Lifting the Veil

To the uninitiated, making music can seem mysterious. But even as a seasoned guitarist, you may find that certain mysteries persist, contributing to stagnation in your playing and uncomfortable feelings about your competence. Music theory tops the list of these mysteries.

For many players who lack experience with theory, the topic seems so divorced from making music that the value of it is suspect. Not only that, there’s something about the term that’s intimidating to most guitarists. It even scared me when I was young!

What Is It?

When I heard the term “music theory,” I thought of it as being on the level of, say, advanced physics. As I progressed with my playing, I started wondering when, how, or if I would get into studying it.

One summer when life slowed down for a few months, I decided to audit an introductory college theory class. The class focused mostly on choral arrangement, and over the course of six weeks I gained some understanding of how chords function in relation to each other. I thought it was fun and interesting—like a puzzle. After that class ended, I let theory simmer on the back burner as I put my attention on playing guitar and learning about music.

I had a pretty organic approach—learn what I needed to know to play the next thing I wanted to play. I had to study and practice some new concepts to do that, but it was a stress-free, enjoyable experience that blended in with my guitar practice. At some point a few years later, I realized that what I had been learning was, in fact, music theory—and I had a pretty complete education! Or did I? Because I thought learning theory should have been harder, I wasn’t quite sure.

The truth is, I had acquired a lot of useful information that had taken my playing to a whole new level. I was even teaching the concepts I had learned to my students, and it showed in their performances. Still, I questioned what I could be missing.

I had imposter syndrome. All I had done was learn some terms, how sounds were typically organized or grouped, and how tension was created and resolved. In fact, those things define music theory, but the process of gaining that knowledge was nothing like learning advanced physics! And, as I discovered, the value of even the most basic theory is undeniable.

What Should We Call It?

In thinking back on my experience, I can’t help fantasizing about changing the name from “theory” to something more appealing. Music Unveiled, maybe, or Music Demystified? What words would help you to reimagine the subject?

Whatever we call it, we want it to help us, and we don’t want to suffer. But suffering is not necessary! Learning theory is no different than learning anything else— even learning to play guitar! There are proven principles and habits that increase your ability to retain what you learn and get the most from your knowledge, all while having more fun. And they’re all within your reach!

These Tips Are Golden!

Learn a little at a time. Start with something small that presents a challenge but is doable. (Challenge is necessary for growth!) Then build gradually from that place.

Don’t expect it to take any particular amount of time to master. Learning takes however long it takes and anything you learn is valuable. Expectations will always get in the way. 

Practice, practice, practice. Get in the habit of doing written exercises repeatedly and put what you learn to use in your playing. Then use it some more.

Approach the material in a logical order. If you skip anything or jump ahead, you set yourself up for confusion and frustration. (A Guitar Player’s Guide to Music Theory will eliminate this as an issue.)

Don’t be a weekend athlete. Steady is better.

Be discerning when choosing a teacher or book. Face it, there are a lot of good guitarists who are just not good teachers. Be sure you’re learning from someone who is impeccable in their use of terms, numbers, and symbols. The person should explain things clearly and, above all, be correct. (Hey, that’s me!)

How I Can Help

• Use A Guitar Player’s Guide to Music Theory, which I wrote to fulfill all the requirements for comprehensive and stress-free learning. It even includes worksheets, so you can practice the concepts and check your comprehension. All that for under $20!
• Sign up for the Virtual Studio, where you’ll find plenty of relevant theory lessons. It’s free for the first month (and you can learn a lot in a month!) and, if you decide to stay, it’s only $9.95/month, with no obligations.
• Let me help you in one or a series of one-on-one, personalized lessons. Email me with questions or to request a time slot.