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ProoN
Enthusiast



Registered: 03/27/06
Posts: 199
Loc: California, Colorado, Michigan
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Music Theory Online?
#7587702 - 11/02/07 12:47 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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I've been an aspiring guitar player for about 9 years now (self-taught). I can play anything you hand me -with ease-, as long as it's in tabalature form. Legato scales, Arpeggios, 6 string sweeps, chords, etc, but I have no knowledge of music theory whatsoever. To be honest, I couldn't even tell you which string is G, which is fucking terrible. When people see me play, they ask how I've managed to get to be so good without even knowing the basics. It's kind of embarassing, really, which brings me to the point of this post.
Being able to play anything isn't always a good thing, especially when you don't know how to incoporate it well with everything else. I've seen this very thing happen to a countless number of other guitarists, and it's kind of sad, to be honest. This is where I think music theory will help my overall technique. So, is there anyone on here whose taken online courses and can vouch for their teaching methods? I've been looking over http://www.musictheory.halifax.ns.ca/. It was the first thing that came up with my google search, but it sounds pretty promising. I've been wanting to study at GIT for a while, but I really don't think that's going to happen, considering I never graduated from high school, and you have to have previous years of study/recommendations from professors and such to even be able to apply. It's depressing, really, but I have to deal with it.
-------------------- A human being is part of a whole, called by us, the "Universe", a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
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Toddo
Stranger



Registered: 07/09/04
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Re: Music Theory Online? [Re: ProoN]
#7587945 - 11/02/07 01:43 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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FIrst of all, get your GED! That said, take a semester of intro theory at a community college or go pick up a book. I just think both of those would be better then doing it online.
You also might want to pick up a really cheap keyboard. THey piano is the best instrument for really understanding theory in practice. It will help solidify ideas that would be much harder to do on a guitar. The lessions you learn on the keyboard will transfer over to your guitar playing.
If you write music, I think theory is one of the most important tools to learn. (or at least intro theory) It basically puts a name on all those techniques that we use without even knowing it. (and gives you a road map for creating music) Its a foundation...a foundation thats meant to be broken, but one should have a solid foundation before they break through it.
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automan
blasted chipmunk


Registered: 09/18/03
Posts: 8,272
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Re: Music Theory Online? [Re: ProoN]
#7588630 - 11/02/07 04:57 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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the way i learned was without any classes or lessons. learn how to write music, like, proper notation and 5 line paper. then go through some good jazz tunes writing out the chord changes above each measure where it changes. than, transcribe the solos and figure out how they relate to the changes.
you will learn standard things that way too. like a 2 5 1 jazz turn around where the 1 is the relative minor could go something like this (in the key of 'A' minor: B11 E7#9 Am7
things like that you pick up on while writing out chord changes then figuring out how the soloist works through those changes.
if you go to GIT, you will just be paying someone to make you do what i just told you to do.
also, find players that play modally and work through changes by ear.
-------------------- No, no, you're not thinking, you're just being logical. ~ Niels Bohr
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ProoN
Enthusiast



Registered: 03/27/06
Posts: 199
Loc: California, Colorado, Michigan
Last seen: 1 year, 4 months
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Re: Music Theory Online? [Re: automan]
#7588732 - 11/02/07 05:31 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
you will learn standard things that way too. like a 2 5 1 jazz turn around where the 1 is the relative minor could go something like this (in the key of 'A' minor: B11 E7#9 Am7
I have no idea what "A minor" even sounds like, let alone what the rest of it means.
-------------------- A human being is part of a whole, called by us, the "Universe", a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
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automan
blasted chipmunk


Registered: 09/18/03
Posts: 8,272
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Re: Music Theory Online? [Re: ProoN]
#7590790 - 11/03/07 11:49 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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play that A minor arpeggio you play with lightning speed. the first 3 notes together are an A minor chord.
-------------------- No, no, you're not thinking, you're just being logical. ~ Niels Bohr
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ProoN
Enthusiast



Registered: 03/27/06
Posts: 199
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Last seen: 1 year, 4 months
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Re: Music Theory Online? [Re: automan]
#7592596 - 11/03/07 09:13 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Right, so, what the hell does
Quote:
B11 E7#9 Am7
equate to in tabalature form? Like I said, I couldn't even tell you what string is G. I'm entirely in the dark with this stuff, and it's terrible.
-------------------- A human being is part of a whole, called by us, the "Universe", a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
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psyka
Praetorian


Registered: 06/09/03
Posts: 1,652
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Re: Music Theory Online? [Re: ProoN]
#7592612 - 11/03/07 09:19 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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-------------------- As the life of a candle, my wick will burn out. But, the fire of my mind shall beam into infinite.

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x2and2makes5
Fool on a hill




Registered: 07/06/07
Posts: 1,765
Loc: PA
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Re: Music Theory Online? [Re: psyka]
#7592636 - 11/03/07 09:26 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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just started taking theory classes a few weeks ago. were into very basic harmonic analyisis and its already making my head spin alittle hahaha. its like the math of music
-------------------- Try to realise it's all within yourself no one else can make you change And to see you're really only very small and life flows on within you and without you MUST HAVE MUSIC 1 2 Shroomery Music Exchange
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PinballWizard
Naive and Gullible as usual

Registered: 03/20/04
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Re: Music Theory Online? [Re: ProoN]
#7592651 - 11/03/07 09:32 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Learning/teaching music theory is so difficult to begin. Immerse yourself in it anyway you can, and it will start to come over time. If you can play, you already know some music theory, you just can't put it into words yet.
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automan
blasted chipmunk


Registered: 09/18/03
Posts: 8,272
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Re: Music Theory Online? [Re: ProoN]
#7592659 - 11/03/07 09:34 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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ok, let's take C Major. How is the major scale built and how do the 7 mode come from that scale?
It is all mathematics. To build a major scale, you just need the formula. W = Whole Step (2 frets) H = Half Step (1 fret)
The formula for a major scale is: W - W - H - W - W - W - H
so, to start with the C note to make a major scale, you go: C, then a whole step (2 frets), which puts you on D. Then another whole step that puts you on E, then a half step (1 fret) that puts you on E. Then just follow the rest of the formula. to make a C Major chord, just play the 1, 3, and 5. You get those by assigning each note a number. Using this math, a C Major chord is C, E, and G. To make it a C Major7, just add the 7 (B) to the chord. To get the relative minor scale, you need to know a tiny bit about modes.
A mode is just starting a scale on a different note. The proper name for a major scale is the Ionian, though most people just call it Major. To get the relative minor, just start that Major scale on the 6. So if we are in the key of C Major, you would count up 6 notes. That would put you on A. So an A minor scale is: A, B, C, D, E, F, G
Notice how that is the exact same scale as the C Major, just starting on a different note. That is why they are called relative scales. here are the rest of the modes: Code:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 C D E F G A B ~ Ionian (Relative Major) D E F G A B C ~ Dorian E F G A B C D ~ Phrygian F G A B C D E ~ Lydian G A B C D E F ~ Mixolydian A B C D E F G ~ Aeolian (Relative Minor) B C D E F G A ~ Locrian
Personally, I enjoy playing in Dorian. It has that minor feel, but with the Major 6 in it, it has a thread of hope. Play the scale and you will hear what i am talking about.
Hope this helps you on your way to learning music theory. feel free to ask any questions you might come to.
-------------------- No, no, you're not thinking, you're just being logical. ~ Niels Bohr
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