<max.aginaga@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:56c38bbe-5747-4371-a21d-3976f49bfe94@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Hi everyone!
>
> I am an adult beginner in all things musical, in what concerns both
> playing an instrument as well as knowing theory. It would be great if
> you could help me
>
> (i) pick an alternative book to replace the one I am currently using
> and
>
> (ii) tell me how I can get out of the situation I currently find
> myself in (in terms of being minimally "musically competent").
>
> From searching the newsgroup, I have identified the following titles
> as being often suggested for those who are NOT looking for an academic
> textbook:
>
> - the Master Theory series
> - AB Guide to Music Theory
> - What Makes Music Work (Seyer et al)
> - Harmony and Theory: A Comprehensive Source for All Musicians (Wyatt
> and Schroeder)
>
> What I know, don't know and what (I think) I need [I am sorry this is
> not clearer]:
>
> - My goal is to be able to functionally play an instrument (the bass
> guitar) as an amateur while understanding what I am doing.
The Master Theory series is good for a "non-instrument-specific" approach,
but for practical matters you need when playing (in other words, picking
up
Alfred's Theory which is designed for pianists might not do you as much
good).
You need an instructor. A good guitar (or bass specific) instructor who
can
also take you through the theory would be ideal. Usually, lessons tend to
focus on the practical matters of playing - physical dexterity (just
getting
good sound out), notes, scales, etc. Theory tends to give you mental
skills
such as "what notes can I play with what chord?" - your lessons
instruction
would cover that too, but it can obviously depend greatly on how the
instructor structures the lessons.
> - I am generally quite competent with "abstract systems" (math,
> programming), and had thought that learning basic music theory would
> be a breeze compared with getting basic skills in playing an
> instrument -- wrong! Actually, I am completely stuck on the theory
> side. As I mention again further below, is the answer to this "rote"?
> (It is fine with me if the answer is affirmative; I just don't know!)
That's because theory is actually pretty precise - as far as styles are
concerned. "Rote" is good for things like muscle memory - so you can play
a
scale without really thinking about it. And a lot of theory stuff is rote
material (though if you play all the time, and use it all the time, it
stays
with you) - Circle of 5ths, your varous scales and so on.
The more "academic" side of theory deals with comparative analysis of
music
and the "inner workings" so to speak. How practical that is to learning an
instrument is questionable - many people learn to be quite virtuosic
without
ever even knowing if they're playing a French Augmented 6th or not. So I
think you would need to focus on the practical theory, and then if you
want
to learn more, you certainly can.
>
> - Using a book ("Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory" -- I know
> many abhor series of books of this kind, but the Amazon reviews
> actually suggested it was helpful for adult beginners and I hadn't
> thought of checking Usenet before choosing one), by now I have learnt
> about concepts such as notes, different types of scales and
> intervals. I know these "in theory"; I can neither listen to them in
> my mind nor I am able to tell you what are the notes of the G major
> scale without first writing down the C major scale, seeing where the
> half-step intervals are (I know they are between E-F and B-C) and
> proceeding from there by "****fting" the sequence of intervals so that
> it starts on G... Is this just a question of rote? [If the answer is
> yes, then I will practice it over and over again. I simply don't know
> if I am lacking understanding or if the way is to simply "mechanize"
> it. Please point the way! : )]
In a sense, yes. I always tell my students though, there are three things
you can do - you can "figure" your scales (like map them all out so the
half
steps are in the right place) - you can "memorize" your scales (with the
chance of forgetting some of them!) or you can "know" your scales.
I liken it to math - I don't "know" what 128 x 7 is. I haven't even
"memorized" my multiplication tables that high. But I can still "figure"
it
out (using rote methods I learned in school).
So you have to use them enough, and think about them enough while you're
using them, that they become second nature. They will, it just takes a
little time.
>
> - I also have fruitfully read stuff online (including some excellent
> threads in this newsgroup), but I need something more structured --
> not in the "intense hand-holding" sense, but rather "here is how all
> these things fit together".
Teacher! Take lessons!
>
> - I am having a hard time following the discussion of chords in my
> current book because I have to stop and think every time I see a
> reference to an interval ("go up a major third from E" -- hmm, what is
> that? Let us see, a major third is 4 half-steps, and the transition E-
> to-F is one of those two exceptions which is just one half-step away,
> so that makes [counts mental fingers]... G#!").
Right. You can figure. Now memorize E to G# is a Major 3rd. It will always
be. Once you do that enough, it will become "known" and second nature. I
"know" E-G# is a Major third in much the same way I can glance at "The"
and
know it spells "The". I don't "sound it out" like my son who's learning to
read.
>
> It would be great if you could suggest either one or more books from
> the list above or some other title that escaped me.
Well, for generic Theory, I would go Master Theory, or AB - the others I'm
not familiar with though. But you really should be taking instrument
lessons
and having the instructor help you with the theory as well.
>
> Also, and perhaps most im****tantly, how does one get over this
> situation where any reference to a scale or an interval requires lots
> of arithmetic to figure out "what the next note is"? I *will* memorize
> all of them if you tell me that is the way to do it. : )
"KNOW" them. I know it sounds funny, but "memorizing" always implies short
term to me.
When you are driving in your car, stuck in traffic, say to yourself "E to
F
is a m2. E to F# is a M2. E to G is a m3, etc. Do it for all notes. I
doesn't hurt also, to think of terms of your bass, so that E to F is open
string to 1st fret, and that's a m2, etc. Ultimately, you also want to try
to associate the sound of the interval with it's name as well.
>
> Any help would be great. I love music, go to live concerts
> independently of being able to get friends to come with me on that
> particular night and remain utterly clueless. I can (and do) devote
> time to learning it, but both the average hours as well as the
> vagaries of my work schedule are not conducive to fruitfully engaging
> an instructor.
Some instructors are willing to be flexible - it depends on their
schedules
as well. That would still be your number one solution - even if it has to
be
somewhat s****adic.
Best,
Steve
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