Please Support My Theory Lessons Journal!

[Piercing_Light]

Hello everyone, this is an update for all you who desire a refresher course on music, or people who are completely new to music. My journal has a post with a comments section that includes several music theory lessons. I update it as often as I can (spare time) and I would like feedback on if my information is helpful. Also, hate to beg, but if you feel I'm doing a great cause for the music community here, donations would be wonderful! Thank you!  

[x.Marsh[mel]low.x]

I'll post some stuff once I get it typed out.  

[hopeless_romantic_heart]

Piercing_Light

Hello everyone, this is an update for all you who desire a refresher course on music, or people who are completely new to music. My journal has a post with a comments section that includes several music theory lessons. I update it as often as I can (spare time) and I would like feedback on if my information is helpful. Also, hate to beg, but if you feel I'm doing a great cause for the music community here, donations would be wonderful! Thank you!

Nice job, thats a great jounral biggrin  

[Lady Frassy Frass]

That's one awesome journal. 3nodding  

[The Lovely Miss Melanie]

Sounds good so far.  

[Piercing_Light]

Yay people looked! Thank you!  

[tentousama]

Where is this journal?  

[lilmzcantbewrong]

Hey.. very cool of you to take your time and create some theory lessons. I'll be sure to check them out! I am amazed at how many people I run into that think theory is a bunch of hype.. music is art, creativity and all that... I agree.. but great things happen when the right and left side of the brain work together. When I first began playing, someone taught me the very basic 12 bar blues.. I tried and tried to embellish on that, but it took me forever to get a little bit of a riff added in.. So, I looked up and learned the blues scale.. and right away was able to just jam away. Point in case..

So... Thanks.. you are doing us all a great service!  

[Piercing_Light]

Yeah, I don't understand people's problems with theory. I think people just want to be "creative" without putting any real work into their art. I guess most of us just like to play with the clay, as they say. Today. Hooray.
*ahem*
I have this wonderful quote from someone:

"...learn the changes and then forget them."
-Charlie Parker

(Just to help people out who don't understand, the "changes" are the chord structure of a song)

This should be a great relief to anyone who thinks theory is restricting and confining. I believe that when you completely understand music theory, you are then able to break every "rule" at your own artistic whim. It is THEORY afterall. Basically, once you know what is possible, you can then go make up your own rules. Rather that just unwittingly use poor forms and plain old blues scales (once I learned the blues scales, I too was able to improvise with ease. But know that I have mastered that, I am able to play in different keys {simultaneously), and still have it sound like I intended it to happen). We should always strive to be better, yes? I could have sat down with a guitar and "made stuff up", or I could have sat down and studied and realized that, hey, I'm just playing a bunch of stupid powerchords, and THOUGHT that I was being innovative.
The point is, people tend to dislike theory because it involves WORK, and God forbid we should aim to better ourselves.
But what really upsets me is that there are people making tons of cash (not that cash is the end-all in life) by playing said powerchords, not using any of their creative talents or even aiming to better themselves. In fact, many of our pop musicians/"artists" can't read music at all. I admit that there are AMAZING artists that can't read. But those guys, reagardless, know their theory. It's just been filtered through their instrument. And those guys could probably learn to read in a day, they're just too busy playing all the time because nobody will pay to hear virtuoso talent.

Anyways, if everyone just quit studying theory, eventually the world just crap out, people would forget how to do amazing things with their instruments, yadda yadda, etc....

So, yeah! Keep theory alive. *Flips out the Music Theory gang sign*
Dag.  

[Vindicated Offender]

From what I read, it looks like you know what you are talking about. My weak point is theory and it bugs the crap out of me. Right now I'm working on chords and recognizing their names. Gah so tough. I can play advanced songs, but when it comes to theory I suck. So when I need help I will remember your journal......  

[Junai Bokunenjin]

You have nothing about suspensions... that's sad...  

[Piercing_Light]

Junai Bokunenjin

You have nothing about suspensions... that's sad...

Ya know, I can only write so much so fast, jeez.

I'll get into suspensions, escape tones, retardations, passing tones, neighboring tones, changing tones, appoggiaturas, and anticipations later.
Besides, "suspensions" are over used by modern amateur composers anyway. But what people think are suspended chords are actually sustained chords (Asus2, etc.), blah blah blah rant rant rant.

Anyways, like I said, updates are going to be slow, and nobody has been posting comments/suggestions into my journal (with the exception of one wonderful person). The journal is going to be revamped again though. I'm just not sure how. Suggestions would be nice!

Oh, also, if anyone is interested, please donate to my cause. I'm trying to start a guild for serious music students who would like to be in a more enriched musical environment. So if you like my journal, please don't hesitate to give me everything you have. I mean donate a little. sweatdrop