Originally posted by iamthe_eggman
Theory is not meant to dominate us and dictate where we can take music; think of Mozart - he was a master over theory, and made it do whatever he wanted it to. Even with the limits he had imposed on him by the state of music in those days. Theory is just a tool, and we make use of it, then put it back in its little box and close the lid.

Who wants to listen to music to be awed by the music theory behind it? Music is meant to move on a much more basic level than that; granted, while still operating at higher levels.[/B]

Why wouldn't someone? Knowing what actually is happening in a paganini piece only improves one's own musical appreciation of that piece. Also the more you understand in a musical piece, the more ideas you get and the more your understanding of music increases. Imagine a song you know on guitar, and then when you hear that song. Your perception of the music is much greater than a song you don't know. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this.

The path you take is not as important as the willingness to learn. As long as you continue to learn and evolve, your playing will become better, whether it's through theory, doing your own thing, or learning from others.

Theory is important but it shouldn't govern music. Music is only achieved when a coherent progression of sound goes convincingly from beginning to end and the music is interesting. Theory is the understanding of the music written. If the musician is the builder of a song, the theorist is the divider of the song. Theory makes sense of music, thus by learning theory you have a better understanding of music. Classical theory is basically learning what has worked for the last thousand years. It's definitely worth a look at because the more you understand music, the better you are at creating it. Like everything else.

The problem with people creating original music is in the understanding of how something so simple can go to achieve the most complex and pleasant sounding music. A single pentatonic lick can go a very long way.

When it comes to one's own style? I believe your born with it. Your musical style is like your personality, so be yourself and you'll have your own style. People who don't seem to have there own style, usually don't trust themselves and they resort to mimicing others.

In the end, continuing to learn is what is important. One way is not really any better than another. If I was to say the most important thing in music is, it would be having a good ear. No theory, technique, playing like others, or level of your own creativity can replace your ear in music.

[Edited by noticingthemistake on 02-05-2004 at 09:20 PM]