Why is music theory important?
Music theory helps people understand music better. The more you know about music theory, the better you understand music and the better you will play and compose. It’s like learning to read and write: these skills can help you communicate better.
If I can already play music without knowing music theory, why study?
Many people around the world can neither read nor write, but still, verbally communicate their thoughts and feelings. Likewise, many intuitive and self-taught musicians have never learned to read or write music. Music theory can help musicians learn new techniques and styles that they would never find on their own.
Why is so much music theory focused on the piano keyboard?
A keyboard instrument like the piano has several advantages over other instruments. Here you are:
Everything you need is there. The main advantage of a keyboard instrument is that the height of the keyboard is such that the rising and falling notes are placed in a crazy straight line right in front of you.
From the first try of the game, anyone can make musical noises on the keyboard. With a keyboard, you cannot train with a bow and you do not learn to play properly or in a mouthpiece.
A keyboard has a great variety. There is no limit to the number of octaves you can stack on a keyboard.
Will learning music theory help me to improvise?
Seriously, understanding the basics of music theory, especially chord progression and scale levels, makes playing with other musicians and improvisation much easier.
Where do the 12 notes(C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B ) come from?
There are many theories about the origin of the 12 notes used in music today. Some people think that its origin is in mathematics. The number 12 is easily divisible by the numbers 2, 3, and 4, making it easy to distribute tones among an octave.
Other theorists say that Pythagoras, a Greek from the island of Samos, had a cultural fear of number 12 and therefore made his version of the fifth circle with 12 points.
If the composers had strictly used the music theory model and abandoned the fifth circle of Pythagoras, today’s model would have nine points. However, the best answer to the question where the notes come from comes from Schönberg, who said that a scale had 12 notes, simply because 1 plus 2 equals 3. Many non-Western cultures have more or fewer tones in their music systems.
How do Scales & chords help me memorize a piece of music?
If you know scales, chords, and intervals, you can apply all of this information to every piece of music you learn to play. Understanding the techniques of shape and composition of a piece simplifies what you need to remember for performances. Knowing how a piece of music is structured will make it easier for you to predict what will follow.