Music theory encompasses chords and how they are built and structured, understanding and building scales, building a melodic passage, learning about rhythmic meters, and studying ear training. Most music programs in a typical college level curriculum include the study of music theory. Many students presently don't want to spend the time on music theory because they feel that it doesn't relate to their instrument and does not make sense to them.
Except for people that are intellectuals, most people believe music theory is boring and needlessly complicated and music is supposed to be fun, not a mathematical exercise; and it's hard enough training the muscles of the hand and learning to sight-read without bothering with all that theory. Music theory helps tremendously with training your ear and gives you very enhanced improvisational and compositional powers and learning chords and how to play them is a very valuable tool for the pianist.
Unless you have perfect pitch, you need theory to truly gain a sharp ear. And, even if you are one of the rare ones who has perfect pitch, you still need theory in order to enhance your relative pitch and your sense of melodic and harmonic structure so you can compose, improvise, and perform with depth and dexterity. Just because you can hear a note and name it doesn't mean you understand it sufficiently, just like being able to read notes and play them back doesn't automatically give you great dexterity or allow you to write a great symphony.
Did you ever listen to someone reading aloud in a mechanical voice, or in a flat monotone? True, they can read and speak the words that they read. But the reason they sound so dull and boring is that the speaker did not comprehend the words or the impact have on the listener.
If the person comprehends the meaning of the words he or she reads without any expression, the real meaning behind the words they are reading are not really heard. But if they truly understood what they were reading, the reading would convey more what the writer intended. This is definitely true for musicians, because a musician that infuses his performances with expression and passion will do much better than someone who performs the pitches or notes in a correct yet mechanical way.
No matter if you have perfect pitch and are naturally gifted with dexterity, the confidence you will gain from knowing why certain notes should fit together will affect other people who hear them. Most music students are required to study music theory as it is a basic fundatmental skill they must learn. They must learn why music sounds the way it does and how it is put together. - 15478
Except for people that are intellectuals, most people believe music theory is boring and needlessly complicated and music is supposed to be fun, not a mathematical exercise; and it's hard enough training the muscles of the hand and learning to sight-read without bothering with all that theory. Music theory helps tremendously with training your ear and gives you very enhanced improvisational and compositional powers and learning chords and how to play them is a very valuable tool for the pianist.
Unless you have perfect pitch, you need theory to truly gain a sharp ear. And, even if you are one of the rare ones who has perfect pitch, you still need theory in order to enhance your relative pitch and your sense of melodic and harmonic structure so you can compose, improvise, and perform with depth and dexterity. Just because you can hear a note and name it doesn't mean you understand it sufficiently, just like being able to read notes and play them back doesn't automatically give you great dexterity or allow you to write a great symphony.
Did you ever listen to someone reading aloud in a mechanical voice, or in a flat monotone? True, they can read and speak the words that they read. But the reason they sound so dull and boring is that the speaker did not comprehend the words or the impact have on the listener.
If the person comprehends the meaning of the words he or she reads without any expression, the real meaning behind the words they are reading are not really heard. But if they truly understood what they were reading, the reading would convey more what the writer intended. This is definitely true for musicians, because a musician that infuses his performances with expression and passion will do much better than someone who performs the pitches or notes in a correct yet mechanical way.
No matter if you have perfect pitch and are naturally gifted with dexterity, the confidence you will gain from knowing why certain notes should fit together will affect other people who hear them. Most music students are required to study music theory as it is a basic fundatmental skill they must learn. They must learn why music sounds the way it does and how it is put together. - 15478
About the Author:
Georgia Reader writes for PlayPianoGuide.com, which is a website that reviews the latest and most successful piano courses online today. Music theory is necessary for piano students to learn as well as learning the notes and how to play the instrument.
