Basic theory question

[mario_buoninfante]

19 minutes ago, IamGroot said:

There is a saying that music theory is a tool to assist us when we have problems understanding what we are hearing.

 

As we improve our understaning of what we hear, we rely less on music theory.

 

Many highly skilled jazz musicians say to learn theory to improve your playing, then forget it.

 

Well, Picasso could draw like Raphael and that knowledge allowed him to break the rules and come up with Cubism.

The guy didn't just wake up one day and invented a new style.

 

Edited February 10, 2023 by mario_buoninfante

[tinyd]

If I was to start in one place, it would be to learn chord tones (and closely-related concept of arpeggios). So pick a straightforward tune (ideally one that stays on one chord for a while) that you like, find the first chord, and then work out the chord tones. Then, play those notes over that first chord and see how they sound to you and try and come up with a bassline using only those notes.

 

Do the same for the next chord in the tune and try and work out which notes (if any) are shared between the chords, and see if you can figure out ways to connect them.

 

A lot of music theory involves talking about scales and modes, which have their place, and are also closely related to the above, but I think that it's easy for beginners to get bogged down with scales and their somewhat exotic names. Whereas learning the notes of a chord provides you with a smaller set of notes to play with.

[Baloney Balderdash]

I composed (programed, played, sung, mixed) this with relatively little technical understanding of music theory, but of course a lot intuitive understanding of the mechanics of music, with all that implies, simply from years of playing and composing music, and very little theoretical knowledge about how to record and mix properly too for that matter, making all this predominantly based on experience and intuition alone :

 

Edited March 18, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[oakforest5961]

A resource that I have benefitted from greatly is StudyBass, the creation of Andrew Pouska. It is structured and free. Andrew doesn't just know the theory, he knows how to teach.

 

https://www.studybass.com/study-guide/

 

[Reggaebass]

6 minutes ago, oakforest5961 said:

A resource that I have benefitted from greatly is StudyBass, the creation of Andrew Pouska. It is structured and free. Andrew doesn't just know the theory, he knows how to teach.

 

https://www.studybass.com/study-guide/

 

I went through all of that a few years back and started right from the beginning, really great site 

[carlsim]

I thought I would contribute to this discussion a little and there are many valid points made along the way. From the perspective as a bass player (and this goes for any musician), I remember my old teacher telling me (he was a monster pianist) that basic keyboard skills are one of the best musical skills that any musician should have. 

They teach the fundamental building blocks of harmony in a much easier way than any other instrument. Grab an old keyboard - learn some basic chord construction and it opens up infinite avenues towards creating more interesting music as a bass player. As a music teacher myself now, I completely understand where he was coming from. 

Completing a grade 5 music theory class when I was 16 and starting out on bass was a huge eye opener for me - if you can find a course locally at a school or college, it's well recommended!

Music Theory shouldn't be scary - I say to my students - having a basic understanding of music theory is central to the creation of music. Having said that, I am aware that good music can be created by people who have no musical knowledge - but imagine what they could create if they did? It isn't just about harmony either - key signatures, rhythms, melody, articulation, performance indications are all part of what makes music great. Plus it also makes it so much easier to communicate ideas in a musical setting. I still remember being a young bassist and doing an early resident band gig - the keyboard player started a song (luckily I did know the song a bit but it was a bit of a busker) and looked at me and stuck his hand out with 3 fingers pointing down - essentially telling me we were in Eb major. (3 flats key signature - fingers down for flats and fingers up for sharps). Once I knew that I had an understanding in my head of what chords and harmony were in the key and where the song might go. Obviously, it helps if it is a pretty straight forward song and not harmonically complex.

Anyway, start simple - learn basic triad construction. They you look at chord extensions and how 7ths / 9ths and 11ths are added and how voicing is used. I love a dark and moody C minor 9 chord - voice the C, D and Eb together and you get this gorgeous clashy harmony which sounds amazing - esepcially when composing for a Film Noir soundtrack!

Once you start with music theory, it can become addictive to want to learn more. It's an amazing world to embrace as a bass player who holds the root of the harmony. Sting said it best, "it's not a C Chord until I play a C!"

Anyway... just my 2 cents!

Edited June 5, 2023 by carlsim