The importance of music theory has always been well understood by classical and jazz musicians and composers, but many beginner musicians in the modern age cringe at the thought of studying something often perceived as difficult and boring.
Why learn music theory, anyways? Isn’t it just waste of time unless you’re pursuing a degree in classical music composition? In this post we’ll discuss the importance of music theory, including three myths about learning music theory and six reasons why studying it will make you a better musician and performer.
Composers and music producers will especially benefit from learning the basics of theory and harmony. Conveniently, music production books, as well as online music production courses, teach theory and harmony within the context of the DAW and MIDI grid.
To learn more about music theory and why it’s important, don’t miss this list of the best music theory books for beginners, like the highly popular Music Theory: From Absolute Beginner to Expert.
If you just want to learn how to read music without being overwhelmed with extra information, check out the book How to Read Music in 30 Days.
This post covers (click on the link to jump to that section of the article):
- Myths about learning music theory
- 6 benefits of learning music theory
- Is music theory necessary to learn?
- Can you learn music theory on your own?
- Recommended theory and harmony resources
- Is music theory hard to learn?
Let’s get started!
Myths about learning music theory
Before we get into the reasons to learn music theory, let’s dispel three myths about learning music theory:
Myth #1. It’s only useful for music theory majors. While it’s true that some aspects of music theory aren’t applicable to all styles of music, learning the fundamentals of harmony and melody can help musicians of all skill levels and playing styles become better performers, composers, improvisers, and appreciators of music.
Myth #2. It’s too boring and difficult. Sure, it can be boring and difficult if you approach it the wrong way – for instance, by grabbing a college-level tome dissecting the works of 18th-century composers and trying to memorize it all in one shot.
In real life, learning music theory isn’t a linear path. It’s best approached in bite-sized pieces, with the goal of putting what you learn to immediate practical use. For instance, aspiring music producers who gain a basic understanding of diatonic harmony can be on the way to composing better songs in no time. (Some modern theory books, like this one, are written within the context of a DAW and MIDI grid.)
Myth #3. It limits your creativity. This is the worst of the myths, yet there are many people who think learning music theory will somehow kneecap their efforts at composition. The irony is, if they’re creating music that sounds good to most people, they’re innately borrowing from music theory concepts without acknowledging it.
With the “just wing it” approach to composing, you may be able to create music that sounds musical enough, but all your songs will sound the same after a while. Contrary to limiting your musical creativity, not knowing music theory is the greatest limiter of musical creativity.
6 benefits of learning music theory
Now that we’ve addressed three of the top myths about music theory, we’ll make a case for the importance of music theory with six compelling reasons to take up its study.
Become a better composer or producer
With a basic understanding of music theory and harmony, you’ll know how to choose chords that sound good together, and you’ll be able to write a complementary melody and bass line without so much trial and error.
Dig a little deeper into the inner workings of harmony, and you’ll be able to spice up boring chord progressions using the many tools at your disposal, such as extensions, substitutions, modulation, and chromaticism.
By building on the proven foundation of music theory, you’ll be able to compose with purpose instead of throwing stuff at a wall until something finally sticks – that just gets depressing after a while, even if you get lucky once or twice!
Play a wider range of music
Learning music theory, and in particular learning how to read music, will open new worlds of music to you, no matter what instrument you play. Many genres of music, such as classical, are written almost exclusively using standard music notation. Also, most commercial sheet music and songbooks, as well as compositions in the public domain, use standard notation format.
Standard music notation has several advantages over tablature:
- It conveys when to play which notes and for what duration, as opposed to simply how to finger the notes on your instrument
- It lets you visualize not just the notes, but also the intervallic and harmonic relationships between them
- It can more easily convey extra information about how the music should be played, such as by using articulation marks
- It can be played by many different instruments without being rewritten
Perhaps the biggest benefit of learning how to read music is that you won’t need to be familiar with a song to learn how to play it well.
In practice, tablature and standard music notation both have advantages and disadvantages, and becoming fluent in both is ideal.
Write in standard notation
Of course, another benefit of learning to read standard notation is that you’ll also be able to write it. If you want to compose or teach music for a living or collaborate with other music creators, the time will come when you’ll need to write music down in a format that can be universally understood.
Additionally, many online music production courses require you to write your music using music notation software such as Sibelius or Finale. (These scores can easily be exported as MIDI and imported into a DAW later if necessary.)
If you study ear training and intervals, you can generate musical ideas using just a pencil and some staff paper, without having an instrument handy. Composing music in standard notation is faster and less frustrating than scribbling out tab or chord diagrams, and the finished piece can be readily played by other instruments, transposed, or imported into a digital piano roll.
Improvise more fluently
Skilled improvisers are aware of the importance of music theory and are intimately familiar with the chord progressions, chord types, scales, intervals, and rhythmic patterns that define their genre of music. With practice and an understanding of music theory, they can make music that sounds good on the fly, as opposed to learning it by rote.
Improvisation isn’t just for jazz musicians. Mozart, Beethoven, and many other classical composers were practiced improvisers. Today, improvisation is also used in blues, rock, contemporary classical, traditional, and world music.
Even if you don’t intend to improvise as a performer, you can still cultivate this skill to help you write better music.
Understand how your favorite music is created
With a knowledge of music theory, you’ll be able to identify the keys, chord progressions, rhythms, and forms in your favorite genres or pieces of music. You can then introduce these ideas into your compositions or performances while still making them your own.
Learning music theory will also help you transcribe music more accurately, which is useful when you want to learn or analyze a piece but there’s no sheet music available.
Understanding how a specific piece was created gives you the ability to appreciate it on a deeper level. By listening more closely to the music you encounter, you may even discover new favorite genres as well.
Become a better player and performer
Learning music theory will help you both sight read (by recognizing music notation and common chord shapes) and play by ear (using ear training and an understanding of intervals). With these skills, you’ll not only gain the respect of your fellow musicians, but you’ll also be able to join in at impromptu group performances.
Although instrumentalists in many genres of music rely on music notation or tab to learn new pieces, playing by ear is the favored approach in other genres, such as trad. Learning new tunes by ear can be tedious work if you don’t have a basis in ear training and intervals.
Recap: Why is it important to learn theory?
In this post we’ve covered six reasons to learn music theory. To sum up, here are the benefits again in brief:
- Become a better composer or producer.
- Play a wider range of music.
- Understand how to write music in standard notation.
- Improvise more fluently.
- Understand how your favorite music is created.
- Become a better player and performer.
Is music theory necessary to learn?
Although you don’t need an in-depth understanding of music theory to begin learning an instrument (or even to compose a simple arrangement), you won’t be able to reach mastery in any area of music without a solid grounding in music theory.
In some cases, it’s best to gain at least a basic understanding of theory and harmony early on. For example, if you want to compose or produce music, you won’t be able to create sophisticated, interesting music by avoiding the study of music theory altogether.
Can you learn music theory on your own?
Yes. Many contemporary musicians – and even great film composers, like Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer – have no formal training in music theory or composition, yet they understand the importance of music theory and have taught themselves how to use it.
Recommended theory and harmony resources
Music theory method books are a good starting point for learning theory on your own, since they teach you the fundamentals of music theory in a logical order.
Nowadays you can also take music theory courses online from top universities and instructors, some of them for free. Here are a few top-rated online theory courses to get you started:
- Introduction to Music Theory, Berklee College of Music (free, certificate with fee)
- Fundamentals of Music Theory, University of Edinburgh (free, certificate with fee)
- Getting Started with Music Theory, Michigan State University (free, certificate with fee)
- Music Theory Comprehensive, available on SkillShare
- Music Theory for Songwriters: The Fundamentals, available on LinkedIn Learning
Is music theory hard to learn?
It’s never been easier, more affordable, or more convenient to teach yourself the basics of music theory. With the abundance of online theory courses and books, you can study at your own pace from wherever you are in the world.
Additionally, the wide variety of learning materials available makes it possible to tailor your studies to your goals as a composer or performer. The sooner you discover the benefits and importance of learning music theory, the sooner you’ll achieve your musical aspirations.