Music theory tends to get a bad rap in the world of songwriters. The main argument against the use of music theory is that it can stunt one’s creativity, but that’s a ludicrous suggestion. If an understanding of the nuts and bolts of theory results in you feeling less creative, you’re using it wrong. Music […]
I’ve always held the belief that an understanding of music theory can and will improve your songwriting. But it’s also right to acknowledge that not everything you could learn about music theory will be particularly relevant to your activities as a working songwriter in the pop genres. If you study basic musical rudiments at a typical […]
The one thing that music theory gives songwriters is vocabulary. With one word or phrase, a musician can describe and communicate an entire idea to other songwriters: “I think if we modulate to E major at that point…” The time you save is incalculable, but theory does more than offer you a communication tool. It is […]
There’s a persistent myth in the songwriting world that the more music theory you know, the more your songwriting will suffer. If you believe this, you’re missing out on truly understanding what music theory is, and how you could be using it to your advantage. If you want some evidence for the power of music […]
School’s back in for most students in North America, and some have been back for a couple of weeks now. For many, schooling looks very different: masks, social distancing, and all the other health protocols that have become standard in most areas of the U.S. and Canada. Some schools have switched to an online format, […]
There is a decades-old myth in the pop music world that asserts that the more you understand music theory, the more it stunts your creative abilities. Where does the myth come from? I suspect it goes something like this: When a song sounds really good, theorists will pull it apart to try to understand why it […]
