Last week, we talked about why theory is good for you.  But I know that not all of you believed me.  So, this week, I’m going to show you that you’ve got this – but you might have to gut it out!

But what if you don’t feel the need to share your musical ideas? Do you think that leaves you off the hook?  Of course not! But there is always hope and it comes in two bite sized pieces.

First, you know more theory than you know you know.  At those workshops we talked about before, they handed out sheet music at the end – could you read it?  I’m not quibbling over whether you’re an expert reader or if you should be sitting at the red bird reading table.  You can read it!  So you know those rules (or at least you know a large number of them).  You also know when you play a chord that just doesn’t “fit” – that’s the rules kicking in.  That “not fitting” is cultural and learned – it’s where a rules violation occurs.

So, you know those rules.  You have learned them and use them every day.  And they serve you when you’re playing music written and arranged by other people.  Give yourself credit!  (BTW – you know that to move past the red bird table – you just need to practice your reading, right?). 

Yes, you can just keep at it, learning how chords come together in their various forms, finding what sorts of intervals appeal to you (and which don’t), identifying sorts of chord progressions speak to you – all of that is just various ways of getting to know the rules.

You can experiment, explore, poke around.  You can thrill at sounds you love and cringe at stuff you don’t.  You can use your harps as a (much loved) tool and work the music until you’re happy.   You can record or make notes. And those notes can be in any form you like.  I once wrote a tune on an airline napkin with a relative scale so I wouldn’t forget it.  I have no idea now why I didn’t bother to sketch in the staff.

You can be a theory ninja – at your own level, for your own purposes.  But what if you want to make your own arrangements?  Or write them down? Well you can get out your theory book.

And whether you take the studious approach of learning theory in school or you take the hands-on approach of learning the rules doesn’t matter – as long as you learn the rules.

Regardless of your path, the point is to better understand the underlying structure of the music, it’s movement and flow, and to render the tune the way you mean to – with more ease and perhaps more confidence.  The road you choose to get there should be a personal choice.  The assumption is that if you “gut it out” you will work harder (and that might be true) but you may develop a deeper understanding if you feel those rules out rather than read them from a book – we all learn our own way.

Keep working on your theory – read the material and gut out the relationships – so long as you keep going!  Get your theory the best way for you.  Take a risk, explore, enjoy.

Theory is one of those things that people love to hate.  After all, it is the grammar of music.  The rules.  Written down.  To be learned, memorized, and used.  Theory is the liver and onions of being a musician!

Some people love liver and onions.  And it’s good for you*.

But for most of us, theory is hard and unapproachable.  It’s challenging to read.  It’s confusing to read.  It’s boring to read…and if you have to sit through lectures – ugh.  It’s torture to do those listening exercises.  And if you’re not formally trained (by which I mean forced to learn it), it may keep growing into a behemoth of stuff you are going to put off as long as possible.  Maybe you think you’ll hold your musical breath until it’s over.  If you find yourself in a workshop where the presenter starts spouting off theory, you just try to ride the wave, bide your time – does it really matter what key the tune is in? Don’t you just need to know which levers to set?  Why do you need to know that stuff?To be honest, there are loads of reasons to learn theory.  After all, it is the rules of our game.  Like golf, football, or figure skating, the rules are complex and complicated.  But just as a thorough understanding and knowledge of the rules is one of the things that distinguishes a great sports player, that knowing the rules of music will help you be a better harp player. 

Have you ever sat in a workshop and felt like you didn’t understand what was being said?  Do you have that weird feeling like, although there are harps and people you recognize…it also feels like you’re watching a foreign language film – with missing subtitles?  Knowing your theory makes you part of the club.  The people in the club don’t mean to exclude you (ok actually, unfortunately, sometimes they do, but it has been my experience that often those are the people who only think they know stuff).  It’s ok – you can learn that stuff (no really, you can!).  Knowing the rules is your passport to getting into the “club”. 

These rules of theory serve to create a language of music.  And that language allows people who know the rules to talk to – and to understand one another. They can easily share their musical ideas with loads of people…and be accurately understood.  They can have an impact!  And that’s kind of important.  Especially if you want to get as much from your musical life as you can – each workshop, each lesson, each harp circle, and each performance.

And if you want to share your ideas, it is helpful to speak the language.  It’s certainly easier than waving your arms making vague finger shapes in an effort to tell others what you’re thinking!

There are a number of books on theory if you want to study it yourself.  One of my favorites is Music Theory Made Easy by David Harp (and not just because of his name).  No, it’s not spectacular reading, but it is a handy reference.  I also like the Music Theory For Dummies (go figure) and I found the Alfred books while, if not approachable, at least they’re useful**. 

It’s true that knowledge is power.  I fought learning and studying this stuff for a long time. But once I had studied a little, things began to fall into place.  And once some things fell into place in my head, playing actually became easier…well, a little easier!  Whether it’s being more familiar with well used chord progressions, making better phrasing, or building sets that make sense, every little scrap of theory you pick up, encode, and use will move you a little farther along your journey

I hope you can see that actually studying theory may help you play better because you will have a better understanding and will start from a more knowledgeable place.  Do you have a reference you prefer?  Let me know what it is in the comments.

*  please don’t start a word war about nutrition – you might have noticed that I’m not a nutritionist.  It’s an analogy.

** these are suggestions and the links are provided so you can find the books if you want.  I’m not an affiliate, I won’t get any money if you buy the book, I just want you to know what I’m talking about.