It's not really intended to "teach you theory" at least, not in the way that serious theory study would. They have their uses (but unfortunately many see them as a "learn music fast" thing too, and they're not). Second, what are you trying to accomplish?ĮarMaster is, as you've surmised, an "ear training app". In fact, just buying a book on "how to be an architect" isn't going to make you an architect.įirst, do you even need theory for what you're trying to accomplish, and But going out and buying a hammer is not going to make you an architect.
They can be great tools IF you learn how to apply them and use them to your advantage. "learn to play like." books and vids which really didn't do anything but take their money.Īt least today, a lot of that stuff is free, but it's still generally a waste of time. A CONSTANT thing I saw was people like you - this a little before apps were so big, but it was "I bought this video, and I tried this book.but I still can't play (or don't know theory, etc.)".įinally, they broke down and took lessons, and they learned more in a month then they had learned in their whole lifetime knocking around with "get rich quick schemes" - i.e. I want to offer up this - I taught guitar lessons for many years. Here's what theory will do for you: (1) Help you understand the answers on this site -) (2) Help you talk about music with other musicians (assuming their theory knowledge is at least equal to yours) (3) Help you break down and analyse a piece of music (which can make you feel like you understand it) (4) Make you feel like a "Proper Musician" (not just a dumb guitarist who only reads tabs.) You want to write a rock song? You need to learn a handful of rock songs.) You want to write a Bach-style chorale, correctly? You need theory.
The only way theory will help you in composition is with kinds of music which you are not already familiar with, and/or are highly complex. (*In terms of composition, theory will give you certain formulas, but they are all things you can pick up from songs, and songs are always a much more "organic" application of those formulas, with the countless variations that make them interesting. Theory might give you a good insight in "how" things work, but not why they sound good or bad. (4) is something you'll never get the answer to, at least not from music theory.
(2) and (3) come from learning more music (and also doing more improvising and composing, trial and error). (1) comes from technical practice, more playing, more listening. What advantages do you think it will give you? Here's all the things it WON'T do (IMO): (1) Make you a better player (2) Make you a better improviser (3) Make you a better composer * (4) Tell you "why" things "sound good".
IOW, ask yourself why you want to learn theory. You still might not quite get it even when you hear it - and that's a sure sign that you don't need to know it (yet) because the sound is outside your experience, you haven't come across it yet in the music you know. If you do come across a concept you don't understand (common when studying theory!) you have to hear it and ideally play it yourself before you have any hope of getting it. There's no sense in learning a theory when you don't know what it sounds like. IOW, all this stuff is about giving you names and labels for things you already know - or should. Do you know what its function is in the key of C? That's more theory. Do you know why it's called "G7"? If you do, that's more theory. Could you write them on a staff? That's not exactly theory, but notation is the language that written theory uses to illustrate its concepts, so is useful to know. So you know that much theory! Do you know the notes in a G7? That's more theory. "G7" is a theoretical term (or rather a shorthand symbol for a theoretical entity).
You can do it from books or websites ( is the best free resource IMO), but the important thing is to make connections all the time with sounds you already know.Į.g., you know (I guess) what a "G7" chord is, because you can play it. If you really want to study theory, that's fine. Your ear will improve - automatically and quite naturally - the more you play music, and especially the more you try playing along with songs and trying to learn them by ear. (It will take you longer, but are you in a hurry?)ĮarMaster (so I've heard) is quite good as ear training software, but IMO you don't need it. That's certainly the best way of being guided through the jungle, but with a bit of intelligence and common sense you can do quite well on your own. I'm not quite as firmly in favour of getting a teacher as he is (even though I'm a teacher myself). Good way of learning theory, arguably the best.
Relying on chord progressions from Songs I've learned through tabs.