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The people you are talking about giving up when they plateau are likely the same people that would have given up when forced to learn the grammar. The net resul
by theobon 10y ago
The people you are talking about giving up when they plateau are likely the same people that would have given up when forced to learn the grammar. The net result is a similar number of people at the higher level but the people at the beginner level have more ability to generate music.
Down the road an ability to bang off a tune at a party is far more useful to a beginner than knowledge of music theory. Makes people happier too!
- jeremiep 10y agoOne doesn't prevent the other! I was lucky that my music teachers found it important for us to both learn theory every week, but also a complete song matching our skills level. So while we'd have scales and chords to practice, we'd also have songs to play at parties and whatnot from the beginning. What I didn't realize at the time is that practicing chords and scales not only builds knowledge of how notes sounds and relate to each other, it also builds muscle memory and makes you play with less and less effort until it becomes effortless. At which point the songs you learned really, really start to shine. Its easy to dismiss practice as boring and "only for professionals" but once you start seeing what it yields you realize it is incredibly important to any musician. Much like reading a book from an author who understands grammar and has a large vocabulary is a much richer experience than reading a book from someone who hasn't put the effort in learning it all. Not only that, understanding the grammar makes you appreciate the works of others on a much deeper level. Same goes for understanding music theory - it improves your listening experience.