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Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

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Re: Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

#111

Post by ses1984 »

Sharlin wrote: post #91
ses1984 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does sharp or flat want to step up or down? I took a few years of music lessons (granted light on theory) but I never heard this idea. Is this exclusive to notes that are not in the current key? For example the f# in Gmaj doesn't want to step up to G any more than B wants to step up to C in Cmaj.

But B does want to step up (or resolve ) to C, the tonic of the C major scale. Similarly with F# to G in G major.

So is it because it's sharp or flat or is it because of its position relative to the tonic?

Re: Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

#113

Post by dundercoder »

llcoolv wrote: post #56

https://www.hooktheory.com/ This is a very good place to start and at least validate that you have the foundations. I mean both their courses and chord progression/melody database. Also, playing around with their composer is a very very easy and pleasant way to actually grok harmony. Rhythm/dynamics/etc you would need to learn somewhere else, but most people don't have a problem with that anyway. Disclaimer: While ho…

I really loved the roman numeral chord theory here. Helped me a ton.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

#114

Post by tchaffee »

My music school provides free theory classes if you take any weekly class to learn how to play an instrument. The professors teaching you an instrument know what theory you are learning - so they will then include that in the music you are learning to play so you can see the theory in practice. If you want to learn quickly, a good music school is going to be hard to beat. I'm basing this on having tried teaching myself online and having had many private teachers. Both of which work, but just a lot slower and with more limitations.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

#115

Post by wazoox »

scottious wrote: post #62
wazoox wrote: post #40

I recommend that you follow Kent Hewitt (piano), Adam Neely (bass) and Rick Beato (guitar) on Youtube. They all talk about various aspect of music theory, composition, etc. Kent Hewitt is providing more of a full-blown online jazz course, Rick Beato makes incredibly interesting analyses of songs of all style (mostly rock) but also talks a lot about scales, harmony, improvising, etc. Adam Neely is all over the place :…

all great channels, I love them all. However I kind of feel like you can only really learn from them if you have a solid foundation of music theory already. If you don't, then you will be surely be entertained by these videos, but I doubt that you will come out of it with real knowledge. It's like... you can watch anime with subtitles all day but you are very unlikely to learn Japanese this way.

Rick Beato and Kent Hewitt both wrote good books that will allow serious learners to start up.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

#116

Post by digitalsushi »

Timpy wrote: post #105
billfruit wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but often improving the notation can make the concept more accessible to new comers, and many terms is usage among musicians can be rather u nintiuitive.

I don't agree that this is an improved notation at all. It has its advantages, it highlights the physical distance between notes in a uniform way across key signatures. But it obscures harmonic function, which is much more important. Array indexes starting at 0 is unintuitive for beginners, I would never recommend a programming student learn arrays starting at 1 just to make it easier. Proper playing technique is oft…

There are some people, maybe not many, that have a difficult time trying something new unless they have something familiar to form a relationship, even if the relationship is inaccurate and requires iterative improvement.

We might say, that finding the Rosetta Stone hindered those who knew Greek trying to learn hieroglyphs.

I was deathly afraid to try woodworking until someone showed me how to construct familiar angles on the machines using basic trigonometry. After I had a tiny relationship formed, I was able to experiment on my own (and then adopt woodworking vocabulary, to become entrenched in that community).

I think using some arithmetic rules to entice someone who knows arithmetic, but otherwise is awkward around music theory, is an agreeable compromise to get them on the way.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

#117

Post by abannin »

Music theory is really a domain specific language. Like all languages (not programming), the only way to really learn is to converse with others. I don't think you can learn theory alone, it only makes sense when you talk about music using music theory with other musicians.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

#118

Post by xtracto »

Timpy wrote: post #105
billfruit wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but often improving the notation can make the concept more accessible to new comers, and many terms is usage among musicians can be rather u nintiuitive.

I don't agree that this is an improved notation at all. It has its advantages, it highlights the physical distance between notes in a uniform way across key signatures. But it obscures harmonic function, which is much more important. Array indexes starting at 0 is unintuitive for beginners, I would never recommend a programming student learn arrays starting at 1 just to make it easier. Proper playing technique is oft…

So you would subscribe to the notion that BASIC is not a proper introductory language because it hides some of the theoretical CS complexities while exposing the lowest hanging fruit to beginners?

Re: Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

#119

Post by zozbot234 »

digitalsushi wrote: post #116
Timpy wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't agree that this is an improved notation at all. It has its advantages, it highlights the physical distance between notes in a uniform way across key signatures. But it obscures harmonic function, which is much more important. Array indexes starting at 0 is unintuitive for beginners, I would never recommend a programming student learn arrays starting at 1 just to make it easier. Proper playing technique is oft…

There are some people, maybe not many, that have a difficult time trying something new unless they have something familiar to form a relationship, even if the relationship is inaccurate and requires iterative improvement. We might say, that finding the Rosetta Stone hindered those who knew Greek trying to learn hieroglyphs. I was deathly afraid to try woodworking until someone showed me how to construct familiar angl…

> I think using some arithmetic rules to entice someone who knows arithmetic, but otherwise is awkward around music theory

The biggest win from that POV would actually be numbering the diatonic scale degrees starting at 0 for the tonic, and the diatonic intervals starting at 0 for the unison. Unfortunately, it heavily conflicts with all sorts of existing notations. But once you think of the third as a "2" interval, the fourth as a "3", the fifth as "4" etc. you can arbitrarily add intervals together and to scale-degrees, without having to constantly correct for the archaic 1-based counting.

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