Music Theory: There is More to it than You Think!

Music theory pertains to the study of concepts and rules that enable musicians to better express themselves and easily exchange thoughts with fellow musicians, writers, singers, and producers. Whether you are a budding or seasoned musician, learning music theory is highly recommended for a variety of reasons. Bridge Music Academy, one of the best music academies in India, offers world-class music courses that include music theory for everyone from hobbyists to professional musicians. In this article, we delve deeper to find out why every musician must learn music theory, but first, let’s start with some basics.

What is music theory?

Music theory is the study of how music works and can be referred to as the grammar of music. It is the building blocks of music and enables you to understand music notation. The rules and guidelines behind how music is made, with the key concepts being understanding of chords, scales, rhythm, arranging and forms, helps musicians to improvise, compose and perform with greater depth and expression. Learning music theory allows musicians to produce more innovative, creative, and complex work and to improvise freely in wide variety of styles.

Benefits of learning music theory

How much theory of music you should know generally depends on your learning goals and will vary from musician to musician. The rule of thumb, however, is to at least build a strong foundation in theory of music, generally benchmarked at about Grade 5 level of UK regulated Exam Boards. Let’s look at some benefits of learning music theory.

Helps understand music

Performing music confidently and with expression requires deep harmonic analysis, interpretation and often the ability to improvise, all of which is rooted in knowledge of music theory. Legendary James Brown said, “being a musician is hard but without knowledge you make it harder”. Gone is the era where talent alone was sufficient to get to the top of the charts. In today’s digital age, every aspiring musician needs to know how to arrange music, work with DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), understand basic musical terms such as dominant 7th, tempo, diatonic harmony, progression, etc. This makes music theory indispensable for any aspiring musician. Top musicians of the day such as Adel, Ed Sheeran, to name a few, have professional knowledge and qualifications behind them.

Helps with performances

Knowing music theory makes it possible to accurately learn and perform music. Ability to read music fluently allows for easy communication and coordination with other musicians in an ensemble. Music theory allows a performer to analyze the music for more aware interpretation of music and to gain a composer’s insight of the music. Without music theory, one may be able to learn a piece of music but will not be able to learn anything from the piece of music! The only way you can become a great performer is through gaining a comprehensive understanding of music theory.

Promotes Creativity

While anyone can be musically creative, it is all limited in the absence of a firm grasp of music theory. Creativity is essential to become a successful musician, and music theory gives impetus to your creative process by allowing you to express yourself without limit in a variety of styles.

Last Word

Learning music theory allows you to become a well-rounded and independent musician. The first step to mastering music theory is enrolling in the best music academy in India. An academy that gives you access to experienced and passionate tutors that will walk with you every step of the way to ensure unmitigated success. Bridge Music Academy offers expertly-curated music courses that are behind numerous success stories in the music industry. Whether you are looking for the best singing institute or western classical music academy in Delhi or Gurgaon, your search ends at Bridge Music Academy. We are the best music academy in India offering regular programs, short-term programs, online lessons, and home tuition across a variety of music courses. To get more information on available courses or enroll in your favorite program, call +91-74283 09990. You can also fill out our contact form, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.