Here is my theory...

[bmgskulk]

Play what is needed...

when needed...

audio example...

Just Doing it

Then...when key or dissonance allows...play what sounds cool...

Too many samples...

[emixolydian]

I think the purpose of theory is to dictate what is needed when, in the context of what sounds good and pleasing.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was the premise of music theory.

[freya]

theory is only good for explaining what you wrote. if you don't care about explaining it, then you can just keep writing stuff without caring and it'll still sound good.

[emixolydian]

admin said:

theory is only good for explaining what you wrote. if you don't care about explaining it, then you can just keep writing stuff without caring and it'll still sound good.

That's not true. It gives you a larger compositional repretoire.

I know plenty of people who write shit without theory, and it still sounds like shit. To be without theory you need to be with a good ear- not everyone has a good ear.

[FourLetterWords]

I've got a fairly good ear.

[emixolydian]

proguitarnoob said:

I've got a fairly good ear.

No you don't.

[Don't Fuck With Me]

theory is only good for explaining what you wrote

Ummm, it might be better to "know it before you knock it"

[FourLetterWords]

emixolydian said:

proguitarnoob said:

I've got a fairly good ear.

No you don't.

Yeah I do, I just don't know the names for what I'm hearing, but I know when it sounds good or correct most of the time.

[emixolydian]

proguitarnoob said:

emixolydian said:

No you don't.

Yeah I do, I just don't know the names for what I'm hearing, but I know when it sounds good or correct most of the time.

So does EVERYONE else.

[FourLetterWords]

Bullshit. Most people couldn't compose their own music to save their lives.

You've seen how people with untrained ears go out of key so frequently.

[emixolydian]

proguitarnoob said:

Bullshit. Most people couldn't compose their own music to save their lives.

You've seen how people with untrained ears go out of key so frequently.

Uhm, no, not really. Everyone's ears are mostly tuned to the idea of "keys". IF you play some chords, and tell a kid to come up with something that sounds good over it, he's going to end up playing in key. You suck at life if you can't do that.

When you tell a kid to write a chord progression he'll find chords that sound good together, most likely ending up with something in key.

Thats common fucking sense, man. I wouldn't even call that a good ear, unless it was something creative and hip.

I have good ear. I can name any scale, or it's parent scale, by hearing it once. I can identify any seventh chord, basic triad, sus chords, on command, I can name a lot of altered ones as well. I accruately notate a simply melody line I've just heard, assuming I know the first note.

Thats a good ear.

I ain't heard any masterpieces out of you, Brandt, and that moveable sus chord song was kinda...contradictory to what you're saying.

[sexymonkey]

Mr. Emix-
I need an honest response from ya'
Where you BORN with a good ear, or just developed it over time? I assume the first time you heard a scale ever you were like,"Oh yea, that's Phrygian Dominant in G."
Is it sometime you can develop over long hard nights of studying and practicing, or are us un-gifted people screwed?

[emixolydian]

sexymonkey said:

Mr. Emix-
I need an honest response from ya'
Where you BORN with a good ear, or just developed it over time? I assume the first time you heard a scale ever you were like,"Oh yea, that's Phrygian Dominant in G."
Is it sometime you can develop over long hard nights of studying and practicing, or are us un-gifted people screwed?

My ear used to suck ass. You need to put a lot of work into it to get the results you want.

I would check out www.musictheory.net

Use some of their listening lessons, you can build up a good ear for chords and scales. Intervals too.

The best way to remember the names for things you're hearing is to relate them to something. For instance, I know something is harmonic minor because I can always hear the leading tone in the minor scale, and it sounds eastern to me.

Mixolydian...I hear a major scale with a b7, no leading tone. Its small things like that give it away.

I would also suggest learning everything you hear on guitar. The other day...my girlfriend was playing Mario Kart when I was doing some scale practice, and I just started playing the song on that track, in the game. Took me like 10 seconds to figure it out. Relating sounds to your instrument is equally as important as being able to say "thats dorian!"

People like to relate melodies to intervals...

Some shit I use to identify them...

Octave- Somewhere over the Rainbow
Maj7- really dissonant, I can hear it wants to resolve up
Min7- Star Trek
Maj6- just know it
Min6- NBC
P5-I can sing a triad and the 3rd note will be the 5th. 1-3-5
Tritone- I hear a dom7 chord in a tritone
P4- reminds me of this thing we used to do in band, just know it.
Maj3- Reminds me of a chord, 1-3-5
Min3- "Fire" Jimi Hendrix
Maj2-I sing can sing a major scale from the root, and the next note is the maj2.
Min2- jaws


Those're the ones I remember...I don't really need to use them anymore, because I just KNOW now.

[sexymonkey]

Oh man, I use the leading tone thing on the Harmonic Minor too!!(I've been using those lessons lately, really helped me out) Any help with the Aeolian-Natural Minor? I keep on confusing that with the Melodic, I just can't hear the difference. I know it(Melodic Minor) has that raised 6th and 7th. So I should look for the raised 6th right?

[emixolydian]

Natural minor is just minor to me.

Melodic minor is EASY. When it ascends its just a major scale with a b3. When it goes back down its natural minor. Just catch it on the way up.

Just listen for a major scale with a b3.