By Matti Carter
Learning music theory may seem boring to some people, but it is actually very useful and it can massively increase your overall musical skills and knowledge. If you want to become an accomplished musician, it is vital to know some music theory. Below is a list of 5 benefits you will receive from learning music theory.
1. It Improves Your Knowledge And Understanding Of Music
Understanding how music has been created or why music sounds the way it does is something that learning music theory will help you with. You will be able to listen to music with a better understanding of it, and you may be able to enjoy different types of music more. Learning music theory may introduce you to styles of music that you have never heard before, and get you interested in music that you could not previously understand or relate to.
2. It Teaches You How To Analyse Music
There are many different forms of music analysis. You can learn how to analyse harmony, song structures, key changes, melodies and other musical elements. Analysing music will give you a great idea of how music is composed, and you can use the knowledge to your advantage while playing your instrument or composing your own music. Explaining or writing an analysis of music will also improve your thinking skills and creativity.
3. It Improves Your Ear
Music theory isn’t only about analysing music. It also consists of different kinds of ear training. A musician with a great ear is able to compose better music, improvise and play music with more expression.
Imagine being able to quickly learn how to play any new music that you hear. Different kinds of ear training will allow you to become good at this. Knowing how to play by ear is a skill worth having for many reasons, and it can impact your life in many positive ways. E.g. learning songs by ear can save you a lot of time, because you will not have to struggle with sheet music or video tutorials.
4. It Improves Your Music Composition Skills
Learning about different music theory concepts will hugely improve your ability to compose your own music. Knowing the theory behind how music has been composed can give you lots of ideas for your own music. You will learn how to better apply things such as chords, rhythm, harmony, melody, intervals and scales to your compositions.
5. You Will Become Better At Playing Your Instrument
Understanding music theory concepts will improve your ability to learn songs quicker. Your sight reading skills will improve and you will become familiar with lots of musical terminology and symbols, which can be found in music notation.
Knowing how to play in the right time is also a very important feature of an advanced musician. Ear training and rhythm exercises will help you improve this ability. Rhythm exercises can save you a lot of time and frustration while learning rhythmically difficult songs on your instrument.
These are just a few of the benefits that knowing music theory will give you. There are many more, so I recommend taking a few music theory courses to figure out what it can do to you!
© Matti Carter
About The Author
Matti Carter is a professional musician based in Helsinki, Finland. He currently teaches piano and composition. He also writes and publishes instructional articles. If you wish to contact him with a question, feel free to get in touch.