There are LOTS of people who learn to play the piano without ever learning very much about music theory, and that’s a shame. Why? Because music theory is the understanding of what you do at the piano and why you do it. Without learning music theory, notes are just black spots on paper and keys are just those things you play when you learn piano.

Music theory is sometimes the wicked step child of the music world. Music theorists are sometimes not considered “real” musicians because they spend more time sitting at their desk than they do playing music.

What if the world was full of automobiles but nobody knew how engines actually worked? What if automakers knew how to make the parts and put them together but nobody knew how the engine actually worked? How about us? What if nobody bothered to try to understand how the human body worked? We wouldn’t have the many medical advances we have now.

The same is true with music. Although music is considered an art, most music uses a set of rules to make it sound pleasing to our ear. Without knowing these rules, composers cannot make music sound the way we as listeners expect it to sound.

There are, of course, composers who are known for breaking the rules but like the old saying goes, you can’t break the rules until you first know the rules.

A music theorist studies the way music is constructed. Without music theorists, we would never have made a uniform system of music notation, we wouldn’t have scales, chords, musical form, or many of the other musical concepts we as students study every day.

Some of the areas they study are pitch, rhythm, harmony, melody, scales and modes, Texture, timbre, dynamics, articulation, composition, orchestration, and much more.

How Do You Become a Theorist?

The majority of music theorists work at colleges and universities throughout the world. In order to become a music theorist, you must earn at least a bachelor’s degree in music theory but most also bundle this degree with a composition degree. Realistically, a music theorist must earn a doctorate degree in theory before they can be employed as a theorist. Finally, many music theorists are pianists because much of music analysis is made easier with the use of a piano.

If your goal is to write music for a living, a music theory degree is extremely helpful. Having an expert knowledge of the mechanics of music will make you a better composer. Most of the best composers have a large amount of formal training in music theory and because of that, have spent years teaching at a college or university.

It’s also important to note that studying music theory is highly important for any musician. A musician must know how scales, chords, and key signatures work before they can play music so even if you don’t think you’ll be interested in studying music your whole life, even learning basic music theory is essential!

There are a variety of websites and books that can help you learn the basics of music theory. Additionally, we will be posting a series of articles about music theory that are sure to help you grasp the basics. But if you just want to learn piano be sure to have your teacher (or yourself) include music theory in the curriculum!

For a GREAT course in music theory, please click here: Music Theory!

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