Why do I want to learn theory?
I’d like to be able to improvise and also play confidently with other people. I think theory would help with that. I’d also like to start making my own music and feel like a solid understanding of theory will be very beneficial for that.
What would you like to get out of this course?
Feel more confident about my playing. Be able to make up my own music.
If you have tried learning music theory before, why did it go wrong? How will you avoid that same problem?
I’m also enrolled in a free introductory music theory course on Coursera through the University of Edenborough. I like that course, and plan on continuing but think this course will be more practical. Time is my biggest constraint.
What’s your BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Guitar Goal)?
Play with other people and make my own music.
I want to learn music theory because I hope it will help me improvise, especially blues. Mostly I interested in playing for my own enjoyment, although I wouldn’t turn my nose up at jamming with others in a blues context if I felt sufficiently confident in my abilities.
My goal is to get much better at guitar, to be a better guitar player and improviser. I already studied a lot of music Theory, but i feel there is so much more to learn. Really useful music theory that i can immedeatly apply into my playing. I think upto now that this course is gonna help me a lot to achieve my goals. I just subscribed to the Blues Immersions course and is want to be up to date with music Theory, specially on chords and chors extensions, major and minor scales, even modes. I play in a Big Band with a lot of scilled musicians, even some pro’s. They can point at the spot where there should be played a ninth or an eleventh not, what chord is played bij the different hornplayers toghether. This amazes me and gave me the urge to learn more about these methodes. Modes is another item i want to understand better and be able to use in a real life context. Although i have just turned 65 years old last month, i still think it isn’t impossible for me to learn a lot and get better, maybe even good on guitar. Thank You Justin
Why I’m studying music theory. Good question. I feel like, as a guitar player, that I was always parroting a language I didn’t really understand. I can copy other people’s words, and sometimes feel kind of cool. But I have no idea what I’m really saying. So I want to learn the words and what they mean so hopefully I can learn to speak for myself. I still don’t know what I’ll have to say. But at least I’ll be able to finally speak and understand the language.
I’ve had a couple guitar teachers with amazing command of the fretboard for soloing and/or the ability to transcribe songs due at least partly to their understanding of Music Theory. I can use all the help I can get: learning Music Theory, I believe, can help me play better as well as help me better understand music that I hear or read.
Hello all.
I have worked all the way from most recent to oldest to tag you all. Phew. That was a job and a half.
Perhaps some of you have not visited the Community in a long time. Perhaps some of you have had your subscription to Practical Music Theory lapse or you completed the course and moved on. No doubt many of you are still working through the PMT grades.
I merely wanted to personally notify you all of an upcoming Live Club for PMT subscribers on Wednesday 19th June at 7pm UK time (UTC +1).
I have the incredible honour of deputising for Justin in a Q&A session.
If you have not yet registered to attend you can do so here.
You should be provided with a link to a short questionnaire to ask your theory question(s).
Don’t worry if you miss / missed it. You can use this direct link. The more questions you ask the more I can shape them in to a coherent session.
Wow the man has the power of Yoda.
Still mid level 5 Mr C so will be dropping by on the 19th. Many thanks for that sterling work of tagging all posters.
Rogier, we’re in the Yorkshire Dales not the Mediterranean - so no sun, sangria and sandals.
Just cold grey skies and rain, cups of tea and stout shoes. Plus, lazy mornings taking it slow with my guitar buddies is leisure and pleasure too!
I feel like I am rote memorizing shapes and scales, and can sense there is a pattern or understanding I’m not getting yet. I’m hoping that understanding theory will unlock the understanding so I can see the big picture. Right now it’s working with the different forms of the pentatonic scale. Hoping to get better at jamming and soloing
I have studied theory before but I’ve never been able to apply it. This is one of the reasons you mentioned for people “falling off” in your video around the 3:34 mark. As I go along the path with my “new to me” guitar instructor, I’m hoping some dots will be connected and I can use theory in a practical application way.
Sadly my one year subscription ran out not long ago. Need to save up for the lifetime subscription though, as it is something that I realize, I will use rest of my guitar journey/life.
I don’t want to compose using theory, but compose and improvise using my ear. However, I use the theory in so many other ways. Communicating ideas and share things with others will be nearly impossible if not knowing theory, at least to a certain degree.
I recently had an experience with that, being together with other musicians and one while playing the piano says: “Give me a D7 followed by an A7” and the dude who had played guitar for 10 years, was just one big question mark. Me as a beginner had to show him. That for me, made me so happy for have taken the effort to learn theory and beside the lessons from Justin, @Richard_close2u have been such a huge help for me, to understand the basics. Thnx a lot. Appreciate it!
Having followed your beginner guitar courses I felt this would be a welcome addition. I do wish to understand the guitar at a deeper level which I hope to gain from following this course
I always thought I don’t need theory, boy was I wrong. I don’t know why but it helps me a lot when you know why a song is played like that. The lifetime subscription is a good investment.
Hi! I’m starting this course for the second time. Being an old fart I had a couple of major surgeries and recovery wasn’t always easy , and it resulted in putting down the guitars for awhile. I’m feeling a whole lot better now and need to get back to it. Thanks for this course. It’s interesting and a lot of fun.
Go do some nice stuff with your lady rapidly…even busier times are coming …
