made us want to learn and enjoy math. And I donāt even like math.
